THE NEED TO REND OUR HEARTS
Text: Joel 2:1-2, 2 12-18
In his biography, Benjamin Franklin, reveals a lot about the kind of person he was. He would often look at his individual progress of each day. Someone (Raymond McHenry?) has observed Ben Franklin’s method specifically. "Benjamin Franklin kept his life in constant evaluation by asking himself two questions every day of his adult life. In the morning he would ask, "What good shall I do today?" This was followed up by his evening question, "What good have I done today?" Mr. Franklin understood Socrates’ warning, "The unexamined life is not worth living," yet he carried it a step further to add, neither is the unplanned life worth living. (Raymond McHenry. ed. McHenry’s Quips, Quotes And Other Notes. Third Printing. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004, p. 204). How many of us examine our lives that closely on a daily basis? Joel 2:1 ¡V 2, 12 ¡V 18 hints at how people had been neglecting to examine their lives.
Joel 2:1-2, 12-18 is a passage of scripture that reflects how the people to whom Joel was prophesying needed to examine their lives. Nevertheless, this passage of scripture gives us a reminder of how we need to always examine our lives. It is possible for people to procrastinate when it comes to examining their lives. It is possible for us to always think about how we will look into examining our lives tomorrow. The problem is that with each passing day, we have the potential to keep putting off today’s need for self-examination till tomorrow. But, one day the clock will stop and for better or worse , we will be out of time. When the clock stops, the trumpet will more than likely sound.
In the Bible, the use of a trumpet usually signals an event of some religious purpose. It was used to call the the congregation together for meetings, to usher the beginning of the month, and to note solemn days and festive occasions. In this instance, however, the trumpet is used to sound an alarm and alert the people to the seriousness of the crises. It represents utter desperation---all human hope is gone. (Jerry Falwell. Ex. Ed. The Complete Bible Commentary. Paul R. Fink. "Minor Prophets: Joel". Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publsihers, 1999, p. 1005). Hope is gone because darkness and judgement had come as it was now time for them to face the music---to face the consequences of actions. They had been delinquent in examining their lives. Joel 2:1 ¡V 2, emphasizes the need for repentance.
REPENTANCE MEANS RENEWAL
It is possible for people to repent and yet try to recycle some part of their past. Repentance is about confessing to God where we went wrong and seeking to live a life that is in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8). I read this one story about this man who tried to rebuild something new out of something old. Someone (Len Sullivan) recalls a story from their family history about his grandparents. "In the late 1920s my grandparents married and moved into Grandpa’s old family home. It was a clapboard house with a hall down the middle. In the ’30s they decided to tear down the old house and build another to be their home for the rest of their lives.
"Much to my grandmother’s dismay, many of the materials of the old house were reused in their new house. They used old facings and doors, and many other pieces of the finishing lumber. Everywhere my grandmother looked, she saw that old house--old doors that wouldn’t shut properly, crown molding split and riddled with nail holes, unfinished window trimming. It was a source of grief to her. All her life she longed for a new house.
"When God brings us into the kingdom, the old way of living must be dismantled and discarded¡¨. (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion.. [Citation: Len Sullivan; Tupelo, Mississippi]. "Don’t Recycle Old Life". Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, p. 192). How well do we discard old things that are a source of grief to us in our spiritual lives? Do we find ourselves trying to rebuild certain parts of our lives with unfruitful things of the past?
It is also possible for people to try to repent in part rather than to repent completely. "The story is told of a shoplifter who writes to a department store and says, "I’ve just become a Christian, and I can’t sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here’s $100 that I owe you."
"Then he signs his name, and in a little postscript at the bottom he adds, "If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send you the rest." ¡¨. (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion.. [Citation: Bill White; Paramount, California] "Shoplifter Comes Clean Almost". Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, p. 240). Repentance is not about compromising and negotiating. Repentance is about confessing and turning over a new leaf.
REPENTANCE MEANS A CHANGE IN HEART
To both the Hebrews as well as the Greeks, the heart was the seat of one¡¦s emotions. Joel 2:12 was a prophecy where the prophet Joel told the people as the Lord had told him to: " rend your hearts and not your garments"(RSV). It was and is possible for people to go through the motions of repentance in the rending of garments, rather than having true remorse of the heart that God wanted and wants them to have. Joel is addressing the same kind of thing that happens when someone apologizes for something with their words, when their actions contradict them. After all, when someone apologizes for something that he or she or they did, we want them to be sincere. There is nothing more annoying than an apology that was or is insincere. Recalling the story of the shoplifter, we can see that he was half-hearted in his remorse.
