Death

It seems to me that those who fear death the most are involved in life the least. They have focused their sights on the temporal things of the world. In essence, those who fear death, it seems, fear life and have prioritized self-indulgence for the remainder of their days. Slowing down and focusing on oneself is not Scripture’s perspective on life. Theologian J. I. Packer explains it this way.

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China. Among his many achievements was building large sections of the Great Wall of China. However, the emperor lived in fear. To ensure his power and authority, he banned and burned many books and buried scholars alive. But his greatest fear was death.

Friday was the day of the cross. We call it Good Friday. But from Mary’s viewpoint, “good” was not the word she would use.

Jesus was not the Messiah the Jews were expecting. They lived under the oppression of Rome and longed for a political and military deliverer. The One who was born in a stable to a poor Jewish girl did not meet their expectations.

We are sinners, and our sin separates us from God. The penalty of our sin is death. But driven by perfect love, the just God became the Justifier. Being fully God, Jesus was the only One who could provide a sinless sacrifice.

In dark valleys, he is our Shepherd who leads us to safety. God can always be trusted in the uncertainties of living. And we can be sure that when we leave this life, he will deliver us safely home. 

A lion is the king of the jungle—an amazing creature demonstrating power and agility. But a dead lion loses his roar. Solomon says that a live dog is better off. Life provides opportunity. We could say it this way, life gives us the opportunity to die well. 

When we die, our soul returns to God, our loving Creator. He beckons us home to be with him forever. We will finally see justice because of the injustice that was placed on Jesus. No one spoke in his defense; there was no one to save him from the cross.

Solomon is not trying to leave us hopeless; he’s trying to wake us up. He is not saying that you live a few miserable years and die. God is the giver of life. Jesus said that he came so that we could “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Life on earth matters! What we do counts! What a privilege it is to live for Jesus!