Sweet Repentance !

The Book of Joel is a marvelous picture of the blessedness of repentance.  The people of Judah had seen devastation unlike anything they had ever experienced.  A massive swarm of locust had devoured the land.  In a short span of time all vegetation; crops, pasturelands and trees were utterly destroyed.  Famine and drought fell upon the land within hours.  In accordance with Deuteronomy 28:38-46, Joel declared that it was because of the disobedience of God’s people that they experienced such a trial.  Their disobedience moved them from underneath the umbrella of God’s protection. And the Lord cried out to them,

     "Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart…

     ..so rend  your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord

     your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of

     great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.     Joel 2:12 - 13

I have seen in my lifetime that it is a blessing when the Lord’s chastisement is swift.  It’s a blessing also when I quickly respond with repentance.   I’ve seen that the slower one is to repent, the greater the harm experienced from disobedience.  Simply put, slower repentance - greater pain.  The consequence that resulted from the people of Judah’s sin was severe.  And in the midst of utter ruin, God is pleading for His people to turn to Him.  He asks, ‘Rend your heart, and not your garment’.  He’s asking for an inward tearing away from the old ways of selfishness and fleshly desires.  He’s asking that we follow His commands and stop relying on our way of thinking and doing.  He’s asking for a sincere desire to change.  He’s asking for a commitment.  How many times do we acknowledge that we need to make changes, but fall short of a steadfast ‘heart’ commitment to change?  He asks, while at the same time reminding us with such gentleness, that He’s on our side and that He wants to bless us.

But the story of repentance gets even better.  Our God is so great, that no matter the devastation that comes through disobedience, through repentance, He is able to restore.  Supernatural restoration!

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame.      Joel 2:25 - 26

And could the story of repentance get better still, yes it can and it does! Repent of your sins, turn towards Him, He’ll rebuild your life and give you the greatest gift of all…….His Holy Spirit!

     'Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord
     your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to
     shame. "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out
     My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall
     prophesy,Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall
     see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
     I will pour out My Spirit in those days.           Joel  2:27 - 29

Oh!, the sweetness of repentance.  Here’s the promise –

And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved.                                                                            Joel 2:32     

Be blessed!                                                     

Repentance, it’s irresistible!

The book of Hosea portrays a great love story.  The main characters are the prophet Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer.  God uses these characters to express His great love towards Israel and His heartbrokenness over their unfaithfulness. 

As Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry was lived out before a people, the Lord’s message to Israel was to be lived out by Hosea.  His marriage to Gomer was a picture to the northern kingdom of God’s love for them.

The Lord said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."                                                                                        Hosea 3:1

So deep is His love!

The times of Hosea’s ministry were turbulent.  His message to the northern kingdom of Israel was to a people guilty of the ‘sins of Jeroboam’ (1 Kings 12).  Over the 38 years of Hosea’s ministry, six kings reigned and most of those kings were murdered by their successors.  Other prophets were sent to turn God’s people back to Himself, but the people remained rebellious.  The land was in an upheaval.  Through Hosea, the Lord pours out His heart’s yearning for His people.  So tender is His love! 

"Therefore, I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. "In that day," declares the Lord, "you will call Me 'My Husband,' you will no longer call Me 'My Master'.  I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips.  No longer will their names be invoked. "I will betroth you to Me forever.  I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.  I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.        Hosea 2:14, 15b, 16, 17, 19, 20

Israel responded with continued rebellion and disdain for their Maker. They pulled away from the Lord’s love, protection and care. They pulled away from covenant.  In the end, the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17) and the people were deported to other lands.  Yet still, God cried out for His people.

"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within Me; all My compassion is aroused. "   Hosea 11:8                          

^“Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God.   Your sins have been your downfall!  Take words with you, and return to the Lord. Say to Him, "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”

 "I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him.”                 Hosea 14: 1, 2, 4

So faithful is His love!

Seeing the Lord’s great love and compassion towards His people makes me thankful to be counted as one of His own.  As I read the Book of Hosea, I’m deeply moved by the Lord’s persistent pursuit of relationship.  He continues in that pursuit today.  I’m thankful for His Holy Spirit, always drawing me closer to Him.   And should I ever fall away from the lover of my soul, through disobedience or short-sightedness, I have the great gift of ‘repentance’.  I always have the option to turn back towards Him and start afresh. With each turn I enjoy the freedom of a new beginning.  And if I live a lifestyle of repentance….always turning from things that displease Him, my life will reflect the fruit of our unbroken fellowship.  The joy of repentance!  In Psalms 51, David confesses his sin, and acknowledges that the Lord will always respond to a humble and contrite heart.  Repentance, it’s irresistible!  Here's the promise –

‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’.                                                       1 John1:9

Be blessed!