{"id":47147,"date":"2022-11-14T20:27:35","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T17:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=47147"},"modified":"2025-05-23T22:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T19:55:18","slug":"what-are-the-locusts-in-joel-225","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2022\/11\/14\/what-are-the-locusts-in-joel-225\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;What Are the Locusts in Joel 2:25?&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong style=\"color: revert; font-size: revert;\">Key Scripture: Joel 2:25<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,<br \/>\nThe crawling locust,<br \/>\nThe consuming locust,<br \/>\nAnd the chewing locust,<br \/>\nMy great army which I sent among you.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In Joel 2:25, God speaks through the prophet Joel and mentions four types of locusts that caused destruction in Israel. While these insects were literal, they also symbolize <strong>spiritual and national decay<\/strong>, <strong>divine judgment<\/strong>, and ultimately, <strong>God\u2019s promise of restoration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s examine who these locusts are\u2014both naturally and spiritually\u2014and what theological truths we can draw from them.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>1. The Swarming Locust<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Natural Meaning:<\/strong> This refers to the large, visible locusts that come in massive swarms, devouring everything in their path. They move without a leader (see <strong>Proverbs 30:27<\/strong>), yet act with frightening coordination.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spiritual Meaning:<\/strong> These locusts symbolize <strong>sudden, overwhelming loss<\/strong>\u2014financial crisis, political collapse, or spiritual decline that comes without warning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>2. The Crawling Locust<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Natural Meaning:<\/strong> Smaller than the swarming locusts, these feed on the leftovers. Though individually less destructive, they collectively continue the damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spiritual Meaning:<\/strong> They represent <strong>ongoing consequences of sin<\/strong>, the kind that follows initial loss\u2014such as emotional wounds, bitterness, or relational breakdowns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>3. The Consuming Locust<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Natural Meaning:<\/strong> The tiniest grass-dwelling locusts, feeding on what remains\u2014blades, stalks, and tender shoots.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spiritual Meaning:<\/strong> These reflect the <strong>loss of small but vital areas in life<\/strong>\u2014peace of mind, joy, purpose, and spiritual vitality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>4. The Chewing Locust\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Natural Meaning:<\/strong> These are worm-like larvae, the immature form of locusts\u2014almost invisible, yet very destructive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spiritual Meaning:<\/strong> They symbolize <strong>hidden spiritual decay<\/strong>\u2014pride, unbelief, secret sin. These work in the soul long before visible collapse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong style=\"color: revert; font-size: revert;\">A Pattern of Judgment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Joel 1:4 describes a cycle of destruction:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;<br \/>\nWhat the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;<br \/>\nAnd what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>This shows a <strong>progressive judgment<\/strong>: one wave after another, each worse than the last.<\/li>\n<li>It reveals God&#8217;s warning: if we continue in disobedience, we will experience deeper loss (<strong>Deuteronomy 28:15\u201324<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>God\u2019s Mercy and Restoration<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>But Joel 2 is not just about judgment\u2014it is also about <strong>hope<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joel 2:13 : <\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;<\/em><em style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial;\">Rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Joel 2:25<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten&#8230;&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>God is not only a righteous judge but also a <strong>gracious Redeemer<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>He doesn\u2019t just stop the damage\u2014<strong>He restores what was lost<\/strong>, even lost years.<\/li>\n<li>This restoration includes <strong>spiritual renewal, peace, provision, and relationship with God<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong style=\"color: revert; font-size: revert;\">The New Testament Fulfillment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Christ, this restoration is fully realized. Through repentance and faith, we receive:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Forgiveness of sin<\/strong> (Acts 3:19)<\/li>\n<li><strong>New life in the Spirit<\/strong> (2 Corinthians 5:17)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Restored joy and purpose<\/strong> (John 10:10)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just as God promised to send <strong>&#8220;the former and latter rain&#8221;<\/strong> (Joel 2:23), He has poured out the <strong>Holy Spirit<\/strong> in this age (see <strong>Acts 2:16\u201321<\/strong>). What was lost through sin is regained through Christ.<\/p>\n<p>Are you seeing the signs of locusts in your life\u2014spiritually, emotionally, or materially?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do you feel like you work hard, yet have little to show for it?<\/strong><br \/>\n(See <strong>Haggai 1:6\u20137<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Are you suffering loss without clear reason?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Do you long for peace, purpose, and restoration?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Return to God through Jesus Christ. Repent. Believe. Let Him heal what\u2019s been broken and restore what\u2019s been eaten away.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Prayer of Response:<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Lord, I recognize the locusts in my life. I repent for going my own way. Restore the years that have been lost. Heal my heart and my land. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I surrender to You, in Jesus\u2019 name. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>May the Lord bless you richly, and may your years of loss be turned into seasons of abundance and purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class='share-to-whatsapp-wrapper'><div class='share-on-whsp'>Share on: <\/div><a data-text='\"What Are the Locusts in Joel 2:25?\"' data-link='https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2022\/11\/14\/what-are-the-locusts-in-joel-225\/' class='whatsapp-button whatsapp-share'>WhatsApp<\/a><div class='clear '><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Scripture: Joel 2:25 &#8220;So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1225,"featured_media":40716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16909,16929],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-47147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-teachings-en","category-home-en"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nzigepic.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/nzigepic.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/feed\/podcast\/wingu-la-mashahidi","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"jrCbEdl3u7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2022\/11\/14\/what-are-the-locusts-in-joel-225\/\">&#8220;What Are the Locusts in Joel 2:25?&#8221;<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2022\/11\/14\/what-are-the-locusts-in-joel-225\/embed\/#?secret=jrCbEdl3u7\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;&#8220;What Are the Locusts in Joel 2:25?&#8221;&#8221; &#8212; Wingu la Mashahidi\" data-secret=\"jrCbEdl3u7\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47149,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47147\/revisions\/47149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47147"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=47147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}