REND YOUR HEART AND NOT
YOUR GARMENTS
BIBLE PASSAGE: JOEL CHAPTERS 1 – 2:12-27
Picture taken from Google
Lesson Prepared by: Krisha of
Solomon’s Wisdom FB page
Lesson
ideas taken from: https://www.templebaptch.com/
APRIL 04, 2021
MEMORY VERSE
And rend
your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your
God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and
repenteth him of the evil.
JOEL 2:13
INTRODUCTION:
In
ancient times in the near eastern lands, when individuals wished to show
mourning or a deep sense of sorrow, they would tear their garments. Jacob
mourned Joseph in such a way (Genesis 37:34). Job so mourned the loss of his
family and possessions likewise (Job 1:20). 2 Samuel 1:11 records for us
David’s response to the death of Saul and Jonathan. “Then David took hold on
his clothes, and rent them; and likewise, all the men that were with him: and
they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his
son, and for the people of God, and for the house of Israel; because they were
fallen by the sword.” This custom expressed in an external way what was
happening inside the suffering individual.
In Joel 1, the prophet spoke of the
judgment that had arrived in Judah (a plague
of locusts and drought). In Joel 2, he begins by describing judgment that will come – a mighty army set against Judah. Since
this is all part of “God’s Day” not “man’s day,” it is described as the day of the LORD. In
the day of Joel, the inconsistent people of Israel had a history of acting one way but being another. For their sins, God’s prophets proclaimed that God
would bring judgment upon them. Joel was one of those prophets. Nevertheless,
there was still time for repentance. Referencing this custom, Joel emphasized
that it had to be the people’s heart that changed, not merely their outward
appearance. He wrote, “Therefore
also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your
heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your
garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the
evil.”
(Joel 2:12-13).
https://gewatkins.net/rend-your-hearts-and-not-your-garments
In
this verse we can see how important the heart in revival and in line with this
is repentance; it’s the key. Is there an instance in our spiritual life that
needs to be reminded about giving your attention with? In time of consecration,
after the sermon or preaching of the word, is there a time we are forced to go
forward (dedicating or surrendering your life) or you just go to avoid people
looking at you because you’re the only one left sitting down?
I’ll
get some words from the devotion of Pastor Rod yesterday. He said that “Don’t
stay that you’re standing and strong right now because you might fall”. Apostle
Peter is a great reminder of that, even he was with the Lord-he fell, even he
said, “I love you Lord” – he fell, even he replied to Jesus’s question, “Will
ye also go away?”, his reply, “Lord, to
whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” – he fell and even you
say, “Though
all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” or in
Tagalog “Kahit na po iwan kayo ng lahat, hindi ko kayo iiwan – he fell. So, you see, you wouldn’t know. The Bible says, “Take
heed lest you fall”. In Luke 22 mentioned that he denied Jesus three times, “And
Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest” and in Luke 22: 61, 62 say, "And the Lord turned and
looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said
unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bitterly." Remember, before Peter
could go back to his feet again, he had to be humbled. Therefore, it’s
important to rend our hearts and not our garments and in Tagalog, “Magsisi kayo
nang taos sa puso, hindi pakitang- tao lamang”. And whether we like it or not,
God uses painful circumstances in our lives in order for us to get our
attention and be back on the right track.
LESSON OUTLINE:
1. PROBLEM COMES FOR A PURPOSE (JOEL
1:1-2:11)
The nation of Israel is in trouble!
They’re under constant attacks by their enemies. They have experienced a
terrible drought and a massive invasion of locusts. These tragedies have left
the land ruined, and the people discouraged, and demoralized.
· They faced devastation (1:4) – One insect invasion after
another destroyed and ruined their crops. There was no food left for the
people. (pagkawasak in Tagalog)
· They faced destruction (1:5-7) – They also faced
invasion from surrounding nations. The armies that came in destroyed their
vineyards ad orchards. Their enemies were strong and powerful (the action or process of causing so much damage
to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.)
· They faced desolation (1:8-13, 16-20) – A severe drought
afflicted their land. There was no rain, and all the crops failed. The herds and wild animals suffered and
perished because there was no water or pasture for them. Fires broke out and destroyed their forest (a state of complete emptiness or destruction).
· They faced discipline (1:14-15) – None of these
things were accidental or coincidental; they were all the judgment of God upon
the land. Now, consider
the sin and evil that runs rampant in our world. We are living in a generation
that calls “evil good and good evil”. We are living in a society that protects
the wicked and punishes the righteous. We are living in a world where fear has
replaced faith; sin has replaced sanity; greed has replaced God; and hatred has
replaced holiness.
The prophet Joel uses these events as an illustration of God’s judgment
upon Israel. Their specific sin is not named in this book, but a careful
reading of the book indicated that the people had slipped into a state of complacency and apathy about the things of God.
Do you agree with this thought – “Before anyone falls away from God outwardly - they first, inwardly fall
away from God”?
