Joel Chapter
One
(Verse Eleven)
“Be ye ashamed,
O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.”
Here
we are at verse eleven and God has re-emphasized over and over throughout this
chapter in various ways; each a bit different statement but nonetheless
teaching the same truth. When we search
out other commentaries on the first chapter of Joel we find most prominently
that they are teaching an historic event only; one that has long since
passed and holds no real meat for the believer today. Below is a quote from one commentary of which
we will not reveal the author’s name, but we will show the common
interpretation that most commentaries teach.
Their interpretation is not wrong, but it stops short of revealing the
overall spiritual interpretation. Let us
not forget that Old Testament Israel was merely a foreshadow or portrait of the
final Israel that God had in view, and that Israel is the spiritual, heavenly,
and eternal Israel which God has provided through Christ our Messiah. This biblical fact does not rob the physical
Jew of anything, since God’s elect consists of both Jew and Gentile believers
in Christ. Now, let us view a brief
excerpt of today’s general consensus with regard to Joel chapter one and
verse eleven:
“The Prophet says nothing new here, but only
strengthens what he had said before, and is not wordy without reason; for he
intends here not merely to teach, but also to produce an effect: And this is
the design of heavenly teaching; for God not only wishes that what he says may
be understood, but intends also to penetrate into our hearts: and the word of
God, we know, consists not of doctrine only, but also of exhortations, and
threatenings, and reproofs. This plan then the Prophet now pursues: Ye
husband men, he says, be ashamed, and ye vinedressers, howl; for
perished has the
harvest of the field. The sum of the whole is, that the
Jews, as we have already said, could by no excuse cover their indifference; for
their clamor was everywhere heard, their complaints everywhere resounded, that
the land had become a waste, that they were themselves famished that they were
afflicted with many calamities; and yet no one acknowledged that God, who
visited them for their sins, was the author.”
God
is repeating over and over again in the first few verses of Joel chapter one
and yet all that most can see or understand is to assume that God is speaking
of the ancient Jew. The above author
defines the most crucial and fundamental understanding as: “The sum of the
whole is, that the Jews, as we have already said, could by no excuse cover
their indifference …” The
author of this commentary, as well as most, teaches that God is speaking to the
Old Testament Jew and no one else. Yes,
they admit that today’s Christian will find good moral teachings to aid in our
Christian walk, but this is all that these commentators can receive from the
Book of Joel. Their commentaries are not
wrong; they simply stop short of what God is saying. First of all, let us through two verses only
conclude whom God has in view as the real and spiritual Jew:
Romans 2:28-29 -
28 - For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly;
neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 - But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;
whose praise is not of men, but of God.
For
a more in-depth study of the spiritual Jew, please see the section “Believers: God’s Spiritual Jew”
in our study entitled “Armageddon - Can
It Be a Literal War?” Study is
available at http://spiritualbiblestudies.com
Of course there is
essentially nothing wrong with the above commentary if all we want to learn is
Jewish history. However, Holy Scripture
was not designed in such a fashion; it is without doubt the only eternal truth
that is upon this earth and as such it is meant to be interpreted in and of
itself only. If one desires Jewish
history, let them visit the Hebrew universities. If one desires God’s Word to mankind, let him
search out the Hoy Scriptures.
Man can mimic
certain truths of God by creating their own religions, as they have done, and
many centuries later their man-made religion sprouts half-truths and heresies in
which they hold millions of souls captive.
Anyone can bow toward the east three times daily and be deceived into
thinking he is right with God. Anyone
can bow repeatedly while slipping pray notes into the crevices of the Wailing Wall
and be deceived into thinking he is right with God. But what does God really desire of us?
1 Peter 2:5 - Ye also, as lively stones, are built
up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
What is the real
and true sacrifice that God desires of us?
Hebrews 13:15 - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
How might one offer
spiritual sacrifices continually unto God?
Psalms 1:2 - But his delight is in the law of the
LORD; and in his law doth he meditate
day and night.
<God’s
Word is our law in which we meditate upon.
