OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS

The Old Testament texts explore the themes of sin and death that are central to Ash Wednesday.  Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 proclaims the judgment of God on sin through the terrible Day of the Lord, while Psalm 51:1-12 is a penitentiary prayer in which the guilt of the psalmist is confessed as a basis for petitioning God for deliverance.

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 - "The Terrible Day of God's Judgment"
Setting.  The reference to the Day of the Lord in  Joel 2:1 provides important background for interpreting the Old Testament lesson. The Day of the Lord is not a definite period of time, which might occur in twenty-four hours. A better way of thinking about the Day of the Lord is to associate it with a definite divine event in time. The definite event is an action by God that determines t…