Joel

The Book of Joel is shows two sides to God. The side that renders judgment and the side that pours out immeasurable amounts of grace. In reading this text Israel had failed to obey the commandments of the Lord and He (being the Sovereign One) would have to punish that disobedience. I found it very interesting how the Scripture goes in depth of the destruction that the Lord will bring upon them as a result of that disobedience:

What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts ^a]">[a] have eaten.

God, in His displeasure is telling them the magnitude in which He destroyed their lands. There is no food of the fields, water is scarce, and offerings have been cut off. The desolation of the land is unimaginable especially for God's chosen people. At the same token He creates a way of escape for the children of Israel (through repentance):

Declare a holy fast;
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.

In His wrath, He still has mercy for the children of Israel.Calling them to wail and cry out before the Lord for their land to petition for all to be restored. God knew the magnitude of the devastation - the lack of food would not have killed them, then invaders would have because it seems that God's hand would have been withdrawn from them.

God went to the one who He knew that they would listen to the prophet. This all reminds me of the world today. Many hear the devastation called by disobedience in the Bible and act as if nothing will really happen but then when the unexpected does, they run back to God. Even in our error is love for us so abounds that He welcomes us back with unlimited grace and mercy and restores that which was lost.