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Joel 1:1–2:17
“So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm” (Joel 2:13).
In yesterday’s study, we looked at cultic repentance, the rituals the ancient Israelites used to demonstrate their sorrow for sin. Of course, nothing prevented them from going through the motions of these rituals while feeling no real sense of remorse for offending God. Thus, God continually sent prophets to His people to indict them for their sin so as to help them see their guilt and cause them to turn back to Him in heartfelt repentance. This type of repentance, therefore, is known as prophetic repentance.
An excellent example of prophetic repentance is found in the book of Joel. This prophet was sent to warn Israel of the coming “day of the LORD” (1:15), the imminent judgment for the nation’s sins. He gives terrible descriptions of the devastation that already has occurred: locusts have stripped the land (1:4), enemies have ruined the crops (1:5–12), the worship in the sanctuary has ceased (1:9, 13), food has been exhausted (1:16–17), the animals have been deprived of pasture (1:18), and powerful enemies have descended upon them (1:2b–10). The sin of the nation is great and the people are sorely oppressed, much as we have seen in the book of Judges. Therefore, calling the people together (1:2), Joel strongly advises them to engage in the rituals of repentance: weeping and wailing (1:5), lamenting (1:8), dressing in sackcloth (1:13), fasting (1:14), and assembling together (1:14). But, he says, these are not enough—Israel must tear its heart, not just its garments. In other words, the people must turn back to God, rejecting their sinful ways and seeking His mercy. They need a complete change of mind and heart, a real metanoia.
For Joel and for all of the prophets, repentance was not just a set of rituals reserved for times of worship. The element that was central to the concept of prophetic repentance in the Old Testament was conversion. The prophets called for a change of their hearers’ entire beings. They urged them to turn away from their sin and return to God, for in their sin they had turned away from Him. Their prescription was for a complete reversal of life—the sort of change that Christians undergo when they come to faith in Christ.
In our next two studies, we will take a detailed look at a true “rending of the heart” in repentance.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We all manifest love for God (or the lack of it) to a greater or lesser degree from day to day and even moment to moment. But what is the general direction of your life—toward God or away? As you work through the next two studies, ask yourself whether you can identify with David’s prayer. If not, pray that God will break your heart.
for further study
- Jeremiah 31:18–19
- Ezekiel 36:31–32