Along with our sacrifice of praise to God we are to strive to walk in
the ways of Christ, for faith without works is dead, James 2:20 & 26. Man’s works alone will not bring eternal
salvation, for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:8.>
Be Ye Ashamed,O Ye Husbandmen
To be ashamed
carries the meaning in the Hebrew of being shameful; disappointed, confounded,
dried up, etc. The following passages
are but a sampling of the word ashamed
that we find in Joel 1:11. It is the
precise word that we find in our study and is number 954 in strong’s Hebrew.
Psalms 31:17 - Let me not be ashamed <954>, O LORD; for I have called upon thee:
let the wicked be ashamed
<954>, and let them be silent in the grave.
Psalms 40:14 - Let them be ashamed <954> and confounded together that seek after
my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish
me evil.
Isaiah 45:24 - Surely, shall one say, in the LORD
have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are
incensed against him shall be ashamed
<954>.
Ezekiel 36:32 - Not for your sakes do I this, saith
the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed
<954> and confounded for your own ways, O house of
Psalms 97:7 - Confounded
<954>be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of
idols: worship him, all ye gods. <Confounded
is the same Hebrew word as is ashamed, and many times is used together as a
phrase “ashamed and confounded.” We surely see the contrast that God is making. Those who are not genuinely true worshippers
of Christ hold in their spirit the sense of being ashamed and confounded, and
that is a trait of outer darkness. God’s truth is sometimes harsh in our sight;
nonetheless we are living in a world of fallen souls. This life is not meant to be a playground for
mankind; one in which we can defile our souls with the pleasures of this
world. Those who practice idol worship -
and make no mistake about it, there are thousands of modern ways in which to do
so - are in essence ashamed and confounded within their souls.>
Psalms 22:5 - They cried unto thee, and were
delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded <954>.
<Those
who truly worship Christ will in no way be ashamed or confounded. They will be given the gift of eternal life
forevermore.>
Psalms 44:7 - But thou hast saved us from our
enemies, and hast put them to shame
<954> that hated us.
<Again
we see another word, shame,
which is translated in the Hebrew as ashamed or confounded. This verse is reiterating the fact that all
of God’s enemies will be put to shame (ashamed or confounded), and that shame
is a spiritual parting from God at death.
Yes, these verses may be extremely hard to swallow for most, but don’t
forget that God has provided a way out; an escape or refuge in which we are to
flee, and that escape is the Cross of Christ.
Flee to the safety of Christ, that you be not counted among the ashamed
and confounded!>
Psalms 14:6 - Ye have shamed<954>the counsel of the poor, because the LORD
is his refuge.
<The
LORD is the refuge (trust, hope, shelter) for the counsel of the poor. Recall that Christ spoke “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” God
often uses the term poor to denote His elect.>
Be Ye Ashamed,O Ye Husbandmen
We have seen that
the phrase to be ashamed carries much more than a worldly emotion of one
being embarrassed or uncomfortable. It
is a term that signifies one being out of God’s will. In the first section of Joel one and verse
eleven God is telling the husbandmen to be ashamed! What do we make of this? What precisely is being taught with the word husbandmen? This word is defined in the Hebrew (406) as ploughman or farmer
and comes from an unused root, meaning to dig.
Jeremiah 31:24 - And there shall dwell in
<This
passage appears to indicate that the husbandmen care for their flocks.>
At this point let
us look at the singular form of husbandmen, which is husbandman.
Genesis 9:20 - And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a
vineyard:
<This
passage appears to indicate that a husbandman cares for the vineyard.>
Jeremiah 51:23 - I will also break in pieces with
thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen;
and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
<The
above passage tells us that the shepherd attends his flock while the husbandman
attends to his oxen. The analogy is farm
work in which the common people labored in during Old Testament days.>
Amos 5:16 - ¶Therefore the LORD, the God of
hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall
say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such
as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
Zechariah 13:5 - But he shall say, I am no prophet, I
am an husbandman; for man
taught me to keep cattle from my
youth.
<”I
am an husbandman; for man
taught me to keep cattle from
my youth.” Yes, it appears that a
husbandman is one who attends cattle. Before
we examine husbandman in the New Testament let us emphasize the fact that the
word cattle in sections of
the Old Testament does appear to hold significant and symbolical illustrations
or depictions of Christ’s flocks of believers. A couple of examples follow:
Cattle
Ezekiel 34:22 - Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no
more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
In Isaiah chapter
thirty we see a host of spiritual language that would take quite some time to remotely
scratch the surface of its meaning.
