被蝗蟲吞吃的歲月 The Years Eaten by Locusts

約珥書1-2章

Cathy Chen, 10/15/2025

剪蟲剩下的，蝗蟲來吃；

蝗蟲剩下的，蝻子來吃；

蝻子剩下的，螞蚱來吃。（約珥書1:4）

一、被蝗蟲吞吃的歲月

《約珥書》一開始就逼真地描繪出蝗蟲大軍壓境的景象。「剪蟲」是剛長翅的小蝗蟲；「蝗蟲」是成熟的大蝗蟲；「蝻子」是尚未長翅的幼蝗蟲；「螞蚱」則是另一類蝗蟲。

想像那一幕：大大小小、成群結隊的蝗蟲遮天蔽日，吞噬了人們一切的收成。多年耕耘的果實化為烏有，糧食、葡萄園和果樹盡毀，經濟崩潰，甚至連獻祭的供物都無法預備，祭司失去獻上素祭與奠祭的機會，象徵著百姓失去了與神的團契（1:9,13）。

二、神用災難喚醒麻木的靈

他們雖然生活富足，卻陷入屬靈的冷漠與麻木。先知形容他們「像醉酒的人」（1:5），象徵失去警醒與分辨力。

「耶和華的日子臨近了！」（1:15；2:1,11）成為嚴厲的警告——神的審判即將臨到，可能不僅指蝗災，也預表敵軍（如巴比倫或亞述）的入侵。

與其他先知書不同，《約珥書》沒有詳列百姓的具體罪行，而是著重於犯罪後果與真悔改的必要。

當神說：「你們要撕裂心腸，不要撕裂衣服」（2:13），顯示他們與神的關係已流於外表形式，失去了真實的敬畏與破碎的心。屬靈的虛假遍及整個民族，從祭司到平民，從老到幼（2:16-17）。如今，他們將面臨所倚靠的一切，五穀、酒、油、牲畜、果樹將全都毀滅（1:7,10,12,17-18），連神殿中的獻祭也中斷（1:13）。

失去了物質的平安，也失去了屬靈的喜樂，百姓再無可倚靠。而神容許這一切發生，是要引導他們進入真實的悔改（2:12-17）。

三、從蝗蟲到救贖：神要補還被吞吃的歲月

我想起 2000 年上映的電影 《Family Man》。

主角 Jack 是紐約華爾街的頂尖銀行家，擁有金錢、權力、豪宅與名車，卻在聖誕夜意外醒來，進入另一個人生。在另一個人生裡，他與多年以前為了事業而拋棄的摯愛 Kate 結為夫妻，並育有一對兒女。在那平凡卻溫暖的生活中，他才發現，自己曾親手丟棄了最真實的幸福。

同樣地，神讓猶大的百姓看清，他們長久的冷漠與麻木就是那無形的「蝗蟲」，早已吞吃了神原本要賜給他們的豐盛生命。神呼召他們：「你們要禁食、哭泣、悲哀，要撕裂心腸，不是撕裂衣服；要歸向耶和華你們的神，因為祂有恩典，有憐憫，不輕易發怒，有豐盛的慈愛。」神呼召全民禁食、聚集、分別為聖（2:12–17）。

而當百姓真心回轉時，神就應許說：

「我必補還你們那些年，就是蝗蟲、蝻子、剪蟲、螞蚱所吃的。」（2:25）

這不僅是農作的恢復，更是靈命的更新與約的重建。神進一步預告：「我要將我的靈澆灌凡有血氣的」（2:28），這預言在五旬節時藉聖靈降臨而應驗（徒2:16–21）。

最終，凡「求告耶和華名的」都必得救（2:32）。

四、禱告

親愛的天父，祢是有恩典、有憐憫的神，為了不讓我醉生夢死、虛度光陰，祢有時用管教來提醒我，因祢仍然愛我、沒有放棄我（來12:5–11）。

主啊，求祢賜我敏銳的心靈，對祢的話柔軟順服，不讓豐衣足食使我忽略祢在意的事。讓我與祢之間的關係是真實破碎的，是「撕裂心腸」的回轉，而非「撕裂衣服」的形式。求祢幫助我與弟兄姊妹一同歸向祢，保守我們不披戴虛假的敬虔，免得成為社區與列邦的笑柄。

