Senior Pastor Mark Stafford

Blessed Mourning

A Study on God’s Comfort in Mourning from Matthew 5:4, 2 Samuel 12 and Psalm 51

The promise of happiness has been a favorite advertising method for decades.  Look at these ads for popular products:

• Trident Gum: promises a “little piece of happiness:
• Coke: Claims that by opening a Coke, you’ll open happiness
• Pepsi: reminds us that “Happiness is a choice.” (Thanks for that reminder Pepsi)
• McDonald’s: McDonald’s has been telling us for years that happiness is found in a small burger, fries and a toy packaged up as a “Happy Meal.”
• Chevy: A few years back, Chevy defined happiness for us as the sale of “a quarter of a million Chevettes.” (Nothing could make me happier than a Chevette.)
• Volvo: they claimed that the accumulation of Volvos was the key to worldly bliss.
• VW: In more recent years, VW returned to this age-old technique to help us understand that getting in a VW would get us happy.

In a popular secular TV series about a marketing agency, one character on the show said, “Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay.”

[1]  I think that statement accurately captures our society’s view of happiness.

Mourning is a hateful activity to a society that values cheerfulness and happiness so highly.  Our text today is a bit if an anomaly to those who don’t know Jesus and who are drawn to the world’s promise of happiness.  However, to God’s people, today’s passage will be a sweet source of encouragement and comfort.

Our passage today says, “⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  The question that immediately comes to mind is, “How can a person be blessed if they are mourning?”  Only the people of God understand the answer to the paradox in question here.

No one had ever spoken like Jesus.  Blessedness coming out of mourning seems to be totally opposed to both the world’s logic and our own rationality.  Throughout the ages, men who are the most “happy” have been the ones with the most success, but Jesus makes an outrageous statement that the “blessed” are those who “mourn.”

Some people say, “Well, Jesus must mean that when you cry, you feel a lot better.”  But… that’s not at all what Jesus is talking about here.  In the context of this passage, Jesus isn’t referring to all types of mourning.  Jesus is specifically targeting one type of mourning: a mourning over sin that comes from being “poor in spirit.”  Verse 3 and 4 should be seen as a complimentary pair.

The mourning and comfort that Jesus speaks of is referring to spiritual realities.  This passage describes a type of mourning that realizes God’s holiness and considers our depravity in relation to God.

It is a mourning that feels the full weight of our despair without Jesus.  It realizes the huge gap that has developed between us and God because of our many imperfections.

In some cases, it is mourning over morality itself because of moralism’s false claim to make us right with God apart from Jesus.  It is sorrow over our past and present rebellion and hostility towards God.  The comfort Jesus promises here results from a godly sorrow over sin.

The best example I know in the scripture is that of King David after his sin with Bathsheba.

Old Testament Background

As we set up the scene, we have to begin by looking at King David, who was sitting on Israel’s throne.  David was divinely chosen by God and anointed as King of God’s chosen people.  He was the nation’s spiritual leader as well as their political leader.  He established the worship of God and was even the writer of many of the songs they used during their corporate worship gatherings.

David was morally clean and capable of spiritual leadership.  God had promised him that his house would be established forever.  Many of his enemies had been defeated.  Neighboring kingdoms were forced to submit to his overpowering rule.

In the midst of his luxury and victory, his thoughts wandered.  From his position in the palace, he could observe a certain woman bathing on her rooftop.  Her name was Bathsheba and she was married to a man who faithfully served in David’s army.

When David saw the woman, he wanted her for his own.  He called for her, she came, and that night she became pregnant.  In order to save face, David saw to it that her husband died in next battle.  Then he married Bathsheba and tried to cover up the whole affair.

If David had been a secular king, he could have killed her husband and taken her into his harem without any legal consequences.  BUT… David was not a secular King.  David was God’s anointed King and he was held to a much higher standard.  The adultery and murder kept David is a state of bondage and darkness.

David’s conscience condemned him.  To quote the show I mentioned earlier: he was looking for “…reassurance that whatever [he was] doing [was] okay.”  He was trying to be okay while living with unrepentant sin, until the day when the fearless prophet Nathan came into the king’s presence and told this story.  2 Samuel 12, starting in verse 1:

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.

⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵ Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, ⁶ and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man!…”

These words cut David to the core.  It was clear that Nathan was confronting David on his sin with Bathsheba.  David’s response to Nathan’s accusation in verse 13 was simply, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

• No human effort could help David.
• No self-improvement plan was going to make any difference.
• David was a wealthy man, but no amount of wealth could purchase a remedy for his guilt.

Only God could help him. This was the most tragic moment in David’s life.  The tempter had won.  David had given in to a terrible sin and been trapped, bound, and ruined by it.  The leader of God’s chosen people was out of the fight, sidelined by sin. (Psalm 51)

David didn’t make any excuses:

• He doesn’t blame the temptation for being too enticing.
• He doesn’t blame his wife’s
• He doesn’t blame God for making him that way.
• He doesn’t point out that other kings do the same thing without consequence.

