Psalm 116:15

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

We count life as the most precious thing. We Americans spend untold billions of dollars annually in the pursuit of good health. The newspaper tells us daily of another thing that we should or should not eat. All in an effort to preserve life. So this statement in Psalm 116 is amazing. The thing that we consider to be precious is life. Here, God calls death precious. The Hebrew word that is used for precious in this verse could also be translated "highly valued" or "glorious." Is God some kind of brute? Of course, the answer is no.

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that, "... my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." This is because He is so much greater than we. There is no measuring the greatness of God. There is no discerning Him in His greatness. In fact, if He chose to hide Himself from us, how could we ever find Him? Simply, we would be unable to. So what is it that God sees in the death of His saints that is precious?

Firstly, His saints are those that trust Him implicitly. He paid an awful price for the salvation of mankind, even the life of His own Son. His saints are those that have believe God when He says that that atoning death is the only thing that can gain them eternity in heaven. Many reject God's clear statement and instead trust that their good deeds will gain them heaven. God says that there is nothing that we can do that is good enough. We only need to trust Him (through Christ's death). Having said that, God sees that these ones, His saints, trust Him in all things, even up to and including their own death. This is a precious thing to God. He wants all of mankind to trust Him. Those that do so are special in His sight. He knows what it is to die (since He did so on the cross). Do we trust Him entirely unto eternity? He is pleased in that. And so the death of these ones who trust Him is precious.

Secondly, His care for His saints is strong. He sees that His saints are subject to the weakness of the flesh. They struggle with sin and sickness. This struggle is because of the fall of Adam. Scripture tells us that even nature itself (trees, animals, etc) is subject to death because of the fall of Adam. This is not what He intended for His creation. He desires that His perfect creation be again perfect. He promises that there will one day be a new heaven and a new earth. Before that day comes, the death of His saints is their step out of the trials of life. His saints are then made entirely perfect. It is a precious thing to Him to see His saints as perfect, for that was His intent. They are no longer subject to the trials of life. They are free from those things. This is precious in His sight.

Finally, He knows what He has in store for those that are His.1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us that "... Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." His plans for those that are His are beyond their own imagining. He is desirous of bestowing on those who have trusted in Him those things which He has prepared for them. Jesus told His disciples that He was on His way to prepare a place for them that, "where (He is) there you may be also." Eternity in the presence of God! He paid a steep price for His saints, and He wants to share His blessed presence and eternity with them. The death of His saints is the beginning of eternal life for them. God created mankind to be eternal. He wants to share eternity with them. This is precious to Him.

There is no similar thought regarding those that are not His. There is nothing precious about their death. Only a fearful, looking forward to of judgment which shall devour the adversaries. The death of those that are not His is eternal. The only life that they will ever enjoy is in this world, such as it is. Their eternity is eternal death; separation from God. To them he says, "Come unto me." In coming they are turned to being sons of God, and are counted as saints.

God seems to be rather cavalier about the death of His saints. At first glance this is a rather disconcerting thought. But for the saint, the words of 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 speak loud and clear, "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We have assurance of eternity in His presence, and victory over death.

HJK