Blessed Are Those Who Mourn?

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What does Blessed are those who mourn mean in the Beatitudes

Not Mourning Worldly Sorrows – While this verse is often used to comfort those who are dealing with hard losses like the death of a loved one or severe depression, this is not what this particular verse is discussing. Don’t get me wrong – God is our comforter, and He hurts when we are hurting.

Why are you blessed when you mourn

The Blessing That Those Who Mourn Will Receive – “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 How will they be comforted? What in all the world can comfort people who feel the weight of their own sin? A better question would be: Who can comfort people who feel the weight of their own sin? Those who mourn find a friend in the “Man of sorrows” The Savior who spoke these words was known as the “man of sorrows.” The prophet Isaiah announced that the Redeemer would be “a man of sorrows” and “acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3) centuries before He was born.

Christ knows all about spiritual mourning, not because He mourned over his own sins. He had no sins to mourn. But He mourned over the sins of the world, and grieved over their devastating effect. See Him mourning over Jerusalem—coming down the Mount of Olives, He weeps over a city that rejects Him and is headed for destruction.

The mission of the Redeemer is to comfort those who mourn Writing years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah spoke of what the Redeemer would do when He came. Why did He come into the world? His mission is to “comfort all who mourn to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:2-3 NIV) Christ accomplished His mission by bearing our sins and carrying our sorrows Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities.

The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:3, 5-6 The Holy Spirit comforts the person who mourns by making what Christ purchased yours There is a beautiful verse in 1 Corinthians 6. In it, Paul lists a catalogue of sins: Some of you were drunkards, revelers, swindlers, idolaters, adulterers That’s what you were, “but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

In Christ, the spiritual mourner can say, “I am forgiven! I am cleansed! I have been washed. I am justified before God. I’m not the person I want to be, but I’m not the person I used to be. Sanctification has begun in me, and one day it will be complete—all because of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.” That’s the comfort for those who mourn! That’s why the true Christian is “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

What does the Bible mean when it says Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted

Published: April 7, 2017 This is the third column in a 10-part series. By Clifford Yeary Associate Director, Little Rock Scripture Study En Español “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4 The beatitudes are blessings directed toward followers of Christ, first of all, and to the crowds as potential followers. When we do so, we are likely to see the blessing of those who mourn simply as a promise of future happiness. Certainly, we grieve in the present when we lose a loved one, and often the only happiness we can grasp at is that our faith and hope tell us that our loved one is entering a new life of eternal happiness in Christ.

And well we should, because it is true. But that is not the core meaning of the second beatitude. Jesus is telling his disciples that they are blessed precisely because they mourn. It is their mourning that God will respond to by comforting them. Those who do not mourn may count themselves as being comfortable, but they might miss out on the comfort God will provide those who do mourn.

This will be clearer to those who have experienced mourning as a prayer. Mourning as a form of prayer is more than the grief experienced over a loss. Mourning in this sense is the offering of our experience of loss to God — even when there is anger toward God because we sense somehow that God was involved in taking away our loved one.

1. Israel knew that kind of mourning.
2. Ou have rejected and disgraced us; you do not march out with our armies.
3. You make us retreat before the foe; those who hate us plunder us at will.
4. You hand us over like sheep to be slaughtered, scatter us among the nations.
5. You sell your people for nothing; you make no profit from their sale.

(Psalm 44:10-13) Whether or not there is even a trace of anger in our mourning, when mourning is offered as a prayer it is a prayer that will be answered by God. There is something more, however, that is also contained in this beatitude. It tells us that we should mourn.

At the time Jesus delivered the beatitudes his disciples were not mourning, and for good reason. But the time would come when they would mourn and also for good reason. “The disciples of John approached him and said, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast (much), but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.'” (Matthew 9:14-15) Here, mourning (with fasting) will be the response the disciples will have when Jesus is taken away from them.

Of course, it is also in Matthew that we learn that Jesus is never truly absent from us. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (18:20) “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (28:20) And so it is that we continue to live our lives in Christ as those who both mourn and rejoice, with good reason for both.

1. Our mourning, however, if it is both prayerful and biblically rooted will not just be mourning for our personal losses.
2. We are called to mourn together, as Christians.
3. We are called to do this communally and liturgically in penitential rites and during Lent.
4. We continue to grieve for our participation in human sinfulness, the sinfulness that sent Jesus to suffer and die on the cross.

