Sackcloth, Ashes and a Model for Praying

Imagine a bunch of cattle wearing sackcloth. This is what you would have seen around Nineveh after Jonah told the people how badly they had sinned. The king of Nineveh ordered everyone – from the commoner to the cattle – to wear sackcloth because they were sorry for their sins. People would wear the course, dark-colored sackcloth woven from goat hair as a sign of mourning and penitence. The Bible makes mention of prophets, priests, kings and ordinary people wearing sackcloth.

The prophet Daniel was wearing sackcloth and ashes one day while praying for the people of Israel and Judah. They had been exiled to a foreign land as a result of their sins against God, and Daniel was praying for their release. His prayer is found in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. It serves as a very good model when we pray for ourselves and our nation, particularly in the season of Lent. Let’s take a look at it.

First, in verse three, we see that Daniel humbled himself and gave his full attention to God. “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3) In humility, Daniel was contrasting his own human weakness with God’s greatness, faithfulness and compassion. He then listed what the people had done wrong: committed evil acts, rebelled against God and strayed from His laws, and they had not listened to God’s messengers (the prophets). (verses 5 – 9) “We have sinned in every way imaginable” is how the Message Bible states it.

Admitting all our wrongdoings could be pretty discouraging. And we should feel remorse when we sin against God who created us, loves us, has compassion on us and is righteous. Verse 7 starts out “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us, open shame.” (That’s the idea behind the sackcloth and ashes.)

But there’s more to the prayer to give us some hope. Daniel appeals to God on the basis of His righteousness and compassion. “For we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of your great compassion.” (Daniel 9:18) We have nothing to commend ourselves before God. It is solely on His mercy that we are put right with Him after we stray. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

The gift was God’s Son, Jesus, who willingly died on a cross and removed the guilt of our iniquities. People who believe this are cleared of guilt and have the promise of eternal life. (John 3:16) Assured of this, with confident, believing hearts, we can pray the words of Daniel’s prayer ”let now your anger and wrath turn away.” (Daniel 9:16) During these weeks of Lent, we don’t wear sackcloth, but it is a time to humble ourselves before God and give Him our full attention. Admit your wrongdoings and inadequacies to Him and appeal to Him based on His righteousness, mercy, compassion, and love in the sending of His Son Jesus Christ.

But the Lord God is merciful and pardons even those who have rebelled against Him. Daniel 9:9 The Living Bible

In Old Testament times, people would put on their sackcloth and ashes and lie face-down. “They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the young girls of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.” (Lamentations 2:10) This week’s exercise begins in a face-down position.

This exercise is called the back extension and it is simple and very effective for strengthening the erector spinae – the muscles on either side of your spine. They are important because they help you stay upright. You do not have to wear sackcloth or lie in ashes! You may lie on a mat or thick rug. If you have any concerns about your back, check with your healthcare provider before attempting this exercise! If you are hesitant about doing this, you might want to take a look at the seated back extension from my earlier post.

The safest version is to have your elbows bent and next to your body with your forearms on the mat. (This is called the modified cobra.)

Another option for your arms is to place your hands on your ears or on your forehead. (In this case your elbows will point out to the sides.) Either way, you will want to make sure to keep your shoulders away from your ears. You will want to keep your pelvis in neutral and squeeze your buttocks the entire time.

Slowly lift your forehead and upper part of your breastbone away from the mat. Come up only an inch or two. If you have any pain, stop! You may rise higher if you are able to as long as you do not have any pain. (See the second photo at right.)

Breathe normally and keep your neck aligned with your spine. (In other words, don’t bend your neck.) Hold for four seconds and then lower. Do only two of these to start with, but you may build up to 12. You may perform this exercise every other day or three times per week.

These back extensions will go a long way to develop length and strength!