5 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints. – Psalm 116:15
Saints
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in China, the virus has dominated our world. Every day we are inundated with statistics regarding Covid related deaths and new Covid cases. The related pandemic has put the world on hold. As a result, seemingly every aspect of our lives has been impacted. Who knows what things will look like on the other side of Covid?
In the midst of all of the pandemic confusion and hysteria, the Christian community has experienced the “loss” of two of it’s true warriors. On May 19th, 2020, the dynamic Christian apologist and author, Ravi Zacharias, went home to be with his Savior. Just two months after being diagnosed with a rare cancer in his spine, he succumbed to death at the age of 74. His rare combination of intelligence and humility will be greatly missed.
Roughly two months after the death of Ravi, God decided to call home another Christian “giant”, J.I. Packer. Just five days shy of his 94th birthday, J.I. Packer died on July 17th, 2020 from natural causes. During his long and accomplished career, J.I. Packer was a prominent theologian and author. His book Knowing God, would be deemed by most evangelicals as a Christian classic. When asked what his final words to the church might be, Packer’s reply was simple, “Glorify Christ every way”.
Perspective
As I watch the worldwide fear of the current pandemic and listen to all of the discussion about death, it is hard not to contemplate (and contrast) the worldly view of death and the Biblical. As I wrote in one of my recent blogs, (http://helpmewithmyunbelief.com/2020/06/30/deaths-appointment/) death is inevitable. As we are told in Hebrews 9:27, it is appointed unto man to die. While the fact that death is in our future may seem morbid, today’s passage will perhaps help to “smooth” the rough edges. While saints aren’t immune from death, their deaths are precious in God’s sight.
While I was saddened by the death of two of my spiritual “heroes”, the Bible assures me that the vantage point from Heaven was different. How? As 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us, “For the Lord sees not as man sees…”. Whereas man judges by appearance, God judges by reality. While we see partially, He sees completely. As one writer has said, “He traces the duration of His people, not upon the map of time, but upon the infinite scale of eternity”.
Perhaps we are saddened by death because this world is “all we know”. Likewise, our fear of death may be caused by our fear of the unknown or the fear of “being alone”. If God says our death will be precious in His sight, we have to believe the joy that awaits will far exceed the “thrills” of this world. Likewise, we have to believe that the fellowship that awaits us on the other side of death is infinitely better than our earthly relationships.
Delivered
After the deaths of Ravi Zacharias and J.I. Packer, I learned that Pastor Timothy Keller is facing his second bout with cancer. Immediately, I was saddened with the prospect of “losing” another faithful man of God whom I greatly respect and admire. But isn’t that fear selfish?
If the death of the saints are precious in God’s sight, certainly part of the reason is because on the other side of the river of death, the saints are protected from the evils of the world. Out of the reach of sins long arm, they will never again experience sorrows or suffering. Trials and tribulations will be a thing of the past. Tears will be no more, and the sting of death will never be experienced.
In Heaven, God’s saints will never again be subjected to the burdens of the flesh. We will never again hear of such things as depression, stress, loneliness, addictions, etc. We won’t have to toil and be anxious for food and clothing. Ransomed by the blood of Christ, we will spend eternity in His presence. Forever delivered from the evils of this fallen world.
Completion
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6
That is the passage engraved on the tombstone of my mother-in-law, and I am sure many others. And it points us to another reason the death of God’s saints is precious in His sight. At death, the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit is coming to fruition. At salvation, we were given the Holy Spirit as a down payment (Eph. 1:14) on our Heavenly inheritance; at death, He ushers our souls into the presence of God (where they will await glorified bodies).
At death, the “not yet” aspect of our salvation will become reality as justification and sanctification will finally “give way” to glorification. Faith will become sight! No longer will we see dimly. Our great hope is to see our Savior, and to be like Him (1 John 3:2). But it is a reality that awaits us on the other side of death.
From beginning to end, every aspect of our salvation is due to the grace of God. The glorification that awaits us on the other side of death is often referred to as future or final grace. Perhaps if we better understood the grace of God, we would have a different perspective of death. God has called us out, and He will faithfully bring us Home.
Communion
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. – 1 Corinthians 12:26
As Christians, we may not grieve as others do who have no hope (1 Thes. 4:13), but we do grieve. And how precious must the outpouring of Christian sympathies be before Heaven’s audience. What kind of fragrance are the prayers of the saints on behalf of the suffering before Heaven’s throne? What kind of witness is the love of Christ manifested by His children before a lost world?
I think Charles Dickens, in his book The Old Curiosity Shop, when writing about the death of the book’s young heroine illustrates well this truth:
“Oh: it is hard to take to heart the lesson that such deaths will teach, but let no man reject it, for it is one that all must learn, and is a mighty universal Truth. When death strikes down the innocent and the young, for every fragile form from which He lets the panting spirit free, a hundred virtues rise, in shapes of mercy, charity, and love, to walk the world, and bless it. Of every tear that sorrowing mortals shed on such green graves, some good is born, some gentler nature comes. In the Destroyer’s steps there spring up bright creations that defy his power, and his dark path becomes a way of light to Heaven.”
Death has a way of putting things into perspective unlike perhaps anything else. It can cause us to set aside our pride and selfishness and minister to the grieving. As we remind one another of the truth that the grave is not the end (1 Thes. 4:13-18), we can turn mourning into joy. We can look death in the face and lift our praises to God, knowing the victory belongs to Christ. What a testimony the death of God’s saints can be if we have a Heavenly perspective!
No Going Back
Again, in his book, The Old Curiosity Shop, Charles Dickens wrote this:
“It is not on earth that Heaven’s justice ends. Think what earth is, compared with the world to which her young spirit has winged it’s early flight; and say, if one deliberate wish expressed in solemn terms above this bed could call her back to life, which of us would utter it?”
At the death of his infant, King David made this famous statement, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” ( 2 Samuel 12:23). No, we can’t bring our loved ones back. And if they belonged to God, we shouldn’t wish to. Like David, we need to keep our focus on what awaits us on the other side of death. We will be in the presence of our Savior and fellowshipping with saints throughout history.
Ravi Zacharias and J.I. Packer are now in the presence of their Savior, and some day we will join them. It is appointed unto man to die once, but death is not a thing to fear. It is precious in God’s sight, and if we had His perspective, it would be in ours as well.