Psalm 116:15: The Death of a Saint

A few days ago, I conducted the funeral of Mr. Paul Klec, a wonderful Christian man who died at the age of 90. Paul was a veteran of World War II and a member of the church where I serve as the pastor. Paul was a member of the church since it was organized in 1929. At the funeral, I read Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

The words of the psalmist are amazing: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Why is the death of God’s people precious in his sight? Only someone who has a biblical understanding of death can say with confidence that the death of a believer is precious to God.

Such a view of death is not shared by many people. The author of the book of Hebrews said that Jesus took upon himself human nature and died on the cross in order to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). The fear of dying, also called “necrophobia,” or “thanatophobia,” is a problem that affects many people, at times even impacting the quality of a person’s everyday life.

The reason some people fear death is because they think they are unprepared to die. Others feel regret for not accomplishing established goals and thus feel that they have lived a sad and meaningless life. Much of the fear of death comes from the fact that people do not know what awaits them on the other side of life. At the time of death people question whether there is a God and whether they are prepared to give an account of their lives when they meet their Creator.

The words of the psalmist reflect the view of someone who was not afraid to die. As another psalmist wrote: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for [God is] with me” (Psalm 23:4).

The writer of Psalm 116 had experienced the love and faithfulness of God in his life. Because the God of the psalmist was a God of life, the end of his life was not something of small importance to God.

Most translations render the word יקר (yāqār) as “precious.” This is how the word is translated in several places in the Hebrew Bible. For instance, in 2 Samuel 12:30 the word is used to describe the precious stones in the crown of a king. In Psalm 36:8 the word is used to describe how precious is God’s hesed, God’s faithfulness. In Proverbs 3:15 the word is used to affirm that wisdom is more precious than rubies. Thus, the death of God’s faithful people, his hasidim, is very special to God, more valuable than precious stones.

A few translations translate verse 15 in a way that removes the idea that the psalmist was trying to convey to his readers. For instance, the New English Translation (NET) translates verse 15 as follows: “The LORD values the lives of his faithful followers.” This translation misses the point because the emphasis of the psalmist is not on life but on death.

The New American Bible (NAB) translates the verse as follows: “Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful.” Although this translation comes close to the idea expressed by the psalmist, the English word “costly” implies that the death of a saint is pricey.

The Tanak translates verse 15 as follows: “The death of His faithful ones is grievous in the LORD’s sight.” This translation gives the impression that the death of a believer is heinous, dreadful, or terrible to God, an idea that is the opposite of what the psalmist is saying.

The words of the psalmist teach that the death of a godly person is important to God because when a godly person dies something special happens. These words can be a source of great comfort for those who believe in God. These words teach us that death should not be a fearful experience and that God will not abandon his people in their hour of greatest need.

These words also sustain believers when they face that dark and fearful place, the valley of the shadow of death: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for [God is] with me” (Psalm 23:4).

When Paul Klec died, his death notification carried a beautiful poem:

I’d like the memory of me

to be a happy one.

I’d like to leave an afterglow

of smiles when life is done.

I’d like to leave an echo

whispering softly down the ways

of happy times and laughing times

of bright and sunny days.

I’d like the tears of those who grieve,

to dry before the sun

of happy memories that I leave

when life is done.

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Death, Psalm 116

The Death of Lazarus and the Problem of Evil

The B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention has published the Apologetics Study Bible. This Bible contains more than 100 articles and other features designed to help believers defend the Christian faith. One of the articles in the Apologetics Study Bible deals with God and evil. The article was written by Gregory E. Ganssle who is on the faculty of the Rivendell Institute for Christian Thought and Learning in New Haven, Ct., a special project of the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry at Yale University.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Today, the most important form of the argument against the existence of God from evil is called the "evidential argument from evil." The one who presses this argument admits that the existence of God and the reality of evil are not logically incompatible. The argument is that the amount and the kinds of evil we find in the world is strong evidence against the existence of God.

