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"Gird yourselves and lament, you priests"

Text: Joel 1:13

DIFFERENT CALLS ISSUED

The prophet issued many calls to different groups of people, in the hope that they would respond appropriately. He now addressed the priests.

“Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;
Wail, you who minister before the altar;
Come, lie all night in sackcloth,
You who minister to my God;
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.”
Joel 1:13

1. “Gird yourselves and lament, you priests”

a) This would include the Levites.

b) And of course, the priests from the line of Aaron.

c) The call to them was to gird themselves to lament before the LORD.

2. “Wail, you who minister before the altar”

a) The priests were supposed to pray on behalf of the nation.

b) The Levites would assist them in every way possible.

3. A suggested plan of action

a) To don sackcloth as a sign of mourning.

b) To seek the Lord’s mercy the whole night through if needs be.

4. “You who minister to my God”

a) The priests and the Levites were dedicated to this task of praying.

b) They should not even need this word of advice from the prophet Joel.

c) Joel added a personal nuance when he said, “To my God”.

5. The standard offerings

a) The grain offering.

b) The drink offering.

c) These were to be presented to the LORD regularly.

6. “Withheld from the house of your God”

a) The priests were entrusted with temple duties.

b) The nuance “your God” was added to heighten the role of the priests.

c) The ministry at the temple had come to a halt.

d) The offerings were withheld by the people.