By: Gen. Jim – POW – 11/29/19
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” – 2 Cor. 7:10.
There are 2 kinds of sorrow: 1 – godly; 2 – worldly. One works life, the other, death. The Greek word “lupē” (loo’-pay), means “sadness: – grief, heaviness.” It is traced back to “lupeō” (loo-peh’-o), means “to distress, be sad, cause grief, be in heaviness.”
An Enemy?
Is “sorrow” an enemy to the believer? Yes and no. Let’s take a trip to Matthew’s account of Jesus: “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly(note these words) sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’” – Mt. 26:38. What was making Jesus’ soul sorrowful? This event in Gethsemane is a sad one. Jesus was about to face literal crucifixion – a most painful way to die! His statement, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup (of persecution/prosecution) pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” – v.39.
All of those who follow Christ, do His will, will be presented with a cup – full cup! – to drink. The fakes, flakes, and snakes slither away from drinking the cup of PP. But, never mind them, we who do follow Him will drink from His cup.
The same Gk. word used in this text – Mt. 26:38 – is also used in Mk. 14:34: “sorrowful,” “perilupos” – per-il’-oo-pos – from the same Gk. words, lupeō and lupē. Jesus’ soul was perilupos, i.e., “grieved all around, i.e. intensely sad.” So, we should not feel guilty if our soul, at times, feels grieved and sad. But the world’s sorrow does not work for our good.
Together With Us
Isaiah 53:3,4 says, “He (Jesus) is dispised and rejected (forsaken) by men, a Man of sorrows (lit., pain in the soul) and acquainted with grief…” – v.3. Verse 4 continues with: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (pains in the soul)…” Proverbs 14:13 declares: “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief.” How many of us have experienced this? The Hebrew word for “S” is “kâ’ab,” to feel pain; by impl. to grieve; make sad, mar etc.
There is another Heb. word – mak’ôb or mak’ôwb that means “anguish of heart, affliction, pain, sorrow.” From what we’ve looked at, Jesus and we, His people can and will experience SORROW in our walk with the Father; but we will also experience joy and laughter.