Even though it is possible that God has a reason to allow the evils we find in the world, it does not seem likely that there are good reasons for some of the evils we see. We cannot prove that there is no good reason, but if we have lots of cases in which it seems as though there is none, we will conclude that there probably is no good reason to allow these evils. If it is true that probably there is no good reason to allow these cases of evil, then it is probable that God does not exist. This argument is called the "evidential argument" because we cannot prove that there is no good reason to allow the particular evils we are thinking about. These evils do, then, look like good evidence that God does not exist.

In order to begin to answer this argument, we must think about the claim that it is probable that no good reason exists to allow the evil in question. Why should we believe this is true? The one who puts this argument forward will appeal to cases of evil in which it is difficult to find a reason that might fit. Does this mean we ought to conclude that it is probable that there is no reason? No.

The reasoning here goes as follows: It seems like there is no reason to allow this evil; therefore, probably there is no reason to allow it. Sometimes this kind of reasoning is strong and other times it is weak. Let me illustrate. The argument is of the form: It seems like there is no x, therefore, probably there is no x. The Bible has numerous cases where one could mount this argument. Let's take the case of Lazarus's death in John 11. Lazarus was likely in the prime of his life. He's a good man and a close friend of Jesus. Lazarus becomes ill and dies. The citizens of his village, Bethany, could see such an evil and after three days of mourning come to the conclusion that there is no reason for this. Therefore, God doesn't exist. Then Jesus comes to Bethany. Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha, chastise Jesus for not getting there sooner. As we read John's account, we see that unbeknownst to Mary and Martha, Jesus had reasons for delaying. Moreover, there were reasons Lazarus was permitted to die in the prime of his life. When Jesus arrived at Lazarus's tomb, He prayed and then called Lazarus to come out of the tomb four days after his death. The reason for Lazarus's sickness, death, Jesus' delay and Lazarus's resuscitation was that God's glory might be seen.

Some of the citizens might have thought they had a strong case against the existence of God the three days after Lazarus died. But subsequent events place the evil of Lazarus's death in a much different context. In light of this context, Lazarus's death is seen to be part of a much greater good than anyone in Bethany could imagine.

After I read the article in its entirety, I came to the conclusion that Ganssle’s argument taken from Lazarus’ death is very helpful to believers but it will not convince atheists and other non-believers. Let me share a personal experience.

Many years ago when I was in seminary, a young seminary student was killed in the prime of his life. He was in his mid-twenties and fresh out of college. He came to seminary because he was called by God into the ministry. A few weeks after arriving on the seminary, he became pastor of a small rural church. One day, while helping repair one of the church’s buildings, he was killed in a tragic accident. How can one explain the death of a young man who came to seminary in answer to God’s call? In this case, since there was no resurrection (not yet, anyway), no one saw the glory of God and no one found the greater good in this death. The purpose of his death remains a mystery. People still continued to believe in God even when they were unable to explain the reasons for his death.

As a believer, I can affirm that sin has affected God’s creation and human depravity causes most evil and suffering in the world. I can also accept the fact that no human being can understand the reasons for every evil, calamity, and suffering in the world. Believers can accept the reality of God and the existence of evil. The presence of evil in the world is no reason to deny the existence of God. As Jesus said: “You do not understand what I am doing now, but later you will understand” (John 13:7).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Death, evil, Lazarus

The Right to Live and the Right to Die

In response to my post “A Case of Life and Death,” Doug Chaplin at MetaCatholic wrote a post in which he disagrees with my conclusions on the issue of termination of life. I want to return to this issue since it is a problem that affects many people, primarily those who are in ministry.

First of all, I want to apologize to Doug for my delay in responding to his post. Since January I have been on sabbatical and immersed in reading and researching for a book I hope to finish writing by the end of August. For this reason I have limited the time I dedicate to blogging. I will mostly work on weekends and try to post as often as time allows.

In reality, Doug and I are not too far apart on this issue. I agree with Doug that hospitals and doctors have the right to decide that no more treatment should be offered to a patient when all treatments have failed and when the situation is terminal. In the case of the patient mentioned in the story, the situation seems to be terminal and no further treatment is possible.