There is still more to our prayerful mourning, however. When Jesus blessed those who mourn, we should recognize the communal grief that afflicted Israel as a nation. Recall the grief noted in Psalm 44. Israel yearned for the day when the promises of a restored kingdom would bring about the reign of God and the rule of justice in the land.

What does Jesus say about mourning?

Topical Studies What the Bible says about Mourning ( From Forerunner Commentary ) Grief over the death of a loved one or the suffering of some other personal tragedy by Middle Easterners as a highly visible, public, and even professional custom, is a well-attested practice in the Bible. Jacob donned sackcloth following the “death” of Joseph ( Genesis 37:34 ). In II Samuel 13:19, Tamar publicly lamented the loss of her virginity through rape by putting ashes on her head, tearing her clothing, and crying. Deuteronomy 21:10-14 even directs the Israelites to allow a maiden taken in warfare to shave her head, pare her nails, remove her native clothing, and bewail being wrenched from her father and mother for a month. Other signs of mourning include:

Covering the lower part of the face ( Leviticus 13:45 ). Cutting the flesh and to some extent fasting ( Jeremiah 16:6-7 ). Beating the thighs ( Jeremiah 31:19 ; Ezekiel 21:12 ). Beating the breast ( Luke 23:48 ).

The Bible records many more instances of the established cultural customs of those times. This does not mean God endorses all of these customs, but He duly records what the people did. He makes vivid use of their practices for our instruction, especially in the prophecies.

• His non-endorsement of many of these practices is verified by an admonition Jesus gives elsewhere in the Sermon on the Mount.
• Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.
• For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.
• Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ( Matthew 6:16-18 ) This does not directly address the practice of visible, public expressions of grief, but the principle drawn from them nonetheless shows a balance God expects.

1. Enough is in His law to reveal that He is not against mourning a personal tragedy.
2. But public display and the studied approach of the Oriental cultures—that focuses attention on the self—does not have His approval.
3. We can conclude that the mourning Jesus calls a blessing in Matthew 5:4 is most assuredly not the highly visible and dramatic kind seen in the above scriptures, but is a private, spiritual quality inseparably linked to the other beatitudes,

Mourning always precedes genuine conversion, for there must be a real sense of sin before the remedy, or deliverance from it, will even begin to be desired. But even here we must note a distinction because many people will quickly acknowledge they are sinners—some even with a measure of pride, a smile and a wink—who have never mourned over the fact.

Sin, though, is serious business indeed when we consider that it is ultimately responsible for all the pain, disease, and death, including our own and our Savior’s. Ezekiel 9:4 God spares those who suffer inner torment due to the rising societal evils around them. Why? What is so significant about sighing and crying over this world’s abominable way of life? Sigh, by way of definition, is Strong’s #584, and it means “to groan,” “to mourn,” and “to moan.” Its rather interesting first use is found in Exodus 2:23-25: Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died.

Then the children of Israel groaned because of their bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

• Emphasis ours throughout.) Note from the context that our God is a covenant-keeping God.
• He remembers His covenant and acknowledges those who hear Him and those who sigh among His people.
• In the Exodus story, He moved to redeem them from their bondage in Egypt, making a distinction between them and their oppressors ( Exodus 8:22 ; 11:7 ).

Cry is Strong’s #602 (a fairly rare word, used only four times in Scripture), and it also means “to groan,” but it has another meaning as well: “to shriek.” This word contains a great deal of emotional meaning. It involves a person’s innermost feelings.

But, sighing and crying involves a lot more than emotion. For us to rightly understand what God requires of us, today, it is necessary to explain the thinking, the reason, that is behind “sighing and crying.” Sound reason underlies the emotion expressed by sighing and crying, which needs elaboration before proceeding further.

Neuroscientists used to talk about compartments in the brain. Sometimes in the popular press there is an occasional assertion that one section of the brain is for sight, another one for hearing, another one for mathematical skills, and yet another for artistic skills.

