wail

December 17, 2017

Against the commercial traders (Zeph 1:10-1:11)

“Says Yahweh.

‘On that day,

A cry will be heard

From the Fish Gate.

A wail will be heard

From the Second Quarter.

A loud crash will be heard

From the hills.

The inhabitants

Of the Mortar

Wail.

All the traders

Have perished.

All who weigh out

Silver

Are cut off.’”

Yahweh was clear about the consequences on the Day of Yahweh.  A cry would come from the north Fish Gate and the Second Quarter of Jerusalem, probably the entrance and the market place of business near this gate.  The Jerusalem traders may have sold fish there.  The northern hills around Jerusalem would also cry out, as would the wailing people of Mortal, those in the valley.  They would all wail and cry because of the lack of commerce.  All the traders would die.  Anyone involved with the weighing of silver would be wiped out.

October 11, 2017

The priests should mourn (Joel 1:13-1:13)

“Put on sackcloth!

Lament!

You priests!

Wail!

You ministers

Of the altar!

Come!

Pass the night

In sackcloth!

You ministers

Of my God!

Grain offerings,

Drink offerings,

Are withheld

From the house

Of your God.”

The priests of the Temple should lament and wail. These ministers of the altar should spend their night in the Temple in sackcloth. There was no grain or drink offerings in the house of God.

October 11, 2017

The farmers should mourn (Joel 1:11-1:12)

“Be dismayed!

You farmers!

Wail!

You vinedressers!

The wheat,

The barley,

The crops

Of the field

Are ruined.

The vine withers.

The fig tree droops.

Pomegranate trees,

Palm trees,

Apple trees,

All the trees

Of the field

Are dried up.

Surely,

Joy withers away

Among the people.”

The famers and the vinedressers should wail and be upset. All the crops of the field, the wheat and the barley, are ruined. The vines wither away, while the fig trees droop. All the trees of the field, the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple trees, have dried up. There is no longer any joy among the people because of this plague of locusts.

October 11, 2017

The attack of the locusts (Joel 1:5-1:7)

“Wake up!

You drunkards!

Weep!

Wail!

All you wine-drinkers!

The sweet wine

Is cut off

From your mouth.

A nation has invaded

My land.

It is powerful.

It is innumerable.

Its teeth are

Lions’ teeth.

It has the fangs

Of a lioness.

It has laid waste

My vines.

It has splintered

My fig trees.

It has stripped off

Their bark.

It has thrown it down.

Their branches

Have turned white.”

Joel noted that the attack of the locust grasshoppers was very severe, like the invasion of another country. He wanted the drunkards to wake up and weep. All those wine-drinkers should wail. They were going to have their sweet wine cut off from them. The powerful, innumerable invasion of the grasshoppers in his land was like the fangs of a lion’s teeth. This attack had laid waste the vines and the fig trees. This plague of locusts had splintered and stripped off the bark of the trees. They had thrown the trees to the ground, as the branches of the trees turned white.

May 7, 2017

The mourning (Ezek 21:12-21:13)

“‘Cry!

Wail!

Son of man!

It is against

My people!

It is against

All Israel’s princes!

They are thrown

To the sword,

Together with my people.

Ah!

Strike the thigh!

Consider!

What!

If you despise the rod,

Will it not happen?’

Says Yahweh God.”

Yahweh wanted Ezekiel, the son of man, to mourn, cry, and wail. The sword was going to come against the people of Yahweh, all of Israel’s princes. They were all going to be thrown to the sword. Ezekiel was to strike his thigh as a sign of mourning. They had despised the rod. Now see what was going to happen.

January 28, 2017

Moab is destroyed (Jer 48:18-48:20)

“Come down from glory!

Sit on the parched ground!

Enthroned daughter Dibon!

The destroyer of Moab

Has come up

Against you!

He has destroyed

Your strongholds.

Stand by the road!

Watch!

You inhabitants of Aroer!

Ask the man fleeing!

Ask the woman escaping!

Say!

‘What has happened?’

Moab is put to shame.

Moab is broken down.

Wail!

Cry!

Tell it by the Arnon,

That Moab is laid waste.”

Moab was going to come down from its glory days to the parched land. They had their Dibon River with its capital city of Dibon. However their strong fortresses were destroyed. Jeremiah wanted them to stand by the road at Aroer, on the banks of the Arnon River. There they were to ask the simple question to both the men and women who were escaping and fleeing. What was going on? What was happening? The response was simple and direct. Moab was put to shame and broken down, as it was laid waste. All they could do now by the banks of the Arnon River was to wail and cry for their lost country of Moab.

 

January 25, 2017

The destroying waters from the north (Jer 47:2-47:2)

“Thus says Yahweh!

‘See!

The waters are rising out

Of the north.

They shall become

An overflowing torrent.

They shall overflow

The land

With all that fills it.

They shall overflow

The city

With those who live in it.

Men shall cry out.

All the inhabitants

Of the land

Shall wail.”

Much like the preceding chapter with the rising waters from the Nile River, here the rising waters are from the north. Their overflowing torrent will destroy the land and everything in it. This roaring water will destroy the cities and all who live in them. Everyone shall cry out and wail since King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was coming.

November 1, 2016

The crying and mourning (Jer 9:17-9:19)

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts.

‘Consider!

Call for the mourning women to come!

Send for the skilful women to come!

Let them quickly raise a dirge over us!

Thus our eyes may run down with tears.

Thus our eyelids flow with water.

A sound of wailing is heard from Zion.

‘How we are ruined!

We are utterly shamed!

We have left the land!

They have cast down our dwellings.’”

Yahweh seems to be calling for professional mourners for the people of Judah and Jerusalem. He wanted these skilful mourning women to recreate a funeral like atmosphere. Thus the others would be encouraged to cry with water and tears running from their eyes. They should wail in Jerusalem about how they were ruined and ashamed. They were going to lose their land and all its dwellings.

October 19, 2016

The destruction from the north (Jer 4:6-4:8)

“I am bringing evil

From the north.

I am bringing great destruction.

A lion has gone up from its thicket.

A destroyer of nations has set out.

He has gone forth from his place

To make your land a waste.

Your cities will be in ruins

Without inhabitants.

Because of this

Put on sackcloth!

Lament!

Wail!’

The fierce anger of Yahweh

Has not turned away from us.”

Now Jeremiah says that Yahweh was going to bring this evil and great destruction from the north, without indicating whether it was the Assyrians or the Babylonians. However, this lion and destroyer of nations has set out from his den in order to create a wasteland. He would reduce their cities to ruins by decimating its inhabitants. They were to put on sackcloth, wail, and lament because the fierce anger of Yahweh was against them. They are in the line of fire of this destroyer.

October 8, 2016

Good times for the servants of Yahweh (Isa 65:13-65:14)

“Therefore thus says Yahweh God.

‘My servants shall eat.

But you shall be hungry.

My servants shall drink.

But you shall be thirsty.

My servants shall rejoice.

But you shall be put to shame.

My servants shall sing

From gladness of the heart.

But you shall cry

Out of pain of the heart.

You shall wail

For anguish of spirit.’”

Yahweh pointed out that his servants would be fine. However, the others were in trouble. Yahweh’s servants would eat, drink, and rejoice, while the others would be hungry, thirsty, and put to shame. The servants of Yahweh would sing with gladness in their heart. The others would have a painful cry from the heart. They would wail because of their bruised spirit.