Question 1

What does it mean to lament like a virgin for the husband of her youth?

Accepted Answer

The picture is of a young woman who has just lost the man she loved and recently married, or was about to marry. In that culture, a young bride’s love for her husband was very strong, and losing him early would bring deep, bitter grief. She would trade wedding clothes for rough sackcloth and mourn from the heart. The prophet uses this image to say, “Mourn that deeply over what is happening.” The loss of crops and offerings is not a small inconvenience, but something to grieve with real sorrow.

Question 2

Why are the meat offering and drink offering cut off from the house of the Lord?

Accepted Answer

The meat offering was made from fine flour and oil, and the drink offering was wine poured out to God. Because the fields, vineyards, and olive trees were ruined, there was no grain, wine, or oil to bring. This meant the regular temple offerings stopped. That was very serious. It showed not only hunger in daily life but also a break in public worship. God was using this lack to show that he was displeased and that their sins had brought a judgment that touched even his altar.

Question 3

Why do the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The priests mourn because their work at the altar has been cut off. With no grain, wine, or oil, they cannot bring the people’s meat and drink offerings to God. They are called “the Lord’s ministers” because they serve him in holy things, but now the usual service has stopped. They also feel the loss personally, since part of the offerings was their food. So they grieve both for the damage to God’s worship and for the hardship on themselves and the people they serve.

Question 4

What is meant by the field is wasted and the land mourns?

Accepted Answer

When the prophet says the field is wasted and the land mourns, he is describing how completely the crops have been ruined. The ground that should be green and full of life now looks bare and sad. Corn is wasted, new wine is dried up, and oil languishes. It is as if the whole land is wearing a sad face. This is not just a natural accident. It is God’s warning, showing how quickly the things people depend on for food and comfort can be taken away when they ignore him.

Question 5

Why are husbandmen and vinedressers told to be ashamed and to howl?

Accepted Answer

Husbandmen and vinedressers had worked hard, ploughing, sowing, tending vines and trees, expecting a good harvest. But all their effort has come to nothing. Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, and other fruits are destroyed. They are told to be ashamed because their labour for earthly gain has failed and to howl because their loss is great. Their shame is not for working, but for trusting too much in the crop and not in God. This loss should wake them up to see their sin and return to him.

Question 6

What is the significance of the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, palm, and apple tree withering?

Accepted Answer

These trees cover both basic needs and special delights. The vine and fig tree were common sources of food and drink. Pomegranates, palms, and apple trees added sweetness and pleasure. When all these are dried up and withered, it shows that God has touched every level of their comfort. It is not only bread that is gone, but also the things that made life enjoyable. This wide loss is a sign of serious judgment and is meant to show how empty life becomes when God’s favour is withdrawn.

Question 7

What does it mean that joy is withered away from the sons of men?

Accepted Answer

Joy withering away means that the happiness people once felt, especially at harvest time, has dried up like a dead plant. Usually, harvest was a time of singing and celebration. Now, with ruined fields and fruit trees, there is nothing to rejoice over. Their joy had been tied to food and drink and a full storehouse. When those things are taken, their gladness disappears. This shows how fragile earthly joy is, and how quickly it can fade when God’s good gifts are removed.

Question 8

What was happening among God’s people when these words were spoken?

Accepted Answer

God’s people were facing a heavy disaster across their land. Fields were empty, grain was destroyed, vines were dried up, and oil was failing. This left families hungry and also stopped the regular offerings at the temple. Yet many did not connect this with their sin or with God’s hand. They felt the lack in their stomachs, but not in their hearts. So the prophet speaks strongly, calling the whole land, from priests to farmers, to wake up, see God’s judgment, and mourn over their condition.

Question 9

How does this passage speak to people who rely on earthly comforts?

Accepted Answer

The passage shows how quickly things like food, drink, and pleasant goods can disappear. Farmers had done their work, and the trees promised fruit, yet in a short time everything was gone. This warns anyone who leans too heavily on material comforts. When joy depends only on what we can taste and touch, it will wither when those gifts fail. The text points us to look beyond the harvest and the vineyard and to see our need to seek God himself, not only his gifts.

Joel 1:8

¶ Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

A Call to Mourning

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Joel 1:8

¶ Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

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A Call to Mourning

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