The faculty of reason is supposed to reside in the prefrontal cortex, and emotion comes from another area. This idea is called the “localization thesis.” It is a simplistic view that has pretty much fallen by the wayside by neuroscientists who have come to know more about how our brains function. One critic of this thesis says:,

functions, like properties, are distributed (they require a whole system or mechanism to be realized ). A danger inherent in the localization thesis may be illuminated by analogy to an internal combustion engine. In describing an engine, one might be tempted to say, “the opening of the intake valve is caused by the movement of the rocker arm.” Except that the rocker is, in turn, set in motion by the camshaft, the camshaft by the crankshaft, the crank by a connecting rod, the rod by the piston.

• But of course, the piston won’t move unless the intake valve opens to let the air-fuel mixture in.
• This logic is finally circular because, really, it is the entire mechanism that “causes” the opening of the intake valve; any less holistic view truncates the causal picture and issues in statements that are, at best, partially true.

Given that the human brain is more complexly interconnected than a motor by untold orders of magnitude, it is a dubious undertaking to say that any localized organic structure is the sufficient cause and exclusive locus of something like “reason” or “emotion.”,

The amygdala is said to be the seat of emotion, the prefrontal cortex of reason. Yet when I get angry, for example, I generally do so for a reason ; typically I judge myself or another wronged. To cleanly separate emotion from reason-giving makes a hash of human experience. (Matthew B. Crawford, “The Limits of Neuro-Talk,” The New Atlantis, Number 19, Winter 2008, pp.65-78) Emotion and reason are not separate entities.

They do not occur in discrete areas of the brain, and it is far better to understand them to be two sides of the same coin. One needs both sides; one cannot have a coin with a single side. It is an impossibility. Therefore, sighing and crying are not just emotions or feelings.

They are not just matters of the heart but also matters of the head. These expressed feelings have reason—thought—firmly attached to them. Matthew 5:4 A specific type of mourning is the kind that receives the comfort of God, Millions, perhaps billions, of mourners in the world do not come within the scope of Jesus’ statement.

These mourners may even be under God’s condemnation and far from receiving any of His comfort. The Bible shows three kinds of sorrow. The first is the natural grief that arises from tragic circumstances. The second is a sinful, inordinate, hopeless sorrow that can even refuse to be comforted.

Perhaps the outstanding biblical example of this is Judas, whose remorse led him to commit a further sin, self-murder. Paul, in II Corinthians 7:10, calls this “the sorrow of the world produces death.” The third sorrow is godly sorrow. In the same verse, Paul writes, “For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted.

,” Mourning, grief, or sorrow is not a good thing in itself. What motivates it, combined with what it produces, is what matters. Thus, II Corinthians 7:10 states a vital key: The mourning that Jesus teaches is a major spiritual component of godly repentance that leads to or helps to produce the abundant life of John 10:10,

This principle arises often in secular life because humans seem bound and determined to learn by painful experience. For example, only when our health is either breaking or broken down, and we are suffering the painful effects of ignorantly or willfully ignoring health laws, do we make serious efforts to discover causes that lead to recovery of health and relief from the pains of disease.

At that point we truly want to bring the comfort of good health back into our life. Solomon addresses this truism in Ecclesiastes 7:2-4: It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart.

• Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
• The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
• Solomon is in no way saying that feasting and laughter are to be avoided, but rather he is comparing their relative value to life.

Feasting does not contain an inherent power to motivate positive change in the way one is living. Instead, it motivates one to remain as he is, feeling a sense of temporary well-being. Contrariwise, sorrow—especially when pain or death is part of the picture ( Psalm 90:12 )—has an intrinsic power to draw a person to consider the direction of his path and institute changes that will enhance his life.

• This general principle applies to virtually all life’s difficulties.
• Whether health problems or financial difficulties, family troubles or business hassles, in falling into them and being delivered from them, we generally follow this pattern.
• However, spiritually, in our relationship with God, some variations from this general principle arise because God is deeply involved in leading and guiding our creation into His image.

In this case, not everything is happening “naturally.” He intervenes in the natural processes of our life and calls us, revealing Himself and His will to us. His goodness leads us to repentance. By His Spirit we are regenerated, taught, guided, and enabled.

He creates circumstances in our life by which we are moved to grow and become like Him in character and perspective, but some of these circumstances cause a great deal of sorrow. By His grace He supplies our every need so that we are well equipped to meet His demands on our life and glorify Him. But Jesus’ teaching never detaches this principle of sorrow or mourning from God’s purpose because the right kind of mourning properly directed has the power to motivate wonderfully positive results.

