Washing the Dishes
He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:8 NASB
Wipe tears away – The verb maha(h) occurs thirty-tree times in the Tanakh. It is used to describe the results of the flood, the conversation with Moses on the occasion of Israel’s sin of idolatry, and the judgment of Jerusalem. TWOT notes that “erasures in ancient leather scrolls were made by washing or sponging off the ink rather than blotting. ‘Wipe out’ is therefore more accurate for the idea of expunge.”[1] It’s like washing the dishes. You don’t throw away the plate because it is dirty. You clean it by removing the debris. What “defiles” the dish is removed so that the dish can be used again. In this manner, God wipes away our sins, our defilement, so that we can be of use to Him again.
But what about wiping away tears? Tears (dim’a) are a sign of lament and mourning. The emotions that produce them are powerful human experiences not easily dismissed. In fact, the memories of tears serve to underscore the radical change that occurs when God acts on our behalf. Tears of remorse can become tears of rejoicing. Remembering why I cried becomes the reminder of God’s grace. But someday, says the prophet, God will wipe away the tears from all faces. Does that mean tears will no longer have any place in human experience? I don’t think so. Tears of joy may flood our eyes when we experience the final restoration of the Kingdom on earth. Tears of rejoicing will be present when we encounter the saints again. Tears of gratitude will flow freely when we finally comprehend the full work of the Messiah. Tears of adoration will be part of our worship of YHVH. Being fully human requires the experience of overwhelming emotion, just as we see in the life of Yeshua. Tears will not disappear, but the causes of our tears will dramatically change. Isaiah’s expression, “wipe tears away,” is not meant to suggest that tears themselves will never again slip down our faces. His expression is meant to communicate that death will never again be the cause of crying.
The distinction is important. In Greek thinking, tears of emotion are considered signs of weakness. If we were Greek, we would want a world where there were no more tears—for any reason. But Hebrew life rides on the waves of emotional engagement. Emotions are God’s powerful gift to His children that bring us closer to the transcendent experience of His presence. Crying actually is good for the soul. A man without tears is closer to a machine than a human being. In Hebrew life, tears are tools for washing dishes. I can easily imagine that the tears of the Messiah are the means of my salvation, just as Yeshua recognized the power in the tears used to wash his feet. One wonders how much life would be diminished if we were never to cry. Let us resolve not to find out.
Topical Index: wipe away, maha(h), tears, dim’a, death, Isaiah 25:8
[1] Kaiser, W. C. (1999). 1178 מָחָה. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (498). Chicago: Moody Press.
https://answersingenesis.org/human-body/the-miracle-of-tears/
One of the physical reactions I ended up with as a child in response to chronic stress was very low blood pressure, which caused no end of problems, from Reynaud’s disease, which diminishes blood flow to extremities, to thyroid complications, to blacking out occasionally if I changed altitude too fast. 80/40 was a good day for me, and I have had it recorded in an emergency room as low as 50/38, but I was still staggering around and driving myself and my children home.
When I realized that I was vulnerable on an ongoing basis to the cruelty and bias of others, I remember distinctly the day I made a power decision to not show emotion. I remember, with great pain, forcing myself to ‘find’ that place, and bookmarking it. Thereafter, I would employ that deadening at all emotionally upsetting places. By the time I ended up in Alanon and was taught about delayed reactions, it had gotten so bad, I was stockpiling emotional reactions to process when it was ‘safe’, or when I could afford such an expensive thing, for long periods. Needless to say, my quality decision making was not going well because I literally did not know what I thought or how I felt about day to day events. But. apparently, there were lots of other physical side effects, too. Some of them, like the Reynaud’s disease, which was very cruel to me, showed up almost immediately. I remember being shocked that cold weather affected me, and how badly. Up to that time, cold was pretty much ok, but I suffered from then on. The passing out was strange and very un-fun, too. My thyroid continued to deteriorate until it had completely crashed by the time I was 35.
5 years ago this fall, on September 24th, at 11:00 pm, I reached the place where I was tired of fear, and all I was doing to employ such unholiness, and repented for all the ways I found that I was performing for love, and kicked that fear out of my life. I prayed for healing, too, and was instantly healed of Chronic Fatigue. Halleluah! Well, all those other side effects started going away! Some of them disappeared immediately, like the potassium imbalance, and some of them took a few months, all the while I was actively continuing to choose not to let those motives and reactions back in. Without the panic, my thyroid took about 18 months to completely normalize. I was on a roll! BUT, I still had low blood pressure, which is more life-impacting,and can be more potentially dangerous than high blood pressure. So, I went back to the healing place and prayed about it. I knew I must still be sinning somewhere, and by that time I had learned that stress and fear affects the vascular system, so I knew that, even though I was enjoying relief from fear on a conscious level, it must still exist, I just could not see it. So I asked about the fear I COULD NOT SEE. And then, I saw it. That day long ago, when I made that decision to bury my emotions, and not show fear. So I repented for burying the fear, and resolved not to be afraid of man, which was being disobedient. That fear left. That night, I got warmer and warmer, and by morning, I had shed half my covers. By the time I got to a place where I could check my pressure, it had risen to a respectable 107/63, and has stayed there ever since. Halleluah! No more Reynaud’s, and no more blacking out when I jump up and down for joy(!), and quick-muscle exercise has gotten much better, too. I have resolved that I should not try to mess with the system any more, needless to say. Those Tibetan monks sitting naked in the snow and sweating: they can have it. I would rather cry at the drop of a hat! Halleluah! Praise His holy Name, and His salvation in the land of the living!
When I was running from G_d I somehow made myself “give up crying” because I wanted to be tuff and like the machine you mentioned. When I surrendered to Jeshua, Good Friday 1986 in Venice, California the Lord gave me back my tears! To this day it is one of my most cherished things. It is embarrassing sometimes, but I am so grateful that G_d has returned to me the passion to cry and weep. The family teases me because I am the most likely to cry at movies, especially since my mom and dad are gone.
Thanks Skip and the rest of you all, I am so blessed to be part of this
e-community.
Bill
~ Those who have been ransomed [redeemed, purchased] by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness ~ (Isaiah 51.1)
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Rejoice, – rejoice, O Christian!
Lift up your voice and sing!
Eternal hallelujahs
To Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him,
The Help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.
~ Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool ~ (Isaiah 1.18)
~ he will be a vessel for honour, made holy, meet for the Master’s use, ready for every good work ~ (Amen!)
“Tears (dim’a) are a sign of lament and mourning. The emotions that produce them are powerful human experiences not easily dismissed”, nor erased from memory. They relieve us of the deep emotions that cause stress and distress.
“Tears of remorse can become tears of rejoicing” Amein! ABBA turns our tears to rejoicing, those who sow in tears will reap with joy!!
“His expression is meant to communicate that death will never again be the cause of crying.” YES! There will be such joy in the passing away of one who walks in Torah, no more vulnerable to the despair of this crazy world.
Shalom.