Sin and Comfort

1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord‘s hand double for all her sins.

When the children of Israel sinned, they were often smitten in the very thing that they sinned, but they were also comforted with the very thing that caused them to sin.

(Excerpt from Theological Dictionary of Rabbinic Judaism, Vol 3, 31. Jacob Neusner – Slight modifications and edits.)

 

The HEAD

1.  WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE HEAD:  “And they said one to another, Let us make a captain (head), and let us return into Egypt.”  Numbers 14:4
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE HEAD:  “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.”  Is. 1:5
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE HEAD:  “and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.“

The EYE

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE EYE:  “…Because the daughters of Zion …walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes,”
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE EYE: “For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me…”
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE EYE: “For they will see with their own eyes when the Lord restores Zion.”  Isaiah 52:8

The EAR

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE EAR: “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.” Zechariah 7:11
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE EAR:  “The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
   They shall put their hand over their mouth;
   Their ears shall be deaf.“ Micah 7:16
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE EAR: “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
   “This is the way, walk in it,”  Isaiah 30:21

The MOUTH

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE MOUTH: “Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly“  Isaiah 9:17
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE MOUTH:  “The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away,”  Isaiah 9:12
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE MOUTH: “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.”  Psalm 126:2

The TONGUE

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE TONGUE:  “And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.”  Jeremiah 9:3
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE TONGUE:  “The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breath it unto them.”  Lamentations 4:4
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE TONGUE:  “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.”  Psalm 126:2

The HEART

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE HEART: “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.”  Zechariah 7:12
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE HEART: “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.”  Isaiah 1:5
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE HEART: “Speak to the heart of  (tenderly t0) Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.”  Isaiah 40:2

The HAND

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE HAND: “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.“  Isaiah 1:15
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE HAND: “The hands of the pitiful women have sodden (boiled) their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.”  Lamentations 4:10
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE HAND: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people,..”  Isaiah 11:11

The FOOT

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH THE FOOT: “Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:“  Isaiah 3:16
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH THE FOOT:  “Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.”  Jeremiah 13:16
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH THE FOOT: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”  Isaiah 52:7

With HE

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH HE: “They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:”  Jeremiah 5:12
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH HE: “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.“  Isaiah 63:10
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH HE:  “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;”  Isaiah 51:12

The FIRE

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH FIRE: “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, …that they may provoke me to anger.”  Jeremiah 7:18
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH FIRE:  “From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.” Lamentations 1:13
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH FIRE: “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”  Zechariah 2:5

The DOUBLE MEASURE

1. WHEN THEY SINNED WITH DOUBLE MEASURE: “Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have all seen her naked; she herself groans and turns away.”  Lamentations 1:8
2. …THEY WERE SMITTEN WITH DOUBLE MEASURE:  “Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.“  Isaiah 40:2
3. …BUT THEY WERE COMFORTED WITH DOUBLE MEASURE: ““Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.“  Isaiah 40:2

In reviewing all of these verses, the comparison between sin, being smitten, and being comforted is overwhelming.  Time and time again the sin, being smitten and being comforted is an exact match.

This is God’s way of taking what was meant for evil and turning it for good.  The very thing that was drawing us away from God is used to draw us near to him.

I would love to hear of how God has comforted you through your life and how it has matched the very sin that was destroying you.  Please comment below.