God definitely wants results, fruit produced through our relationship with Him. As Jesus says, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” ( John 15:8 ). Concerning Matthew 5:4, William Barclay writes in his commentary, The Gospel of Matthew : It is first of all to be noted about this beatitude that the Greek word for to mourn, used here, is the strongest word for mourning in the Greek language.

It is defined as the kind of grief which takes such a hold on a man that it cannot be hid. It is not only the sorrow which brings an ache to the heart; it is the sorrow which brings the unrestrainable tears to the eyes. (p.93) This illustrates mourning’s emotional power, indicating it has enough power to produce the resolve to accomplish more than merely feeling badly and crying.

Matthew 5:4 When Jesus gives this beatitude, He does not say, “Blessed are those that have mourned” but “Blessed are those who mourn.” He states it as a present and continuous experience. Repentance is not a one-time experience, nor does human nature, “the old man,” simply disappear after we receive the new nature.

1. Christianity involves a continuous learning and growing process.
2. We are not instantly created in the image of God by fiat.
3. God has decreed that we must live by faith, and that requires time and experience.
4. We are created in the image of God through the fires of life’s sorrows and adversities, as well as its joys.

Even of our Savior, Isaiah writes, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” ( Isaiah 53:3 ). Paul adds, Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Hebrews 5:7-8 ) The Christian is one whose mind is attuned to God’s through an ever-deepening relationship. He has much to mourn over because the sins he commits—both of omission and commission—are a daily sense of grief and will remain so as long as his conscience stays tender. A tender conscience becomes hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,

An active and growing relationship with God will lead to an enhanced discovery of human nature’s depravity because God will faithfully reveal the massive gulf between His holiness and our corrupt and ever-polluting heart. He will make us conscious of the distance and coldness of our love, the surges of pride and doubt, and the lack of fruit we produce.

Matthew 5:4 Those of us in this end-time age may have difficulty comprehending some aspects of the mourning God expects and respects in His children. Our conscience, unless we carefully guard it, can easily adapt itself into accepting its cultural environment. Society’s ethics and morals are not constants.

There exists a very real pressure for them to decline from God-established standards; what one generation considers immoral or unethical might not be by the next. For instance, what appears on public movie screens over the past thirty to forty years has changed dramatically.

• In 1999, the President of the United States went on trial for clearly breaking God’s commandments and for crimes for which lesser people are presently serving time.
• The public, however, gave him high approval ratings, perceived his adulteries and sexual perversions as private affairs, and considered his perjury before a grand jury as deplorable but “no big deal.” Paul warns us in Hebrews 3:12-15: Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” The mourning Jesus desires is the kind that exhibits a softness of heart that is ready for change in a righteous direction, one that knows it has done wrong and is eagerly willing to have it cleansed into holiness,

1. We of this generation face an uphill battle because, through such media as television and movies, we have vicariously experienced the breaking of God’s law in unparalleled frequency and in vividly sympathetic ways.
2. On the screen life is cheap, property is meaningless, sexual purity is scoffed at, stealing is fine “if it’s necessary,” and faithfulness is nerdish and corny.

Where is God in it? How much of this world’s attitudes have we unwittingly absorbed into our character? Is our conscience still tender? Is mourning over sin—ours and others’—a vital part of our relationship with God? Godly mourning plays a positive role in producing the changes God desires to produce His image in us.

1. We need to pray with David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” ( Psalm 51:10 ).
2. He asks God to give him what did not exist before, that his affections and feelings might be made right, and that he might not have the callused attitude that led him to adultery and murder.

A plea of this kind is one that God will not deny. If we are truly serious about overcoming and glorifying God, it is well worth the effort. Matthew 5:4 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lays out before us the foundational attitudes and conduct He commands and looks for in His disciples.

He says in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Human nature hates mourning, If given any choice at all, we shrink from mourning as rapidly as we can. Yet, Jesus says that those of His disciples who mourn are blessed! This begs the question, “If they are blessed, why do they mourn?” Surely, this is an anomaly that the unconverted find hard to believe.