The issue I raised in my post is who has the right to terminate life, the doctors or the family? In the article I cited in my post, it is clear that Rosenblum, the writer of the article, is writing from a perspective of one who opposes termination of life by doctors. Thus, his article is “written tendentiously” because the writer takes the side of the family against the doctors’ decision.

Let me illustrate the issue I am raising by using abortion as an example. By using abortion as an example I am not discussing the merits of abortion, whether I am in favor or against abortion or whether abortion is right or wrong. Rather, I use abortion as an example because it is related to the issue at hand, the right to live and the right to die.

In cases of abortion, it is the patient who decides whether the fetus lives or dies. Once the woman makes a decision to have or not to have an abortion, she decides whether the fetus lives or dies. I do not know what the law in the UK is regarding abortion, but here in the US, a minor can decide to have an abortion even without her parent’s consent. In this case, it is the individual, not the doctors and not the parents, who decides the right to live and the right to die.

In the case of the patient in Canada, an Orthodox Jew who believes that it is wrong to take “any action designed to shorten life,” the doctors should honor the family’s request and not take matters into their own hands and decide to remove the machines that keep the man alive, because their decision goes against the family’s and the patient’s wishes. I believe that it should be the family’s right to make the decision when their loved one will die, not the doctors.

Personally, I do not want my life to be prolonged by artificial means. Although I believe that every life is important and precious, I also believe that to prologue life artificially may not be what God intended for his creatures, primarily when it is clear that normal life has come to an end.

As Doug wrote, science and technology have created a modern phenomenon that was not known a century ago. With better diagnoses, better medicines, and better treatment life can be prolonged beyond normal expectations. There was an old saying that pneumonia was the elderly’s best friend, because when the elderly became seriously ill, pneumonia would hasten death and shorten the time of suffering. Today the elderly takes a pneumonia shot to avoid pneumonia and the machines keeps a patient living longer and thus prolonging the time of suffering.

There must be a better way and I am quite sure it is already being practiced in some places. To say that doctors have “the sole right to make decisions about treatment, even if it goes against a patient’s religious beliefs” is insensitive and, from my perspective, wrong. Look at all the agony that the Terri Schiavo case caused a few years ago.

Here is what I would like to see happen:

1. Hospitals should have a written policy about termination of life in case no further treatment can be offered to a dying patient. The policy should clearly state that treatment will cease when no further treatment is available.

2. The family and the patient (if able) should be informed of the policy and be clear that no further treatment will be offered when the case becomes terminal.

3. The patient would be admitted with the understanding that there will be no further treatment when the case becomes terminal. In case the family or the patient refuses to sign the release form, the patient and the family would be free to look for another hospital that will be willing to prolong the life of the patient through artificial means.

I do not think a hospital would adopt such a policy for fear of litigation. Thus, it becomes very important for the hospital to communicate to patients and to family members their policy about termination of life before a patient is admitted. This way, the family will have a clear understanding about what will happen in case of terminal condition.

In the case of the elderly Jewish man, it is already too late to apply such a policy. For this reason, I believe the doctors should not remove the machines because the family opposes and because the man will surely die. The hospital should transfer the patient to another hospital which will allow the man to die in peace. Instead, they made the decision to cease treatment, remove the machines, and allow the man to die. By taking matters into their own hands, the doctors take upon themselves the right to make the decision, against the family wishes, that a man should die. To me, that is wrong.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Abotion, Death, Life, Terri Schiavo

A Case of Life and Death

Here is an issue that should concern all of us: in case of a terminal illness, who should have the power to decide when life should end: the doctor or the family? A case in Canada is raising this question all over again. Here is a summary of the case as reported by Jonathan Rosenblum in the Jewish World Review:

A Winnipeg case currently winding its way to its grim conclusion pits the children of Samuel Golubchuk against doctors at the Salvation Army Grace General Hospital. According to the leadings, Golubchuk's doctors informed his children that their 84-year-old father is "in the process of dying" and that they intended to hasten the process by removing his ventilation, and if that proved insufficient to kill him quickly, to also remove his feeding tube. In the event that the patient showed discomfort during these procedures, the chief of the hospital's ICU unit stated in his affidavit that he would administer morphine.