David simply admits and embraces his actions.  He takes full responsibility for them and pleads for God’s mercy.

When we Deal Seriously with our Sin, God Deals Gently with us – Psalm 51:1-2

Psalm 51 is the song David wrote when he repented of his sin with Bathsheba.  Let’s begin by reading verses 1-2:

“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!”

Man’s greatest need is for forgiveness.  In Psalm 51, David was sincerely seeking God’s forgiveness.  The penalty for the crime he committed could have been serious, but that’s not why David was sorry.  He was not just interested in avoiding the consequences.  (David faced consequences for this sin for the rest of his life.)

David hated the sin far more than he hated the consequences.  Verse 2 says, “² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,     and cleanse me from my sin!”  It is as if David is saying, “Lord, if washing isn’t enough to take away the love for this sin in my heart, then try some other technique.  If water doesn’t cleanse me then use fire to burn it out instead.  I want to be purified, no matter what that requires.  Lord, leave no guilt remaining in my soul.”

David was not crying out against the punishment of sin, he was sick over the sin itself.  He was mourning over sin.

• A murderer may be more upset about the final lethal injection than he is appalled by the fact that he was capable of the act of murder itself.
• A thief may love the things he has stolen, but fears the punishment for stealing those goods.
• An adulterer may be excited by the affair, but fearful of the ravages of divorce if someone ever found out.

This was not the case with David.  He was sick with sin.  His loudest outcries were against the transgression itself.  He hated that sin had found a home in his heart and grieved about what that implied in his relationship with God.  David hated the evil in his heart and asks for the Lord’s mercy in dealing with him and cleansing his heart.

David dealt seriously with his sin and God was merciful.  When we hate the same things the Lord hates, He will help us root them out of our lives so that we can have a better pursuit – God’s desire for us is to find the all satisfying joy in the pursuit of Christ and His righteousness and not to be bound up with the joy-depleting desires of our flesh.

In David’s eyes, sin was a burden to be removed, a pollution to be washed out, and a bondage to be cut and thrown away.  It was a fatal disease that needed a cure, a criminal record that needed to be erased, and a filthy shirt that needed to be washed clean.  God alone can work these miracles in the spiritual life of a humble person who is willing to seek the Lord’s intervention.

Godly Grief over Sin Leads to Genuine Confession – Psalm 51:3-6, 1 John 1:9

When Nathan said, “You are the man,” David was cut to the core.  He offered no argument.  The Holy Spirit brought about an instant awareness of the seriousness of the situation.  Look at verses 3-4:

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.

Here David is saying, “I am the man.”  He openly admits that Nathan’s accusation is correct.  Think of how difficult it must have been for David to admit his guilt to the people of Israel.  He was the powerful man who led their army into battle and their people in worship.  Admitting this sin publicly would have been humiliating.  Look at verse 5:

⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

These words were not David’s attempt to justify himself.  He was not saying, “I can’t help it.  I was just made like that!”  NO!  He’s saying instead, “I did not stumble just this one time, but I’m struggling all the time and I hate it!  Naturally, I gravitate towards that things that drive me the furthest away from God’s blessing.  It seems like I’ve been at war with my flesh from the day I was born!  In sin did my mother conceive me…”

When David came forward, he not only admitted his affair publicly, but made absolutely no excuses for it.  Notice in the psalm that Bathsheba is never named.  He never attributes to her even the smallest part of the blame, taking it all upon himself.

• He openly declared that he alone is responsible for his actions.
• He admitted that he was a sinful man. He was “poor in spirit.”
• He admitted that he was born a sinner and he wanted desperately to be free of sin’s bondage.

These are the words of a man who is in mourning over his sin.  When a man mourns over his sin and confesses it to God, God is quick to forgive.  1 John 1:9 says, “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  God delights in truth – even when that truth is difficult to admit.  Look at verse 6:

⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

God always works in a way that is consistent with His character.  God delights in truth.  He is abounding in steadfast love and forgiveness.  The Lord is rich in mercy.  David is counting on God to act in accordance with His forgiving and merciful nature.

The Confession of Sin Leads to Total Cleansing – Psalms 51:7, Romans 3:25

David’s secret life created a wedge between him and God; he longed to be restored.  Look at verse 7:

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop is a plant with cleansing and medicinal qualities, it was often used in Hebrew purification ceremonies.  David knew that no religious ceremony would cleanse him from what he had done.  He didn’t want to go through the motions and hope for the best.  He wanted to be right with God.  He longed for the reality that the ceremony symbolized.

