BEAUTY FOR ASHES – Charles Spurgeon
Beauty for Ashes
Isaiah 61:3
“To appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give 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 the Lord, that He might be glorified.”
Introduction
When soldiers are on the march or advancing into battle, military leaders understand the power of music. The sound of the trumpet can stir warriors, encouraging them to march on with renewed strength. Many a weary soldier has found new vigor when a lively march or a soul-moving tune is played. Similarly, in our Christian journey, when we have resolved to help the Lord in His work, it is fitting that we sound the silver trumpets of the Gospel. These promises, full of encouragement, can quicken the hearts and spirits of God’s people as they march into battle, giving them renewed strength. May times of revival be times of refreshing.
During times of great toil and service, much-needed refreshment is wisely provided. As harvesters require hearty meals to endure their work, so does the laborer of the Lord need nourishment after their hard work. Melchizedek met Abraham with bread and wine after the battle with the kings—not on some holiday, but after a fierce struggle. After hard fighting, there is sweet refreshment, and those who have worked diligently in the Lord’s service, even to the point of faintness, are entitled to sit and partake of the bread and wine of God’s promises. Elijah, too, was strengthened by angelic bread and drink for a 40-day journey. Similarly, this text offers refreshing to the weary souls of God’s laborers.
The promises in the Bible are given to the spiritually poor, and the drink of Divine consolation is for those heavy in heart. As Solomon said, “Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” May He who spoke these words speak them now with power to each heart. These promises come from the lips of Jesus, and may they fall into our hearts with all their ancient, life-giving power. Let us read the text again and meditate on it:
“To appoint those who mourn in Zion, to give 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 the Lord, that He might be glorified.”
We will consider this text under four headings:
- Who gives this word?
- To whom is it given?
- What does it say?
- What will come of it?
I. Who Gives This Word?
This comforting word is not simply a message from a prophet or apostle, but from the Lord Himself, as declared in Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me.” Jesus Christ Himself speaks these words to comfort us. While Christian ministers may carry the Spirit of God and are sent to bind up the broken-hearted, they do so only in the name of Jesus and through His strength. This word is spoken by the great Lord and Master of prophets and apostles—Jesus Christ Himself.
When Jesus declares that He will comfort the broken-hearted, we can be assured that He will fulfill this promise. He is the Sun of Righteousness, and His rising scatters the darkness and gloom. If the Consolation of Israel has come forth to lift up His people, then our doubts and fears can be cast aside because His Presence brings light and peace.
Jesus is not only a preacher but also a gentle healer. He is described as one who binds up the broken-hearted, attending to the most severe wounds with His healing hands. He is Jehovah Rophi, the Lord who heals. His power to heal transcends human understanding—by His stripes, we are healed. Not only does He preach comfort, but He also binds up wounds with great care and skill, healing the deepest hurts. For those who are broken-hearted, He is the Physician who will tend to their wounds and bring comfort.
Additionally, Jesus is described as a Liberator. He proclaims liberty to the captives and opens the prison doors to those bound in sin. In ancient Israel, the Year of Jubilee brought freedom to those who had been enslaved or fallen into debt. Similarly, Jesus’ coming brings freedom to those enslaved by sin. He breaks the chains of bondage and proclaims freedom for the captives. No one can hold in captivity the souls whom Jesus declares to be free.
Finally, Jesus is a Herald of good tidings, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord. The very fact that He, the Savior, came into the world is a source of hope. His life, death, and resurrection are the foundation of the salvation He offers. We can be confident in His ability to comfort the mourner, for He is the one who brings peace and salvation to the world.
II. To Whom Is This Word Spoken?
This word is spoken to those who mourn in Zion. Zion represents God’s people, and the mourning here is a mourning of gracious souls. Mourning is not always a mark of Divine Grace, for even nature mourns. However, the mourning in this passage is a mourning of the heart that has been touched by God’s grace. This is a mourning that comes from a recognition of sin and imperfection, not from despair.
The mourning begins with lamentation over past sin. A person who recognizes that they have broken God’s commandments and grieves over their sin is showing evidence of God’s grace at work in their life. To say “I am a miserable sinner” may be easy, but to feel the weight of sin and mourn over it is a sign of spiritual health. May we all experience this mourning, for it is through mourning over our sin that we come to a deeper understanding of God’s forgiveness.
This mourning is not only for past sins but also for present imperfections. Even the most faithful Christians recognize their shortcomings. We may desire to live a perfect life but fall short. As we grow in holiness, we see more clearly the distance between our lives and the perfect example of Christ. The desire for greater holiness, for deeper communion with God, is itself a form of mourning. This mourning is not a sign of despair but of hope, for it is through such mourning that God brings comfort.