God wants genuine repentance which is a matter of the heart. When religion becomes formal and ceremonial rather than moral and spiritual it can create problems. (George A. Buttrick. ed. The Interpreter¡¦s Bible. Volume VI. Thirty-Second Printing. Harold Cooke Phillips. "The Book Of Hosea: Exposition". Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1987, p. 604). The Pharisees of the New Testament were guilty of this kind of what someone (Harold Cooke Phillips) has called "pious fraud" (Phillips, p. 605). It is very clear from the second chapter of Joel in the Old Testament that God wants us to be sincerely penitent from the heart.
There are several instances in the Bible where God showed mercy where He could have unleashed His wrath for those who were in contempt. Consider the following Biblical examples that illustrate how merciful God was and is!
1) In Genesis 18:16 ¡V 33, Abraham pleads with God in an ongoing dialogue asking for God’s mercy for the wicked people of Sodom. Abraham bargains with God asking for mercy at first for 50 righteous people, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20 and finally 10 righteous people.
2) In Exodus 32, Moses intercedes for the people asking God for mercy when God was ready to unleash His wrath against disobedient and unfaithful people. God showed mercy.
3) In Jeremiah 18:8 God promised to show mercy if the people to whom Jeremiah had prophesied to had repented.
4) In Amos 7:6, much like Moses, Amos intercedes for the people to whom he was a prophet and again God showed His mercy.
5) In Joel 2:12 ¡V 13, the prophet Joel urges the people to who he was a prophet to repent.
6) Consider the promise of 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (ASV).
The grace and mercy that God bestows to us is a gift of mercy. When God shows us His mercy and forgives us of our trespasses, He erases our mistakes. A guy recalls an example in his own life that relates to how God erases our mistakes in the spiritual sense. "Recently I went to purchase an airline ticket online for my wife, Susan, to fly from Chicago to Dallas to help her sister make a move. I’ve done it before, and it’s a snap. I picked the time, checked "one passenger," "one-way," the airline, even the seat assignment. Then I checked that I understood this was nonrefundable and nontransferable, and that my credit card would be charged. I clicked on "Yes, I’m sure. This will complete my transaction."
"Then I noticed the ticket was for me, not Susan. I panicked. I didn’t want to fly to Dallas, and I didn’t want to swallow $152! Heart pounding, I called American Airlines. "Sorry," the guy said after conferring with his supervisor. "There’s nothing we can do." I was sick.
"Try calling Travelocity," he said. I did, and a voice said, "Due to the large volume of calls you may have to wait." Aaargh! Ten minutes of funeral music.
"Then Jacob came on the line. "Jacob," I said, "I made a terrible mistake, and I’m hoping you can help me." I explained what had happened. "No problem," Jacob said. "I’ll delete your transaction here, and you can go online and redo your reservation."
"Really, Jacob?" I said, "Just like that? No penalty or anything?"
"No problem," Jacob said.
"Jacob, you are a gift from God! You made my day," I gushed. If he had been there, I surely would have hugged him.
"If your debt is great enough, having it erased by someone is a bonding experience! When you’re forgiven much, you love much. Face your sin, and you will fall in love with Jesus. (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion.. [Citation: Lee Eclov; Lake Forest, Illinois] ¡§Forgiveness Bonds Us To Jesus¡¨. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, p. 106). How well do we bond with God when we have experienced His forgiveness?
REPENTANCE HAS A SEASON
The second chapter of Joel reminds us that God is merciful and wants to forgive us. As mentioned before, consider the promise of 2 Peter 3:9: ¡§The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (ASV). God truly does want all of us to come to repentance. God proves how great His love is for us. Consider how Romans 5:8 ¡V 10 explains it: ¡§8. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10. For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!¡¨ (NIV). It is obvious that God wants a relationship with us for two reasons. First, God does not want anyone to perish---to die in the flesh without have repented of their sins. And secondly, God not only wants us to repent, but God wants us to be reconciled with Him.
The second chapter of Joel also seems reminds us that there is a season---a time limit to repent. Consider how the toll road system of Switzerland works. "Unlike other countries that have a pay-as-you-use toll system on major roads, Switzerland expects drivers using its autoroute system to pay an annual fee of 40 Swiss francs. When you pay, you get a windshield sticker you display for the rest of the year.
"Traditionally, traffic police give motorists the whole month of January to purchase the sticker. There is no penalty for driving without it during that month--it is a month of grace. But when the first days of February come, expect to see the traffic police on the autoroute exit ramps checking for cars without the sticker. No more excuses are accepted; no more time is given. The grace period has ended. (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion.. [Citation: Alan Wilson; Switzerland] "Season Of Grace". Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, pp. 153 -155). The day will come---when the time limit allowed to repent has expired. The clock will stop. It will not be like a parking meter where we can add another coin and buy more time. One day the clock will stop and the horn will blow signaling that there is no more time left. It will be like the sound of a horn signaling the end of a ball game. God wants us to repent and be reconciled to Him before the time runs out!
