The locust plague was not just a natural event. It was a sign that the day of the Lord was near. Starting with Amos in the 700s BC (Amos 5:18), prophets spoke of a future time when God would step into human history to judge the wicked and support the righteous.
destruction from the Almighty: The Hebrew text emphasizes the similar sounds of the word destruction (shod) and the title the Almighty (shadday).