Where the Ashes Once Sat
“to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes…” Isaiah 61:3a
Isaiah 61 means a lot to me. It’s a deeply moving promise and reminder that God knows how to redeem what is lost or ruined. In my short life, I have had a lot that has needed redeeming, the most of which being my own soul.
Isaiah 61:3 shares imagery that many of you are probably familiar with. The beginning of verse 3 in many translations says that God will give His people, “a crown of beauty for ashes”. I have read that many times and been moved, but in my ESV bible I noticed a slight difference. It translated the phrase as, “a beautiful headdress instead of ashes”. That subtle change got me to thinking, which is usually dangerous, but I persisted.
Why call the crown a headdress? How different are they? Would someone prefer a headdress over a crown? Overthinking can definitely be a problem at times, but in this case, it was a blessing. It led me to a beautiful visual that provided me so much peace. I can’t wait to explain.
To fully understand the significance of the headdress we must understand the significance of the ashes.
SACKCLOTH & ASHES:
Throughout the Bible sackcloth and ashes were used to communicate a person’s great sorrow or distress. Kings, prophets, and the people of God are recorded wearing sackcloth (a rough and cheap material usually reserved for the poorest of people) and ashes (the ashes of a fire or the dirt and dust of the ground rubbed upon one’s face, head, and sometimes body)
In some cases just the sackcloth is mentioned alone, in others, just the ashes, and still in other places, both together. They were worn to reflect humility, submission to God, and to display incredible grief.
Think of Daniel as he wept for Jerusalem and asked God for mercy, or Mordecai as he learned that Haman planned to annihilate the Jews. David covered himself in sackcloth and fasted as he sought the Lord to spare his son, while the King of Nineveh covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes as he repented. Furthermore, Job, the man of great grief, did the same as he wept and mourned for what he had lost.
The theme of ashes is the same as sackcloth. They are nearly inseparable and linked to the same symbolic message — grief, humility, repentance, sorrow, mourning, and even humiliation.
Moreover, wearing sackcloth and/or ashes was often a public statement to reveal your emotionally broken state to others. But at its deepest, it was relinquishing control to God, finally bringing Him the good, the bad, and the ugly — EVERYTHING. Nothing withheld, nothing hidden, nothing suppressed.
So now that we know the ashes, what was the headdress?
THE BEAUTIFUL HEADDRESS:
This headdress was different from any other. It wasn’t a party hat or a simple crown of power, no, it was the headdress placed upon the bridegroom. It ranged from being an elaborate turban complete with gold and jewels, to an elegantly braided wool garland. It represented joy, celebration, and honor for its’ wearer. It publicly identified the one who had received the greatest gift. In exuberant display, the headdress anointed its host with great honor and gladness.
Do you see the beautiful imagery? Where the ashes once sat, now sits joy. Where dismay once spread, now celebration reigns. Where all hope was lost, now faith arises. Where defeat once laughed, a roar of victory now sings out.
The beautiful headdress is a symbol for us today. One that reveals there is hope and gladness of heart on the horizon. Our season of sadness will not last.
What’s the lesson?
When we bring ourselves to God in the ashes, sorrowful and empty, He lifts our heads and wipes the ashes from our faces. Dirty and stained with tears, He cleans us up with His mighty hands. He replaces our impoverished, humiliated, and broken adornment with the adornment of a beautiful headdress of honor.
Where the ashes once lived, beauty now glows. This is the joy He promises. This is the love of our Father in whom all blessings flow. But we have to lay it all down at the feet of Jesus. When we hold onto the pain and agony, we choose drowning in our darkness over letting God handle our situations.
So, man of God, have you sought the Lord in ashes? Have you laid it all down and given up your will and handed your problems over? If you have, your honor awaits you. Joy is just across the hills.
The Lord delights in showing mercy and He is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (Psalm 145)