“Rend your heart, and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.” (v.13)
CH Spurgeon wrote, “Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common.”
In the prophet Joel’s day, God’s people engaged in religious rituals like fasting and tearing their garments to outwardly express their repentance. The problem with these efforts was that they were often not performed with a repentant heart (v.12). As far as God was concerned, the outward form of such rituals was not nearly as important as the attitude of the heart. Therefore, He challenged them saying through the prophet Joel, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (v.13).
True repentance is never a matter of performing certain rituals, but is grounded in relationship. Those who turn to God in repentance should not base their appeal for forgiveness on their own performance, but upon God’s character.
In our text the prophet gives the people five reasons for “rending their hearts”: God’s grace, compassion, patience, love, and mercy (v.13). Based upon this, the prophet called upon the priests to declare a sacred assembly in the hope that sincere repentance would result in restoration.
The Lord longs for us to confess our sins to Him and receive His forgiveness so we can love and serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This can be done privately in your own personal prayer time with Him, in a public gathering for prayer or worship, or one on one with another brother/sister in Christ.
The bottom-line here is, whatever you need to tell the Lord today, just say it—and say it from the heart.
The Truth: “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
CH Spurgeon wrote, “Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common.”
In the prophet Joel’s day, God’s people engaged in religious rituals like fasting and tearing their garments to outwardly express their repentance. The problem with these efforts was that they were often not performed with a repentant heart (v.12). As far as God was concerned, the outward form of such rituals was not nearly as important as the attitude of the heart. Therefore, He challenged them saying through the prophet Joel, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (v.13).
True repentance is never a matter of performing certain rituals, but is grounded in relationship. Those who turn to God in repentance should not base their appeal for forgiveness on their own performance, but upon God’s character.
In our text the prophet gives the people five reasons for “rending their hearts”: God’s grace, compassion, patience, love, and mercy (v.13). Based upon this, the prophet called upon the priests to declare a sacred assembly in the hope that sincere repentance would result in restoration.
The Lord longs for us to confess our sins to Him and receive His forgiveness so we can love and serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This can be done privately in your own personal prayer time with Him, in a public gathering for prayer or worship, or one on one with another brother/sister in Christ.
The bottom-line here is, whatever you need to tell the Lord today, just say it—and say it from the heart.
The Truth: “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
