“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  (Joel 2:12)

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent.

Ashes and sackcloth are associated with repentance in Scripture over and over again.

Mordecai (Esther 4:1), Daniel (Dan. 9:3) and the King of Nineveh (Jonah 3:6) are some notable Biblical characters who sat in ashes sporting sackcloth for a garment as an act of repentance.

It was also quite common for someone to tear their garments as a sign of distress and grief, as did King Josiah (2 Kings 22:11) and Job (Job 1:20).

While tearing (rending) clothes and sitting in ashes wearing sackcloth were genuine signs of repentance in these passages, it would appear that by the time of the prophet Joel they had become mere rituals.

They were outward expressions that did not necessarily flow from an inward remorse.

Hence God utters these tough words: “Rend your hearts and not your garments.”

In other words, let your hearts be ripped apart by repentance while your clothes stay intact.

After all, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:8).

The rest of Joel 2 lists the blessings that come as a result of such repentance.

The list includes renewal of the land, restoration of that which was eaten by locusts, victory over enemies and these words:

“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, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” (v.28-29).

These words, which were fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), clearly promise a revival like none the world had ever seen.

Without repentance there would be no revival.

Rending one’s garments and other external expressions that were done for show only, would not bring about a revival.

As David writes in Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

This is why Ash Wednesday begins with a call to repentance.

If you have not done this lately, this might be a good opportunity for you to humble yourself before the Lord and pray:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2)

These words can only be uttered by one who rends his heart, not his garments, one who is ready to repent.

If the promise in Joel 2 is true, we too will witness a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as the apostles did in Acts 2.

And we will once again verify the truth of the fact that Repentance Precedes Revival. Amen?