I would like to find out something more about repentance. I don't think I understand enough about it. As I looked into it, I found some things that made me realize I have only a superficial understanding of repentance, and there is even more that I will have to learn in the future.
My starting place is usually word meanings, and so it is also for this. I found something surprising. There are two sides to repentance, two things going on at once.
In the Greek, it is fairly simple: a change of mind, purpose, or in something done.
However, in the Hebrew, there are two words used meaning repentance, racham and shuv, and this is where things get interesting.
Racham comes from a root dealing with breath. So it means to pant, or groan, to breathe heavily because of sorrow and regret. However, at the same time it means to be consoled, comforted, pitied, receiving compassion, ease, and even to avenge! The act of sincere repentance moves God at the same time to pour out comfort to us, and even to avenge us.
Shuv, the second Hebrew word for repentance, means to turn, turn back, turn away. At the same time, it means to bring back, allow to return, draw back, restore, refresh, to be brought back. So, at the same time that we are turning away from our evil, God is drawing us back and restoring us, refreshing us in Himself. We see this in 2 Chron. 7:14- when God's people repent, God pours out forgiveness and healing, not just on individuals, but upon the whole nation.
There are some other things about repentance that I found very interesting.
"But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Mt. 9:13, Mk. 2:17, Lk. 5:32
The word "call" in the above verse means to call aloud, to call by name, to receive the name of, to give a name to one, to bear a name or title, to be so named.
The call to repentance is specific, with the Lord calling each of us by name. As He calls us by name to come to Him in repentance, He also gives us a name. We also bear the name of the LORD (Isa. 62:2, Jer.14:9, Dan. 9:19, James 2:7).
- Repentance is something that is granted (bestowed, permitted, supplied, furnished) and led by God:
"When they heard these things, they became silent; and they glorified God, saying "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." Acts 11:18
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads (by laying hold of, accompanying, bringing) you to repentance?" Rom. 2:4
"...if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth..." 2 Tim. 2:25
Not only is repentance a gracious gift from God, from His goodness, but, again, at the same time as repentance begins, life is given in return.
A man cannot repent unless God grants him repentance. We should rejoice at the graciousness of God Who has allowed us to repent. It shouldn't surprise me to find that the love, and unlimited goodness of our Father is included in His principle of repentance, as with everything else concerning His dealings with us. He ends up giving me far more than I give Him.
- The sorrow of repentance is a godly sorrow:
"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death," 2 Cor. 7:9-10
The source of even the sorrow that makes us repent is from God, and is not the same as the sorrow known by the world. This godly sorrow and repentance leads to salvation, even for those who already know Christ (Paul was writing to those who were already believers).
"For you know that afterward, when he (Esau) wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Heb. 12:17
The place of repentance referred to here is "a space marked off from surrounding space". It also means a "Rock". Not everyone who seeks "a" place of repentance can find it. You can't create a place of repentance with tears and striving, and self-flagellation. The place of repentance can only be found at the place of the Rock, Jesus of Calvary, the place that is set apart from all other places. Esau never found that place. Aren't we glad that we have been shown that place, and can go there freely?
- God will never grant repentance to His great enemy: Death.
"I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
Repentance (pity) is hidden from My eyes." Hosea 13:14
For our sakes, God has cut off Death and the Grave from ever being able to repent before Him. He has cut them off from Himself forever, and they cannot live.
- Repentance produces specific fruits (harvest):
"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." Mt. 3:8-9, Lk. 3:8
Jesus is reminding the people of God that repentance applies to them. We cannot have the spiritual pride of our own salvation, the pride of self-righteousness. These are the worst of the prides.
Scripture also says that we shall be known by our fruits:
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ...Therefore by their fruits you will know them." Mt. 7:16, 20
One of the fruits that God's true people will be known for, and identified by, are the fruits of repentance.
Considering all of the wonderful benefits to us that can be found in repentance, I should be searching myself continually, and taking every opportunity to partake in it. I should be running to that place of repentance as often as my Father calls me. I need to change my knowledge and attitude about repentance.
Our Father calls us to, and grants to us, repentance.
