Tag Archives: Old Testament

It’s 31 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and you’re sitting in your favorite comfy chair right in front of a warm fire. You’ve got fuzzy socks on, a thick blanket wrapped around you, and you’re holding a cup of fresh hot cocoa. There’s no noise, save for maybe the rustling of fall leaves in your front yard and the turn of pages in the book you’re reading. It’s the picture of comfort.

We think of comfort in many ways. For some, it’s the above scenario. Others might think of a fun dinner gathering with family and friends. I like lists—schedules, grocery lists, prayer lists, goal lists, etcetera. Lists give me a sense of security and comfort. If I see what I need to accomplish in writing, then it becomes more feasible to me. It helps me grasp a task and see its completion. But there are often moments when the need for comfort goes far beyond feeling cozy on a cold evening, having a fun chat with family, or planning out a task. When the homework or bills pile high or we’re in a dry wilderness that no one else understands, what we need goes beyond the physical, tangible world. When our spirit needs comforting, we must go to the Word of God.

“This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” ~Psalms 119:50

Psalm 119 discusses meditation on the law of the Lord, or Scripture, and when we meditate on His Word, we learn to trust and find comfort in Him. The Hebrew word for “affliction” in verse 50 is ‛ŏnîy (pronounced “on-ee’”) and means “depression, misery, or trouble.” “Quickened” in Hebrew is châyâh (khaw-yaw’), meaning “to revive, nourish up, preserve, recover, restore to life, save alive, surely be whole.” Now, remember from the first word study post in this series that “comfort” in the Hebrew often translates to “consolation.” Here, the word for comfort in Hebrew is nechâmâh, similar to nâcham, which means “to console” in Isaiah 49:13. The psalmist in the above verse was depressed and troubled, but his misery did not consume him. Why? Because the Word of the Lord revived him, nourished him, restored him, and made him whole. This is our consolation when we have an overdue water bill, student loans piling up, groceries to buy, and a broken water heater to fix. This is our consolation when we have multiple essays and projects due while studying for exams. This is our consolation when we seem to crawl through the barren wilderness, enduring unexplainable grief and hopelessness. God’s Word declares He is with us, He will never forsake us, and that He will provide our every need. Our comfort during miserable circumstances is the hope we find in His Word. Even when we’re depressed, His Word pulls us out of that depression and nourishes and restores us. His Word gives us life and the strength to go on and endure.

“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;

“But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.” ~Isaiah 51:12, 15

God is the Comforter of His people. The note for Isaiah 51:12 in my Apostolic Study Bible states that “the Israelites should no longer fear Babylon because it will fade away.” In fact, the headline for chapter 51 is “Jerusalem’s Comfort.” In this chapter, God reminds His people that His righteousness and salvation are forever. We should not be afraid of mankind or things on earth because the moth and worm “shall eat them up,” and the earth will “wax old like a garment” (see Is. 51:6-8). There truly is a season to everything as Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says. In Isaiah 51:12, God tells His people that He is the One Who comforts and eases us and asks how anyone could be afraid of a mortal man who will die or of mankind who is brought forth as mere grass. In verse 15, He reminds us just Who He is. He is Jehovah Who is THE God Who literally split apart the sea when the people of Israel fled Egypt. “Hosts” translated from the Hebrew tsâbâ’ tsebâ’âh means “a mass of persons especially regularly organized for war, an army, and soldiers waiting upon war.” He is the LORD of an army! Man is nothing compared to God, and nothing compares to His greatness and strength and His mighty hand in battle!

When our needs go beyond the physical world and life weighs us down, God will provide us with strength, restore us, and lead an army against our enemy to fight our battles for us. Jesus is the true picture of comfort for the weary and troubled soul.

The next post in this series will be studying how the word “comfort” appears in the New Testament and what it means. Be sure to subscribe to receive a notification when “Comfort in the New Testament Part One: A Brief Analysis” goes live! I pray this word study of “comfort” in the Old Testament has blessed you and perhaps even compelled you to conduct “word” studies in the Word and dive deeper into Bible studying. In the meantime, here’s a beautiful song about God’s blessings (which Numbers 6:24-27 inspired) to help you find comfort in His Presence:

“The Lord bless you and keep you

Make His face shine upon you

And be gracious to you

The Lord turn His face toward you

And give you peace.”

