Cultic Repentance

The idea of repentance is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. But scholars sometimes make a distinction between two kinds of repentance among the ancient Israelites: cultic and prophetic repentance. We will look at these two types today and tomorrow.

Cultic repentance had nothing to do with cults. As an alternative, we might call it ritualistic repentance, for it involved Israel’s cultus, the practices involved in its religious rituals. Scattered throughout the Old Testament, we find certain ritual practices that were concerned with repentance. Taken together, they laid out a set of procedures to be followed when the people sinned and provoked God’s wrath. By carrying out these actions, the people could both say and show that they were sorrowful for their sin. These rituals were all part of “making supplication,” as Solomon puts it in today’s passage.

What were these rituals? There were several:

Fasting. When the people sinned, the prophets might call them to come together in a solemn assembly and to deny themselves food as a sign of their penitence. We see such an assembly accompanied by fasting in Nehemiah 9:1ff.

Wearing sackcloth. A frequent sign of repentance in the Old Testament was the wearing of sackcloth. This rough, uncomfortable clothing would cause constant discomfort as a reminder of sin. Jeremiah called Israel to wear sackcloth as judgment approached (Jer. 6:26).

Donning ashes. Another image of self-abasement in sorrow over sin was the placing of ashes on one’s head. Job took this action amid his regret over his rash questioning of God’s actions (Job 42:6).

Singing laments. Laments were expressions of grief accompanied by loud cries and wailing. Jeremiah urged his people to “lament and wail’ ” to show their repentance (Jer. 4:8).

Praying specific prayers. Certain psalms, such as Psalm 51, comprise the Penitential Psalms, which eloquently express repentance. The Israelites might make these prayers their own to communicate their sorrow over sin.

Through these and other ritual practices, the Israelites were able to demonstrate to God that a change of heart and mind had taken place, and that they indeed were sorry for their sin.