The Beatitudes Part V

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The Beatitudes Part V

Happy are the mourners for they shall be comforted. (Mt. 5:4) Now as we pointed out previously this is a clear reference to certain passages in Isaiah: Rejoice you with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her.... As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (Is. 66:10, 13) To proclaim the acceptable year of YHWH, the day of vengence of our Elohim; to comfort all who mourn; (Is. 61:2 (see 61:1-3)) First let us look at who the comforter is and then we will see how the mourners are to be comforted. The Hebrew of Mt. 5:4 has YINAKHAMU for "they shall be comforted". The root word for "comfort" here is NAKHAM. This is the same word which appears in Is. 61:2 & 66:13. The Aramaic translator of Matthew rendered this word with NITBAYUN from the Aramaic root BAYA. The emissary Yochanan used an even more interesting Aramaic word to refer to YHWH as "comforter". He uses the Aramaic word.

This Aramaic word PARAKLITA appears in Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 and 1Jn. 2:1. This word appears in the Hebrew of the Mishna in m.Avot 4:11a The Jewish Dictionary states: The sin offering is like the paraclete before God it interceded for man and is followed by another, a thank offering for the pardon obtained. The two daily burnt offerings are called "the two parcletes". (pp. 514-515). At any rate YHWH as "comforter" is also mentioned in Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7. >From these passages it is clear that the "Comforter" is the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) also known as the "Spirit of Truth." Yochanan (John) says: ...the Spirit of Truth... will guide you in all truth... (Jn. 16:13) And the Psalmist tells us "The Torah is truth" and all the commandments are truth. (Ps. 119:142, 151) Ezekiel 18:29-32 speaks of having a new heart and a new spirit. Ezekiel 36:26-27 speaks similarly: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgements, and do them. So the comforter leads the mourners in all truth. The comforter causes them to walk in the statutes, to keep the commandments and to observe the Torah of YHWH. The mourners have a spirit which leads them to observe Torah.

Now this is what you may not have known. The mark, or seal that the mourners receive in Exek. 9 and Rev. 7 is the comforter. They are sealed by the Ruach! (2Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30) [Messiah] who has sealed us and placed the token of his Spirit in our hearts. (2Cor. 1:22) ...In him you trusted and were sealed by the Ruach HaKodesh which was promised. (Eph. 1:13) And do not grieve the Ruach HaKodesh of Eloah, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30) The mourners are sealed by their comforter, the Ruach HaKodesh who leads them to observe Torah and comforts them until the day of redemption. What is this day of redemption? This takes us back to Is. 61:1-3: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: because the Lord hath anointed me to proclaim unto the poor: he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: To proclaim the acceptable year of YHWH, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn: To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness: that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of YHWH, that he might be glorified.

This spirit comforts them and will ultimately comfort them on the favorable day of YHWH. Note that the seal of the comforter protects them from harm (Ezek. 9:6; and Rev. 9:4) thus comforting them unto the day of redemption. The day of redemption is clearly the beginning of the "Kingdom of Heaven" mentioned in the previous line and which parallels the "they shall be comforted" in this line of the poem. Thus "they shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (Is. 66:13).