Often we face God and regret our sins when we are down and the reality is the opposite of what we expected. This is in stark contrast to what the people of Israel did after the wall of Jerusalem was completed. They responded to God's goodness with dramatic and humbling scenes of repentance. They wore sackcloth, fasted, and sprinkled earth on their heads. The sackcloth symbolized spiritual poverty, while the dust on the head showed deep humility. This is not just a symbolic act, but rather a tangible manifestation of the realization that they are just weak humans who need God's mercy. One of the most striking things about Israel's repentance was the confession of sin based on the memory of the sins of their ancestors. This was a peculiar habit contrary to the tendency of the people of that time, who tended to see only the good in their ancestors. By looking at the past mistakes of their ancestors and confessing them, the post-exilic Jews wanted to break free from the past to continue living in obedience to God.

The Israelites not only confessed their sins, but also faithfully listened to passages from God's Torah for a quarter of a day. They understood that God's Word was the primary source of spiritual renewal. Then, for the next quarter day, they confessed and worshiped God. They cry out, remembering and giving thanks for God's great deeds in the history of their lives. They recalled how God created the heavens and everything in them, chose Abram and gave him the land of Canaan, and parted the Cross Sea so that the Israelites coming out of Egypt could cross safely, and then guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This procession shows that true repentance involves not only confession of sin, but also contemplation and obedience to God's Word.


Friends of the Bible, facing God with humility is a form of true repentance. Just as the Israelites fasted and wore sackcloth, they also sincerely confessed their sins and listened to God's Word. May we today apply this valuable lesson of right relationship with God, which brings true joy and restoration. Let us not harden our hearts and hide in our justifications. Sin is still sin, no matter how beautifully we package it, God knows the truth. Confess our sin and ask Him for forgiveness.