In this message taken from Joel 1:8-10 we learn that Jerusalem will mourn throughout history because of their idolatry, but we also learn that Jerusalem will one day rejoice when the Lord brings them to faith in Jesus Christ. Joel, in this passage, uses Jerusalem as a synecdoche for all Israel. He does so to show their mourning was a national one because God had taken their crops from them through the locust plague described in the first chapter. This plague prohibited Israel from worshipping God as He commanded them in Numbers 28 because their crops were destroyed. The destruction of the crops prevented Israel from properly mixing their sacrifices with grain, oil, and wine offerings.  It was as if God was saying to Israel, “If you live like pagans, I will not permit you the pretense of worship in My temple.” Come and hear for yourself why what happens with Jerusalem matters to every believer in Christ today.