Book of Joel Chapter 2 Vs. 13

Return to the Lord

 

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel 2:13

And rend your... The Lord Himself urged the people to repent with genuine sincerity (cf. with all your heart and rend your heart and not your garments) accompanied by fasting and weeping and mourning. Repentance is the desired outcome of the Lord’s judgments (cf. Deut. 4:30; 30:1-2; Hos. 3:4-5; Amos 4:6-11). That is, "not your garments only". The rending of the clothes was an expression of extraordinary uncontrollable emotion, chiefly of grief, of terror, or of horror. At least, in Holy Scripture it is not mentioned as a part of ordinary mourning, but only upon some sudden overpowering public or private grief.

and turn unto... Consider him not as an absolute God, and as an angry one, wrathful and inexorable; but as your covenant God and Father. As your God in Christ, ready to receive backsliding sinners and prodigal sons; yea all sinners sensible of sin that flee to him for mercy through Christ.

for he is... He is the God of all grace, and has laid up a fullness of it in Christ. And he gives it freely to them that ask it of him without upbraiding them with their sins. He is rich and plenteous in mercy, and ready to forgive; he delights in showing mercy and in them that hope in it. And this is no small encouragement to turn to the Lord, and seek mercy.

slow to anger... He is not hasty to stir it up, and show it. He bears with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath; and his longsuffering to his own people issues in their salvation. He waits to be gracious to them; and, though he may seem to be angry, he does not stir up all his wrath their sins deserve nor does he retain anger for ever.

and of great... Both in a providential way, and in a way of special grace through Christ. Whom he has provided as a Savior, and sent him into the world as such, and saves sinners by obedience sufferings, and death.

These characters of God are taken (out of Exodus 34:6); and are admirably adapted to engage and encourage sensible souls to turn to the Lord by acts of faith in him, and repentance towards him (see Isa. 55:7).

repenteth him of... Changes His mind because of Israel coming back to Him. Which the sins of men deserve; and he has threatened on account of them there sin against Him. Not that he ever changes the counsels of his will, but alters the course of his providence, and the manner of his conduct towards men, according to his unalterable repentance otherwise does not properly belong to God (Num. 23:19).

But is ascribed to him after the manner of men; and is used to express his compassion. How ready he is to receive and forgive returning sinners and not execute the threatened and deserved evil of this terrible adversary ready to pounce on them, but to bestow all needful good to them (see Jon. 3:10).

There are several instances in the Bible, where God changed His mind and reversed a curse. True repentance would bring this for Joel's prophecy and even for ours.

Exo. 32:14 "And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."

Mic. 7:18 “Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy.”

The Motivation

A recognition of the nation’s relationship to the Lord her God and of His gracious nature should have motivated His people to repent. The expression “the Lord your God” was well known to Israel (this phrase occurs 263 times in Deut.) and testified to the covenantal relationship between God and the nation. The words gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love (ḥeseḏ, “loyal love”) recall Exo. 34:6 (cf. Neh. 9:17; Psm. 103:8; 143:8; Jon. 4:2), where the same affirmation preceded the renewal of the covenant after the sin of the golden calf. Because God’s character is merciful, He often relents from sending calamity. Again the golden calf episode is recalled. On that occasion Moses begged the Lord to “relent” and “not bring disaster” on His people (Exo. 32:12). The Lord responded favorably to his request (Exo. 32:14).