One thing is certain: Jesus does not speak here of every kind of mourning. Scripture shows us three kinds of mourning. Millions, indeed billions, mourn over dashed hopes like financial reverses, failure to land a job, rejection by a highly respected person, or the loss of a loved one.

Many of these people may actually be under God’s condemnation without any promise that they will be comforted. In addition, there is sinful mourning—like the hopeless sorrow of Judas Iscariot—that is disconsolate and inordinate, that refuses to be comforted. Finally, there is godly sorrow, a spiritual mourning authored by God, which is the subject of Matthew 5:4,

This mourning begins and then proceeds from a genuine conversion upon repentance after God calls us. It is the beginning of a real sense of sin and its disastrously evil effects. Many thousands confess that they are sinners, but how many have never mourned over this fact? How many of us have mourned like the woman of Luke 7:37-38, who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears? The publican in Luke 18:13 smote upon his breast, crying out, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” He did this because he felt the plague of his own evil heart.

On that great day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given and Peter preached a truly inspiring sermon, Acts 2:37 tells us that the people were “cut to the heart” and said, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” This mourning springs from a sense of sin combined with a tender conscience and a heart broken over the cost to receive forgiveness.

This mourning springs from the agonizing realization that my sins nailed Jesus to the stake. Zechariah 12:10 prophesies, “Then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” By no means is this mourning confined to our initial contrition.

• It should be a present and continuous experience as we grow in understanding that we can say with Paul, “Oh wretched man that I am!” ( Romans 7:24 ).
• He was undoubtedly at times acutely aware of the swellings of his pride, the coldness of his love, or the lack of fruit.
• In the same way, we, too, groan at times within ourselves as the sharpness of our memories chasten us as we meditate on the course of our lives.

As we approach Passover, now is a time for deep introspection. We must do this, beginning with a profound appreciation for the sacrifice of our Savior, so that we may receive God’s gracious promise to be comforted. Matthew 5:5 We should recognize that, when Jesus presents meekness in Matthew 5:5 as a highly desirable quality, He prefaces it with “Blessed are the poor in spirit ” (verse 3) and “Blessed are those who mourn” (verse 4).

He places it within a context that contains qualities that are similar to meekness. Alexander MacLaren writes in his comments on verse 5, ” is the conduct and disposition towards God and man which follows from the inward experience described in the two former Beatitudes, which had relation only to ourselves” ( Expositions of Holy Scriptures, vol.6, “St.

Matthew,” p.130). In other words, meekness is the active fruit of the other two, but whereas being poor in spirit and mourning are both internal in operation, meekness is both internal and external in its execution in one’s life. Though this is not a complete description, it lays a good foundation.

• Godly meekness is impossible unless we first learn a just and lowly estimate of ourselves.
• We must become poor in spirit.
• We do this by coming before God in deep penitence and with a clear knowledge of the vast difference between ourselves and what He is and what He means us to be.
• Paul says in Romans 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith,” While pride destroys self and others, humility serves and builds.

Mourning springs from a sense of sin, from a tender conscience, from a broken heart. It is a godly sorrow over our rebellion against God and hostility to His will. It is the agonizing realization that it was not just sin in general but our own sins that nailed Christ to the stake.

• Notice that Matthew 5:4 is in the present tense, meaning that mourning is not confined to our initial repentance—it is a continuous experience.
• The Christian has much to mourn.
• If his conscience is kept tender by an ever-deepening discovery of human nature’s depravity, his sins—both of omission and commission—are a sense of daily grief.

Paul writes in Romans 8:23, “e ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” He adds in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death ?” At the same time, this does not mean a Christian lives his life with a hang-dog expression and attitude, or that he lives his life feeling that he is a dirtbag or sleazeball who is still mucking around in a moral septic tank.

A Christian is also forgiven, cleansed, and justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, He has access to God the Father, is the apple of His eye and has an awesome hope before him. He has the Holy Spirit in him. He is a child of the great Creator and looks forward to being resurrected and inheriting God’s Kingdom.

Christ died for him, and this creation exists for his perfection. A Christian has many reasons to feel a sense of exultation for what has been provided for him. An awareness of sin—as long as it is not allowed to become obsessive—will help him continue in a humble frame of mind by keeping pride in check, tempering his judgments, and allowing him to accept the events of life in a spirit that produces great contentment.

