God is Gracious

“Yes, tear your heart and not your robes, and turn to Jehovah your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He pities because of the evil.” (Joel 2:13)

It was a custom for the Jews when in grief and to show remorse, contrition, sorrow or self-reproach to tear at their clothes. Joel prophesies about the Day of the Lord when the Lord comes to judge the land. This is actually speaking about the Second Coming of Christ, when Jesus comes to judge the world.  Joel writes about the terrible things that will happen. He writes about the plague of the locust that will cover the land like never before. And even then, at the time of judgement and at the last minute, God’s desire is for them to turn to Him.

He doesn’t want them to tear at their clothes, but for their hearts to be broken because of their sin. This is the kind of sacrifice and worship that God desires from them. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17) This also speaks to us. Because we are forgiven and although we may not be flippant about it, we do have the assurance that any future sin is forgiven. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be broken hearted over our sin and failure to obey the Lord in all things. “Jehovah is near to the broken-hearted; and saves those who are of a contrite spirit.” (Psalms 34:18) We should be broken-hearted over our failings because of the Lord’s Goodness toward us. The ministry of Jesus while on earth was to heal the broken-hearted. The word heal was translated bind in Isaiah’s reference. “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is on Me; because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1) Bind like a bandage, wrapped in a cloth of protection from contamination and more harm. The Lord is moved by sincerity in our hearts.

Joel continues, “...He is gracious and merciful...” We know that He is because even while we were sinners, He sent Jesus. (Romans 5:8) He calls us while we are deep in sin. He wants us to come to Him just as we are. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7) We can’t forgive our own sins and cleanse ourselves. We can only repent. God does the cleaning and training in righteousness. “All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)

Continuing to describe the Lord’s character, Joel writes that He is “slow to anger,” meaning He is patient with the sinner. “The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) The Lord is wanting for everyone to repent of his wickedness and turn to Him because He loves the sinner. But God hates the sin. He is just and cannot excuse the sin. It has to be covered by the Blood of the Lamb of God, repented of and forgiven. There has to be punishment for sin. It’s death. But when we repent, that sin is forgiven and was punished by the death of Jesus on the Cross.

Joel writes another character of God. He is “of great kindness.” To understand His great kindness we look to the Scripture that commands us to love our enemies. This kind of love and kindness is not worldly. It is godly and can only happen with the Lord’s help. “But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax-collectors do so? Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:44-48) When we’re able to love our enemies then we will be perfect like God. This is an impossibility in the flesh. God loves His enemies. He doesn’t withhold the sun nor the rain from them. He loved us when we were His enemies. “For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10) That is His great kindness.

The last thing Joel writes about God in this verse is that “ He pities because of the evil.” The word “pities” replaced the original “repents.” What it’s actually saying is that the Lord is always ready to forgive and not judge the evil. Sending Jesus is the ultimate example. He chose to suffer for us.

To conclude we see that God desires our repentant hearts over any outward action of sorrow. His forbearing and kind to His enemies and commands us to love our enemies. He is ready even in the judgement to receive a penitent heart.

Let us pray:

Father God, I am thankful for Your kindness and patience toward me.  I thank You that You are patient with my defects, weaknesses and failings. Your Word is clear that as Your child I am to have the same kindness, patience and love for my enemies. Help me to love Lord, because it’s hard sometimes. Help me to remember how You have given me love when I was unlovable and that I have the love to love my enemies, through Jesus my Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit. Help me Lord to always examine and guard my heart from intentional sin that would harden my heart. Speak always my Lord to my heart and correct me. I thank You for Your Word which is alive and powerful and has power to change my errant ways. Help me to welcome correction which will bring me closer to You. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.