8 Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the Lord.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the Lord.
10 The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.
11 Be ashamed,[b] O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.
Honestly, verse 8 brought me to tears when I translated it. There was sadness and mourning in verse 4, but verse 8 describes a virgin wearing sackcloth because she’s mourning the death of her bridegroom. He died before they could get married and sleep together. It brought a tear to my eye because I meditated on what that must feel like.
God tells his people to lament like this virgin whose lost the man she loved because there is no longer enough food or drink in the land for God to receive the grain offering and drink offering he requires.
In verse 4-7 we mourned because the nation was under attack and people weren’t able to drink wine any more. But verses 8-9 call for a deeper sadness because God does not receive the worship He is worthy of. I was challenged, because I wonder whether I mourn more for my own suffering rather than mourning more for God not receiving what He is due. I care more about my own circumstances than for the worship of God.
Here in Judah the offerings in the temple will cease because there’s isn’t the grain and wine required. But, Christians always have a perfect offering. Jesus Christ gave himself as the offering for our sin and as our righteous offering of worship to God. Therefore, we need not lament that there isn’t an offering. But we should mourn that many have not accepted Christ and offered worship to God.
In verse 10, the ground mourns too. The land that once flowed with milk and honey and was given as a gift to Israel now mourns and gives up nothing. Workers of the ground and vineyard owners ought to be ashamed and wail, as their work achieves nothing. Therefore, in these circumstances, gladness disappears from the people. This awful circumstance is what happens to those who suffer under the judgement of God.
I couldn’t help thinking about Habakkuk 3:17-19. Habakkuk says “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.
In Joel, gladness dries up. But Habakkuk the prophet of faith is going to rejoice in God even as he suffers these things. May we rejoice in God through all circumstances.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you act justly in bringing judgement upon Judah. You act justly in punishing mankind for sin. And yet you are a merciful God. Forgive me for caring more about my circumstances than worship of you. May we lament like a virgin whose betrothed groom died before the wedding, when you do not receive the worship or offerings you deserve. Please change our town and country, turn many hearts to you, so that we all may rejoice in Jesus, who is our offering once and for all, given to you for us. Give us the joy of Habakkuk, rooted in you, rather than the misery of the people of Judah in Joel. Amen.
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