ü
Are
you as excited for God now as when you were first saved?
We get more excited about a
shopping trip than we do about a revival meeting. We would rather play than pray. We would
rather have our ears tickled than our hearts searched by the Word. We would
rather be entertained than challenged. We would rather stay like we are than
become more like Him.
ü
Are
you as concerned about spiritual things now as when you were first saved?
Preaching has been replaced
by praise songs. Holiness has given way to happiness. Commitment has been
replaced by complacency.
We wink at sin and wince at
the holy demands of God. We have lost our fire, our power and our desire for
the things of God.
ü
Do
you love the Lord as much now as when you were first saved?
There
is a song that states –
I just keep falling in love with Him
Over and over,
and over, and over, again
I keep falling in love with Him,
Over and over, and over and over again
He gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by,
Oh, what a love between my Lord and I
I keep falling in love with Him
Over and over, and over, and over, again
When I first fell in love with Jesus
I gave Him all my heart...
And I thought I could not love Him
More than I did right at the start
But now I look back over the mountains,
And the valleys where I've been...
And it makes me know I love Him
So much more than I did them...
Isn’t
that the way that it should be, that every day, we find that the Lord is better
to us than we could ever imagine? Are we excited to understand that God’s
promises are real and trustworthy? As we find these things out, it ought to
excite us all the more for the Lord. I believe God wants us excited as
Christians.
2. REMEMBER GOD DOESN’T WANT YOU TO STAY
DESOLATE; HE REACHES OUT (2:12-17)
Even though they are experiencing the judgment of God, there is still
hope! God reaches out to them one more time to address their condition and to
call them back to Him.
•
There’s a plea for repentance (12-14) – To
cause to move in a circular course; as, to turn a wheel; to turn a spindle; to
turn the body. Genuine repentance is the only hope
they have for survival. God call on them
to “turn” to Him with “all your heart”. Turn means in Bible dictionary, “To cause to move in a circular course;
as, to turn a wheel; to turn a spindle; to turn the body”. A twist turns from sin to righteousness but prophet Joel calls on them
to “rend” their “hearts” and not their “garments”. God isn’t looking for mere
external displays of religion; He’s looking for heart change. He is looking for people who are broken over
their sinful and who are willing to change.
Matthew 3:8 says, “Bring
forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
•
There’s a plea for restoration (15-17) –
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let
the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the
altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the
heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people,
Where is their God?
He calls for those
occupied by the consuming matters of life to put Him first, v. 16c. He calls on the spiritual leaders of the
people to come back to Him, v. 17. God wants His people to seek His face
once more. He wants them to get hungry for Him one more time. God calls His
people back to a place of closeness and holiness, v. 16a. This is the
pressing need of our day. We live in a generation that puts everything ahead of
God. We live in a generation that yields itself to everything but God. We live
in a generation that has essentially abandoned God. We need to seek the Lord!
We need to come to a place where nothing matters but His will for our lives.
3. REMEMBER THE BLESSING OF TURNING TO
GOD (2: 18-27)
After discussing the Problem
and declaring His Plea, the Lord now delivers a Promise to His people. If they
come back to Him, they will experience His blessings one more time.
•
A
promise of restoration (18-22)
- God
promises to deliver them from their enemies. He promises to feed them, bless
them and satisfy them one more time.
•
The
promise of revival (23-25) - § God promises to send both
the “former” and “latter” rains. § The “former” rains fell in
October and November. They helped replenish the soil in preparation for the
next planting season. § The “latter” rains fell in
March and April. They came just in time to ensure that the harvest would be
bountiful. § God also promised to replace
everything that had been lost during the days of drought and devastation. § He is promising a revival of His blessings on the
land!
•
The
promise of rejoicing (26) - God’s people will experience His blessings and they
will be satisfied. They will praise Him. They will worship Him and exalt Him.
•
The
promise of realization (27) -
When
their restoration comes, they will know that God is in their midst and that He
alone is the source of their strength, their power and their blessing. When God
visits His people, there will be no doubt about Who is doing the work.
CONLUSION:
On this world even Christians are blinded by
the worldly system. Let me tell you a story which I heard from a Baptist Pastor,
and I search for it and found it. This
is the story goes…
If Danny Simpson had known more about guns, he
might not have needed to rob the bank. But in 1990, in Ottawa, Canada, this
24-year-old went to jail, and his gun went to a museum. He was arrested for
robbing a bank of $6,000 and then sent to jail for six years. He had used a .45
caliber Colt semi-automatic, which turned out to be an antique made by the Ross
Rifle Company, Quebec City, in 1918. The pistol is worth up to $100,000—much
more than Danny Simpson had stolen. If he had just known what he carried in his
hand, he wouldn’t have robbed the bank. In other words, Danny already had what
he needed.
Sometimes we are like Danny, we still strive so
many things to get what we wanted but the truth is… we already have what we
needed – we have the “LORD JESUS CHRIST” – who owns everything on this world. We
just need to turn to HIM.