However, that chapter, and many more like it, are brushed off by
many as being futuristic in nature; a period of a thousand year reign of Christ
upon this sin-cursed earth. Of course we
know that Christ is not coming back to rule and reign upon this earth. Those verses (and there are a great many) ultimately
teach of a grand time wherein the words of Christ (kingdom of God/Christ) will
rule and reign upon the earth. This has
been fulfilled by the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. These rich and beautiful passages have all
been dumped into a category called “millennial type verses” and are simply
misunderstood; therefore the pastors, ministers, laymen, etc. assign them to a future
one-thousand-year fictitious
utopia upon the earth. It is worth
noting that many, if not all, cults teach a future utopia upon this earth. Red flags should sound at that point.
As we scan through
the thirtieth chapter of Isaiah, we learn that it alludes to the glorious time
in which the Gospel of Salvation goes into all the earth.
Isaiah 30:21 - And thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee, saying, This is the way,
walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the
left.
The above is a
clear reference to Christ’s Gospel: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” John 14:6.
In verse
twenty-three of Isaiah chapter thirty we read of the spiritual ground tillers, (husbandmen). Please read it carefully:
Isaiah 30:23 - Then shall he give the rain
of thy seed <appears to be manna from
heaven; words of Christ>, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the
earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
<Yes,
once God’s precious Gospel of Salvation is rained upon the earth; God’s cattle (spiritual flocks) will
feed in large pastures. This is the New
Testament Church Age.>
Isaian 30:24 -The oxen
likewise and the young asses that ear
the ground <work or till the
ground: husbandmen> shall eat
clean provender <Gospel: Manna
from heaven>, which hath been winnowed <scattered; spread about> with the shovel <winnowing fork; as blowing the chaff away>
and with the fan <winnowing shovel:
blowing the chaff away>.
What beautiful and
rich words we have from God to enrich our faith! Now let us see what the New Testament says
about the husbandman.
John 15:1 - ¶I am the true vine, and my Father
is the husbandman.
<We
know that Christ and the Father are one, 1 John 5:7. Nonetheless, our Heavenly Father is our
husbandman.>
2 Timothy 2:6 - The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the
fruits.
<We
saw from the Old Testament that the husbandman was one who attended his
cattle. From the New Testament we see
that the husbandman labors and partakes from the fruits of his work. The idea is altogether dealing with the
labors of one working his crops, fields and vineyards hand in hand with his
cattle. This is a simplified picture of
Christ’s church working the fields of salvation. God, our husbandman, has planted an earthly
harvest of souls from before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4. We, as His children, are entrusted to this
labor in the harvesting of souls. We are
in essence field laborers … “Then
saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers
are few;” Matthew 9:37. God Himself is
the LORD of this global harvest: “Pray
ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest,” Matthew
9:38.”
Husbandry
1 Corinthians 3:9 - For we are labourers together
with God: ye are God's husbandry,
ye are God's building.
<The
word husbandry is used only
once in the New Testament and once only in the Old Testament. It is defined in the New Testament as cultivable,
that is, a farm: - husbandry. Our English language tells us that cultivable
is defined as: “Capable of undergoing cultivation: cultivable land.” In order to perform in the task of husbandry, one would have to be
a husbandman or husbandmen.
As we have seen, the triune (three in one; constituting a trinity in
unity, as the Godhead.) God is our Husbandman.
We, as confessing believers, are His field workers, or husbandmen.>
James 5:7 - Be patient therefore,
brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and
hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
<Our
Heavenly Father, as our Husbandman, is patient for the harvest of souls.
ҦThe
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9.
We
as His husbandmen are also commanded to be patient.>
As we mentioned,
there is one verse in the Old Testament that uses the word Husbandry, and that
is found in 2 Chronicles 26:10
-
“Also
he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle,
both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine
dressers in the mountains, and in
God’s
Word is endless and filled with indescribable blessings, yet most people who
dare bother with the study of Scripture can only begin to scratch the surface
of these riches. It is a delight to
search out God’s Word, and yet many feel it is a burden. It is no wonder God does not reveal these
truths to those who lead among the thousands of congregations. These people are much too busy in promoting
their own congregations and pouring thousands, and even millions of dollars
into their buildings. They have made
merchandise of God’s Word - “And said unto them that sold doves, Take these
things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise,” John
2:16. The Old Testament Temple was turned
into a house of merchandise, so too has the spiritual temple (corporate church)
been made into a house of merchandise.