III. What Does This Word Say?
The word spoken to the mourning soul is one of comfort and transformation. God promises to give “beauty for ashes,” the “oil of joy for mourning,” and the “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” These are powerful promises of restoration and renewal. The ashes represent sorrow and mourning, but in exchange, God offers beauty, joy, and praise. This transformation is the work of God’s grace, which turns sorrow into joy, mourning into dancing, and despair into hope.
This promise is not just for the future but for the present. Even in our current struggles and pain, God is at work to bring about this transformation. The mourning soul can be comforted and restored in the here and now, as God’s promises are fulfilled in our lives.
IV. What Will Come of This Word?
What will come of this word of comfort? God promises that those who receive this comfort will be called “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” Those who mourn in Zion, who receive the comfort of God, will be transformed into living witnesses of His righteousness. They will stand firm like trees, rooted in God’s grace, and bear fruit for His glory.
This transformation is not just for our benefit but for the glory of God. As we experience His comfort and restoration, we become instruments of His glory in the world. Our lives testify to His faithfulness and His power to transform sorrow into joy.
Conclusion
Let us rejoice in the comforting promises of God, knowing that He is the one who speaks peace to the broken-hearted, who binds up our wounds, and who sets us free. May we mourn in Zion with hearts open to His comfort, and may we be transformed into trees of righteousness, bearing fruit for His glory. May this word of hope and healing fill our hearts and lead us to a life of praise and thanksgiving.
A native of sunny Italy deplores the absence of Heaven’s bright blue when made to dwell in this land of the fleecy clouds. And he who has dwelt in unclouded fellowship with the Lord bemoans his hard lot if even for a while he beholds not that Face which is as the sun shining in its strength. Love cannot endure absence, much less coldness; true Grace finds its life in fellowship and pines if it is denied it. The real Christian mourns, again, because he cannot be more useful. He wishes he were like a pillar of fire and light so that he might evermore, by day and by night, enlighten the ignorant and inspire the dull and laggard. He wishes not so much for more talent as for more Grace to make use of the talent which he has; he would gladly bring in a great bounty to the Owner of the vineyard who has placed him as a farmer among the vines; he longs to bring up priceless pearls from the deep seas of sin to adorn the diadem of his Lord and King; he sighs because thorns and thistles will spring up where he looked for a hundred-fold harvest—this makes him groan out, “Who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” Moreover, like his Lord, he mourns for others. He mourns in Zion because of the deadness of the Christian Church—its divisions, its errors; its carelessness towards the souls of sinners. He cries with Jeremiah, “How the gold has become dim! How the much fine gold is changed!” But he mourns most of all for the unconverted; he sees their state of alienation from God, and knowing the danger of it, his heart shrinks within him, as with a prophetic glance he sees what their end will be—when “there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” His heart breaks for the sins and sorrows of others, and like his Savior, he could weep over the cities that reject Divine Love. He could say like Moses that he was almost willing to have his name blotted out of the Book of Life if others might be saved! He feels such sorrow and heaviness of heart for his kinsmen according to the flesh who are strangers to Christ, that he has no rest in his death concerning them. Dear Beloved, he who is quickened by the New Life obtains an enlarged heritage of mourning, but let it not be forgotten, he wins tenfold more joy as well. And, meanwhile, such weeping is, in itself, sweet—tears not too briny, and griefs not too bitter; such griefs we would wish to feel as long as we live, especially if the Lord Jesus alternates them with the fulfilling of that most excellent Promise, to which I now direct you.
III. What Is Spoken in the Text to Those Who Mourn?
I would draw particular attention to the words, “To appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes.” Come, mourning souls, who mourn in the way described, come gladly here; there is comfort appointed for you, and there is also comfort given to you! It is the prerogative of King Jesus both to appoint and to give! How cheering is the thought that as our griefs are appointed, so also are our consolations! God has allotted a portion to each of His mourners, even as Joseph allotted a mess to each of his brothers at the feast. You shall have your due share at the Table of Grace, and if you are a little one, and have double sorrows, you shall have a double portion of comfort! “To appoint to those.” This is a Word full of strong consolation, for if God appoints me a portion, who can deprive me of it? If He appoints my comfort, who dares stand in the way? If He appoints it, it is mine by right! But then, to make the appointment secure, He adds the words, “To give.” The Holy One of Israel in the midst of Zion gives as well as appoints! The rich comforts of the Gospel are conferred by the Holy Spirit, at the command of Jesus Christ, upon every true mourner in the time when he needs them; they are given to each spiritual mourner in the time when he would faint for lack of them; He can effectually give the comfort appointed for each particular case. All I can do is to speak of the comfort for God’s mourners; I can neither allot it, nor yet distribute it. But our Lord can do both! My prayer is that He may do so at this moment, that every holy mourner may have a time of sweet rejoicing while sitting at the Master’s feet in a waiting posture. Did you ever feel, while cast down, on a sudden lifted up—when some precious Promise has come home to your soul? This is the happy experience of all the saints—
“Sometimes a Light surprises
The Christian while he sings—
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in His wings!
