Our God Who Comforts Us
1: 1-7
Our God who comforts us DIG: Why was Paul feeling so vulnerable when he wrote this letter? What other person in the TaNaKh might Paul’s sufferings be compared to? How does Paul describe God in this passage? How would you describe the difference between hope and comfort? Paul provides a window into his emotional state during his trials. What are some of the key words and phrases he uses? What is Paul’s perspective on the trials that he faced? Why does he believe that he was allowed to endure them?
REFLECT: Many people become negative and complain in the midst of their trials. But Paul was able to praise God in the midst of challenging circumstances. How does a person’s attitude when facing suffering influence others? Do you praise God when things get really tough in your life? How can you become more able to genuinely praise God in all circumstances? Where does God reveal Himself to you in your suffering? What evidence has God provided that He delivers His children from trials? How does God comfort you?
God is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so we can comfort others.
All of us go through them – periods of intense, unexpected, unwelcomed suffering. No one lived a more dedicated, disciplined, God-pleasing life than the apostle Paul. Yet, Paul’s life, like that of Job, of whom it was said: Job was a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:8b), reads like a case study in suffering. Paul could relate. He wrote from his prison cell: I have suffered the loss of all things and one who longed to know Messiah and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:8 and 10 NKJV).9 Our ADONAI is a God who meets us and comforts us, and Paul mentions comfort nine times as he opens his second letter to the Corinthians.
From: Sha’ul, by God’s will an apostle of the Messiah Yeshua, and brother Timothy. From the very first sentence Paul keeps his overall purpose for writing Second Corinthians in mind, establishing the basis for the remainder of his letter. Namely, unlike the false apostles who claimed apostolic authority (to see link click Af – The Problem of the False Apostles), Paul paid a hefty personal price for following Yeshua as one of His true apostles. He let his readers know right from the start that his apostolic credentials were written in his blood. But rather than grumble about how unfairly he had been treated, or complain about the injustices he was forced to endure, Paul gloried in the fact that ADONAI had faithfully comforted him in his suffering, so that Paul could be a comfort to others in their suffering.10
Dear Great Father God, Praise You that You are not some sugar daddy who spoils his child; but rather You are like the perfect Coach – lovingly training and guiding each of Your children so we may win many heavenly eternal rewards thru suffering and trials. You gifted the Corinthians, but You also sent Paul to help guide them in the pride of their gifts, to give the glory to You – rather than be proud of themselves. You bless and gift Your children so that we give You the praise and glory – not pat ourselves on the back. The reason we have to experience various trials is so the true genuineness of our faith, which is far more valuable than gold, will be judged worthy of praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Yeshua the Messiah (First Peter 1:6c-7).
Your love and presence is continually right there alongside each of Your children (Hebrews 13:5), both in every painful trial and circumstance and also in every proud moment of achievement. You so desire each of Your children to lean on You for wisdom, strength, and comfort. Thank You for being such a wonderful wise and loving Daddy who comforts us in our suffering and trials to bring both glory to Your name and joy and rewards to Your children. You are the best! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen
To: The church of God in Corinth, along with all God’s people throughout Achaia (1:1). It is striking that Paul should address this divided church by such a phrase as the church of God in Corinth. The very phrase is laden with irony, intended or unintended. How could such a church of God be in such a godless city and be so divided? Nevertheless, Paul addressed them as God’s people, probably to encourage them to become what God graciously saw them to be.11 It has been widely recognized how Paul combines the traditional Jewish and Greek greetings: Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (1:2). God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah jointly form a single source of divine grace and shalom. The deity of Yeshua Messiah is clearly implied here.
ADONAI is the God of all comfort (1:3): If you really want to know God you must understand His character. One of the problems in our world today is that there are a lot of people who think they know God, but they don’t truly know God’s character. They see YHVH as vindictive, full of rage and wrath. But the fact is, if you say you believe in God, but you have a wrong understanding of who God is, you are not that much different from the world. You have to understand God’s character. And you go to God’s Word to find that out. And what does God’s Word say about Him? It says He is grace and love and kind and light and forgiving and full of mercy. But it also says that He is the God of all comfort. Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, compassionate Father, God of all comfort (1:3).
