13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty[c] it comes.
16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 The seed shrivels under the clods;[d]
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
18 How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.[e]
19 To you, O Lord, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.
These verses continue a similar theme from verses 8-12, but directed specifically at religious leaders in Judah. Priests and ministers are called to put on sackcloth and mourn because God is not receiving the grain offerings and drink offerings he demands. They are also asked to call a fast and gathering for the whole land.
Verse 18 is an interesting verse and contains a theme hinted at a few times in the Bible. The beasts groan and are perplexed and suffer. The fate of animals seems to be intertwined with the fate of humans in the Bible. When humans sin, the whole earth suffers including the animals. When humans repent, the animals are spared as well (for example in Ninevah at the end of Jonah).
In verse 19, the prophecy changes because Joel uses the pronoun “I”. Instead of simply telling the nation to mourn and repent, Joel himself calls out to God. Although most of the prophecy calls for a collective response, individuals must heed the warnings in this text. Individuals must obey the command to repent of sin and trust in Jesus for salvation, not just rely on being part of a church or Christian family.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I call to you. You have promised to punish wickedness, but you have also promised that there is forgiveness for all who call on the name of Christ. So, I call to you to forgive my sin and grant me everlasting life. Thank you Jesus for dying for my sin and rising again from the dead so that I might have new life. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon me. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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