“If my people, which
are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14
In the Old Testament the act of humbling yourself was outward as much as
it was inward. As an act of humility, they would strip themselves of
their clothes, put on sackcloth, and pray in ashes. The sackcloth was typically worn in
association with humility and/or mourning.
This would be totally opposite to the ordinary day garments. Furthermore, the sackcloth would raise
awareness among the Jews as to the wearer’s purpose; they were praying and
seeking God. That purpose was birthed out of humility because you don’t
lay sackcloth on your shoulders without first taking off that which would have
decided to strut around in. In addition to the sackcloth, the process of
humbling yourself would sometimes include ashes. The two were often
performed in tandem whilst praying, and fasting. So in total, you would
have the renting of your own clothes, the wearing of sackcloth, in ashes; while
praying and abstaining from food. The idea being that you were willing to
publically show that you were abased and God was exalted. The goal was to
humble yourself and pray.
We now live in the new
dispensation, which is a way of saying that we live under the gospel that Jesus
brought. It in no way removes the Old Testament, in fact, it fulfills
it. It fulfills it in the Spirit. If you were to seek and find God
today, sackcloth and ashes would not be required (thank the Lord).
However, you would need the spirit of it all. Jesus was concerned with
the heart. The Pharisees fasted, they prayed, they went to church; but
Christ rejected them. He rejected them because their heart was not right
even though they “performed” all the “deeds” of the law. Jesus doesn’t
want a show of humility, he wants humility itself. He doesn’t want a show
of repentance, he wants repentance itself. The heart is the point of
concern and the head can learn from the deed of removing of your day clothes
and wearing sackcloth and ashes. For example, the Jews would first rent
their clothes. One of the first things you learn as a young person, the
beginning of your identity, is the choosing of what you are going to
wear. When the Jews of old began to humble themselves and seek God, they
torn off their clothes. They rejected the notion of their identity and
turned to cleave to God’s idea of it. Next they placed on themselves this
sackcloth, an uncomfortable, ugly thing; when you kneel in repentance, your
sins are bare before God. You and the Spirit dredge up all the ugliness
of your past and say God please forgive me. The process of this (though
at times may be just minutes) is ugly and uncomfortable. However, it is vital that you leave the “old
you” behind. There is no pride here, no trophies, it is the turning away
of your old life and the beginning of embracing your new life in Christ.
This is all done while you’re kneeling in ashes, representing all your: plans,
ambitions, past, present and future. Everything that you are, in ashes,
before God. Many come seeking the
blessing, but they want to make a deal, or bargain with God. They want salvation on their own terms. You cannot obtain salvation this way, it must
be in sackcloth and ashes. God wants you
to be as he would have you to be, your life, a blank canvas and the whole of
yourself being prepared for His purpose.
God hears this prayer, he forgives this soul, and heals.
He changes the heart of the humble. If you have it in your mind that you
want God and want your own way, this is fruitless; but to want God above any
way is the path to forgiveness and everlasting life. It begins with
humility and prayer; it grows through humility and prayer.
