In the plague of drought and locusts, the people must see a harbinger of the approaching day of the Lord. They must see the plagues as signs, as a preliminary judgment of God. And this should fill them with fear of the great day of judgment.1
Joel again summarizes the disasters that have come upon the people. He asks them: do you see with your own eyes that not only the food but also the joy and pleasure have disappeared, even from the house of God? You see how the bond between God and his people changes. The animals also suffer under all this. These creatures also count (think for instance of Jonah 4:11, or of Romans 8:1–39).
16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?