~The Blessing (Gospel Revamp)

When trial after trial hits, each trial compounding on the previous one, it becomes very easy for a whirlwind of anxiety, frustration, and depression to sweep you away. In the midst of all the chaos, you realize what you long for is comfort—to feel a calm to the storm within and around you if even for a moment long enough to reassure you that somehow everything will be okay.

Again and again throughout Scripture and still today, God comforts His people. In the Greek and Hebrew languages, the word “comfort” takes on various meanings from compassion to consolation and ease. In the Old Testament, “comfort” appears when His people are feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or afraid.

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” ~Psalm 94:19

God comforts us and gives us support, encouragement, and mercy when our thoughts and circumstances seem to consume us. In Psalm 94:19, the Hebrew word for “multitude” is “rôb,” meaning “abundance.” The Hebrew word for “comforts” is “tanchûm tanchûm tanchûmâh” and means “compassion, solace, and consolation.” “Delight” translates into “shâ‛a‛,” or shaw-ah’,” which means “in good acceptation; to look upon with complacency, please, or amuse.” As a person who tends to overthink, it is far too easy for negative thoughts to overwhelm me, but as the psalmist said, in the middle of all my fear and doubt and anxiety, His compassion pleases my soul.

Three verses later, the psalmist declared in Psalm 94:22, “But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.” “Defence” here comes from the Hebrew word “miώgâb,” or “mis-gawb’,” which means “a refuge or a place in Moab that was a high fort or tower,” and “rock” comes from the Hebrew “tsûr tsûr,” or “tsoor tsoor,” which indicates a rock or defense that is sharp, mighty, and strong. “Refuge” comes from the Hebrew “machăseh machseh,” or “makh-as-eh’ makh-seh’,” and means “shelter, hope, place of refuge, and trust.” God is literally our strong and mighty tower—the place of refuge where we find hope, shelter, and trust. With both of these verses in account, not only does God comfort us and give us encouragement and mercy when we war with the thoughts in our mind, but He also goes to war for us and gives us a place in His Presence where we can find shelter from the overwhelming battle and where we can find hope and learn to trust in Him.

Looking at the chapters before and after Psalm 94 helps us understand the context of this chapter’s message. The heading for Psalm 94 in my Apostolic Study Bible says, “God avenges His people.” Psalm 93 discusses the “supremacy of the Lord” and how He is clothed with majesty and strength. The three psalms immediately following Psalm 94 express praise, worship, and celebration of God as our Great King and Creator Who eternally reigns over all the universe. If we look at these chapters collectively, we understand that we must praise God for His greatness and majesty because of who He is—He is everlasting and mighty, and He fights for us and is merciful to us as the Judge of the earth. He is our Creator, after all. It is comforting to know and understand that our Creator truly cares and has compassion for us.

God’s Word associates comfort with praise again in Isaiah 49:13:

“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.”

The prophet Isaiah is instructing God’s creation to sing for joy and triumph because God consoles His people and gives mercy to those who are depressed and poor. “Sing” here comes from the Hebrew word “rânan,” which means “to shout or cry aloud for joy or to rejoice for triumph.” “Comforted” is from the Hebrew word “nâcham,” meaning “to console or to ease,” and “afflicted” comes from the Hebrew “‛ânîy,” or “aw-nee’,” which means “depressed in mind or circumstances, lowly, needy, or poor.” Here, we see again how great our God is and that He is always there to comfort us and care for our needs, showing us mercy and compassion and love. But it is not enough to merely give this instruction once or remind God’s people only one time of His comfort and mercy. In Isaiah 52:9, we see yet another command to praise:

“Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.”

We often have good reason behind our despair, for life often comes with an abundance of pain, loss, and suffering. But Isaiah understood that God’s people should praise Him even when we’re in those low places of sorrow. We sing praises to Him, and He comforts and redeems us. We may be desolate waste places, but God has bought us with His Blood and delivered us from all sin and sorrow. Our world is unfair and filled with strife and darkness, but God has overcome the world and given us His Presence and Word to be our comfort.

I hope this brief analysis of comfort in the Old Testament has blessed you. Stay tuned for part two on studying comfort in the Old Testament in which we’ll cover more of Psalms and Isaiah and how we can find comfort in God’s strength and provision. For an encouraging song to remind you of the Lord’s greatness and comfort in the meantime, check out “The Isaiah Song” by The Urshan College Choir.

“Sing, sing! O barren land,

Water is coming to the thirsty.

Though you are empty, I am the Well.

Draw from me; I will provide.”

~The Isaiah Song