Sackcloth

Easton's Bible Dictionary defines sackcloth as "...a cloth made of black goats' hair, coarse, rough, and thick, used for sacks, and also worn by mourners (Gen. 37:34; 42:25; 2 Sam. 3:31; Esther 4:1, 2; Ps. 30:11, etc.), and as a sign of repentance (Matt. 11:21)." We don't know if the symbolic practice originated in Israel or if they picked it up from their neighbors, but in the Bible the Israelites wore sackcloth and rent (tore/cut) their garments as a sign of mourning and humbling one's self and repentance. The wearing of sackcloth, a cheap, common cloth, uncomfortable to be worn next to the skin, was a symbol of self-humbling. Also, in Bible times there were no Wal-Mart stores and fine clothing was a precious commodity; therefore, the renting of one's garment was not only an act of humbling, but it was also to show God how they valued him above themselves.

The wearing of sackcloth was also associated with national repentace (Jonah 3:8, Jer. 4:8, etc.); and the expression in Rev. 6:12, "...and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair" refers back to this practice--but with another important element. In prophecy, the "sun" represents the Son of God. In His prophetic teachings, Jesus referred back to the time of Noah and the flood when explaining how it would be in the day of the Lord. In the passage from Genesis 6, we read: "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart" (Genesis 6:6). We know that God is perfect and has no sin of which to repent. We are also told that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth, so we cannot understand exactly what it means for God to repent. However, the Bible often tells us that God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 18:32, 33:11); and at the times when He must deal with universal sin and its destruction, this must be especially true. Consequently, at the two times of universal judgment prophesied in Revelation, we have two of those times when God will grieve at heart and "repent" as He did at the flood--therefore, the expression, "...and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair" which has to do with the heavenlies.