March 6 – Victory in
Death
Psalm 17:15 – "And
I, in righteousness, I will see your face; when I awake, I will be
satisfied with seeing your likeness."
Is it still a blessed
thing to live, and live some more? So sings one of my favorite
spiritually-minded bands from the 90s. I am certainly "pro-life"
on the conservative side of morality, as the over-arching theme of
the Bible paints that picture. I am even more on the side of the
Catholics, who consistently fight for the right of life from "natural
birth to natural death". Things get complicated, however, now
that modern science and health technology is able to prolong our
physical existence, to extend our time on this earth. Some would
call some of this technology "unnatural", as in the case of
a person kept alive on a ventilator, with no hope of life without it.
Some would call a piece of this technology "merciful", as
in the case of easing the pain for a terminally-ill cancer patient.
"Natural" death occurs less and less these days. Don't get
me wrong; I am not judging anyone for the decisions he makes
regarding the use of any of these technologies. No one has to answer
to me. I am simply asking the
question – is it still a blessed thing to keep on physically
existing just to keep putting off the inevitable?
Paul's faith in God was
so strong, that he said in Philippians 1:23, 24, "I desire to
depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,
but it is better for you that I remain in the body". He knew
that he would be with his Maker when his physical life ended. In the
21st-century western world, the mindset is to live as long as
possible, because there is nothing after death – no afterlife, no
hope, not even re-incarnation, because there is no God, who designed
the afterlife. I believe that some of this yeast has spread through
the body of Christ; this leaven is devoid of hope, and is not full of
truth. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that death is easy to
take. It still hurts when we lose a loved one. The sting of death
is still currently stinging – an unpleasant experience on many
levels.
The psalm above, this
prayer of David, is similar to most of his psalms. It is a cry of
deliverance from wicked men, who are out to make his life miserable.
It contains hope as well, in verse 14. Then verse 15 seems like an
odd statement to me in the context of the Psalm. Is David referring
to peaceful physical sleep, and a sense of victory in God, when he
awakes? Quite possibly. But, as with much of the Bible, there are
double entendres (and sometimes triple and quadruple) lurking around
every corner. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15, he calls death
"sleep". He then goes on to describe that death will one
day be swallowed by Life himself in a victorious manner.
For us believers, the
finality of life on this earth ushers us across the "Jordan"
to the promised land, to heaven, our temporary home in God's abode,
where there is no longer any suffering, but only bliss, joy, and
eternal peace. Why is that? Because God is not only preparing a
"place" for his children (John 14:1-4), but that place is
in his presence. We will finally be able to "see" the
image of our Master Jesus, because we will no longer be looking
through a clouded glass at the vague beauty on the other side (1
Corinthians 13:12). We will be on the other side, where our
sight will be clear, and where we no longer have to experience the
sting of death.
