March 24
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:13
This verse is a powerful call to authentic repentance. Instead of focusing on religious performance and what others see, the invitation is for an internal transformation: a rending of one’s heart. To gain a better understanding of “rending one’s heart,” we need to look at the cultural context in which Joel wrote this letter. In the Old Testament world, the tearing (rending) of one’s outer garments was a show of deep grief, sadness, or repentance. It was a public performance of sorrow. Joel warns the Israelites that it is easy to tear an outer garment - to give a public display of sorrow - while the heart remains cold and untouched. God is not interested in a public display of penance if it doesn’t reflect a broken and contrite spirit (Psalm 51:17).
The Hebrew word for “rend” is qara. This vivid and almost violent picture for rending means to tear open or rip. To rend one’s heart implies breaking through the tough outer shell of pride, self-justification, stubbornness, defiance, self-seeking interests, greed, self-sufficiency, and the list goes on. It’s breaking through all the things that try to hide one’s heart and soul and exposing the raw reality and condition of the heart to God. Why do this? Why break the tough outer shell? Why expose our heart and soul to God? Joel gives us 5 reasons why we should (need to) do this that reveal the character of God.
1) God is gracious. He doesn’t give us what we deserve. Instead, He lovingly and graciously gives us what we do not deserve. God lavishly pours out His grace and love on us.
2) God is compassionate. God knows and understands our pains and hurts. He feels what we feel. He gives us mercy.
3) God is slow to anger. He is patient and kind, giving us plenty of time for the “rending” to happen. Paul writes to the Romans, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)
4) God is abounding in love. God’s hesed love - His covenant loyalty - is never-ending and overflowing. We can not exhaust God of His hesed love for us. We can’t run too far or do something so terrible that God’s hesed love won’t reach us.
5) God relents from sending calamity. God prefers restoration over retribution. God desires renewal over retaliation.
“Return to the Lord.” This means repentance and turning from one’s current path. It is a full 180-degree change of direction. When our heart’s posture is repentance and returning to the Lord, we make a complete change in the direction we were going. We turn back to God, and we find a loving and gracious Father waiting to embrace us, not a judge waiting to condemn us. God desires a relationship with us - a relationship that includes the transformation of our heart. What “rending” of your heart do you need to do? Ask God to help. Remember, He is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and relents from calamity.
Merciful and Gracious Father - Thank You for Your Word. I confess that far too often, I “rend my garments” instead of my heart. I am quick to show outward repentance, while my heart stays cold and unchanged. Forgive me. This verse reminds me that You desire the “rending of my heart.” Give me the courage to lay my heart and soul before You - exposing all that I desperately want to keep hidden. You want to restore and renew me. You are gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. When I rend my heart and return to You, I find a Father waiting with arms stretched wide. Thank You for Your love and mercy. In Your name we pray. Amen