PROMISE OF REPENTANCE
Susan Murray
Today’s Scripture: “’Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’” Joel 2:12-13a, ESV
Theme: God’s people were repeatedly unfaithful, yet they longed for restoration, justice and hope; God is generous and faithful to provide.
CALL
When Israel turned away from God repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, God sent difficult circumstances causing suffering to get their attention and call them back to Himself. The Israelites’ discipline described in the book of Joel included wave after wave of locusts, causing the loss of crops and threatening their lives (Joel 1:4). The difficulty that brought suffering was an act of love, just like a good parent disciplining a child for disobeying the rules that are for his welfare and safety. It’s not a final judgement nor abandonment, but a temporary discipline. God doesn’t enjoy making people suffer, but He desires their good more than their comfort.
REPONSE
God’s call is an invitation to repentance. In Joel 2:12, the Hebrew root word shuv (שׁוּב) is used and it means to turn back or return. God is calling His people to repent or to turn back around and face Him again. What does it mean to face Him? The Greek word for repent in the New Testament can help here. It is metanoia (μετάνοια) which means a change of mind. It’s a call to agree with God’s truth about sin and turn away from it. In other words, to call evil “evil” and good “good.” It’s to agree with the truth that we are sinners in need of a savior.
TRUE AND FALSE REPENTANCE
True repentance includes weeping and grieving over sin. In ancient culture, severe grief was expressed in the tearing or “rending” of clothing, an outward act of internal grief. Think of losing a loved one like a child, spouse, or parent as compared to a stranger you hear about on the news. The stranger’s death is sad but the death of someone you deeply love will tear your heart. Sin brought spiritual death and that tore God’s heart because He loves us. When we come to realize the seriousness of our sin, it causes real, heart felt grief.
Being sorrowful over the difficult consequences of sin is only the invitation to repent, not repentance itself. Real and true repentance is being sorry for the sin itself with a new desire to turn away from that sin. It sees the harm done to others and it’s not full of self-pity. Sorrow expressed only to get out of consequence is not repentance. True repentance never minimizes by saying, “What I did is not that bad”, nor blame-shifting by saying, “If you hadn’t made me mad, I would not have done what I did.” We sometimes blame God for our sin such as, "If God had just given me better parents, I wouldn’t be the way I am." It’s possible to just flat out deny we did anything wrong. True repentance accepts consequences and doesn’t demand forgiveness but waits for it. True repentance results in a change toward growing obedience, even if it’s very slow and gradual.
GOD RESPONDS
As we respond in repentance to God’s call, He in turn relents and restores. The promise is actually made before we repent. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you” (Joel 2:25-26, NIV). What a great promise.
Make It Personal: How would you describe your repentances? Do you weep over your sin or just your hurt? Do you beat yourself up thinking, “I’ve been too bad to be forgiven” or “I’m not as bad as so and so?” God’s forgiveness is not based on your feelings but on His love. Romans 5:8 (NIV) says; “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God placed His eternal judgment on Jesus on the cross so that we now receive only His loving discipline, leading us to turn to Him in true repentance. What a great expression of love.
Pray: Father God, I praise You for Your glorious grace and mercy. You never abandon Your children. Give me a heart of repentance that truly mourns. Help me to see the seriousness of my sin, the need for restoration and the promise of Your comfort. Amen
Read: James 4:7-10; Matthew 5:4; 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 7:8-10; Proverbs 28:13; Romans 2:4-5; Hebrews 2:3
Weekly Memory Verse: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2, ESV