Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Every time I think of this verse I am forced to ask: Why? Why is the death of the saints precious to God? Because the separation is over! The dividing wall of sin is brought down and what is more, we will never be divided from Him again – in any way, shape or form! The dreadful curse is removed. Sin no longer holds sway over our souls. Its far reaching shadow can no longer dim out view of God. How precious indeed is death to those who are His.
As our brother Paul said most eloquently, “When this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP' in victory. 'O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Corinthians 15:54-57
Once we leave the confines of this world we are finally and fully free. Harmony and fellowship are fully restored. We will be free to live as we were meant to – in perfect unison with our Creator. No more confession of sin or repentance. No more filthiness or stained garments. Only holy hands will be lifted up. Only undivided hearts will sing. We will finally love Him with all out heart, soul, mind and strength. We will grieve God no longer with our sin (Genesis 6:5-6; Luke 19:41; John 11:35; Ephesians 4:30). This makes death precious not only in God’s eyes but also in the heart of any that are called by His name.
Wisdom from the funeral pallor
This does not mean grief is out of place. We know of course that God weeps too. I would go even further to say that grief is not only proper but it is also wise. Solomon has told us that the mind of the wise is in the house of mourning:
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Only the fool exists on the surface of life. We ought to ponder life deeply. It is the only wise thing to do. We ought to consider our ways and see if they are straight. A man of no less stature than Socrates recognized this truth as well. His well-known and often quoted statement that, “the unexamined life is not worth living” is a stinging indictment to much of our culture. Now then, this is not a problem unique to Americans, nearly every society with a modicum of affluence has sat in this chair. The foolish in the time of Isaiah are shockingly evocative of their own time and place.
Isaiah 5:11-14
Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink,
Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!
Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine;
But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD,
Nor do they consider the work of His hands.
Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge;
And their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude is parched with thirst.
Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure;
And Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.
They did not want to think. They would much rather throw another party. And they certainly didn’t want to think about God, so they drowned out their thoughts of Him in a sea of celebrations. They were having such a good time that the deep things of life were given no thought (v.12). In the end, the over indulgent drinkers find themselves thirsty. A sensual people, consumed with a ravenous appetite for pleasure, find themselves eaten by a desire that dwarfs their own – the grave. Death engulfs the party.
What a timely message for the entertainment age. We who can so quickly escape from all that grieves us (through various avenues of escapism) ought to heed this warning well. We can so very quickly just “move on,” packing life so full of things to do that we never dig beneath the top soil of life. We must resist the urge to be superficial and choose to reside in seriousness or else we run the risk of never burrowing down to the roots of life to deal with its difficulties. The admonition from Solomon is to embrace contemplation at a cost to our time in the “house of feasting” for the purpose of benefiting us eternally.
All must work for good
How can death work toward our good? Well, it reminds us of who we are and that we are but dust. It calls attention to the nature of man. It makes us dig into our own hearts (as was stated). It reminds us that this world is not our home; which of course cautions us to store up our treasure in the proper place. Death, in so many ways, tells us to live. It screams to a proud people, “You have a lot less control over your life than you think!” Death also calls attention to the nature of God: infinite, sovereign and good – which, in turn, highlights the disparity between God and man. These are all very good things. These are issues that help us know how to live and teach us how to be ready for death.
But our real hang up in this issue is that we think we know what is good for our lives. Our problem lies within a definition. We think we know how to define “good” in our lives. We think we hold the proper definition of good and all things must become aligned with that definition. “I know what is best for my life. Now God, why don’t you agree?” When life goes contrary to my terms and I throw a fit, then I can see that within my heart there still resides the desire to be God, “I ought to be ruling! I would do it better!” – it seems that we have not moved very far out of the garden.
“Only God is good,” as Jesus has proclaimed, and thus only He can determine that which is truly good for my life. God works out that which is good both in the universe and in the life of the individual believer. This mind boggling amount of sovereignty stupefies the intellect. How can He do this? How can He orchestrate on such a colossal scale? This is unreasonable.
And while all this speaks to the vastness of God it shouts all the louder as to His goodness. The kind of power just described is frightening! The world lives in a constant state of angst with each other and within itself – because mankind oppresses, conquers and otherwise explodes that which stands in the way of its goals. War is always looming and the threat of nuclear attack is ever present. Why do we worry? Because of the nature of man! We are concerned over the power of nuclear bombs – what are bombs as compared to the power of God? What is an entire military compared to a God who can simply remove the desire to fight from a soldier? What would a man do with such power?
So what is it that confines the power of God? What checks and balances are there against it? Answer: His goodness.
I don’t like it when my friends die, but I have to admit that the scope of my understanding is limited by the extent of my goodness. My understanding of good is defined by a mind that suffers direct effects from the curse. I define goodness from the standpoint of a depraved mind that is polluted with layer upon layer of sinfulness – so what can I possibly understand about that which is truly good?
The only way I can is if the One who is good tells me that which is good. His definition becomes my definition. Our understanding of good must be defined by the God who alone is good.
Now then, while I am bound within the confines of a sinful world and a sinful body I will always struggle to find congruence between the two definitions – God’s and the flesh.
I know that when I am with Him in glory, when I too have passed through the valley of the shadow of death and am received into glory by His hand, I will concur wholly and completely with the LORD that the death of His saints is precious. It is precious because it is the absolute best thing for the child of God. The greatest good we will ever achieve is to be with the One who is good.
I hate that I lose this person who I love, but I adore the knowledge of where they now are. Their faith is now sight, their joy is now complete, and their bliss is now infinite.
So long dear friend. I will miss you while I have life, but I will glory in the One who took you home.
Ecclesiastes 7:1
The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