Nothing but the blood of the promised Messiah would be enough to purge his wrongdoings.  This passage can be read as a proclamation of faith as well as a prayer.  When David says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean,” he is looking forward to the power of divine propitiation.

In the Bible, “propitiation” means to satisfy the demands of God’s wrath.  The problem created when God passed over sins was solved in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.  Romans 3:25 says:

²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

In God, we find two attributes that live in harmony with each other: perfection in justice and perfection in mercy.  God’s kindness and wrath come into a perceived conflict, which is solved by the death of the Messiah for the sins of God’s people.

God saw that His glory was belittled by earthly sin and His name was dishonored by His own people.  He could have chosen to pour out His just wrath on them.  He could have destroyed all of His people (including David) and sent them off to be eternally punished for their offenses against Him.

But instead, He promises to pour out His wrath on the Messiah, Jesus.  In that way, God’s perfect justice and God’s perfect mercy meet at the cross.  David was looking forward to and depending upon this exchange.  Although it had not happened yet, the cross would provide real spiritual perfection and infinite purity to all who came asking forgiveness.

So, in that way, the verse that says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean,” can be read as a proclamation of faith as well as a prayer.  Once he is pardoned and purified, David asks that God restore joy and gladness to his heart once again.

God Comforts Those He Cleanses – Psalm 103:11-13, 51:8-9

Our main passage today says, “⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  They are not comforted because God makes them feel better.  They are comforted because they are better.  They are cleansed!  The sin is removed!  God brings about a new clean heart to those who mourn over sin.  David wrote in Psalm 103:

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Once sin is gone, joy can rule once again in our hearts.  Here we see the humility of the mighty King David begging God to bring back the joy that was in his heart.  Look at verses 8-9:

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.

David seeks joy for a wandering heart and worship for broken bones.  The Christian who has strayed away from the Lord needs not ask to return as an outsider or as a hired servant, he can ask to be restored to the full status of son or daughter.

Like the Prodigal Son’s father in the New Testament parable, our Father is glad and rejoices when any of his wayward children finally realize how far they’ve strayed and turn toward home.  He meets them on the path with open arms and replaces all that sin had destroyed!

Mourning over Sin Leads to the Blessing of a Clean Heart – Psalms 51:10, Romans 5:8

A straying heart does not need to be adjusted.  It is broken beyond repair.  It needs to be made new again.  God must be called in as Creator to create in us a new, clean heart to replace the heart our worldly affections destroyed.  Look at verses 10:

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.

David is laying down a foundation for the New Testament doctrine of new Birth and new Life.  He recognizes that God doesn’t try to fix secular lives.  He is in the business of rebirth.  Only God can create new spiritual life in a person’s heart.

Both new birth in Christ and the creation of new hearts within believers is God’s work.  It is by His mercy, not a result of anything that we have done.  Romans 5:8 says, “⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners {while are hearts are sick and broken}, Christ died for us.” Can a dead man make his damaged heart beat again?  No…Only God creates new hearts!

Application

David had lost the joy that was once his because of his righteousness.  Sin often promises pleasure and great reward, then comes up short.  Many churchgoing people who once found indescribable joy in the worship and service of the Lord have since walked away from it all and pursued worldly pleasures instead.

God is calling us all to a better pursuit – a pursuit that doesn’t give a temporary thrill –  a pursuit that produces lasting comfort and joy.  None but God can restore joy to a soul that has been robbed of it.  He can do it and will do it if we are ready to confess our sins and ask Him to restore us.  Joy always follows pardon and purity… It’s never the other way around

Sin Keep Us From Joy

The literal melody of Psalm 51 is long forgotten, but there still seem to be certain notes that dominate the music of this psalm:

• The first is that of sin. It needs to be blotted out and washed away.  It’s a fatal disease that requires a cure.
• The second note is personal responsibility. All through the psalm, David is more than willing to take full responsibility for everything he had done.
• The third note is repentance. David mourns over his sin.  His sorrow is displayed by confession and whole-hearted repentance.
• Lastly, there is a note (a chord) of Joy and Comfort. Joy comes after the Lord has completed his work of purifying, cleansing and renewing.  As a man takes on the better pursuit of God, God gladdens his heart so that he wants to sing out praises to the Lord.

Psalm 51 is a glorious illustration of a blessed mourner!  The comfort David received is only granted by the Lord to the repentant heart.  Psalm 51 revealed the deadly grip of sin, the love and mercy of God and the path to restoration.

Do You Need a New, Clean Heart?

As we’ve been discussing David’s sin, has the Holy Spirit been working on a sin that is keeping you from enjoying all the joy and blessings the Lord wants to pour out into your life?  Perhaps this morning is a time to lay that area out before the Lord and ask Him to give you a new heart and to restore joy that only comes from a whole hearted pursuit of Him.

[1] Madman, Season 1, Episode 1, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” (No, I don’t watch the show)