Joel 2:13

"And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

"And not your garments ..." The prohibition in this is not directed against the demonstration of adequate external signs of repentance, for such indications of the inward condition of penitence had just been commanded in the preceding verse; what is forbidden, therefore, is the reliance upon such outward things in the absence of the truly penitent condition they were designed to demonstrate.

Joel here spoke of the same qualities of God's infinite graciousness, mercy, and lovingkindness that were known to Jonah (Jonah 4:2), but it is very unlikely that either writer had received much information from the other, the same being a part of the heritage of Israel, and fully known to long generations prior to either Joel or Jonah.

"And repenteth him of evil ..." Such an expression as this is a source of question to some; but the meaning is quite simple, beautifully stated thus by Hailey:

"God's repentance is a change of his will toward the people and is the result of a change of will and conduct on their part. Their repentance would cause God to pour out a blessing instead of judgment."[22]

Coupled with such terrible judgments as Joel had been proclaiming, was the possibility that the people might become overly discouraged and think that all was lost, no matter what they did; but in this great verse, Joel showed himself ready to, "claim the covenant promise and hold it out as a lifeline to the people of his day."[23]

The tremendously beautiful message of this wonderful verse is given a musical treatment in Elijah, by Felix Mendelssohn.

Thompson also observed that the expression "and not your garments .... does not absolutely forbid this common sign of grief."[24] However, it is not forbidden at all, being one of the things commanded in the immediately preceding verse. What is meant by this passage is that no reliance should be placed in either the heart-felt repentance, or the outward observance of the actions indicating it, in the absence of the other. The genuine repentance without any outward tokens of it would fail as an example to others, for they would not be aware of it; and the outward tokens of it without the true repentance itself, would likewise fall utterly short of God's approval.