Wednesday
When you read the book of Joel, there are large portions that deal with the coming judgment of God, and some of the images Joel uses are really frightening.
Joel 1:15-16 - Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes — joy and gladness from the house of our God?
Joel 2:2-3 - A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste — nothing escapes them.
All of these images of destruction and doom at the end of the world can be quite depressing and they can even give us a false impression of who God is and what He is doing if we are careful. I have talked with people who have grown up in churches that focus on God’s judgment and wrath to the point where it almost becomes spiritually abusive. This does not mean that we should avoid or ignore the very clear messages in Scripture about the seriousness of sin and the reality of the justice of God. However, we must also see that the God who “thunders at the head of his army” in Joel 2:11, is the also the same God who pleads with His people to experience His grace and mercy in Joel 2:12...
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. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing — grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. - Joel 2:12-14
After all, God does not delight in judgment. That isn't what he is after. He never enjoys judging anyone. What he seeks is a heart that will listen to him, heed him, and open the door for the blessings that God wants to pour in. In order to get that person or nation to listen and turn, God will permit all kinds of harsh things to obstruct their wayward path. But all he is after is that genuinely broken and repentant heart. "Rend your hearts and not your garments."
The tearing or rending of clothes in Jewish tradition was intended to be an external symbol of an internal reality in the heart. It was done to express grief over some disaster or calamity. It was also a sign of deep sorrow and mourning over someone who has died. Sometimes it indicated a holy indignation (righteous anger) against sin and what is contrary to God’s Word. But it was primarily a symbol of repentance and brokenness before God. The problem with this outward symbol was that (like all external religious acts) it could easily become a substitute for the real thing (true repentance).
It is so easy to fool ourselves into thinking, "well, at least I can do the right thing outwardly, that has got to count for something." Most of us are like that, aren't we? We are so like the little boy whose mother told him, "Now sit down!" But he wouldn't sit down. She said again, "Sit down!" And he said, "I won't." So she grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down in the chair. Then he looked up at her defiantly and said, "I may be sitting down outside, but I'm standing up on the inside!"
God is saying to us (in effect) “I don’t care about your jacket, I care about your heart! Don't bother with hypocritical attitudes and actions. They don't impress me in the least. I want to see your heart." That is the thing. God is utterly unimpressed by our hypocrisy. We may fool others, we can even fool ourselves, but we don't fool Him. Unless our heart is truly broken before him, torn garments mean nothing.
Psalm 51:17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Jeff Frazier
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment