Book of Joel Chapter 1 Vs. 13

 

A Call to Repentance

Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Joel 1:13

Gird yourselves, and... Prepare and be ready to raise up lamentation and mourning; or gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn in that, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi supply the words (see Jer. 4:8).

חָגַר

châgar

khaw-gar'

A primitive root; to gird on (as a belt, armor, etc.): - be able to put on, be afraid, appointed, gird, restrain, X on every side.

סָפַד

sâphad

saw-fad'

A primitive root; properly to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication to wail: - lament, mourn (-er), wail.

howl, ye ministers... Who served there, by laying on and burning the sacrifices, or offering incense.

יָלַל

yâlal

yaw-lal'

A primitive root; to howl (with a wailing tone) or yell (with a boisterous one): - (make to) howl, be howling.

שָׁרַת

shârath

shaw-rath'

A primitive root; to attend as a menial or worshipper; figuratively to contribute to: - minister (unto), (do) serve (-ant, -ice, -itor), wait on.

come, lie all... That is, come into the house of the Lord, as Kimchi; into the court of the priests, and there lie all night, in the sackcloth girded with; putting up prayers to God, with weeping and lamentations, that he would avert the judgments that were come or were coming upon them.

בּוֹא

bô'

bo

A primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications): - abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, [in-]vade, lead, lift [up], mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken [in age], X surely, take (in), way.

for the meat... This offering and the drink offering are withholden from the house of your God" (see Joel 1:9).

לִין לוּן

lûn lı̂yn

loon, leen

A primitive root; to stop (usually overnight); by implication to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain): - abide (all night), continue, dwell, endure, grudge, be left, lie all night, (cause to) lodge (all night, in, -ing, this night), (make to) murmur, remain, tarry (all night, that night).

They were to gird themselves with the sackcloth of mourning. Being gird with sackcloth was an outward expression of the sorrow of their hearts. They were to pray night and day. The daily sacrifice has been taken away. In their time, this meant the loss of daily fellowship with their God. In our day, this means that all symbols of Christianity have been taken away.

Notice the mention of ministers here, which makes me believe these warnings are for their immediate future, and for our day, as well.

Priests Should Mourn

The priests were told to take part (wail) in this lament because, as already noted (Joel 1:9), the ingredients for certain daily offerings were no longer available. (On sackcloth, see Joel 1:8.)