The ambitions of church administrations today have degraded into a great
financial enterprise; a competitive frenzy to lure and attract the populous in
by way of worldly means.
As
we look to 2 Chronicles 26:10 we see that this entire chapter deals with the
Godly king of Judah, King Uzziah. We see
a chapter overflowing with spiritual riches; eternal truths that are
foreshadowed by the life of this king. Such
is the style in which God foreshadows His salvation plan. In verse ten God tells us that King Uzziah
loved husbandry. Upon examining this word, we see that it is
defined as soil, country, earth, ground, land, and husbandry or husbandman. As we have stated, husbandry encompasses the
love of working one’s land.
As
our heavenly Father is our Husbandman, each confessing believer in the church,
both wheat and tares, are to reflect God’s work by caring for the flocks. We are to work in the fields of salvation as
God’s husbandmen.
Howl, O Ye Vinedressers
In
every instance where the word Howl (#
3213 Strong’s Hebrew) is used in the Old Testament, it is used in a
negative sense, commonly in reaction to God’s judgment. The following are a sampling of some
passages:
Isaiah 13:6 - ¶Howl <3213>ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it
shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Isaiah 23:14 - Howl
<3213>, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.
Isaiah 52:5 - Now therefore, what have I here,
saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over
them make them to howl <3213>,
saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
Isaiah 65:14 - Behold, my servants shall sing for
joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl <3213>for vexation of
spirit.
Jeremiah 25:34 - Howl
<3213>, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye
principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions
are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.
Jeremiah 51:8 -
Joel 1:5 - Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl <3213>, all ye
drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
Joel 1:13 - Gird yourselves, and lament, ye
priests: howl <3213>,
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.
Zechariah 11:2 - Howl
<3213>, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are
spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of
<God’s
Word is a lifelong search of eternal riches.
Just look at the above verse.
“Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen.” What spiritual nuggets might we find in
searching out the term fir tree? The
cedar is fallen! What do the cedars of
Lebanon symbolize? Or the oaks of
Jeremiah 25:36 - A voice of the cry of the shepherds,
and an howling <3213> of
the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their
pasture.
Zechariah 11:3 - There is a voice of the howling <3213> of the
shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions;
for the pride of
Amos 8:3 - And the songs of the temple shall be
howlings <3213> in that
day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall
cast them forth with silence.
There is but one
passage in the New Testament which uses the word howl, and the meaning is
basically the same as in the Old Testament:
James 5:1 - ¶Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that
shall come upon you.
Howl, O Ye Vinedressers
God is utilizing
this negative term “howl” as He is addressing the vinedressers. We must realize that within Christ’s external
earthly church there consist believers and non-believers (wheat and tares). These are contrasted only by their hearts, in
which only God can know. Nonetheless
workers in the vineyard will work together until the end of the age
Matthew 13:30 - Let both grow together until the
harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye
together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the
wheat into my barn.
In our study of
Joel 1:11 God is speaking to the husbandmen and vinedressers. These are of course metaphoric terms. If this verse were meant to be interpreted in
the literal sense, we might read it this way:
Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat
and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.
(English Standard Version)
All studies at
spiritualbiblestudies.com will use the King James Version.
Joel 1:11 - Be ye
ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the
barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
The word husbandmen is a term meaning
tillers of the soil. It is a symbolic
word and appears to represent all of the field workers in God’s vineyard. In today’s world it might represent all, both
wheat and tares, within the global
DETOUR
God is also
addressing the vinedressers
in our study of Joel 1:11. Before we examine
this word, let us take a brief detour to Isaiah Chapter sixty-one. In this chapter we will discover an eternal
truth concerning God’s vinedressers.
Isaiah 61:1-9:
1 - ¶The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; he hath sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound;
<We
read in the Book of Luke that Christ went into the city of Nazareth, where He
was brought up, and visited a synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up among all of the people in the
synagogue and began to read from Isaiah
61:1. After He finished He
closed the book and sat down. The eyes
of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him, Luke 4:19. Christ then stated: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears,” Luke
4:21. Filled with great wrath, the
people cast Him out of their city, Luke 4:29.
