BEAUTY FOR ASHES

Here God’s anointed Servant declares His mission. The Lord Jesus explicitly applies these glorious words to Himself, Luke 4. 17-22. Carrying out this programme completely involves both of His advents.

Those who mourn are the people blessed by Messiah. They mourn primarily over personal sinfulness. Do we? Like Isaiah, they see themselves as totally lost in the presence of the Holy One, Isa. 6. 5. Like Peter, they confess their abject failure when confronted with Christ in His blazing purity, Luke 5. 8. With Paul, they candidly declare that in their flesh there dwells no good thing, Rom. 7. 18. Not only so, they grieve at all which grieves God Himself, Ezek. 9. 4.

The mourners are granted total transformation and full comfort by the Lord Jesus. Once, they repented in dust and ashes, Job 42. 6. In Israel, ashes were smeared on the head to dis­play the deepest distress, 2 Sam. 13. 19. Ashes will be replaced by ‘a beautiful headdress’ ESV. This is a festal crown worn by a bridegroom on his wedding day, v. 10. It celebrates all that God has accomplished. Mourning will be replaced by rejoicing. Christ’s people will share in His regal anointing with the oil of gladness, Ps. 45. 7. True happiness will flow from God’s rich blessing, Ps. 23. 5. Their faces will shine, reflecting inner spiritual renewal, Ps. 104. 15. Joy in the Holy Spirit will be their experi­ence, Rom. 15. 17. Days of low spirit will end. Instead, the Lord wraps His own with a cloak of praise. Their life will be ‘made up of praise in every part’, Bonar. After all, the Lord has formed them for Himself to show forth all His praise, Isa. 43. 21. Gladly they declare the glories of the One who has brought them out of darkness into His marvellous light, 1 Pet. 2. 9. Are we a praising people? Do we use our rich heritage of classic and contemporary Christian music to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord, Eph. 5. 19?

No wonder the Lord Jesus declares that blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted, Matt. 5. 4. May we experience true spiritual mourning but, along with that, the glorious privileges of those who are comforted by God.