John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 22:12

"And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:" — Isaiah 22:12 (ASV)

And the Lord of hosts called. The wicked obstinacy of the people is exhibited by the Prophet with additional aggravations. What left them entirely without excuse was the fact that, while they were exposed to such great dangers, they despised the godly warnings of the prophets and rejected the grace of God when He wished to heal and restore them. It is a proof of consummate depravity when people have so completely put aside all feeling that they fearlessly despise both instruction and chastisements, and obstinately kick against the pricks (Acts 9:5), and this makes it evident that they have been given over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28).

When he says that the Lord called them, this may be explained in two ways. For although the Lord does not speak, He still calls loudly enough by stripes and chastisements. Suppose we are destitute of all Scripture, of prophets, teachers, and advisers; still, He instructs us by distresses and afflictions, so that we may state, in a few words, that every chastisement is a call to repentance. But, undoubtedly, the Prophet intended to express something more: namely, that in despising godly warnings, they did not hesitate to treat God’s fatherly invitation with scorn.

In that day. There is great weight also in mentioning the day of affliction, when danger threatened them, for they were warned at the same time by the word and by strokes. The signs of God’s anger were visible, the prophets uttered incessant cries, and still they became no better.

To baldness and girding with sackcloth. When he mentions sackcloth and baldness, he uses the signs themselves to describe repentance, for repentance does not consist in sackcloth or haircloth, or anything outward, but has its place in the heart. Those who sincerely repent are displeased with themselves, hate sin, and are affected with such a deep feeling of grief that they abhor themselves and their past life. But since this repentance cannot occur without also making itself known by confession before people, for this reason he describes the outward signs by which we give evidence of our conversion.

Now, these signs were used at that time among the Jews when they made public declarations of repentance. The Prophet therefore means that they were called to repentance, to humble themselves before God, and to show the evidence of repentance before people. Of themselves, indeed, the signs would not be sufficient, for repentance begins at the heart; and Joel gives warning to that effect: Rend your hearts, and not your garments (Joel 2:13). Not that he wished signs to be set aside, but he showed that they are not sufficient, and that of themselves they are not acceptable to God.

From this, infer what our duty is when the signs of God’s anger are visible to us. We ought to publicly declare our repentance, not only before God but also before people. The outward ceremonies, indeed, are of little consequence, and we are not commanded to wear sackcloth or to pull out our hair. However, we must practice honestly and sincerely what is actually meant by these signs: disapproval and confession of our guilt, humility of the heart, and reformation of life.

If we do not confess that we are guilty and that we deserve punishment, we shall not return to a state of favor with God. In short, just as culprits allow their beards to grow and wear tattered clothes to move the hearts of the judges, so we ought to turn as supplicants to the mercy of God and make a public declaration of our repentance.

But here we should also observe the usefulness of outward signs of repentance, for they serve as spurs to prompt us more to know and abhor sin. In this way, insofar as they are spurs, they may be called causes of repentance; and insofar as they are evidence, they may be called effects. They are causes because the marks of our guilt, which we carry about with us, excite us more to acknowledge ourselves as sinners and guilty. And they are effects because if repentance did not precede them, we would never be moved to perform them sincerely.