Today (Ash Wednesday) marks the beginning of the Lenten season. We can take this opportunity to consider the state of our faith & condition of our hearts as we lead up to the celebration of the death, burial & resurrection of our Savior.
Ashes, in the Bible & in Jewish tradition, have different symbolic meanings.
Three main themes are:
1) Mourning, as seen in the Book of Job. Job had lost nearly every earthly thing-his children, his home, his wealth & his health. His outward expression of loss was to sit among the ashes.
"So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes." -Job 2:7-8
As sinners-we are all considered dead.
We are sentenced to eternal separation from God.
2) Humility, as Abraham demonstrated, when pleading with the LORD to spare Soddom & Gomorrah.
"Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?"
"If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." Once again he spoke to him,
"What if only forty are found there?"
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." -Gen 18:27-29
Apart from the saving grace of God,
and our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior-we are nothing.
3) Purification, as seen in Numbers. The ashes from the burnt offerings were placed in water, which was then sprinkled on the unclean. The purification depended on the 'sacredness' of what had been the offering.
"For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them." -Numbers 19:17
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is a sufficent to cover our sins.
It was the perfect & pure sacrifice.
However, we must do our part and confess our sins, repent,
and be obedient to his authority.
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