2 Chronicles 34:19, 21 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes….Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah,, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book.
During the repairs of the temple under Josiah’s reign a book of the Law of Moses was found. It was probably a scroll of Deuteronomy, or a part of it. The priest and the prophet brought it to Josiah and read it to him. Upon hearing it, Josiah rent his clothes, for he was convicted of their failure to keep the word. He knew that for their sin the wrath of God has come upon them.
The rending of clothes is an outward symbol of an inward reality, the sorrow, grief, and guilt of the heart, Rending means, “I repent.” The sorrow is caused by sin. The sin is revealed by the Word of God, which the Spirit uses to convict and bring about repentance. Repentance makes a soft heart which is able to receive the imprint of God. The penitent sinner is forgiven, changed and renewed. By the power of the Gospel.
Every day we respond to the Word of God by rending our hearts, not our garments. Daily repentance is the mark of the Christian life, for the Word of God convicts and forgives on a daily basis.