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining
To cheer it, after rain.”
Our ever Gracious and Almighty Lord knows how to comfort His children, and be assured He will not leave them comfortless; He who bids His ministers again and again attend to this duty, and says, “Comfort you, comfort you My people,” will not, Himself, neglect to give them consolation! If you are very heavy, there is the more room for the display of His Grace in you, by making you very joyful in His ways. Do not despair! Do not say, “I have fallen too low; my harp has been so long upon the willows that it has forgotten Zion’s joyful tunes.” Oh no, you shall lay your fingers among the old accustomed strings, and the art of making melody shall come back to you, and your heart shall once more be glad! He appoints and He gives—the two words put together afford double hope to us—He appoints and He gives comfort to His mourners! Observe in the Text the change Christ promises to work for His mourners. First, here is beauty given for ashes. In the Hebrew there is a ring in the words which cannot be conveyed in the English. The ashes that men put upon their heads in the East in the time of sorrow made a grim tiara for the brow of the mourner. The Lord promises to put all these ashes away, and to substitute for them a glorious head dress—a diadem of beauty! Or, if we run away from the word, and take the inner sense, we may look at it thus—mourning makes the face wan and emaciated, and so takes away the beauty, but Jesus promises that He will so come and reveal joy to the sorrowing soul that his face shall fill up again; his eyes that were dull and cloudy shall sparkle again! And the countenance, yes, and the whole person shall be once more radiant with the beauty which sorrow had so grievously marred! I thank God I have sometimes seen this change take place in precious saints who have been cast down in soul; there has even seemed to be a visible beauty put upon them when they have found peace in Jesus Christ, and this beauty is far more lovely and striking because it is evidently a beauty of the mind—a spiritual luster—far superior to the surface comeliness of the flesh! When the Lord shines full upon His servants’ faces, He makes them fair as the moon when at her full she reflects the light of the sun; a gracious and unchanging God sheds on His people a gracious and unfading loveliness! O mourning Soul, you have made your eyes red with weeping, and your cheeks are marred with furrows where the scalding tears have burned their way. But the Lord who heals you, the Lord Almighty who wipes all tears from human eyes, shall visit you yet! And if you now believe in Jesus, He shall visit you now, and chase these cloudy griefs away, and your face shall be bright and clear again; it will be fair as the morning, and sparkling as the dew. You shall rejoice in the God of your Salvation, even in God, your exceeding Joy! Is not this a dainty Promise for mourning souls? Then it is added, “He will give the oil of joy for mourning.” Here we have first, beauty and then unction. The Orientals used rich perfumed oils on their persons, used them largely and lavishly in times of great joy. Now the Holy Spirit comes upon those who believe in Jesus, and gives them an anointing of perfume, most precious, more sweet and costly than the herds of the Arab; an unction such as royalty has never received sheds its costly moisture over all the redeemed when the Spirit of the Lord rests upon them. “We have unction from the Holy One,” says the Apostle; “You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.” Oh, how favored are those who have the Spirit of God upon them! You remember that the oil which was poured on Aaron’s head went down to the skirts of his garment so that the same oil was on his skirts that had been on his head. It is the same Spirit who rests on the Believer as that which rests on Jesus Christ, and he that is joined unto Christ is one Spirit. What favor is here! Instead of mourning, the Christian shall receive the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who shall take of the things of Christ and reveal them to him, and make him not merely glad, but honored and esteemed! Then it is added, to give still greater fullness to the cheering Promise, that the Lord will give, “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” The man is first made beautiful; next he has the anointing; then afterwards he is arrayed in robes of splendor! What garments these are! Surely Solomon in all his glory wore not such right royal apparel! “The garment of praise.” What a dress is this! Speak of worked gold, or fine linen, or needlework of various colors, or taffeta, or damasks, or gorgeous silks most rich and rare which come from far-off lands—where is anything compared with “the garment of praise”? It is as when a man wraps himself about, as it were, with Psalmody, and lives forever a chorister, singing not with equal voice, but with the same earnest heart as they do who day and night keep up the never-ending hymn before the Throne of the Infinite! What a life is his, what a man is he! O Mourner, this is to be your portion! Take it now! Jesus Christ will cover you, even at this hour, with the garment of praise! So grateful shall you be for sins forgiven, for infirmity overcome, for watchfulness bestowed, for the Church revived, for sinners saved, that you shall undergo the greatest conceivable change, and the sordid garments of your woe shall be put aside for the brilliant array of delight! It shall not be the spirit of praise for the spirit of heaviness, though that were a fair exchange, but as your heaviness you tried to keep to yourself, so your praise you shall not keep to yourself! It shall be a garment to you, external and visible, as well as inward and profound; wherever you are, it shall be displayed to others, and they shall see and take knowledge of you that God has done great things for you whereof you are glad!
