Precious In God's Sight!
"Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of His saints."
Psalm 116: 15
With the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the
word precious
gained new frequency in cultural conversation.
“Precious”
was the name given by the diabolical creature, Gollum,
to
a powerful and malevolent golden
ring.
The hobbit, Frodo Baggins, pursued a perilous crusade
to see the ring destroyed. But the evil Gollum
opposed
Frodo’s every effort, seeking to gain the ring’s magical
powers for himself.
Precious appears in Scripture more than seventy times,
referring
to things of value. An even deeper meaning is attached to
“precious”
in Psalm 116:15 referring to the death of God’s people. In this case,
precious doesn’t mean desirable—it does mean valuable. God does
not desire for His people to die, especially in difficult circumstances
as suggested in Psalm 116.
Instead, the death of God’s people is safeguarded, watched
over,
protected, and secured. Much as we safeguard something
highly
valuable, so God safeguards His people when they die. As
Jesus
protected His disciples in life (John 17:12), so God protects
them
in death.
Those in Christ should never fear death.
The love of God continues from temporal
life through to eternal life.
"The church is the only society in the world that
never loses any of its members, even by death."
John Blanchard
