Tears: the First and Last Dr. Don Bailey When did the first tears occur in the Bible? The first mention of the word, tears, is found in 2Kings 20:5 where God said to Isaiah: “Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.” The first time the word weeping, is mentioned was when Hagar wept in Genesis 21:16. One cannot be certain but I would think that the first time tears fell in the Bible was from the eyes of Adam and Eve when they realized what heartache, sorrow, and death they had brought on the whole of humanity (Gen. 3). They, no doubt, wept much when they were driven out from Eden and the Presence of God (Genesis 3:24). A most devastating blow occurred to their hearts when Cain murdered Abel (Genesis 4: 8). They experienced for the first time what it meant to lose a loved one to death—the world’s first funeral. Ever since then each of us has known what it means to weep bitter tears of sorrow at the graveside of a loved one. When Jesus saw Mary and her friends weeping when Lazarus died, He was so moved that tears filled His eyes, not because Lazarus had died but because He had great sympathy for them (John 11:1-36). The tears in our lives, for whatever reason, run like a never-ending stream; they never cease to flow. I wonder at times, if all the tears that have ever flowed since that first tear in the Garden of Eden to the present, would fill the oceans. But one day, in God’s own good time, He will dry up that sorrowful flow and wipe away all tears from off the faces of those He loves. Weeping endures for only a little while, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:35; Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4). Isaiahs word wipe in 25:8 is a Hebrew word picture of Gods tender hand wiping the tears from the cheeks just as our mothers used to wipe the tears from our eyes after having been hurt. What joy just to think: No tears in Heaven fair, no tears, no tears up there; heartaches and sorrow will have flown. Therell be no sadness all will be gladness, when we get together round Gods Throne.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 10:11:19 +0000
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