Daily Devotional | Repenting in Sackcloth

The penitential psalms confess sin and express repentance. One of these is Psalm 51, in which David confessed his sins of adultery and murder. Nathan’s parable had brought him under conviction of sin (2 Samuel 12). He humbly cried out to the Lord,“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow...Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Ps. 51:7, 10).

Repentance and clothing are connected in today’s Scripture passage. When Jonah went through the city of Nineveh with a message of judgment (v. 4), the people responded by putting on sackcloth (vv. 5–6). What’s that? A coarse kind of cloth, typically woven from the hair of goats or camels. It was uncomfortable to wear and signified mourning or penitence. Everyone in Nineveh, “from the greatest to the least,” wore it, apparently including even animals (v. 8).

Why did they wear it? Because they “believed God” (v. 5). They also fasted to show the sincerity of their repentance. This was particularly amazing because they were not Israelites but Assyrians. That’s why Jonah hadn’t wanted to go in the first place! The Lord, however, is not the God of just one people group. He’s the God of all nations. Somehow, He’d been at work in the hearts of the Ninevites so that they were ready to repent when Jonah arrived.

Of what were they repenting? Their evil ways and violence (v. 8). From what we know of the Assyrians, this was their way of life. As a conquering empire, they had a reputation for cruelty and viciousness. They weren’t just trying to avoid judgment—the sackcloth showed their true spiritual state. Their call to the Lord was urgent and heartfelt (v. 8). They hoped for God’s compassion and received it (vv. 9–10).