Joel 02: The God of Second Chances

Ever wondered if you've strayed too far for a second chance? Joel Chapter 2 provides a stunning answer that might surprise you. 

Throughout this powerful chapter, we witness the dramatic tension between God's judgment and His mercy. While the opening verses paint a terrifying picture of "the day of the Lord"—with darkness, gloom, and an army leaving desolation in its wake—we quickly discover God's heart isn't punishment but reconciliation. The central message emerges in verse 12: "Turn to me now, while there is still time."

What God truly desires isn't empty religious gestures but sincere heart transformation. "Don't tear your clothes in grief, but tear your hearts instead," He pleads. This distinction between outward performance and genuine repentance reveals the God who sees beyond our actions to our intentions. Like a parent desperately wanting to bless their child rather than discipline them, God points exactly to what we need to do and holds out incredible promises of restoration for those who return to Him.

The parallels to parenting are striking. Just as a parent might plead with a child to clean their room so they can enjoy ice cream together, God eagerly awaits our sincere turning so He can flood our lives with blessing. He promises to "give back what you lost" and "pour out my Spirit upon all people." The message is clear: no matter how far we've wandered, sincere repentance opens the door to complete restoration. Are you ready to experience the God of second chances in your own life? Turn your heart to Him today and discover what awaits beyond judgment—a future filled with His presence and blessing.

Contact us-

Ask a Question
Send Encouragement

Take a Next Step-

SOAP Bible Study Method.
Bible Reading Plan.
Free Weekly Newsletter.

Socials-

Facebook.
Instagram.
X.
YouTube.

The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Chapters

• 0:00 The God of Second Chances
• 2:36 The Coming Judgment
• 6:08 Turn to God With Sincerity
• 8:52 God's Restoration Promises
• 11:12 Parenting Lessons in God's Mercy
• 14:53 Taking The First Step Back

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, joel, chapter 2, and today's title is the God of Second Chances the God of Second Chances. We're going to talk about how the main thing that God is after is sincerity. When we sincerely repent and turn of our sins, then God comes flooding in with his love. It reminds me of a parent with a small child. That's like listen, you don't have to get it right all the time. Could you just try Every once in a while? And if you have ever been the parent of small kids, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So we're going to get into some of that action today. So if you have your Bibles, want to join with me in Joel chapter two. It may take us a couple of seconds to find it. So while you're doing that, let me remind you if you're new around here, take just a moment. Like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast it really does help and make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. It's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job and, as always, the more we dig, the more we find and then to give you a couple more seconds to find it. I do want to remind you that if you would like to receive updates about the Bible Breakdown podcast, youtube video, you get the daily text messages, all this stuff. All you got to do is text RLCBIBLE to 94000. And just about always, 99% of the time, we're going to send you a text that's going to have the chapter of the day and then links to it that every once in a while we may send you some updates about other things that you might find important. So make sure you text RLCBible to 94000,. Okay, all right. Well, if you've been with us over the past couple of days, we were talking about starting the book of Joel and then yesterday we did. We talked about that.

Speaker 1: 2:12

The overall theme of the book of Joel is the day of the Lord and in the last chapter, chapter one, we talked about how the day of the Lord is simultaneously a dark day, but it's also an opportunity. It's an opportunity to turn our hearts back over to the Lord and it really does remind me that when my girls were real little and I would tell them you know not to do something, do something else. You know this kind of stuff. I knew they weren't going to get it right. You know what I mean, because I didn't get it right either when I was a kid. It took me forever, like, to learn stuff, and there's some stuff I still haven't learned, in Jesus' name, but I'm trying right. And so I knew they weren't going to get it right, but the hope was that at least they would get it a little bit more right. I wasn't looking for perfection, I was looking for progress. You know what I mean. And we kind of see a lot of that in chapter 2, where Joel is telling them hey, listen, this is a bad day, but look at what God's looking for. He's not looking for us to be perfect, like that's the hope, right, but that takes time. We grow into the things of God. However, he's looking for sincerity, as we sincerely turn our hearts back to God. So let's read this together Joel, chapter 2, and let's see what God's word has to say to us today. You ready? Here we go.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Verse 1 says this it is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn, spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears, nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again. Fire burns in front of them and the flames follow after them. Ahead of them, the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. Behind them is nothing but desolation. Not one thing escapes. They look like horses. They charge forward like war horses. Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops. Listen to the noise they make, like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of fire sweeping across the field of stubble, like a mighty army moving into battle. Fear grips all the people and every face grows pale with terror.

Speaker 1: 4:39

The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like soldiers. Straightforward, they march, never breaking rank. They never jostle each other. Each moves in exactly the right position. They break through defenses without missing a step. They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows. The earth quakes as they advance and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, dark and stars no longer shine.

Speaker 1: 5:13

The Lord is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout this is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the Lord is awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? So pause for a moment. So what Joel is saying is this that's coming is terrible, and it's horrible, and we've earned it Like this is the result of all of our sins. So in other words, he's saying God is not stopping this. This is coming and we had it coming, but then this is what we do.

Speaker 1: 5:44

Verse 12. This is what the Lord says Turn to me now, while there is still time. So think about this. He is the one sending it, but he doesn't want it. He doesn't want this destruction. So he's begging them turn to me now. So let's read it again.

Speaker 1: 5:59

This is why the Lord says turn to me now, while there is still time. Give me your hearts, come to me. Weeping, fasting, mourning. Don't tear your clothes in grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows, perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of a curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord, your God, as before.