I wish I had power to speak fitly on such a theme as this; but surely, it needs Him upon whom the Spirit rested without measure to proclaim this joyful Promise to the mourners in Zion! We must close by noticing what will be the result of this appointment, and our Text concludes by saying, “That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” We learn here that those mourning souls who are cast down, and have put ashes on their heads shall, when Jesus Christ in Infinite Mercy comes to them, be made like trees—like “oaks.” The original is, like “oaks of righteousness.” That is, they shall become strong, firmly rooted, covered with green leaves; they shall be like a well-watered tree for pleasantness and delight. You say, “I am a dry tree, a dry branch, I am a cast off, fruitless bough; oh that I were visited of God and saved! I mourn because I cannot be what I would.” Mourner, you shall be all you would be, and much more if Jesus visits you! Breathe a prayer to Him now; look to Him, trust Him. He can change you from a withered tree that seems twice dead into a tree standing by the rivers of water, whose leaf is unwithering, and whose fruit ripens in its season! Only have confidence in an Anointed Savior; rely upon Him who came not here to destroy, but to bless, and you shall yet, through Faith, become a tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified!
But the very essence of the Text lies in a little word to which you must look; “You shall be called trees of righteousness.” Now there are many mourning saints who are trees of righteousness, but nobody calls them so; they are so desponding that they give a doubtful idea to others. Observers ask, “Is this a Christian?” And those who watch and observe them are not at all struck with their Christian character. Indeed, I may be speaking to some here who are true Believers in Jesus, but they are all their lifetime subject to bondage! They hardly know themselves whether they are saved, and therefore, they cannot expect that others should be very much impressed by their godly character and fruitful conversation. But, O Mourners, if Jesus visits you, and gives you the oil of joy, men shall call you “trees of righteousness”; they shall see Grace in you; they shall not be able to help acknowledging it—it shall be so distinct in the happiness of your life, that they shall be compelled to see it! I know some Christian people who, wherever they go, are attractive advertisements of the Gospel; nobody could be with them for a half an hour without saying, “Where do they gain this calm, this peace, this tranquility, this Holy delight and joy?” Many have been attracted to the Cross of Christ by the Holy pleasantness, and cheerful conversation of those whom Christ has visited with the abundance of His Love. I wish we were all such; I would not discourage a mourner—no, but encourage him to seek after the garments of praise. Nevertheless, I must say that it is a very wretched thing for so many professors to go about the world grumbling at what they have, and at what they have not, murmuring at the dispensations of Providence, and at the labors of their Brothers and Sisters. They are more like wild crab trees than the Lord’s fruit trees! Well may people say, “If these are Christians, God save us from such Christianity!” But when a man is contented—more than that; when he is happy under all circumstances; when “His spirit does rejoice in God his Savior” in deep distress; when he can sing in the fires of affliction; when he can rejoice on the bed of sickness; when his shout of triumph grows louder as his conflict waxes more and more severe, and when he can utter the sweetest song of victory in his departing moments—then all who see such people call them trees of righteousness, and they confess that they are the people of God!
Note, still, the result of all this goes further: “They shall be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.” That is to say, where there is joy imparted, and unction given from the Holy Spirit instead of despondency, men will say, “It is God’s work; it is a tree that God has planted! It could not grow like that if anybody else had planted it; this man is a man of God’s making! His joy is a joy of God’s giving.” I feel sure that in the case of some of us, we were under such sadness of heart before conversion, through a sense of sin, that when we did find peace everybody noticed the change there was in us, and they said one to another, “Who has made this man so happy, for he was just now most heady and depressed?” And, when we told them where we lost our burden, they said, “Ah, there is something in religion after all.” “Then said they among the heathen, the Lord has done great things for them.”
