You’ve heard it before, sometimes as an idiom used for

hyperbole. Someone might say that they ’ve been in

sackcloth and ashes over their football team losing the

Superbowl, their child leaving for college, or some other

event that’s difficult, though not necessarily tragic. In the

way we use it, it usually refers to a state of mourning or

sadness. So, probably not the way your kids feel about

having to miss the rest of the school year due to the

Coronavirus. If your kids are anything like mine, it’s been

hard to keep them occupied with worthwhile activities so

that they can’t just retreat into video games or TV.

But the part of the term that is usually missed is that it

isn’t just a general sadness or state of mourning. The

ingredient that is missing is the idea of remorse for our

actions. Something we have done or been a part of has

brought about a deep conviction of wrongdoing and it is

tearing us up on the inside. This is certainly the biblical

description and usually in reference to our relationship with

God. It carries with it a desire for restoration or a longing

for restitution so that the wrong we have done can either

be undone or overcome. The hard part is that there is also

a sense of uncertainty that maybe nothing can be done.

Maybe the damage done to our relationship is permanent

and irreconcilable. So, the picture we often see in Scripture

is of someone putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes as a

sign of the inner sorrow of heart. It reflects the grief and

regret of knowing what we’ve done and in humility with

repentance, seeking reconciliation with God.

The vivid nature of the imagery reveals the desperate

heart of the one who has broken faith or trust. They have

nothing to offer and are completely relying on the mercy

and grace of God. All of our efforts have only made it

worse; they have compounded the problem. So, now

emptyhanded, they await the Lord often in fasting and

prayer. Not willing to be consoled by any earthly thing they

seek the comfort of the Lord in their hearts.

This is how the city of Nineveh responded to the

preaching of Jonah. Jonah was sent by God to warn the city

of their destruction unless they repent. Recognizing their

helplessness, the king issues a decree,

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Nigel Unrau, Lead Pastor

Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.

Jonah 3:7-9

Nigel Unrau, Lead Pastor nigel@parksidevisalia.org

When Nehemiah heard the report of the destruction of

Jerusalem and the fear those dwelling there were in, his

heart broke for them. More than that, his heart broke for

the sin that brought this judgment upon them all those

years ago, a judgment that still afflicted the nation. He

cried out to God in fasting and prayer, confessing their sin

and implicating himself as one of the rebellious ones. God

was just in His judgments but now he prayed for God’s

mercy to restore them. He humbly reminded God of the

covenant He had made with Israel, that He was the power

that sustained them and that only by His power would they

be restored.

As I was reflecting on the message that Jeremiah

preached out of Exodus 24, I was reminded that Moses had

to wait between when he was called up the mountain and

when he was allowed to go. Exodus 24:16 says,

What did Moses do for that time? Waiting for God

must have been agonizing. But God just left Moses there

in the middle; between the camp where he was needed

and the top of the mountain where he needed to be.

Six days is a long time to be doing nothing for a guy

whose days were packed with so much work and so many

decisions. Left alone with his thoughts, I am sure he was

imagining what God had in store for him up there or

wondered what was happening down below. Inevitably,

his thoughts would have turned inward. After all the

things used to preoccupy his time like practicing his rock

throwing, juggling, “I spy” with Joshua, bird calls, or

counting wildlife, Moses would have been alone with his

thoughts. Alone and aware that God was there and knew

everything about him.

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The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

Exodus 24:16

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