Joel 2:13
And rend your heart, and not your garments
Which latter used to be done in times of distress, either private
or public, and as a token of grief and sorrow, ( Genesis
37:34 ) ( Esther 4:1 ) ; nor was
it criminal or unlawful, the apostles themselves used it, (
Acts 14:14 ) ;
nor is it absolutely forbidden here, only comparatively, that
they should rend their hearts rather than their garments; or not
their garments only, but their hearts also; in like sense as the
words in ( Hosea 6:6 ) ; are to be
taken as rending garments was only an external token of sorrow
and might be done hypocritically. Where no true repentance was,
the Lord calls for that, rather than the other; and that they
would show contrition of heart and brokenness of spirit under a
sense of sin, and in the view of pardoning grace and mercy; which
is here held forth, to influence godly sorrow and evangelical
repentance; the acts of which, flowing from faith in Christ are
much more acceptable to the Lord than any outward expressions of
grief; see ( Psalms 51:17
) ( Isaiah
57:15 ) ( 66:2 ) . The Targum is,
``remove the wickedness of your heart but not with the rending of
your meats;''
the rending of the garment goes to the heart some say to the navel
F23:
and turn unto the Lord your
God;
consider him not as an absolute God, and as an angry one, wrathful
and inexorable; but as your covenant God and Father as your God in
Christ, ready to receive backsliding sinners and prodigal sons; yea
all sinners sensible of sin that flee to him for mercy through
Christ:
for be [is] gracious and merciful;
he is the God of all grace, and has laid up a fulness of it in
Christ; and he gives it freely to them that ask it of him without
upbraiding them with their sins; he is rich and plenteous in mercy,
and ready to forgive; be delights in showing mercy, and in them
that hope in it; and this is no small encouragement to turn to the
Lord, and seek mercy of him: and, besides, he is
slow to
anger;
he is not hasty to stir it up, and show it; he bears with much
longsuffering the vessels of wrath; and his longsuffering to his
own people issues in their salvation: he waits to be gracious to
them; and, though he may seem to be angry, he does not stir up all
his wrath their sins deserve nor does he retain anger for ever:
and of great kindness;
both in a providential way, and in a way of special grace through
Christ; whom he has provided as a Saviour, and sent him into the
world as such, and saves sinners by obedience sufferings, and
death: these characters of God are taken out of (
Exodus 34:6 Exodus 34:7 ) ; and are
admirably adapted to engage and encourage sensible souls to turn to
the Lord by acts of faith in him, and repentance towards him; see (
Isaiah 55:7 ) ;
and it is added,
and repenteth him of the evil;
which the sins of men deserve; and he has threatened on account of
them; not that he ever changes the counsels of his will, but alters
the course of his providence, and the manner of his conduct towards
men, according to his unalterable repentance otherwise does not
properly belong to God, (
Numbers 23:19 ) ; but
is ascribed to him after the manner of men; and is used to express
his compassion men; how ready he is to receive and forgive
returning sinners and not execute the threatened and deserved evil
and to bestow all needful good; see (
Jonah 3:10 ) (
4:2 ) . The Targum is,
``and he recalls his word from bringing on the evil.''