• These qualities are produced when, with God’s help, we rightly measure ourselves against the right standards—God and His law—rather than each other, and discover how much we owe to God’s merciful grace.
• Anyone thus convicted and then forgiven and cleansed by Christ’s blood is in the position to produce godly meekness.

Matthew 9:24 In that culture, crowds of relatives and neighbors commonly showed up at the dwelling of the deceased to mourn. In the midst of this confusion and noise, Jesus declares, “The child is not dead but sleeping.” Being ignorant of His use of “sleep” for death, the mourners deride Him.

Christ says the same of His dead friend, Lazarus, in John 11:11, Death as sleep is a euphemism common to many nations. It intimates that, even more sure than morning comes to a sleeper in bed, an everlasting morning will be provided for the righteous dead waiting in the grave for the resurrection. Jesus views death as a temporary sleep because His Father has the power to resurrect anyone from death.

God can resurrect whom He wants when He wants, but He has an organized plan, purpose, and schedule for resurrections ( I Corinthians 15:20-24 ; Revelation 20:5-6 ). Revelation 11:3 “Clothed in sackcloth,” II Kings 1:8 is the response of some people who reported what they had seen to the king, Ahaziah: “So they answered him, ‘A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.’ And he said, ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite.” Matthew 3:4 describes John the Baptist: “Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locust and wild honey.” So Elijah and John the Baptist both wore sackcloth.

In a way, they are types of these Two Witnesses, Being clothed in sackcloth has several meanings in the Bible. They are all somewhat similar, but they have nuances that we need to consider. Sackcloth was worn by those who were in mourning, Recall in Ezekiel 9 that the angel was supposed to mark all those who sighed and cried for all the troubles of Jerusalem.

That is a sign of woe, of mourning, or of being sorry for the fall of this once great nation or for their sins. Sackcloth also can mean repentance, as an outward sign of the inner repentance of a person. Therefore it also has another meaning of being humble,

1. A repentant person should be a humble person.
2. He has seen his sins and turned from them.
3. Another meaning is austerity,
4. This is one that the world often sees in John the Baptist and Elijah, that they were “poor” men.
5. However, that is not necessarily the case.
6. Austerity does not necessarily mean that one is poor.

It can mean though that a person leads a simple lifestyle, and that he has removed the frills that complicate his life. Wearing sackcloth, then, could mean a person has stripped down to the simplest essentials of his physical life. Of course, the one that goes with this would then be poverty, yet not necessarily physical poverty (a lack of money) but spiritual poverty ( poor in spirit ).

This is a fine way of looking at the wearing of sackcloth in the case of the Two Witnesses—and frankly, of Elijah and John the Baptist. They were ready to be filled and given the riches of God because they had considered themselves lowly and needy. They knew they needed what only God could give. They were poor in spirit.

However, all of these meanings could apply to the Two Witnesses: They mourn for the troubles this world is going through; they are repentant and humble; they are austere, not having any of the frills and complications that clutter other people’s lives—they have stripped themselves of the things that would weigh them down so that they can run ( Hebrews 12:1 ); and they are certainly poor in spirit.

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How does God comfort us when mourning?

Click below to request your free copy of The Brook Dried Up and learn why do Christians suffer. Download No one travels through life without, at some point, experiencing the loss of someone or something dear. The loss of a loved one through death is one of life’s most intense challenges, and the pain can be overwhelming. But God doesn’t leave you to suffer alone.

• Find comfort in these verses from His Word 1.
• He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:4).
• Jesus, the greatest empathizer, understands what you are going through and will stay beside you.2.
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

The Lord will wrap His arms of love and comfort around those who trust in Him.3. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). Lean on God and allow Him to continue the process of healing your broken heart.4. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

1. Comforting you is God’s specialty.5.
2. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
3. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
4. God promises to be with you and get you through this time of intense disappointment and loneliness.

Request your free downloadable copy of The Brook Dried Up Download 6. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Depend on His guidance to lead you out of that dark valley.7.

• I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
• For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14).
• As believers, we have hope of the resurrection promised by God.8.

“The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ ” (1 Corinthians 15:52, 54).

1. At Christ’s return, those who belong to Him will be raised and given life that will never end.9.
2. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
3. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
4. In the New Earth that God has promised to create, He will permanently dry your tears.