Christ confirmed who He was that very day. Keep reading ->
Isaiah 61:2-9-
Continuing
in the prophecy of Christ:
2 - To proclaim the acceptable year of
the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 - To appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he
might be glorified.
<God’s
entire salvation program is a metaphor of a vineyard planted by our Lord.>
4 - ¶And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise
up the former desolations, and
they shall repair the waste cities,
the desolations of many generations.
<Up
until verse 4 God has stated in
symbolical terms that His Christ will at that day proclaim the acceptable year
of the LORD. He (Christ the Messiah)
will appoint beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning; the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness … that these whom Christ will appoint will
be called trees of righteousness,
Isaiah 61:3. Each remedy such as
“beauty” to remedy the ashes (spirit of death) signifies Christ’s Gospel. The oil of joy is the Holy Spirit that
remedies the soul’s mourning. The
garment of praise is the true believer’s worship to God that remedies the
spirit of heaviness. This is the result
of the Gospel of Salvation in which Christ brought to this world. Those whose lives are touched by this Gospel
are viewed through the eyes of God as being trees of righteousness planted
in God’s vineyard.
Now,
look again at verse 4. These trees of
righteousness - otherwise known as Christians - are given the task of:
A - Building the old wastes
B - Raising up the former desolations
C - Repairing the waste cities (the desolations of many generations
Luke
chapter four is of course a New Testament passage, even though it transpires in
the Old Testament Era shortly before the advent of the Church Age. Luke 4:18-19 corresponds perfectly with Isaiah
61:1-2. Believers in the New Testament
church have been appointed to build the old wastes; to raise up the former
desolations; and to repair the wastes cities.
Now, unless we travel to the
5 - And strangers shall stand and
feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
<Remaining
in Isaiah 61:5 we read that a new era was coming in which strangers shall feed the flocks and sons of the alien shall be the plowmen and vinedressers. The Hebrew word “strangers” and “alien” can
mean foreigner. In a great many instances in Scripture, the
word “stranger” signifies the ungodly of Old Testament days. This, however, is not always the case. God’s Word was first given to the physical
Jew and then, at the time of Christ, dispersed to the Gentiles (foreigners). Yes, the Gentiles would inherit salvation and
as a result, the physical Jew would see strangers (foreigners) feeding the
spiritual flocks rather than themselves.
The physical Jew would see the plowman
and vinedressers (workers in
the Gospel) as “sons of the alien” (Gentiles) rather than of Jewish descent.
6 - But ye
shall be named the Priests of the
LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the
riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
<Ye, as the above verse states,
appears to be a reference to all believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile.
7 - For your shame ye shall have double;
and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land
they shall possess the double: everlasting
joy shall be unto them.
8 - For I the LORD love judgment, I hate
robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will
make an everlasting covenant with them.
<The
everlasting covenant is, of course, the covenant
between Christ and His Bride - His Elect.>
Jeremiah 31:33 - But this shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of
9 - And their seed shall be known among
the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall
acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
<The
true seed (once again God uses the analogy of farming) that receives
God’s blessing is all those of the spiritual House of
Matthew 15:24 - But he answered and said, I am not
sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
<Christ
came into the world to save sinners.
These were saved from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4),
and are known to God as the lost sheep of the house of
We have detoured to
Isaiah chapter sixty-one in order to show how Christ references the New
Testament believers as vinedressers
(Isaiah 61:5). These aliens or strangers
were at one time known as pagans to the ancient Jews, but God in His mercy
reached out and brought salvation to all peoples.
Acts 18:6 - And when they opposed themselves,
and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon
your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
Romans 11:11 - I say then, Have they stumbled that
they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to
jealousy.
Back To The Vinedressers
“Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers …”
The Hebrew word
that is translated vinedressers is nearly the identical word for vineyard or
vineyards. Vinedresser or vine dresser comes
from the word vineyard and carries the same meaning: a garden or vineyard;
vines or vintage. The first use of
the word vineyard is found in Genesis 9:20.