Golubchuk is an Orthodox Jew, as are his children. The latter have adamantly opposed his removal from the ventilator and feeding tube, on the grounds that Jewish law expressly forbids any action designed to shorten life, and that if their father could express his wishes, he would oppose the doctors acting to deliberately terminate his life.

In response, the director of the ICU informed Golubchuk's children that neither their father's wishes nor their own are relevant, and he would do whatever he decided was appropriate. Bill Olson, counsel for the ICU director, told the Canadian Broadcasting Company that physicians have the sole right to make decisions about treatment — even if it goes against a patient's religious beliefs — and that "there is no right to a continuation of treatment."

This story is alarming because the position taken by the hospital gives doctors total power to make the decision to withdraw life-support from a patient. The position taken by the hospital also removes from patients the ability to make end-of-life decisions. In cases like this one, what will happen to living wills, the power given to individuals to declare in writing who should make the decision to terminate life in the event of a person’s incapacity to make such a decision?

I agree with Rosenblum when he said that to give doctors absolute power to decide when to terminate life is "an assault on the traditional Judeo-Christian concept of the sanctity of life." Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God and each life is precious and important. Doctors should not be the only ones to decide when life should be terminated. The patient and their families should have a say in the matter.

Credit for Image: Jewish World Review

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Death, Living Wills, Terminal Illness

The Death of Death

Note: the following is a short version of a sermon preached at Trinity Baptist Church on Easter Sunday 2007.

The Death of Death

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a therapist who worked with people who were facing death. In one of her books, Kubler-Ross mentioned the story of a child, an 8-year-old boy, who was dying with a brain tumor. She asked him to draw a picture that would describe his situation.

The boy drew a picture of a house, some trees, and the sun hiding behind a mountain. The events in the picture reflected what was taking place at sunset. In front of the house there was an army tank and in front of the tank there was a sign with the word: “STOP.” This picture reflected the child’s fear of death and his inability to stop it.

Many years ago, when I was the pastor of a church in California, a faithful and committed member of my church died. That aged woman had been a member of the church for many years and was loved by all. The wake service was a time of celebration: people were singing and praising God for her life.

The grandchildren of the woman were very upset. They were angry because the members of the church were singing and not crying. They just could not understand the real meaning of the death of a believer.

At the cemetery, after the brief service of Scripture reading and prayer, the grandchildren demanded that the casket be opened so they could say good-bye to their grandmother one last time. The reason for their action was because, they said, they would never see her again.

Why are so many people afraid of death? Some people are afraid of death because they are not sure whether there is life after death. They want to enjoy life now, as much as possible, because they do not know what will come next.

Some people are afraid of death because they know that there is life after death and they are not prepared to meet God. Other people are afraid of death because they know there is a judgement and they know they will be found guilty.

A study was conducted about religion and people’s attitude toward death. The result of this study is very revealing. The study revealed that if a person is religious, the less religious that person is, the greater the fear of death. The study also revealed that the more religious a person is, the less fear that person has of dying. The study showed that most atheists do not fear death because for them life ends at the time of death.

The resurrection of Christ is the good news that God in Christ has conquered death. Hebrews 2:14-15 says: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

The work of Christ was to free those who were held in slavery because of their fear of death. The resurrection of Christ is the believer’s victory over death.

Although Christ conquered death, people today are still afraid of death. To deal with this fear, people have developed different reasons to dispel the fear of death. These are some of the reasons people give in dealing with the fear of death:

“There is no life after death, so I don’t have to fear death.”
“There is no God, so I don’t fear death.”
“There is no hell, so I don’t have to fear death and judgment.”
“In the end God will save everybody, so I don’t have to fear death.”

But death is real. God told Adam about the consequence of disobedience: “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). It is sin that has made death so frightening. It is disobedience that gave sin its destructive power and created the fear of dying. People who understand the frailty of their lives and are confronted with the reality of their mortality, fear death.

