Austin Bible Church
Weeping is expressing grief, sorrow, or any overwhelming emotion by shedding tears. People weep in very good situations and they weep in very bad situations. The following are examples of good and bad weeping.
Weeping of unbelief and fear. This is weeping resulted from scar tissue in their souls due to their continued negative volition to Bible doctrine. This scar tissue manifested itself because of the first generation of Israel’s rejection of Moses as their divinely-provided leader. They all had seen many miracles provided by the grace of God. Unfortunately, they had little or no appreciation of God’s provision. They had no Bible doctrine in their souls. They believed that the Lord had brought them into the Land to be killed. They wanted the security of Egypt even with the slavery that went with it. The scar tissue and emotional revolt of the soul motivated the Jews to invade the Land against God’s command. They lost badly, so they wept. They did not have the spiritual confidence or spiritual will based on Bible doctrine in the soul to conquer the Land. They only had emotional revolt with resultant scar tissue. Num. 14:1-4; Deut. 1:43-45.
“Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”“ (Numbers 14:1-4, NASB)
““So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country. “The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. “Then you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD did not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.” (Deuteronomy 1:43-45, NASB)
Weeping from lack of application of Bible doctrine in times of distress or shock of catastrophe. Psalms 42:3-5; 1 Sam. 30:4-6.
“My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.” (Psalms 42:3-5, NASB)
“Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” (1 Samuel 30:4-6, NASB)
Weeping from lack of faith in God’s promises. Num. 11:4; Num. 11:10; Num. 11:18-20.
“The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?” (Numbers 11:4, NASB)
“Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased.” (Numbers 11:10, NASB)
““Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat. ‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”‘““ (Numbers 11:18-20, NASB)
Weeping of grief or sorrow at the death of a loved one. Weeping when a loved one has died can show a capacity for love. This is one of the three times that our Lord wept that is recorded in the Scriptures. If the loved one that died was a believer, you have confidence that they are now face to face with the Lord. If they were an unbeliever, you also have confidence that God the Holy Spirit made the issue of salvation clear to them, if they were positive at God consciousness. You also have confidence that God is perfectly fair and has perfect unconditional love for all mankind and does not wish that any would perish. John 11:33-35; 1 Thess. 4:13; Matt. 18:14; John 3:16.
“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.” (John 11:33-35, NASB)
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, NASB)
“ “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” (Matthew 18:14, NASB)
“ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “ (John 3:16, NASB)
Weeping of regret. Esau wept because he had rejected the Gospel so many times, that when he thought he wanted to believe, he was unable due to the scar tissue in his soul. Heb. 12:16-17. In 2 Samuel 18:33 and 2 Samuel 19:1-4, David wept because of his son and his failure because of his son.
“that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” (Hebrews 12:16-17, NASB)
“The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”“ (2 Samuel 18:33, NASB)
“Then it was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourns for Absalom.” The victory that day was turned to mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” So the people went by stealth into the city that day, as people who are humiliated steal away when they flee in battle. The king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”“ (2 Samuel 19:1-4, NASB)
Weeping of bitterness. Hannah could not have children and was bitter about it. Her arrogance and bitterness resulted in scar tissue of the soul. Peter realized that he had done exactly what Jesus Christ had predicted he would do and exactly what he had said he would never do. 1 Sam. 1:10; Luke 22:61-62.
“She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.” (1 Samuel 1:10, NASB)
“The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62, NASB)
Weeping of legalism. The old men wept during the dedication of the rebuilt temple because it wasn’t as big as the original temple. Ezra 3:12-13.
“Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.” (Ezra 3:12-13, NASB)
Weeping at the end of testing or divine discipline. Psalms 30:5; Psalms 30:11; Psalms 126:3-6.
“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5, NASB)
“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,” (Psalms 30:11, NASB)
“The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. “ (Psalms 126:3-6, NASB)
Weeping as an expression of happiness. Psalms 30:5.
“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5, NASB)
Weeping of sadness for believers who are negative to Bible doctrine. Paul wept because of the negative volition to Bible doctrine. Phil. 3:18-19.
“For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-19, NASB)
Weeping during the Fifth Cycle of Discipline or a national disaster. Lam. 1:15-16; Isaiah 22:3-4; Jer. 9:1; Joel 1:5-6.
““The Lord has rejected all my strong men In my midst; He has called an appointed time against me To crush my young men; The Lord has trodden as in a wine press The virgin daughter of Judah. “For these things I weep; My eyes run down with water; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul. My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed.”“ (Lamentations 1:15-16, NASB)
“All your rulers have fled together, And have been captured without the bow; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away. Therefore I say, “Turn your eyes away from me, Let me weep bitterly, Do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”“ (Isaiah 22:3-4, NASB)
“Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1, NASB)
“Awake, drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you wine drinkers, On account of the sweet wine That is cut off from your mouth. For a nation has invaded my land, Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the fangs of a lioness.” (Joel 1:5-6, NASB)
Weeping at the Last Judgment. Matt. 8:12; Luke 13:28; Matt. 25:30; Matt. 24:51.
“ but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” “ (Matthew 8:12, NASB)
“ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “ (Luke 13:28, NASB)
“ “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “ (Matthew 25:30, NASB)
“ and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “ (Matthew 24:51, NASB)
Weeping for one’s country or city. Lam. 1:16; Jer. 9:1. In Luke 19:41, Jesus Christ wept due to His patriotism. Jesus loved Jerusalem and He was a patriot. He knew it would be destroyed shortly by the Romans. He wept for His country and its capital city.
““For these things I weep; My eyes run down with water; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul. My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed.”“ (Lamentations 1:16, NASB)
“Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1, NASB)
“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,” (Luke 19:41, NASB)
Jesus Christ wept while on the Cross. Heb. 5:7.
“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” (Hebrews 5:7, NASB)
The end of all weeping. Rev. 21:4; Isaiah 30:18-20.
“and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”“ (Revelation 21:4, NASB)
“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.” (Isaiah 30:18-20, NASB)