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 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