2:14
“Who knows whether he will not turn and relent..” This should not be read as implying doubt, but rather an attitude of humility. We do not deserve mercy and grace. This is true by definition, but so often today people seem to assume that God has a duty to show mercy. We come in humility, then we will find forgiveness and will find a blessing.
The reference to grain and drink offerings is pointing back to the effect of the locust swarm. These things had been taken away by the locust, but mercy would include restoration. One again there would be fruitfulness. God’s grace is not a grudging avoidance of punishment, but a lavish outpouring of His love. This is something we find again and again in the Bible, with the parable of the prodigal son perhaps being the best example.
and mercy.
2:15
Earlier God had called on them to rend their hearts not their garments. Now the nation is called to a holy fast. There is nothing inherently wrong with religious festivals, the problem arises when the festival or religious ritual becomes the focus, rather than God Himself. And it is equally possible for non-liturgical forms of service to become idols, to have their attention shift from the Lord to something else.
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