Which other scriptures emphasize sorrow over others' rejection of God's commands? Setting the Scene: Psalm 119:158 “I look on the faithless with loathing because they do not obey Your word.” The psalmist’s holy grief is not cold disdain; it is a deep, personal sorrow that others spurn the life-giving commands of God. Streams of Tears in the Psalms • Psalm 119:136 — “My eyes shed streams of tears because Your law is not obeyed.” • Psalm 119:53 — “Rage has consumed me because of the wicked who reject Your law.” • Psalm 119:139 — “My zeal has consumed me, for my foes forget Your words.” • Psalm 119:158 — our anchor verse, echoing the same brokenhearted zeal for God’s honor. Prophetic Weeping over National Rebellion • Jeremiah 9:1 — “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain daughter of my people.” • Jeremiah 13:17 — “If you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and overflow with tears…” • Lamentations 1:16 — “For these things I weep; my eyes overflow with tears…” • Lamentations 2:11 — “My eyes fail from weeping, my stomach churns…” • Ezekiel 9:4 — “Put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.” The Heart of Christ toward the Disobedient • Luke 19:41-42 — “As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, ‘If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace!’” • Matthew 23:37 — “Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed to gather your children together… and you were unwilling.” • Mark 3:5 — “He looked around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts…” Apostolic Tears for the Wandering • Romans 9:2-3 — “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart… for the sake of my brothers.” • Philippians 3:18-19 — “For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” • Acts 20:19 — “Serving the Lord with great humility and with tears…” • Acts 20:31 — “I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” • 2 Corinthians 2:4 — “For through many tears and anguish I wrote to you…” Righteous Grief in Daily Life • 2 Peter 2:7-8 — Lot, “a righteous man, distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless… tormented his righteous soul day after day.” • Psalm 119:139 (re-noted) reminds us that zeal for God’s word naturally includes sorrow when that word is ignored. Drawing It Together Throughout Scripture, godly men and women—psalmists, prophets, apostles, and the Lord Jesus Himself—model a heartfelt sorrow when others spurn the commands meant for their blessing. Their tears spring from love for God’s holiness and compassion for those in danger. The same Spirit who inspired their grief now invites us to feel—and act—likewise: mourning sin, interceding for the lost, and living out obedience that points people back to the good, life-giving Word of the Lord. |
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