Compassionate means that God sees your pain and suffering. He knows what you are going through. This is a common theme in the TaNaKh (Ps 51:11, 86:5, 94:19; Lam 3:22; Isaiah 51:12, 63:7, 66:13; Dan 9:9). Psalm 103: 13 and 17 declares: Just as a father has compassion on his children, ADONAI has compassion on those who fear Him . . . But the mercy of ADONAI on those who fear Him is from eternity past to eternity future, and His righteousness extends to His children’s children. The love and mercy of ADONAI are usually praised in the traditional Jewish liturgy before the recitation of the Sh’ma (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Bw – Sh’ma Isra’el): “Oh our Father, merciful Father, ever compassionate, have mercy upon us.”12 ADONAI’s comfort is also seen in the B’rit Chadashah: For we do not have a High Priest unable to empathize with our weaknesses; since in every respect he was tempted just as we are, the only difference being that he did not sin (Heb 4:15). However, there is a difference between sympathy and empathy. It is one thing to feel someone else’s suffering, but it’s something else to do something about it. So the Bible says that Messiah not only feels your pain, but He does something about it. He is the God of all comfort.
Today the word “comfort” means emotional relief and a sense of well-being, physical ease, satisfaction, and freedom from pain and anxiety. Many in our culture worship the cult of “comfort” in a self-centered search for ease, but it lasts only for a moment and never fully satisfies. The comfort that Paul has in mind has nothing to do with a lazy feeling of contentment. It is not some tranquilizing dose of grace that only dulls pains, but a stiffening agent that strengthens one in heart, mind, and soul. Comfort relates to encouragement and help when the trials of life come. God’s comfort strengthens weak knees and sustains sagging spirits so that one faces the troubles of life with unbending resolve and unending assurance.13
In this life we will have suffering (1:4a): Who comforts us in all our suffering (Greek: thlipsi, meaning persecution, affliction, distress and tribulation) (1:4a). The example of the apostle Paul in the book of Acts is certainly that of someone who had to endure a great deal of suffering, sometimes facing death (Acts 9:23-25, 14:19-20, 16:19-20, 18:9-11). There is an authentic comfort, and there is a counterfeit comfort. People turn to all sorts of things for comfort. There is a whiskey called “Southern Comfort,” but that isn’t real comfort, which can only come from God. Paul understood that, and reminded the Corinthians of the same eternal truth: ADONAI is my Shepherd; I lack nothing. He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water. He restores my inner person. He guides me in the right paths for the sake of His own name. Even if I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no disaster; for You are with me; Your rod, to protect me, and staff, to guide me, comfort me (Psalm 23).
It’s fascinating to note that Paul never attempted to answer the question of why we suffer. The Bible simply acknowledges that every person will suffer. In fact, the Bible promises that we will. In the world, you will have trials. But be brave! I have conquered the world (John 16:33)! Job’s “friend” Eliphaz observed that people are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7). Likewise, Paul promised young pastor Timothy that all who want to live a godly life united with Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).14
The Greek word for comfort is parakaleo, which means to call alongside of. The Ruach Ha’Kodesh is called the Parclete. He is called to our side. When the Lord promised to send the Spirit of God, He said: I will not leave you comfortless (John 14:18 KJV). And He said to His own apostles: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the comforting Counselor will not come to you. However, if I do go, I will send Him to you (John 16:7). What is the Comforter then? He is not someone who merely kisses your bruise and makes it alright. He comes to us as a helper, a strengthener, and an advocate. He is the One who can help us and strengthen us, to relieve our loneliness, ease the grief, and calm the fears. He means help for us in times of terrifying trouble. So we cry out: Hear me, ADONAI, and show me Your favor! ADONAI, be my helper (Psalm 30:10)! That is the cry of the soul who needs the Comforter, and ADONAI is the God of all comfort.15
Don’t waste your sorrows (1:4b): YHVH came alongside us during our trials, so that we can come alongside others during their trials in their moment of need. The Ruach Ha’Kodesh inspired Paul to write that ADONAI is the God of all comfort Who comforts us in all our suffering so that we can comfort others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (1:4b). The question for believers is not why we suffer, but how we suffer. What do we do with it when it comes? Paul decided not to wallow in his suffering. Not to feel sorry for himself. He chose to channel his suffering in a positive direction by using his pain to comfort others.16
ADONAI never wastes our suffering! In fact, your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest trial. Who could better minister to the parents of a Down Syndrome child than another couple who have a child afflicted in the same way? Who could better help an alcoholic recover than someone who fought that disease and found freedom. Who could better come alongside those who have had their young son or daughter molested? Who could better comfort a wife whose husband has left her for another woman, than a woman who went through the same agony herself?