Speaker 1: 6:37

Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem. Announce a time of fasting. Call the people together for a solemn meeting. Gather all the people, the elders, the children, even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters, the bride from her private room. Let the priests who minister in the Lord's presence stand and weep between the entry room of the temple and the altar. Let them pray. Spare your people, lord. Don't let your special possession become an object of mockery. Don't let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say has the God of Israel left them? Then the Lord will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land. The Lord will reply Look, I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. I will drive away these armies from the north and I will send them into the parched wastelands. Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea, those at the rear into the Mediterranean. The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land. That's gross and awesome at the same time. Surely the Lord has done great things.

Speaker 1: 7:52

Verse 21,. Don't be afraid, o land, be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things. Don't be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness. Pastures will soon be green, the trees will again be filled with fruit, fig trees and grape vines will be loaded down once more. Rejoice you, people of Jerusalem. Rejoice in the Lord, your God, for the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness Once more. The autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. Threshing floors will again be piled high with grain and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

Speaker 1: 8:29

The Lord says I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locust, the hopping locust, the stripping locust and the cutting locust. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again, you will have all the food you want and you will praise the Lord, your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. Then you will know that I am among you, among my people, israel, that I am the Lord, your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced.

Speaker 1: 9:02

Then, after doing all these things, here's what, by the way, here's what Peter said back in the day, back in the day, at Acts, chapter 2. After all these things, I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. In those days, I will pour out my spirit, even on servants, men and women alike. I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will become dark and the moon will turn blood red before the great and terrible day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. For some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said, and these will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called Wow.

Speaker 1: 9:54

And so notice what this chapter is all about. Notice how, in chapter 1, it was like all of these bad things are coming and it's all the stuff that we have earned because of our continual sin, right. And then, chapter two, he says and it's coming, and the Lord is letting it come, he's sending it. But even while he is sending it, he is begging them. Just turn back to me Like. I don't want you to tear your clothes. I don't want you to tear your clothes. I don't need a great display, I need your heart in the right position. Turn your heart back over to me so that I can bless you, so I can turn away all of this judgment and I can bring peace back to you.

Speaker 1: 10:32

And can I tell you, as a dad, when my kids were little, that's exactly what I would do for them is I would say you know, girls, hey, listen, I know you did this Like, for instance, I cannot tell you how many times, lord, help us. I cannot tell you how many times I would tell my girls I would say hey, listen, I need you to clean your rooms. And if you will clean your rooms and you remember back in the day, cleaning your room and make your bed and put away like five toys you know what I mean Like like it wasn't something that would have taken longer than about five to 10 minutes, it's just really learning the discipline of picking up after yourself. And so I would tell them, if you will just clean up your room, then we're going to go get ice cream. And they're like yay, ice cream. I was like, but wait a minute, wait a minute, let's go get ice cream. No, wait, you got to clean your room first. Yeah, who needs to clean our room? Let's go get ice cream. Listen, you know what I mean. Just have to like clean your room.

Speaker 1: 11:25

And the thing is is when. And I would tell them hey, listen, look at the clock, you've got an hour to do this. You've got an hour and I'd watch the time go by and like 15 minutes She'd get it done. But I had one other girl who she would not get it done and it'd be, you know, 30 minutes would pass, 40 minutes, 45, 50, and I'd be in her room with her and just go. Babe, I'm begging you please, because I don't want to take your sister and not you, but I made a promise and I've got to keep my promise. So, come on, you've got nine minutes. Listen, just put that toy right there. I mean, I would just like I would sit there and I would just do everything I could. I wouldn't touch the toys because she's got to do it, but I'd even be pointing where they go, pointing and telling her exactly how to make up her bed, because I wanted good things for her, but she's got to take the step herself, right, and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't work.

Speaker 1: 12:29

And that's what I feel like I see God doing in this passage is he is saying listen, you know, instead of something good, something bad is coming. But I'm pointing at exactly what you need to do. I'm not making it hard, but you got to do the thing Like you got to do the thing. But if you'll do the thing, I got all these good things I want to do. Can I tell you how many of us today is God saying that to us, like there's a thousand reasons why we find ourselves in the messes? We find it right. There's a thousand Sometimes it's. Sometimes it's just because of pain that we experience, sometimes it's temptations. There's just a thousand reasons why we get out of whack and because of those things, there are justified consequences that are heading our way.

Speaker 1: 13:17

But how many times does God say listen, I don't want that for you. You got to just turn your heart back to me. Just turn your heart back to me all the way. Now, listen, I'm not interested in you going to church. I need you to go to church all the way. Now, listen, I'm not interested in you going to church. I need you to go to church.

Speaker 1: 13:29

But just going to church is not going to make it better. I'm not interested in you just giving money. You're not trying to earn my affection. You already have it. You need to give and you're tithing your offerings. Absolutely, you need to go to church and be part of community. Yes, looking for you to do all the outward things, I'm looking for your heart, which, by the way, if your heart's in the right place, all the other things will take care of themselves, right?

Speaker 1: 13:57

And I wonder for how many of us God is saying that, when you turn to me, that it doesn't mean that, well, I'm going to go back to church again. It doesn't mean I'm going to go give an offering. It doesn't mean. What it means is I'm going to get my heart right with God. I'm going to do the hard thing of sitting quietly and just talking to God, telling God what you've been doing, repent of it and then make a plan to walk in a different direction. But the great thing is is that God has no intention of you doing it by yourself. He wants to walk with us every step of the way. But we got to take the first step and that is turning our hearts back to him. Let's pray together right now.

Speaker 1: 14:30

God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and you're for us in more ways than we can imagine. I'm so thankful, god, that in all these moments you are here and Lord, it can be so hard. Sometimes it's easier to do the things rather than to have the conversation. But I pray you'll give us the courage to sit with you, have the hard conversation, turn our hearts back to you and watch what you do. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen, amen. Well, god's Word says in Joel 2, chapter 13,. It says Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Let the day of the Lord be a day of recovery for you. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Joel, chapter 3.