Joel 2:12-17

Our Father is long-suffering wanting no one to perish. His will is for us to turn from sin and acknowledge that He alone is our Father. He wants us to love Him freely by choice. He is gracious, merciful and kind. It truly is our decision to love Him above all and to accept the salvation He gifts to us in Jesus. Jesus gave His life in exchange for ours. No greater love exists.

Return to the Lord your God, He love you so.

Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

How beautiful that You delight in our individual expressions of the gifts You place inside us. We are each rare and precious jewels in Your sight, reflecting Your glorious radiance in this sin-darkened world. May the lost and unrepentant be captivated by the brilliance of Your love shining through our lives and desire to be touched for all eternity by Your glory. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.  Laura @First5 

Joel 2:12-17

12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,

“Turn to Me with all your heart,

With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

13 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.

14 Who knows if He will turn and relent,

And leave a blessing behind Him—

A grain offering and a drink offering

For the Lord your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,

Consecrate a fast,

Call a sacred assembly;

16 Gather the people,

Sanctify the congregation,

Assemble the elders,

Gather the children and nursing babes;

Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,

And the bride from her dressing room.

17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,

Weep between the porch and the altar;

Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,

And do not give Your heritage to reproach,

That the nations should rule over them.

Why should they say among the peoples,

‘Where is their God?’ ”

Yahweh calls on His people to return and give Him undivided devotion. Even in the face of impending doom, the prophets regularly called for repentance with the hope that God would relent from the predicted judgment.

The second half of this verse is a formulaic description of Yahweh’s character, highlighting grace, mercy, patience, and loving kindness as the attributes by which He defines Himself. This language is prominent in old testament prayers that appeal to Yahweh’s character to justify mercy when Israel deserved punishment. The prophets also invoke this description when they are appealing to God to relent from disaster. The signal is calling for an assembly, not warning of danger. The disaster that befell Israel would make the surrounding nations believe that Yahweh had abandoned them. Yahweh answers the people’s prayers in the second half of the book. The promised restoration reverses the economic devastation from the locust invasion and offers assurance of a future day of judgment when Yahweh will punish the nations and renew Israel. The shift from a plea for deliverance to a statement of assurance is typical in lament psalms. Faithlife Bible

As in Zephaniah, an opportunity for repentance, remorse, and renewal was offered to the people. God is not satisfied with outward acts of repentance. Tearing one’s garments was a customary way of expressing grief or remorse. However, like all outward acts, the tearing of a garment could be done without true sorrow or repentance. God required more than mere external words or actions; He wanted a change of heart and sorrow over sin. The attributes of God that provided the basis of Joel’s appeal were first revealed to Moses. God is reluctant to punish. Judgment is God’s “unusual” or “foreign” task, for He wants all to come to repentance.

These words suggest that even at the last moment, the Lord would withhold His wrath and display His grace if the people would truly repent. As a result, agriculture would be restored and productivity would return. There would be food and drink, for the people and for offerings to the Lord.

The urgency of the situation is apparent because all ages and classes of the population were summoned. According to Jewish tradition codified in the Mishnah, a bridegroom and bride could be excused from reciting daily prayers on their wedding day. But Joel excused no one from prayer at this time of spiritual emergency. If the leaders and the people would gather together with prayers of true repentance and genuine renewal, the horrible events that God was threatening might be averted. Failure to come to Judah’s aid might encourage the nations to make a mockery of Judah’s God. NKJ Bible