If you really desire to be used by God, you must understand a powerful truth: The very experiences that you have resented or regretted most in life – the one’s you’ve wanted to hide and forget – are the very experiences God wants to use to help others. They are your ministry! Therefore, for God to use your trials, you must be willing to share them. You have to stop covering them up, and you must honestly admit your faults, failures, and fears. People are always more encouraged when we share how God’s grace helped us in weakness than when we brag about our strengths. Paul understood this truth, so he was honest about his bouts with depression (see Aj – Our God Who Delivers Us). Only shared trials help others. What will you do with what you have been through?17
Paul offers an explanation of how he is able to comfort others through his suffering. For just as the Messiah’s sufferings overflow into our lives (see the commentary on Hebrews Cv – Faith Through Trials), so through the Messiah our comfort also overflows (1:5). The apostle probably had in mind the suffering he experienced in Asia which he referred to in 1:8. To be conformed into the image of Messiah (Romans 8:29) is to identify with the suffering that is an essential part of His earthly ministry. What Paul says here is, in essence, what Yeshua taught His disciples.18 He said if you want to follow Me, you must say “No” to yourself. He said: Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). This clearly illustrates that Messiah’s Kingdom is exactly the opposite of most of our natural inclinations. In addition, to take up their cross means to identify with Messiah’’s rejection. A true disciple is one who will follow the suffering role of Messiah. Self-sacrifice is the hallmark of Yeshua and His followers. By submitting to Him, we are, in reality, merely giving back to Him what is rightfully His to begin with!
So if we undergo trials, it is for your comfort and salvation (1:6a). What does Paul mean when he says that his affliction is for their salvation? He certainly does not mean that he is the one who saves them. Rather, when they participate in the sufferings of Messiah as Paul does, then they will understand the paradoxical message of the gospel that God is at work in weakness (12:9). Therefore, Paul’s own example and preaching become an aroma of life for those being saved. If, however, they do not understand this, then the paradoxical Word of the gospel will become an aroma of death for them (2:15). The relationship between affliction and comfort, then, becomes yet another way for Paul to state the paradox of the gospel. For God, who condemns the wicked, is the same One who comforts the afflicted.19
Believers are in a partnership with each other and must never view their suffering in isolation. And if we are comforted, that should comfort you when you have to endure sufferings (Greek: hypomone, meaning steadfastness in the face of unpleasant circumstances) like those we are experiencing (1:6b). Therefore, the comfort received by the Corinthians as a result of Paul’s harsh circumstances parallels the comfort the Corinthians received while enduring the same kinds of suffering that Paul and his missionary team experienced. The only way the Corinthians could experience this type of comfort was through suffering. With reference to the suffering endured by the Corinthians, it may be that Paul, in part, has in mind the pressure put on those who stood firm with him against the false apostles who claimed apostolic authority, but that is not clearly indicated by the text.20
Because of what Paul wrote in First Corinthians, we know all about the culture of compromise that was flourishing in the church at Corinth. This helps us to understand the incredible pressure that was placed on the people who were living godly lives within that congregation. Just try to imagine what it must have been like to maintain a consistent godly lifestyle with everything that was going on around them. When they went to church on Sunday morning in the hope of receiving much-needed instruction and inspiration to make it through another week, they were hit in the face with false teaching and a culture of compromise inside the church that mirrored everything going on outside the church. To these faithful believers, Paul offered these words of encouragement from one suffering believer to another: Moreover, our hope for you remains unwavering, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, you will also share in our comfort (1:7).21
A renowned psychiatrist was once asked how to overcome depression. His advice? “Get dressed, lock your home, go find someone who is in need, and serve that person.” In other words, get the focus off yourself and look for ways to help others. This others-centered mindset is to be the hallmark of every believer’s life. Yeshua constantly lived to serve others, and the apostle Paul did likewise. In a situation where lesser men would have decided to throw a major “pity-party,” licking their wounds and lamenting about their woeful condition, Paul turned to God for comfort. He then picked up a pen and determined to write a letter that would help the Corinthians think and live in ways that honored ADONAI.22
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