According to Hebrews 2:9, this is the reason Jesus became a human being. The writer says that Jesus suffered death so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. This is the same message of Hebrews 2:14-15: Jesus became a human being and died so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death and deliver all those people who fear death. And here is the irony: Jesus destroyed the power of death by dying on the cross. The death of death came through the death of Christ.

The Bible portrays death as an enemy. Death entered the world because of sin. Death was never God’s purpose for his creation, thus, the presence of death shows the reality of sin. But death is contrary to God’s will. God wants every individual to have life, eternal life.

Jesus came to break the power of death, he came to deal with the fear of dying. Jesus died to overcome a common enemy: death. It is the resurrection of Christ that breaks the power of death. Death came through one man. The death of death also came through one man: Jesus. As Paul said: “In Adam all die, in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

In 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 Paul teaches that human nature cannot lead people into the kingdom of God. Every human being, sooner or later, must die. But Paul describes something wonderful. He speaks of a mystery that even today, many people cannot fully understand. He says that one day those who have died in Christ will get up from their graves, free from the reach of death, never to die again.

“Then the saying will come true: Death has been swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

"Where, O death, is your victory?”

There is no more victory for death, for the death of Christ brought the death of death.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Death, Resurrection, Sermon

The Death of a Saint

Last week my mother-in-law, Mrs. Virginia Morrell, died in Eugene, Oregon. The funeral was last Friday in Eureka, California and I had the privilege of conducting the memorial service.

Over the years I have heard many jokes about mothers-in-law, but none of those jokes applied to my mother-in-law. She was a wonderful person, a good Christian woman, and the perfect mother and mother-in-law. In her simplicity, she exuded grace.

Virginia had the kind of personality that attracted the love and admiration of all people who knew her. Any stranger who met her would be a stranger no more. People loved her and were attracted to her. Her death brings to mind the words of the Psalmist: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

The words of the Psalmist are filled with wonder and mystery. Why is the death of God’s people precious to God?

The word “precious” demonstrates what God’s attitude is toward the death of his children. God delights in the lives of all his people. The beginning of a believer’s life is marked by celebration (Luke 15:10) and so is its end.

The words of the Psalmist also shed a bright light on what will happen after a believer leaves this life. The life of a believer here on earth is marked by sorrows and disappointments, temptations and sin. The death of a person ends all of that, but is death the end of everything?

For a believer, death marks the beginning of something new. While believers are here on earth, they are exposed to the problems of everyday life, but in death, God gathers them into the safety of his eternal presence.

Since the death of a believer is precious to God, then death cannot be the end of all things, otherwise, how could such a death be precious to God? For those who belong to God, death is not an endless night, but the entrance into the fullness of life promised by Christ. Some people die having really lived, while others continue to live in spite of the fact that they have died. As Sir Edwin Arnold said: “The end of birth is death; the end of death is birth.”

Joy and sorrow, life and death, are integral components to our experience as human beings. The pain of death belongs to those who are left behind. Those who have died are free from their pain and suffering for God himself “shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).

Virginia’s death reminds me of what John Bunyan wrote in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Writing about the end of Pilgrim’s journey, Bunyan put these words in Pilgrim’s mouth:

“My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles who now will be my rewarder.” When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the riverside, into which as he went he said: “Death, where is thy sting?” And as he went down deeper, he said: “Grave, where is thy victory?” So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.

At the occasion of his mother’s death, my brother-in-law, Rolla Anderson, wrote the following poem, which was read at the memorial service:

Sorrow

Even tho we're often told
That pain is part of life.
Sometimes it's hard to understand
Why we must bear such strife.
Why sorrow comes as burning coals
Upon our hearts to sear.
To leave, as ash, just memories
Of those we held so dear.

Why is our lot, to shed these tears?
To feel the grief so strong
Until in time, it slowly fades
But never to be gone.
For this world is a world of woe
Praise God, we're not alone
For He will help us bear it all
Until He takes us home.

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints (Psalm 116:15).

R.I.P.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Death, Sorrow, Psalm 116