Dear RTB’ers,
Death – verses 3, 8, 15. Although David expressed fear for his life, I don’t recall him writing of anything like a reprieve from death. Psalm 6 is a lament, with David expressing fear, weariness and weeping, but death is only a mention, not a near occasion. Likewise, in Psalm 41 David speaks of death, but in the third person. By contrast, the author of today’s psalm seemed to be at death’s door:
The snares of death encompassed me…
For you have delivered my soul from death…
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
His reaction is thanksgiving and praise.
And us? We’ve had a number of deaths at St. Andrew’s the past few years, but with celebrations of resurrection instead of funerals. Death is acknowledged; resurrection is embraced. It’s what we believe – the apostle Paul said it best, For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21) We will go at His behest. Until then, we’ve got work to do.
Blessings.
Fred