They had no Comforter:

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter (Ecclesiastes 4:1)

The Children of Israel had no comforter, even though they were God chosen people. They did not have the blessing of the Promise made to Abraham, which would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). They did not have the promised Messiah. They had not the Anointing as the Holy Ghost would not come until after Christ had come and returned to the Father. Their only hope of been reconciled to God; was in their obedience of all the laws given to them by Moses. These laws which were given 430 years after the Promise made to Abraham (Genesis 22:18); were to keep them in subjection and to bring them to the Promise which would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This Promise spoke of Abraham’s faith in God; in that he obeyed the voice of God, demonstrating his faith in a God whom he knew not. This Promise was the Promise of Faith; the Faith of Jesus Christ; who was to come as the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the earth for the sins of all; both Jews and Gentiles. He would come directly to the Jews as their Messiah and would be their Comforter while he was with them and on departing would send the other Comforter: The Holy Ghost-The Holy Spirit-The Anointing. Because the Children of Israel did not have The Anointing they were always in transgression been unable to keep the whole law. Without the indwelling Spirit to guide them in the knowledge and understanding of The Holy; these external directives: “The Laws and Commandments” which were many; all of which they were to obey in order to keep enjoying God’s blessings; they could not grasp the full weight of their relationship with God. To break any one of these Laws and Commandments was to break them all; they would break many. That which was given to them to keep them from transgressions, instead kept them in transgression. They were not free, but were always in bondage to the letter of the Law. They had no Comforter to comfort, teach, guide and bring to remembrance all that they were taught.

The word Comforter is used 8 times in the King James Bible; twice in Ecclesiastes 4: 1, twice in Lamentations 1: 9 & 16; four times in the book of John 14:16 & 26, 15: 26 and 16: 7. In Ecclesiastes and Lamentation both Solomon and Jeremiah spoke of the absence of the Comforter; while in the book of John, Christ himself points to the coming of the other Comforter the Holy Ghost. It is to be noted that the Comforter: Jesus the Christ; came to the Jews but they rejected Him. He is their promised Messiah. The Comforter the Holy Ghost comes only to Believers; both Jews and Gentiles Believers alike after Christ returned to the father. For the Believer, the Holy Ghost is not only a Comforter in times of travail, but He is the Anointing; the teacher, guide and enforcer of God’s Laws written in our hearts. Without the Comforter we as believers would not be able to do the will of God. We could not please God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Our faith is nothing without Christ. God sees us through the faith of Jesus Christ. We would have no understanding of the Holy. We could not worship Him in spirit and in truth. We could not keep his Word. We would sink right back into a life of sin. All unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles alike are without a Comforter and must face all of life’s ills without and Spiritual buffering. Worst of all, if they die in their sins they must face the Judgment Seat of God without any hope of escaping hell.

Now: there is a Comforter: God the Holy Spirit. Believers should not misjudge the power, authority and deity of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures warns us: Quench not the Spirit.  (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Great is our blessings in the person of the Comforter; God the Holy Spirit who resides in each of us. We could not go the journey without Him.

W. Bennett