Cling to the Lord and He will comfort you through the process of grieving and, in the future, will replace your sorrow with great, unending joy!

What does God do for those who mourn?

Matthew 5:4 – Woman’s Day/Getty Images “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” The Good News: God will never abandon us during our times of grief. Instead, he will always provide us with love and hope. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

What does those who mourn mean in Matthew 5:4

Those who mourn, by definition, are not happy. Jesus wants His followers to understand that those who experience mourning are not hopeless. Within the context of Jesus’ teaching about the coming kingdom of heaven, those who mourn may do so because of their own sin or because of the sin of Israel.

What does it mean to mourn spiritually?

“Blessed are those who mourn.” Matthew 5:4 Spiritual mourning follows naturally from becoming poor in spirit. Swinging on the first ring of being poor in spirit will lead you to this blessed mourning. When you see you do not have what it takes, you will mourn over your sins, and you will mourn over your lack of righteousness.A.W.

1. Pink says, “The mourning for which Christ promises Divine comfort is a sorrow over our sins with a godly sorrow.” This godly sorrow “produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Cor.7:10).
2. Spiritual mourning is a matter of the heart King Saul led his army into battle and then took plunder for himself and his men.

He cheated, deceived, and stole, and then he lied to cover it up. But later the prophet Samuel confronted him with the truth, and Saul had nowhere to hide. Saul confessed, but then added, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people” (1 Samuel 15:30).

• He appeared sorry, but the truth is that he would have continued what he was doing, if he could.
• But his focus has shifted to limiting the damage.
• There was no change of heart.
• Spiritual mourning is the key to tackling habitual sins A true Christian does not live in the cycle of sinning, saying sorry to God, and then repeating the same behavior.

God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, not to presumption. A presumptuous person is content to sin and assume forgiveness, but he or she does not truly mourn, and does not change. Spiritual mourning is infused with hope Judas grieved over his sin in betraying Jesus, but his grief led him to despair, not hope.

How is mourning a blessing?

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus taught his disciples to take comfort in this truth: that they will be blessed when they suffer. The world cannot reconcile a “good God” to one who allows his people to suffer. Though seemingly contradictory, Christ tells his people that suffering, and blessing are closely connected. Why are those who mourn blessed?

Why is it good to mourn?

Mourning: External Expression of Loss – While grief refers to the internal experiences of loss, mourning is best defined as acts or outward expressions of grief. Some common examples of mourning can include preparing for a funeral, wearing black or sharing memories or stories about a loved one.

1. These parts of the mourning process can be impacted by cultural practices or rituals and can give structure to the grieving process.
2. There is usually no formal guide for mourning, and the process can vary from person to person and can depend on the type of loss experienced,
3. Losing someone can be considered a threat or risk of harm to the brain, so the process of mourning can help people to accept and emotionally process death or loss.

The process of mourning allows people to form long-term memories of a loved one, and includes adapting and learning new ways to carry on without a person they cared deeply about. Mourning can be a lengthy and painful process, but it is a healthy part of bereavement,

What happens when you mourn

What is grief? – Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. Often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming. You may experience all kinds of difficult and unexpected emotions, from shock or anger to disbelief, guilt, and profound sadness.

• The pain of grief can also disrupt your physical health, making it difficult to sleep, eat, or even think straight.
• These are normal reactions to loss—and the more significant the loss, the more intense your grief will be.
• Coping with the loss of someone or something you love is one of life’s biggest challenges.

You may associate grieving with the death of a loved one —which is often the cause of the most intense type of grief—but any loss can cause grief, including:

1. Divorce or relationship breakup
2. Loss of health
3. Losing a job
4. Loss of financial stability
5. A miscarriage
6. Retirement
7. Death of a pet
8. Loss of a cherished dream
9. A loved one’s serious illness
10. Loss of a friendship
11. Loss of safety after a trauma
12. Selling the family home

Even subtle losses in life can trigger a sense of grief. For example, you might grieve after moving away from home, graduating from college, or changing jobs. Whatever your loss, it’s personal to you, so don’t feel ashamed about how you feel, or believe that it’s somehow only appropriate to grieve for certain things.

