Rend your hearts and not your garments. (v13)
In chapter 1 of Joel, the judgment of Israel was described in painful detail, followed by a call to repentance. Chapter 2 begins with an even more terrifying judgment--the one that will meet all of mankind at the return of Christ. The judgment of Israel is but a meager preview of this great and awesome reality to come.
As with Israel's judgment, God's people are again called to repentance. Not the fake kind that offers lip service and good deeds and earns public praise, but heart-change: Rend your hearts and not your garments.
"Return to the LORD your God," they are told, "for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and aboundnig in steadfast love" (v13). In other words, it is not simply a humble fear that produces repentance in the face of God's judgment, but a humble and grateful knowledge of His merciful character, which grants salvation for the sake of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
If any of you today are rebelling in your heart against the Lord your God, whether in unbelief or in ingratitude, consider the depths of His justice and the blood-borne depths of His love and return to the God who is entitled to your love, worship, and service. Jesus bore His just judgment in submission, so you might bear His lavish grace through repentance and belief in His Son.
No comments:
Post a Comment