Joel. One of what are called the "Minor Prophets," not because they are the "minor league," less important, but simply because of their size. The Major Prophets are the heavy-hitters—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. It took up a full scroll to record them. But these little guys played shortstop. They were the quick-read, the USA Today version—short enough for all of them to be recorded on one scroll. So they came to be known as "The Twelve" or the Minor Prophets.

In Joel's day, it seems the worst had come to pass. It was a day of utter desolation; a day of destruction, a day of dismay and death, the day of the locust. Unexpected, unpredictable and totally uncontrollable, swarms of locusts could overtake the entire land in moments, literally blacking out the skies, and in no time completely denu…