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"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)
I know a man who is not a Christian. I have invited him to church multiple times, and he always says, "Oh... I'd be struck by lightning if I set foot in there!" He says it as a joke, but it shows me that he doesn't understand the extent of the grace and mercy of our great Lord! I told him that there will come a day when God's wrath will be unleashed on sin, but until that day comes and you have breath in your lungs, you can turn to God! He is rich in mercy!
Yesterday we looked at the phrase "rend your heart and not your garments" from Joel 2. Today, we will stay in the same verse, but continue on to what it says next. The book of Joel has a central theme of "the day of the Lord" and repeatedly speaks of the day of imminent judgement. Read chapter 2 again and see how this day is spoken of in the first part of chapter 2. It is a grave day indeed, and the end of verse 11 sums it up well: "The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11c).
This judgement is justified. The people have sinned against a holy God! However, the next two verses are powerful and say a lot about the character of our God:
"'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' 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 2:12-13)
"Even now": what an amazing pair of words. The people have sinned and turned from their God. The Lord has sent a swarm of locusts to get their attention. A great and terrible day of judgement is coming. But "even now", the Lord beckons His people back to Him. Despite all their sin, he calls them to return to Him, to repent and be restored. This phrase "even now" teaches us that even though we have strayed, even though we sinned against a perfect, loving God, even though we foolishly looked to other things to give our affections to, the Lord still desires us. He still desires relationship with us. He still desires to forgive and restore us if we would repent. He is not taking aim and just waiting for you to take a step toward Him so He can throw that lightning bolt like a javelin in your direction. His arms are open. He is, as verse 13 says, "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love".
Isn't it amazing that we serve a God who is more eager to restore us than we are to return to Him? He is eagerly waiting for those who have strayed to return to Him. Even while they wander and go their own way, he eagerly awaits their return. Yesterday we spoke about rending our hearts. Why do we repent? Why can we return to the Lord even after we have sinned against Him? Because He is gracious. He is compassionate. He is slow to anger. He is abounding in love.
He is also just and does have wrath for sin, but He delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18). Praise God! Don't let fear of Him stop you from turning back to Him and repenting when you stray and sin. He beckons you to come. He is a good Father.
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