3:6
The king also reacted in the same way as everyone else, ie he acted in repentance. He removed his royal robes, so he was humbling himself. He knew that he was no better than anyone else. Anyone in a position of leadership or authority, whether that be a secular or church position, needs to remind themselves that they are in reality no better than anyone else. We are all sinners in need of grace. We may have titles, or even robes, associated with the position, but we have those only as servants of God.
3:7-9
The king then used his position in the proper way, by leading them all to humble themselves before God. All the people, and even all the animals, were to fast and cover themselves in sackcloth. They were to call on God and to give up their evil ways, ie they were to repent. How different our leaders are behaving today. They are leading the way in making it evermore easier to disobey God, and persecuting anyone who dares to question the direction that society is going in. The king put his hope in the mercy of God, rather than the pride of man.
3:10
God saw the reaction of the people and relented, so He did not bring destruction. We can learn many things from this. First, when God declares that something is going to happen He does this to get a response. Destruction was imminent, but God told them this in the hope that they would repent. Next, if we do repent then God responds to this repentance. Finally, this reaction is the reaction that Israel should have made on numerous occasions, but repeatedly failed to respond in this way.
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