The second Beatitude forms a most important step. But Jesus was not speaking exclusively about grieving for death but grieving for sin, the kind of grieving that Cowper meant when he wrote "I hate the sins that made Thee mourn!"
The Bible does recognise the reality of mourning over the death of loved ones.
Abraham mourned over the death of
Sarah. "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her."
Genesis 23:2.
David mourned over Absalom.
"And it was told Joab, `Behold the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.'"
2 Samuel 19:1.
But, having recognised this, the Bible speaks more extensively about mourning for sin.
"Then Ezra rose up....and mourned
because of the transgression of them that had been carried away."
Ezra 10.6.
"They shall be on the mountains
like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, each one for his iniquity."
Ezekiel 7:16
We are COMMANDED to mourn for sin.
"Therefore" says the Lord "Turn
to Me...with weeping and with mourning." Joel 2.12
"Be afflicted and mourn, and weep,
let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourself in the sight of God and He shall lift you up!" James
4: 10-8
When the Christian Missioners marched through the streets of Whitechapel it is recorded that people ran from every direction. Some laughed and sneered. Some were angry. Some turned and accompanied them as they marched on singing "With a sorrow for sin must repentance begin!"
John the Baptist preached repentance.
"In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness saying
`Repent, for the Kingdom of God is a hand!'" Matthew 3:1.
Jesus came preaching repentance. "Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God saying `The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel'" Mark 1:14.
Jesus sent His disciples two by two preaching repentance. "And they went out and preached that men should repent." Mark 6:12.
On the road to Emmaus Jesus told Cleopas and his un-named friend that "Repentance and the remission of sins should be preached among all nations" Luke 24:47.
There is no salvation without repentance. There used to be a book entitled "French Without Tears" and a companion book entitled "German Without Tears". I have yet to find one called "Welsh Without Tears". But the church has no mandate to offer the world "Salvation Without Tears"! And until we come to grips with repentance there is no hope of revival, for all great revivals began with repentance!
There as an interesting account of how that during renovations in the Temple an ancient lost scroll of the Law was discovered and of the impact that this had upon the king and the people.
THE LOST SCROLL OF THE LAW OF THE
COVENANT
"Shapham the scribe brought it
to the king and it came to pass when the king heard the words of the Law
that he rent his clothes." 2 Kings 22:8.
"And the king went up to Jerusalem
...and all the people...and he read in their ears all the words of the
Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord."
2 Kings 23:21.
"And the king stood by a pillar
and made a covenant before the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His
testimonies and His statutes with all their heart and all their soul....and
all the people stood to the covenant." 2 Kings 23:3
And as we read on this exhilarating story a great revival swept through the nation.
It seems strange that the scroll was ever lost - yet we live in a generation that has lost the Word of God, and we await that man of God whom God will raise up and stand by the pillar and call the people to repentance.
The great Wesleyan Revival began with repentance.
When the winds of revival swept through Wales in 1904 leaving thousands of converts rejoicing in its wake, it all began with repentance!
As the carol says
"Sinners moved
by true repentance doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice
now revokes the sentence, mercy calls you, break your chains!
Come and
worship, worship Christ the new-born King"
Blessed are they that mourn - for
they shall be comforted - in the knowledge of forgiven sin!