Noah’s
In
Genesis 9:20 we read the
following:
“And
Noah began to be an husbandman,
and he planted a vineyard:”
Noah’s
Matthew 13:31-32 -
31 - Another parable put he forth unto
them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and sowed
in his field:
32 - Which indeed is the least of all
seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree,
so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Notice how God,
through the use of parables, utilizes the analogy of farming or tilling the
soil in speaking of His Gospel going forth.
When Noah and his family exited the
Scripture is packed
with the words vineyard or vineyards.
Matthew 20:1- ¶For the kingdom of heaven is like
unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
Because of man’s
sins, most verses that mention God’s vineyard or vineyards are done so in a
negative manner. God’s earthly vineyard
will consist of both the saved and the unsaved, and thus we understand why
there is so much sin within the vineyards.
Having said that, let us look to the cause of the howling of these
vinedressers.
Be Ye Ashamed,
O Ye Husbandmen;
Howl, O Ye Vinedressers,
For the Wheat and for the Barley;
Because the Harvest of the Field is Perished. (Joel
1:11)
Luke 10:2 - Therefore said he unto them, The
harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord
of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers
into his harvest.
The Jews of Old
Testament days planted literal vineyards along with many other fruits and
vegetables. As we have stated, God uses
these plantings to symbolize the spiritual Jew planting the seeds of
faith. We can’t possibly lay out all of
the different metaphors in this short study.
Each believer must search out the scriptures on his or her own time for
these eternal riches.
The husbandmen are
ashamed and the vinedressers howl in agony over the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is perished!
There were many droughts during the years of the Old Testament Jews. God, as He pens these historic occurrences
into His Word, ultimately has a more severe drought in view. These are but earthly instances in which the
Jews of ancient days suffered a loss of crops through various droughts, locust
infestations, etc. All of these Old
Testament events are written for a purpose and that purpose holds a higher and
heavenly meaning to them rather than mere history lessons of Old Testament
plagues. These occurrences may teach
God’s judgment upon
Luke 13:24 - Strive to enter in at the strait gate:
for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
The Harvest
The harvest of the
field is perished, Joel 1:11 tells us.
There are two sides to the harvest: those who will be taken to heaven and
those who will be left for judgment.
Matthew 24:40-41 -
40 - Then shall two be in the field; the one
shall be taken, and the other left.
41 - Two women shall be grinding at the
mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 -
16 - For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 - Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
John 6:40 - And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Matthew
13:30 - Let
both grow together until the harvest:
and in the time of harvest I
will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in
bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat
into my barn.
Joel
3:13
- Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest
is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for
their wickedness is great.
Revelation 14:15 - And another angel came out of the
temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy
sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
What does Joel mean
by stating that the harvest is perished?
God, through the prophet Joel, is clearly stating that the harvest of
the good souls is perished. God tells
the vinedressers to howl for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest is
perished! In all probability God is
telling us that the possibility of any further salvation of souls has perished
and judgment is rapidly approaching.
Howl for the wheat and the barley!
But aren’t wheat and barley symbolic terms representing the
believer? Yes, in many cases these terms
certainly signify the true believer. But
how can a true believer not take part in the good harvest? Every true believer will partake of the good
harvest, however the tares within the global churches will have no further
opportunity to respond to the Gospel.
“The harvest is past, the summer is
ended, and we are not saved.”
(Jeremiah 8:20)
God is speaking
through the prophet Joel and is telling those within the church to wail or howl
for the wheat and the barley because the harvest is perished! God has sealed His Bride and no more will be
brought into the fold. As Noah shut the
door to the ark, it ensured that no more would be saved from the flood other
than those in the ship. In the account
of the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck we see a great spiritual parallel to the ark (being
a symbol of the Church represented by a ship) in that no one could possibly be
saved if they were outside of the ship:
Acts 27:31- Paul said to the centurion and to the
soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
This metaphor holds
true to all who are in Christ Jesus, for we cannot possibly be saved if we are
outside of Christ. God’s bride, the true
Church, is symbolized as a ship in Scripture.
We are not certain as to the length of time that will transpire from the
shutting off of salvation (closing of the door) until the judgment at the last
day, however it appears that the birth pangs of judgment will commence even
before the good harvest is perished.
2
Corinthians 6:2
- (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of
salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold,
now is the day of salvation.)
END OF STUDY