I could have unsaddled his horse for him, but that was something a man did for himself.”
–Elmer Kelton (Eyes of the Hawk)
“For His anger is but for a moment. His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
–Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)
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“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” –Matthew 5:4, NKJV
The Amplified Bible has it this way, “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].” Do not forget that the beatitudes deal primarily with the spiritual life of a person. Yes, they do include the natural, but more importantly the spiritual. Mourning, in general, is over the death of a loved one, but it also can mean the sorrow for sin or for condoning it.
In this context we see that sorrow can be a source of blessing. Blessed are those that mourn–a special kind of blessing from the Lord. This is not carnal mourning; it is not primarily the loss of a loved one, but the loss of innocence, righteousness, and self-respect. It is the kind of grief that has such a hold on a man that it cannot be hidden. William Barclays puts it this way, “There are certain things which only the rains will produce, and certain experiences which only sorrow can begat.” Or in the words of an Arab Proverb: “All sunshine makes a desert.” Tears may be involved for sure, but often it is the deep thought process and the grieving of the heart that is noted. A deep sorrow over sin, a deep sorrow for hurting our heavenly Father.
This beatitude is a sort of paradox: happy are the unhappy. This is the sorrow of repentance; it is a godly sorrow. Grief, guilt, shame, are all present, then there is relief and rejoicing. Notice that Jesus mourned. He wept over the sins of others, over Jerusalem who would not receive Him. What was His message to these? Repent! The man who is desperately sorry for his own sin and unworthiness needs to repent to experience the joy of the Lord. “The thing which really changes men is when they suddenly come up against something which opens their eyes to what sin is and to what sin does.” (Barclay) Thomas Watson tells us that, “True mourning begins in the love of God–and ends in the hatred of sin.” Remember, it is not mourning for the dead. John Chrysostom reminds us that “They are not blessed who mourn for the dead–but rather those who mourn for sin.”
This is a war, a fight within man. There is sorrow over sin, this inner war that can at times be grievous; it is the flesh versus the spirit. It is a perpetual war for even after one is born again there is the fight with sin, the old man-flesh trying to regain its position. We sorrow at our failings, our sins, our guilt now because we failed the Lord. We now have a godly sorrow. David wrote, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:3, NKJV)
In the next few weeks we will continue to look at this beatitude. In the meantime don’t be ashamed if you find yourself in spiritual morning. Just to look at the news should bring mourning to our hearts as men and women turn their backs on God, mock His name and His holy standards. When we sin, we fail to maintain the righteous ways of God, we should be in mourning. Then, joy comes in the morning–we are blessed because of His great faithfulness and His wondrous mercy and grace.