Spiritual Groaning

"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself." Jeremiah 31:18

The spiritual feeling of sin is indispensable to the feeling of salvation. A sense of the malady must ever precede, and prepare the soul for, a believing reception and due apprehension of the remedy. Wherever God intends to reveal his Son with power, wherever he intends to make the gospel 'a joyful sound,' he first makes the conscience feel and groan under the burden of sin. It is certain that when a man is labouring under the burden of sin, he will be full of groans.

The Bible records hundreds of the groans of God's people under the burden of sin. "My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long," (Psalm 38:5-6). Another cries "My soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave," (Psalm 88:3). "He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light" (Lamentations 3:2).

A living man must cry under such circumstances. He cannot carry the burden without complaining of its weight. He cannot feel the arrow sticking in his conscience without groaning under the pain. He cannot have the worm gnawing his vitals without groaning of its venomous tooth. He cannot feel that God is incensed against him without bitterly groaning that the Lord is his enemy.

Spiritual groaning then is a mark of spiritual life, and is one which God recognizes as such. "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself," he says. The bemoaning shows that he has something to mourn over; something to make him groan, being burdened; that sin has been opened up to him in its hateful malignancy; that it is a trouble and distress to his soul; that he cannot roll it like a sweet morsel under his tongue, but that it is found out by the penetrating eye, and punished by the chastening hand of God.

- J.C. Philpot, Daily Portions, June 13

I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. Jeremiah 31:18

“It may be applied to the case of every sensible sinner bemoaning their sinful nature; want of righteousness; impotence to all that is spiritually good; their violations of the righteous law of God; and the curse they are liable to on account of it; their many sins against a God of love, grace, and mercy; and their ruined and undone state and condition by sin; all which the Lord takes notice of: "hearing I have heard"; which denotes the certainty of it, and with what attention he hears, yea, with what pleasure; it is the moan of his doves, of those who are like doves of the valley, everyone mourning for his iniquity; he hears, so as he answers; and sympathizing with them, he sends comfort to them, and delivers them out of their troubles.”

- excerpt from John Gill’s Bible commentary on Jeremiah 31:18

I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 31:18-20

“Perhaps there is not a more beautiful and interesting representation in the whole compass of the Old Testament scripture, than what is here drawn, of the melting heart of a sinner by grace; and of the Lord's bowels of mercies, yearning over a returning sinner on the occasion. Here is Ephraim falling down at the footstool of the mercy-seat: and the Lord stooping down, as it were, to raise him up. I am a worthless sinner, cries Ephraim; like a beast, stubborn and restive I have been. Thou art a dear child, saith the Lord. My soul is troubled, saith Ephraim, in the recollection of what I have done: my bowels are troubled for thee, saith the Lord. Oh! what a representation is here! It can only be equaled by that divine drawing which the Lord Jesus hath given in his parable, Luke 15:17-24. I hope the Reader cannot want a single observation, to take the whole blessedness of the instruction home to his own heart. It speaks of God's grace, mercy, and love in Christ equal to a volume; and it holds forth the most unequalled persuasion to poor sinners, in prompting them to return. Isaiah 55:7-9.”

- Robert Hawker’s Poor Man’s Bible commentary on Jeremiah 31:18-20

KenH said:

The Bible records hundreds of the groans of God's people under the burden of sin.

Click to expand...

...a couple that comes to mind:

Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Ro 7:24-25

For my soul was grieved, And I was pricked in my heart:
So brutish was I, and ignorant; I was [as] a beast before thee.
Nevertheless I am continually with thee: Thou hast holden my right hand.
Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. Ps 73:21-24