Remember poor Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress? Mark what heavy sighs he heaved; what tears fell from his eyes; what a wretched man he was when he wrung his hands and said, “The city wherein I dwell is to be burned up with fire from Heaven, and I shall be consumed in it, and besides, I am myself undone by reason of a burden that lies hard upon me; oh that I could get rid of it!” Do you remember John Bunyan’s description of how he got rid of the burden? He stood at the foot of the Cross, and there was a sepulcher hard by, and as he stood and looked, and saw One hanging on the tree, suddenly the bands that bound his burden cracked, and the load rolled right away into the sepulcher! And when he looked for it, it could not be found! And what did he do? Why, he gave three great leaps for joy, and sang—
“Blessed Cross! Blessed sepulcher!
Blessed rather be the Man
Who there was put to shame for me!”
If those who knew the Pilgrim in his wretchedness, had met him on the other side of that never-to-be-forgotten sepulcher, they would have said, “Are you the same man?” If Christiana had met him that day, she would have said, “My husband, are you the same? What a change has come over you!” And when she and the children marked the father’s cheerful conversation, they would have been compelled to say, “It is the Lord’s doing, and it is wondrous in our eyes!” Oh live such a happy life that you may compel the wicked man to ask where you learned the art of living! Let the stream of your life be so clear, so understandable, so cool, so sparkling, so like the river of the Water of Life above, that men may say, “From where came this crystal river? We will trace it to its source”—and so may they be led to the foot of that dear Cross where all your hopes began!
Another Word remains, and when we have considered it, we will conclude. That other Word is this, “The planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” That is the end of it all; that is the great result we drive at, and that is the objective, even, of God Himself—“That HE might be glorified.” For when men see the cheerful Christian, and perceive that this is God’s work, then they acknowledge the Power of God. Not always, perhaps, with their hearts as they should, but still they are obliged to confess, “This is the finger of God.” Meanwhile the saints, comforted by your example, praise and bless God, and all the Church lifts up a song to the Most High.
Come, my Brothers and Sisters, are any of you down? Are you almost beneath the enemy’s foot? Here is a Word for you, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy, though I fall, yet shall I rise again.” Are any of you in deep trouble—very deep trouble? Another Word, then, for you—“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.” Are you pressed with labors and afflictions? “As your days, so shall your strength be.” “All things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Are you persecuted? Here is a note of encouragement for you: “Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you.” Whatever your circumstances are, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice.”
Think what Jesus has given you! Your sins are pardoned for His name sake! Your Heaven is made secure to you, and all that is needed to bring you there; you have Grace in your hearts, and Heaven awaits you; you have already Grace within you, and greater Grace shall be granted you; you are renewed by the Spirit of Christ in your inner man—the good work is begun, and God will never leave it till He has finished it. Your names are in His book. No, engraved on the palms of His hands! His Love never changes; His Power never diminishes; His Grace never fails; His Truth is firm as the hills, and His Faithfulness is like the great mountains! Lean on the love of His heart, on the Might of His arm, on the Merit of His blood, on the Power of His plea, and the indwelling of His Spirit! Take such Promises as these for your consolation, “Strengthen the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not.” “Fear not, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel. I will help you, says the Lord, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” “For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you. In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the Covenant of My peace be removed, says the Lord that has mercy on you.” “My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” “He gives power to the faint, and to them who have no might He increases strength.” “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before you, and shall say, destroy them.” “I am God, I fail not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
One might continue forever quoting these precious passages, but may the Lord apply one or other of them to every mourner’s soul; and especially if there is a mourning sinner here, may he get a grip of that choice Word of God: “He who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out”; or that other grand Word, “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men”; or that other, “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin”; or that equally encouraging Word, “Come now, and let us reason together; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as wool. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as snow.”
May the Lord bring us all into comfort and joy by the way of the Cross!
Perhaps I speak to some for whom the promises of God have no charm. Let me remind them that His Threats are as sure as His Promises. He can bless, but He can also curse. He appoints mourning for those who laugh now with sinful merriment; He will give to His enemies vengeance for all their rebellions; He has Himself said, “And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell, there shall be stink; and instead of a sash, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty” (Isa 3:24). Beware, then, you who forget God, lest He overthrow you in His hot displeasure. Seek the Savior now, lest the acceptable year of the Lord be closed with a long winter of utter despair— “You who spurn His Righteous sway, Yet, oh yet, He spares your breath; Yet His hand, averse to slay, Balances the bolt of death! Before that dreadful bolt descends, Hasten before His feet to fall; Kiss the scepter He extends, And adore Him, ‘Lord of all.’”
PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON—ISAIAH 61.