A Look at Repentance

I am exploring the idea of what it means to repent. Looking at scripture helps immensely. Repentance, in the Old Testament appears to be a condition of God's favor. It makes sense to me, for if we want to please God and be in right relationship with Him, (have His favor), we must repent. However, lest we get caught up in the idea that obtaining God's favor means we DO something mainly for the purpose of getting Him to Do something for us, we need to examine the If/Then statements that appear throughout scripture.

"If you turn to the Almighty, you will be built up, you will put iniquity far from your tabernacles."Job 22:23. And also "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways: then I will hear from heaven..." II Chronicles 7:14. These are all things His people should have been doing already; turning to Him, humbling themselves, praying, seeking His face, turning away from sin, (repenting) as their response to the Almighty One.

When Jonah finally quit running away and preached his message to the people of Nineveh, God had prepared their hearts to repent in advance.We need to understand that it is God, the LORD alone, who leads His people to repentance. So, one way to come to repentance is through heeding God's warnings. Another way to come to agreement with God about our sinful condition and need to change is through God's kindness. "It's your kindness that leads us to repentance..."

What greater demonstration of the great and bountiful kindness of our God than the Savior's death on the cruel cross!

Now, if the work of repentance in us starts with God and ends with God, what is our part? It is just as II Chronicles says: humble yourself, pray, seeking His face and turn away from your wicked ways.

So, next time I will explore what that will mean to you and to me. Until then, I will be praying from Isaiah 37:15 that He will "...revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite ones ." Doma