主啊，我承認自己無法單靠意志活出祢的旨意。過去因為自我中心所浪費、被蝗蟲吞吃的歲月，求祢在我真實悔改後補還，使眾人看見被恢復的生命完全出於祢的恩典。

聖靈啊，求祢啟示我、醫治我麻木的心，修正我的錯誤與悖逆，使軟弱的我重新得力（約珥書2:28-31）。我相信祢的應許：「我的百姓必永遠不至羞愧。」（ 2:27）

奉主耶穌基督的名禱告，阿們。

Devotional — Joel Chapters 1–2
Cathy Chen, 10/15/2025

The Years Eaten by Locusts — Awakening a Sleeping People

“What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
what the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten;
what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.” (Joel 1:4)

1. The Years Eaten by Locusts

The Book of Joel opens with a vivid and striking picture of an overwhelming locust invasion.
The “cutting locust” refers to young locusts that have just grown wings; the “swarming locust” is the fully mature locust; the “hopping locust” is the wingless nymph; and the “destroying locust” is yet another species of locust.

Picture the scene: swarms large and small darkening the sky, devouring everything in their path. Years of labor are wiped out. Grain, vineyards, and fruit trees are destroyed. The economy collapses. Even offerings for worship cannot be prepared, leaving priests unable to present grain and drink offerings—symbolizing the broken fellowship between the people and God (1:9,13).

2. God Uses Disaster to Awaken a Numb Spirit

Though their lives had been prosperous, the people had fallen into spiritual indifference. The prophet describes them as “drunkards” (1:5), symbolizing their loss of alertness and discernment.

“The day of the Lord is near!” (1:15; 2:1,11) becomes a solemn warning—judgment is coming. This may refer not only to the locust plague but also to a foreshadowing of invading armies (such as Babylon or Assyria).

Unlike other prophetic books, Joel does not list the people’s specific sins; instead, he emphasizes the consequences of sin and the need for genuine repentance.
When God says, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (2:13), it exposes how their relationship with Him had become superficial—external ritual without true reverence or a contrite heart. Spiritual emptiness spanned the entire nation—from priests to common people, from the old to the young (2:16–17).

Now everything they relied on—grain, wine, oil, livestock, fruit trees—would be destroyed (1:7,10,12,17–18), and even temple sacrifices ceased (1:13).
They lost their material security and their spiritual joy. They had nothing left to depend on.
God allowed this to happen so that they might be led into genuine repentance (2:12–17).

3. From Locusts to Redemption: God Restores the Years That Were Eaten

The movie The Family Man (2000) comes to mind.
Jack, a top Wall Street banker in New York, wakes up on Christmas morning to find himself in an alternate life where he had married Kate—the woman he abandoned years before for his career—and they now have two children. In that ordinary yet warm life, he realizes he had once thrown away his truest happiness.

Similarly, God allowed Judah to see that their long-standing indifference and numbness were like invisible “locusts,” quietly consuming the abundant life God intended for them.

So God called them: “Return to the Lord your God with fasting, weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts and not your garments. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” He calls the entire nation to fast, gather, and consecrate themselves (2:12–17).

And when the people truly return to Him, God promises:
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten—the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter.” (2:25)

This restoration is not merely agricultural—it is spiritual renewal and covenant restoration.
God further prophesies, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (2:28), fulfilled at Pentecost through the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:16–21).
Ultimately, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (2:32).

4. Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, You are gracious and compassionate. To keep me from drifting through life in numbness, You sometimes discipline me, because You still love me and have not given up on me (Hebrews 12:5–11).
Lord, give me a sensitive heart—soft and obedient to Your word. Do not let comfort and abundance dull my concern for what matters to You. May my relationship with You be genuine and contrite—a rending of the heart, not merely a rending of garments. Help me, together with my brothers and sisters, to return to You. Keep us from wearing a false appearance of piety, lest we become a reproach among our communities and the nations.

Lord, I confess that I cannot live out Your will by sheer willpower. For the years wasted and eaten by locusts through my self-centeredness, I ask that You restore them as I truly repent, so that people may see that my renewed life is entirely the work of Your grace.

Holy Spirit, reveal Your truth to me, heal my numb heart, correct my errors and rebellion, and strengthen me in my weakness (Joel 2:28–31). I trust in Your promise:
“My people shall never again be put to shame.” (2:27)

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.