Sorrow, Grief and Wisdom
True wisdom and its result
, by Emmanuel Higgins
What could these things have in common; sorrow, grief and wisdom? Sorrow and grief is something we try to avoid and wisdom is something we all desire.
Let's dig deep into God's word to discover some surprising gems of truth on this subject.
Of all the Bible writers, Solomon seemed to have the most to say about wisdom. Let's start our journey in Ecclesiastes chapter 1.
"For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." - Ecclesiastes 1:18
What a strange thing to say! Wisdom and knowledge produce what? Grief and sorrow. Interesting... Can you think of another famous verse in the Bible that speaks about grief and sorrow? Or rather about a man of grief and sorrow?
As you study the Bible, pray that God, through the Holy Spirit, would bring to your mind other relevant verses. Also using computer software or a concordance you can search for similar verses. This is a method of Bible study. While pondering this, the following verse came to mind:
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." - Isaiah 53:3
That great man! The greatest among us, yet the servant of all. Jesus was a man of what? Sorrow, and grief.
Now reason with me. If sorrow and grief is the result of true wisdom and knowledge, what was the wisdom and knowledge Jesus had that resulted in His sorrow and grief"?
Fast-forward from the days of Isaiah, to the end of Christ's ministry. I can imagine with much sorrow and grief he cries:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!" - Matthew 23:37
Perhaps Jesus was on a hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem as he spoke these words. As He looked over the beloved city, He wasn't mourning for the bricks and mortar of Jerusalem, but for the people!
What wisdom and knowledge caused His great grief and sorrow? It was a knowledge that people were rejecting Him! Here He was, the king of heaven who had given His life to save people from death, and the vast majority would die! Yes, die within the reach of help. This knowledge, this understanding, this reality brought great grief and sorrow to the heart of the Son of God.
Note these words:
"Christ was the prince of sufferers; but His suffering was from a sense of the malignity of sin, a knowledge that through familiarity with evil, man had become blinded to its enormity. Christ saw how deep is the hold of sin upon the human heart, how few would be willing to break from its power. He knew that without help from God, humanity must perish, and He saw multitudes perishing within reach of abundant help." A - Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, p 752
True knowledge, true wisdom is an understanding of reality; to grasp the reality of eternity and of the true value of a human soul. Christ understood these things more than any of us, and to Him they brought grief and sorrow. Why? Because He saw people, yes people dying, and His heart went out to them.
Why should it be any different for us? Shouldn't we be touched with sorrow as we see a world dying within reach of help? Or have we been so blinded by sin that we would rather think about our own comforts and needs with little thought of the thousands perishing around us?
This sorrow and grief does not crush our spirit and turn is into depressed people, No! Rather it drives us, with a powerful motivation, to minister to the needs of man, to bring salvation to perishing souls. Yes, it means that we will be serious and sober, with a deep inner-peace. There is little to laugh and joke about in the plan of salvation.
So dear reader, my prayer is for our hearts to be softened, and for our eyes to be opened, that we may be touched with the same grief and sorrow of our leader, Jesus Christ. And in turn give our lives in service for humanity.
23 Comment(s)
The statement-serious and sober
Is where i stand in my waiting
For God to send me the perfect
Compantion.so much sorry and pain.
But i have the wisdom to be still
And wait on the lord!thanks
Need to be saved
Want to be saved, renewed heart and mind.
Yes lord in this world that we live in today people really need the lord Jesus and we as Gods children must walk by faith an no by sight an try to do all we can for the loses so pray and keep praying in Jesus name. God bless
Wow the message is so powerfull thanx God for it
My story is as follows, my mother was brought into my life, and was what as known as the epiphany of the devil, in her many attempts over the abuse I have endured with her over the many years, beatings, verbal abuse, and psychological manipulations, in trying to destroy my existence, I had the greatest power of all, to never acknowledge her as my mother, or as someone I loved, the person I lived with was a stranger to me, who I willingly, and powerfully took advantage for money, sitting in her home, never working a day in my life, as she faced a world where she had to bring home a pay cheque everyday, and as she watched her money to save it wisely, and I also being wise with my money, watched as her greed, never let her spend money, and I took advantage of her every move.
Knowing I never loved my mother led to more advantages I have taken, and will take farther, for the war has just began, and this war against the devil, will be a war, to end all wars. Enlightened by the wit of what I am capable of doing, I always conclude, I am victorious in the end, and without a mother is how it should have been to begin with, for the trials I have faced, was to show the world the defeat of the devil, and how nothing criminal, or destructive in nature, for a mother towards a child, could defeat the beauty, that remains within me, and that I will always take with me.....Forevermore.........
The greatest power we have in life is to wash our hands from those who show us no love, because the truth remains, the devil is not capable of love, and neither are his servants.
Yes. Every day I see so many adorable children and beautiful women going about their business in the world. As I watch these precious children and people play, shop, etc. it breaks my heart they might end up in that horrible place. I ask the Lord to get to them through someone if I can't talk to them or they'll find a tract I left nearby. Lately, I've even tried claiming them for the Lord telling Him they're His and Satan can't have them. Only eternity will tell if I was successful.
Amen! This is my first visit to your site. I love your writing. God will bless your encouragement to others.
The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment.
so powerful
how true
A prayer in the life daily is more powerful that all the nuke bombs ever made! A song in the heart is worth more than all the well wishers can give! Truth can turn all hearts to God! God Gave us all! "his son" now give all back! Jesus gave us peace, now use it so others can have this same peace! Don't forget tell someone God loves you, yes even you!
I ask all to pardon my mistakes! I must slow down and correct all Gene
A little boy, while holding his dads hand, walking through a park! looke up at his dad \. "Dad" he said why do you hold my hand are you scared I will run away?"
"No the dad replied as long as I hold your hand, whwer ever we decide to go you will have a safe feeling whwew ever we go! you see before you the wide open world and in this world are many traps. and as long as I hold your hand we can avoid the traps that would snare us. and God wants us to hold his hand so that traps that lay ahead cannot became a snare as long as I hold your hand! God's hand is all the time holding our hands! and when we let go danger lurks around a corner! that is why we feel safe! because God always hollds out his hand to help us to avoid the snares that lay waiting! God loves all no matter the color of thr skin or the snare GOd loves us through it all! and the snares become traps into them selves! "thank you dad!"
a deep understanding and a great explanation..its so useful in our lives to get motivated with these words and to do some thing within our limits for people not to perish...thank you and keep on hinting...
The very thought of presenting Christ in any way is victory over sin, nd death! For some reason a lot of churches have watered down the true gospel . and the reveations present these churches, as lost! It's shame for ministers to go before thier congregations and preach watered down gospels. for fear they loose people that keep the church alive! not understanding they are lost already! salvation is so simple! why do ministers make it so complicated! "believe and live forever! Gene
Wonderfully explained why Our Lord was a man of sorrow. Seeing more perishing than saved.
@GeneWebster
Of course! That would be fine.
I love it! by your permission I would like to use It for bible study.Gene
l do like sharing my faith, beliefs with people
the SOP says we can best help ourselves by helping others ,, Isaiah 58 ,, the greatest sermon ever preached is a Christ like Character ,, God bless
Oh...to have the burden that Christ had for souls. Thank-you for a new reminder - to have a love for souls that drives us. I pray for His eyes and His love in my daily work!!
@RayWilbourn
Thanks for that, I've updated your email address in our database.
my yahoo account [email protected] has been compromised, since last October 2012, have been unable to connect, I would like you to repost to [email protected]