Project 119: Joel 1:13-20
| Project 119 | Dr. Kely Hatley
“Repentance—What Is Needed”
Today’s reading picks up with a call to action as a result of the invasion of the plague of locusts from yesterday’s reading. Verses 13-20 are a call to the priests, elders of the people, and the nation of Judah to come together for repentance before God. Three things stand out to me when reading this passage about preparing to repent before God: 1) the use of putting on “sackcloth,” 2) declaring a “holy fast,” and 3) calling for a “sacred assembly” among the people.
Why wear sackcloth? Sackcloth was a woven material usually made from goat’s hair which resulted in it being rather uncomfortable to wear. A garment was made from such cloth, which was chiefly a symbol worn as a token of mourning by the Israelites. Therefore, putting on sackcloth was an effort to outwardly show the inner state of mourning over sins in a person’s life.
What does a holy fast represent? Fasts were used for a variety of purposes, but one prominent purpose was to show repentance. A good example of this is in the book of Jonah. After Jonah pronounced judgment against the city of Nineveh, the king covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust. He then ordered the people to fast and pray. Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened” (Jonah 3:10, NIV).
What is a sacred assembly? In the Old Testament, sacred (or solemn) assemblies were occasions for God’s people to repent of personal and corporate sins, to renew their covenant relationship with the Lord, and to return to the Lord in faithful love and obedience.
All three of these things demonstrate an outward showing of what was felt inside the people. Ever wondered why we don’t do things like this today? Is it perhaps that we are too proud and that we are afraid of what people may think of us should we show that we are sorry for our sins? I don’t know myself. I do think that it is worth contemplating. Think for yourself about what action you may take that would show yourself just how deep your repentance for something may be before the Lord. Be assured that God does not set conditions on His forgiveness for us when we sin. It is the blood of Jesus shed for us that allows us to be forgiven. Yet, the action (whether only know to you or outwardly known to others) we take is more for our benefit in helping us to recognize that we are serious about our asking for repentance and renewal. Consider an area in your life where you need to repent, and then ask God to show you some action you may take as a first step toward true repentance before God. You may be amazed at what the His Spirit may bring to your mind.
Joel 1:13-20 (ESV):
A Call to Repentance
13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.
16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 The seed shrivels under the clods;
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
18 How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.
19 To you, O LORD, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.