Definition and Nature:
Sadness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of sorrow, grief, or unhappiness. In the biblical context, sadness is often portrayed as a natural human response to loss, disappointment, or the recognition of sin. It is an emotion that can lead to spiritual reflection and growth when approached with a heart open to God's guidance.

Biblical Instances:
The Bible contains numerous accounts of individuals experiencing sadness, often in response to personal or communal crises. One of the most poignant examples is found in the account of Job, who experienced profound grief and lamentation after losing his children, wealth, and health. Job's response to his suffering is encapsulated in his words: "Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?" (Job 3:11).

King David also expressed deep sadness in the Psalms, often crying out to God in times of distress. In Psalm 42:5, David writes, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence" . This verse highlights the struggle between human sadness and the hope found in God.

Sadness and Repentance:
Sadness can also be a catalyst for repentance and spiritual renewal. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, speaks of "godly sorrow" that leads to repentance. He writes, "For godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). This distinction emphasizes the transformative potential of sadness when it draws individuals closer to God.

Jesus and Sadness:
Jesus Himself experienced sadness, most notably at the death of Lazarus. In John 11:35, the shortest verse in the Bible, it simply states, "Jesus wept" . This moment reveals the depth of Jesus' compassion and His shared experience of human emotions. Additionally, Jesus' sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He faced His impending crucifixion, is a profound example of His humanity: "My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38).

Comfort in Sadness:
The Bible offers numerous assurances of God's comfort and presence in times of sadness. Psalm 34:18 declares, "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit" . This promise of divine closeness provides solace to those who are grieving or in distress.

The Beatitudes, spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, also address those who mourn: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). This assurance of comfort underscores the hope that believers can find in God's promises, even amidst sorrow.

Practical Application:
Believers are encouraged to bring their sadness to God in prayer, trusting in His ability to provide peace and healing. Philippians 4:6-7 advises, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" .

Furthermore, the Christian community is called to support one another in times of sadness. Romans 12:15 instructs, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep" , emphasizing the importance of empathy and shared burdens within the body of Christ.Ecclesiastes 7:3
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
Topicalbible.org

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy to our LORD: neither be you sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
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2 Corinthians 6:10
As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
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Romans 12:15
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
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4036. perilupos -- very sad
... encompassing" and 3077 , "sorrow") -- properly, being sorrowful "all-around," ie
in sorrow. Word Origin from peri and lupe Definition very sad NASB Word Usage ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4036.htm - 7k

On the Words of the Gospel, John x. 14, "I am the Good Shepherd ...
... only, but a second and a third time, that by a threefold confession of love, he
might efface the threefold sin of denial; wherefore, I say, being sad that he ...
/.../sermon lxxxviii on the words.htm

That Holy Indifference Extends to all Things.
... Their sorrow is joyous, their poverty rich, their death life-giving, their dishonour
honourable, that is, they are joyful for being sad, content to be poor ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter v that holy indifference.htm

Of the Indifference which we are to have as to Our Advancement in ...
... stirrings be no sin, yet the poor soul that is often attacked by them, troubles,
afflicts and disquiets herself, and thinks she does well in being sad, as if ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter vii of the indifference.htm

Argument. Saturus, in a vision, and Perpetua Being Carried by ...
... And being clothed, we entered and saw the boundless light, and heard the united ... the
presbyter, a teacher, [9000] at the left hand, separate and sad; and they ...
/.../chapter iv argument saturus in a.htm

Resignation
... When we have labored long in the light of hope, and lo! It goes out in darkness,
and the blast of disappointment rushes upon us, can we help being sad? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapin/the crown of thorns/resignation.htm

Psalm CXLVI.
... not as yet in reality, but in hope; and saith to it when troubled and anxious, sad
and sorrowing ... I will sing unto my God, as long as I have my being." What sort ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxlvi.htm

To the Saddest of the Sad
... If any of you are in a sad condition, your best hopes may lie this way. ... having at
first heard it with pleasure, they find that, for the time being, it involves ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 34 1888/to the saddest of the.htm

The Former Subject of the Sedition Continued; Also of Fasting...
... This, indeed, was a great thing; but what is much more, instead of being made sad,
they considered their very scourgings, as a ground of additional pleasure. ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xviii the former subject.htm

That Sadness is Almost Always Useless, Yea Contrary to the Service ...
... that spreading over every pain of body and contrition of spirit, and being in a ... and
such is right sadness, which in good sooth is not really sad or melancholy ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xxi that sadness is.htm

Fasting
... If there is less fasting now than then, Christians still need to take care that
they do not get up a certain 'sad countenance' for the sake of being seen of men ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/fasting.htm

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