God had not finally rejected them and that he was yet ready to heal them. The call here is for repentance,3 an attitude of remorse for sin and a cry for forgiveness that weeping and fasting visibly express. The emotional demonstration is not just for show—the next verse shows that Joel was aware of the possibility of making a pretense of repentance through dramatic gestures. The weeping and fasting called for are appropriate indications that the people repent with their “whole hearts.” In other