ESOCS Devotional 10 October 2026 – The Day of the Lord
MEMORY VERSE: “Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” Joel 1:15 KJV
TEXT: JOEL 1:10-20
The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19 O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
READ OTHER ESOCS DEVOTIONAL HERE
The story here is about the conversion of Cornelius and his family. He was a religious, devoted, generous, respected, and sincere ‘The day of the Lord’ is a common phrase in the Old Testament and in the book of Joel (Joel 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14). The day of the Lord is the judgment of God on His people (Isaiah 2:12; Amos 5:18). It always refers to some extraordinary happening, whether a present event (like a locust plague), an event in the near future (like the destruction of Jerusalem or the defeat of enemy nations), or the final period of history when God will defeat all the forces of evil.
In the context of our text, the judgment of the Lord comes upon the people in the form of locusts spreading across the land, as a great army of men. It was a time to blow the trumpet to warn the people. The trumpet was to be blown in Zion, Jerusalem. The picture that Joel revealed was that the land was totally devastated by the plague. Nothing was left. It was as if a fire had swept through the land, destroying everything in its path.
The army came in the form of locust and not an actual army – a warning due to their sin and a call for repentance. If they did not repent, then God would bring the armies of the Assyrians and Babylonians on them.
For the Church today, the Day of the Lord is the last judgment on all evil and sin, and the final reward for faithful believers. The message, therefore, is that righteousness and truth will prevail. If you trust God, looking forward to that day should give hope and encouragement to do good.
Without God, devastation is sure. Those who did not accept Him will stand before Him with no appeal. The trumpet (evangelism) is sounding every day.
Reflections
- Despite Evangelism, evil still pervades the world.
Prayer
- Dear Lord, give me the grace to continue to the end.
Further Reading: Joel 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Revelation 22:12
ESOCS Devotional 10 October 2026
