Overall interpretation from the Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.

The people are to look to God.

“The sorrow of the people is turned into repentance and humiliation before God. With all the marks of sorrow and shame, sin must be confessed and bewailed. A day is to be appointed for this purpose; a day in which people must be kept from their common employments, that they may more closely attend God's services; and there is to be abstaining from meat and drink. Every one had added to the national guilt, all shared in the national calamity, therefore every one must join in repentance. When joy and gladness are cut off from God's house, when serious godliness decays, and love waxes cold, then it is time to cry unto the Lord. The prophet describes how grievous the calamity. See even the inferior creatures suffering for our transgression. And what better are they than beasts, who never cry to God but for corn and wine, and complain of the want of the delights of sense? Yet their crying to God in those cases, shames the stupidity of those who cry not to God in any case. Whatever may become of the nations and churches that persist in ungodliness, believers will find the comfort of acceptance with God, when the wicked shall be burned up with his indignation.”

Why such a destruction from the locusts?  Who was effected?

What was this a sign of in the future?  Who will be effected then?

What did the locusts destroy?  What will be the result in the future calamity?

Vs. 15 – “A dreadful day”  “The day of the LORD”  “It will come like destruction from the Almighty”

Man walks his own way and finally his sin requires the judgement of God to fall upon him.  A time of God’s vengeance. 

“The day of the LORD” – See list of scripture references on page 2 here.   What is this “day of the Lord” pertaining to? 

This is a technical and theological designation.  It occurs five times in the book of Joel alone.  The word “day” refers to a specific extent of time and a distinct event in time.  This event is the Tribulation period and specifically the last 3 ½ years of this period including the great battle of Armageddon, and  the Second Advent and Millennial reign of Christ.  In scripture, “day” can refer to less than a 24 hour period (2 Cor. 6:2; 1 Cor. 3:13; 1 Cor. 15), an exact 24 hour period (Gen. 1:3-31; Rev. 10:1; Rom. 14:5-6), or more than a 24 hour period (Day of the Lord: Is. 2:12; Joel 2:1).

“It is near” refers to this event occurring at its appointed time in history known only to God and set in motion by Him.  It can not be altered. 

“destruction from the Almighty”:  Shaddai – The Lord Almighty – as pertains to his divine power in demonstration. Did God send the locusts to destroy the land?  Will God send the armies in the future to destroy His people?  Does God send calamity upon us and our families?  Why? / Why not?  (permissive will?)  What is our part in the calamities that befall us?  God allows the invasion of the Tribulation King of the North.  This said this way on purpose.  Our attention is drawn to the fact that Destruction comes from the all-bountiful One!  It is like “the wrath of the Lamb.” [Rev. 6:16,17]   Blessings and discipline come from the same Omnipotent God.  The One who provides the blessings through perfect righteousness and perfect justice also provides tremendous discipline and destruction because of these same attributes.

What was the responsibility of the Israelites, on an individual basis, for the action taken against the entire nation?  Who is called to repentance here?  Why?  What is our responsibility as believers in Christ as to what happens in our Nation?  What do we see happening in the USA?  What should we be doing about it?  Repent and Pray!  Call a solemn assembly in the House of the Lord!  We need to get our individual lives right before God and then come together as a nation and seek God.

Vs. 16:20 – “no food” – The basics of life were cut off – also a possible reference to the Tribulation period of the worship of the Beast (no meal offering will be made) – The abomination of desolation in the Temple of God.  “Joy and gladness” are gone refers to the lack of happiness from a people who are not worshipping their God (the source of our joy).

- The crops can’t grow and they rot under the ground.  The herds have no pasture to graze in, and are groaning out.  The devastation is effecting everyone and everything – now from the locusts – then in 200 years from the Assyrians and finally from the King of the North during the great Tribulation.

- Joel then calls out to God for deliverance.  He uses the term “fire” which speaks of judgement.  This fire of destruction also refers to the invasion of the King of the North during the Tribulation.  He is asking for God’s intervention and deliverance for the remnant of believers then and in the future.  Even the beasts of the field cry out to God.  Without reason, they know to call out for help because of the devastation of their land.  The judgement of God is awesome and complete.  When His judgement falls upon a nation it knows no partiality, but effects every aspect of life as we know it, to bring about His call to repentance.

 Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Isaiah 34:8 For [it is] the day of the LORD'S vengeance, [and] the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

Lamentations 2:22 Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD'S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.

Ezekiel 13:5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

Ezekiel 30:3 For the day [is] near, even the day of the LORD [is] near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD [is] at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand;

Joel 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp [is] very great: for [he is] strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD [is] great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.

Zephaniah 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.