Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. I. Precious, therefore, in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints, BECAUSE IT BRINGS THEM NEARER TO GOD. How strange, indeed how absurd, this life would be if death ended all! Think of a man like Gladstone, who lived under a high sense of duty, whose life was one of prayer, who sang "Praise to the Holiest in the height" amid the sufferings of his last days; — just imagine all this ending in nothingness! Why, it reminds one of the famous Amblongus pie of the nonsense book. It was a pie of most elaborate construction. Particular directions were given as to the making of it, what was to be put in, and in what quantities. It was to be very carefully compounded, and most scientifically baked, and then the final instructions were to "open the window and pitch it out as fast as possible." Just as laughable, so to speak, is the idea of a man, trained to high thought and holy feeling and submissive will, being, at the last, simply "cast as rubbish to the void." But Christ hath brought life and immortality to light. II. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints, BECAUSE IT ENDS THEIR STRUGGLE. There is no surer thing about life here than that it is a struggle. The road is uphill all the way, and you must wrestle on towards heaven. But it is just this struggling that makes us, and gives us a character worth taking into the next world. It is told of the mother of Mr. Balfour that, on one occasion, when her sons were going to play in a football match, some friend advised her to keep them from going because of the danger. "Would you have me spoil a character?" was the mother's reply. She herself was anxious about them, and didn't like their playing; but to keep them back from joining their comrades merely because of any risk, she felt, would do more harm than good. All the same, you may be sure, it would be a relief to her to see them safe home again after it was all over. And so God does not separate us from the need for struggle here, and the risks attending it. We have to face them all. He wants us to gain and acquire character through a well-fought fight. But will not He too be pleased, — relieved, might we say? — when all the struggle is safely over, and death brings His children home? III. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints, BECAUSE IT ENDS THEIR IGNORANCE. It is said, and with a good deal of truth, that most people who do any good in the world die without knowing it. That is very hard. Surely such, above all, deserve to know at least the good they have done. But often not till they are gone is the value of their work realized. They may have thought they were failures, they may have longed to be taken away as useless; and yet, when they are gone, others rise up and call them blessed. "Ah!" we say, "if they had only known, if they had only had the satisfaction of knowing that while they were with us!" But do you not think they know now? We may be sure that death ends their ignorance as to that, and as to many of the things that men here have for ages desired to look into. (J. S. Maver, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.WEB: Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints. |
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