"I Repent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vw71-oDK4M
"Come Let Us Return to the LORD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWrHSH_zfDc&list=PL1AC19848DC3D2AEF&index=2
Springtime- after a long, cold winter, the sights and sounds of spring are a joyful thing to us. The quality of light changes, the birds start singing enthusiastically, and the rest of nature begins awakening from the darkness of the weeks past. However, in the spirit realm, the sights and sounds of this season are very different. Scripture says that spring is the time that kings go to war (2 Sam. 11:1), and our God, and His Son, are Kings.
Spring is not just the season for the renewal of nature, but it is the season of God's victorious warfare, and the fulfillment of His promises in Passover, Purim, and Resurrection.
Whenever we enter into this season, I remind myself to get very quiet, listen and watch, and go on high alert. This is the season when God fulfilled His greatest promises to mankind. This is the season when He shook kings and empires, displaced nations and, in general, turned the world upside down, in order to keep His prophetic word.
No human effort could have brought about these events.
What was the promise that God was keeping in the case of Passover? It was a quiet promise made to Abraham. He made some great promises to His friend, Abraham, but this promise was a quiet one:
"Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them 400 years. And also, the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions."
Gen. 15:13-14
This two verse prophetic promise was like an atomic bomb dropped right into the middle of scripture. Once activated, that bomb had a 400 year countdown fuse. When that last second of time ticked off, all heaven broke loose. Generations after the promise was given, the LORD would introduce Himself to Moses, and tell him that the time had come to keep His promise to Abraham:
"Therefore, say to the children of Israel: "I AM the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob..." Ex. 6:6-8a
That announcement must have brought a great celebration to the children of Israel when they heard it, right? Well, no. When Moses delivered the word of deliverance to the people, it was not heeded because of "anguish of spirit, and cruel bondage." (v. 9)
Spiritually, Egypt is a place of double straits (narrow), a place of being under siege, entrenchment, enclosure, at the seeming mercy of an adversary, or enemy. It is a place of dire straits, where the individual has been beaten down into an almost hopeless condition. Such was the condition of the children of Israel, that they couldn't even begin to lift up their heads to receive the word of deliverance being brought to them by Moses. It also didn't help that after this word was delivered to them, conditions that couldn't have gotten any worse, actually did get worse.
In like manner, as also happened during a spring season, as the disciples of Jesus saw His tortured body on the cross, they weren't thinking "resurrection". It turned out though, that what looked like the death of all deaths, was really the birth of life forevermore. It was the moment of the destruction of death, hell, and the grave as the Father fulfilled His great promise to all of us:
"I will ransom them from the power (hand) of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave (Sheol), I will be your destruction!
Pity is hidden from My eyes."
and
"O Death where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?"
Hos. 13:14, 1 Cor. 15:55
The passion, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was about fighting and winning a brutal war. It was a war for the souls of men, to liberate them from the strongholds of darkness, sin and death. We needed Jesus to win that victory for us, because we certainly couldn't win it for ourselves.
This time of year also sees the celebration of Purim, when a vicious enemy of the people of God was exposed and destroyed. The root meaning of "Purim" is to break, to crush, to bring to naught. Haman intended to see all the Jews, including Mordecai, the man he most hated, destroyed under the king's order. Unknown to Haman, the beautiful new queen, Esther, was a Jew, and she had the favor of the king. God exposed the evil plot, and the king judged Haman with the same judgment as Haman had prepared for those whom he had hated and plotted against.
Now is the season when we watch and wait. Now is the season when God's most awesome promises for us are fulfilled. Now is the season when the last seconds are ticking down on the prophetic timer of our God regarding His promises to us. If you are in a time of oppression, burden, and darkness, wait, watch and listen, because the season of God's greatest deliverance is about to begin.
Now is the season when we wait to hear Him shout, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, ye shall see them again, no more, forever." Ex. 14:13
If you listen carefully, in addition to the spring sound of chirping birds, you will also hear the sounds of warfare.
It is spring, and our Father makes war in the heavenlies to keep His promises to us.
*Artwork at the top of the page: "How Empires Are Undone", Scarlet Letter Bible
"Go Down, Moses"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_p_WRgVDNU
"You Have Won the Victory/The Anthem"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x6PEmTNCw8