Where in the Bible does it say blessing without sorrow

Proverbs 10:22 NKJV The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. | Proverbs 10, Good prayers, Proverbs Proverbs 10:22 NKJV The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.323 followers : Proverbs 10:22 NKJV The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. | Proverbs 10, Good prayers, Proverbs

When God blesses you it comes with no sorrow

‘The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds. no sorrow with it.’

What does the Bible say about blessing without sorrow?

GOD’S BLESSING: The Blessing Of The Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22 KJV.

What is the difference between grief and mourning in the Bible

➢ Grief is what we think and feel on the inside when someone we love dies. Examples include fear, loneliness, panic, pain, yearning, anxiety, emptiness etc. ➢ It is the internal meaning given to the experience of loss. ➢ Mourning is the outward expression of our grief; it is the expression of one’s grief.

How long does mourning last in the Bible?

Length of the Mourning Period – Protestant Christianity does not have a prescribed amount of time for the actual period of mourning. Since the funeral is usually held within a week of the death, that period of time from the death to the burial is considered the time of mourning.

For many that is the only official time that can be set aside. Most will return to work as soon as the actual vocational bereavement period has ended. Grieving the loss of a loved one is a unique and personal experience, depending on several things including the depth of the relationship shared and one’s own acquired skills at coping with grief,

While the length of time required for the process of going through the stages of grief to a point of acceptance will vary, it would not be uncommon for individuals to experience intense pangs of grief at birthdays and anniversaries, special holidays, and on the actual anniversary of the death of the loved one.

What is the most comforting Bible verse?

Top Comforting Bible Verses – Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.” Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

1. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
2. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Discover the best comforting Bible verses in this collection of scripture quotes. Be comforted by the Word of God through the truth of His power and love. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Motortion : 25 Comforting Bible Verses – Encouraging Scriptures for Hardship

What is Psalms 147 3?

Psalm 147 Psalm 147 Praise the Lord for His power—His understanding is infinite—He sends His commandments, His word, His statutes, and His judgments unto Israel.

• 1 ye the Lord : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
• 2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he together the of Israel.
• 3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
• 4 He telleth the number of the ; he calleth them all by their,
• 5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his is infinite.
• 6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
• 7 Sing unto the Lord with ; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

1. 8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh to grow upon the mountains.
2. 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
3. 10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
4. 11 The Lord taketh in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
5. 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
6. 13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
7. 14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
8. 15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
9. 16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
10. 17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
11. 18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
12. 19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not them. Praise ye the Lord,

What does Matthew 5 34 say?

34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne ; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

What is Isaiah 41 verse 10

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

What is the Bible verse Matthew 5 14?

Line upon Line: Matthew 5:14–16 “Line upon Line: Matthew 5:14–16,” New Era, Sept.2008, 43 Line upon Line In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior taught us the importance of letting the gospel light shine in our lives.14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

• Light of the world “Jesus wants every one of us to know him because of the transforming power of that knowledge and because of the indescribable joy it brings into our lives.
• But the influence of the gospel is to extend beyond each individual.
• It is to be as a light that dispels the darkness from the lives of those around us.

No one is saved solely and simply for himself alone, just as no lamp is lighted merely for its own benefit.” Ancient cities were often placed on hills to offer greater defense and safety. People could see them from far away and knew where to flee if danger came.

• How is being a disciple of Christ like being a city on a hill? This word originally comes from an ancient Greek unit of measurement for dry goods (about 8.7 liters) and also refers to the container used for measuring this unit.
• Imagine covering a candle with a large container like a bucket.
• Let your light so shine President Gordon B.

Hinckley “The candle that the Lord has lighted in this dispensation can become as a light unto the whole world, and others seeing our good works can be led to glorify our Father in Heaven and emulate in their own lives the examples they have observed in ours.

“Beginning with you and me, there can be an entire people who, by the virtue of our lives in our homes, in our vocations, even in our amusements, can become as a city upon a hill to which men may look and learn, and an ensign to the nations from which the people of the earth may gather strength.” Read the words of the hymn “Have I Done Any Good?” ( Hymns, no.223).

Write down a few things you can do to help or uplift someone, and plan times to do them. Put your list somewhere you will easily see it. Editors’ note: This page is not meant to be a comprehensive explanation of the selected scripture verse, only a starting point for your own study.