Joel 2:13. 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.
A public expression of grief and mourning in the Jewish culture from the earliest days of the Jewish nation was tearing their clothes. There are examples in the Old Testament as far back as when Reuben tore his clothes when he found out his brothers had sold their youngest brother Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37:29). Joel knew that one could tear their clothes and not tear their heart, and what he was speaking of here was a head repentance and not a heart repentance, which is the only kind of repentance that pleases God.
Charles Spurgeon once told a story about a woman that approached him and relented about what a great sinner she was; however, Spurgeon suspected that her repentance was not truly sincere heart repentance. Brother Spurgeon told her that if she was a sinner, then she had broken God's Law. They went over all the Ten Commandments, and as Spurgeon had suspected, she said that she had not broken even one of them. She did not consider herself a sinner, and she was only making a public show of repentance—something like the Jews of old that tore their clothes.
We know that when we come to the Lord with a sincere, humble, repentant heart, He is faithful to forgive us our sins, but if we believe that we have not sinned, that in spirit is calling God a liar (1 John 1:9-10). Therefore, we should not repent with the idea that the world around us must know that we are repenting of our sins, to tear our clothes, so to speak. Instead, we should repent with the idea that God is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." Thus, we should come to God with faith, knowing that he will spare us the punishment we deserve. It is His kindness, patience, and forbearance that should lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
One of the amazing attributes and characteristics of God is that He is so benevolent and kindhearted. He is always ready, willing, and able to forgive us our sins even when we think that we have blown it big time and don't see a way back to Him. His boundless and abundant grace and mercy will unite with our true, humble repentant hearts, and the result will be a glorious restoration of our walk with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
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