PSALM 116:15
"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints."
Let's break this short verse into four parts and consider each of them separately to give us a better appreciation of this "precious" verse.
The first part is the word "precious". When we think of the death of a "saint" (Christian), we probably usually don't think of it as "precious". It might even be tragic.
It might cause us to be sad. We don't think of something that is "precious" as something that would grieve us. But to understand why it is "precious" to God we must look at the second part of the verse, which is "in the sight of the Lord".
We must understand this death from God's "sight", viewpoint, or perspective, not ours; not how we "naturally" would understand it or feel about it. From our viewpoint, we see a loss, which might bring us great emotional pain. From God's viewpoint, He sees a gain, which brings Him great personal joy.
The third part of the verse contains the word "death". We should rightly understand that "death" is separation; not just separation of the human spirit from the body of the person that has died, but separation from us that are still living. After their death, we no longer at this time can interact with this person that has been separated from us.
But when we understand this death of a saint from God's viewpoint, we recognize that this death is not a separation from Him, but a great and precious union. "Absent from the body and present with the Lord" (the Lord Jesus' body in Heaven). Not only present with the Lord, but gloriously present with all the others that are now rejoicing in Heaven as well, enjoying all that is there. We sadly say "goodbye" to the dearly departed, while God and those in Heaven say "Welcome home!" Imagine two lovers that have been sadly separated for a long time, and then catch that first sight of each other at a longed for reunion. How "precious" to now be back together, to be able to hold one another, and to express their love face to face. This is what God and the saints experience at the death of the saint. How precious.
The last part of the verse contains the words "his saints." They are not just "saints", but they are "his" saints. They belong to God. They are His beloved children, that He not only created, and cared for throughout their life, but redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus. What are "saints"? They are different, distinguished from all the rest of the people of the world. They are "separated" from them by that distinction. They are different. Those that have received Jesus as Savior, that have placed their trust in the shed blood on their behalf, are redeemed, bought back from their spiritual condemnation and eternal doom. These are the people that have more that just their created eternal existence (that which all people have), but eternal life; assurance that they will live in glory with Jesus forever. They will be on the right hand of the Lord in regards to Matthew 25:34. Those that have not trusted in that shed blood, that have not been redeemed, who have not come to personally know Jesus, remain under the wrath, condemnation, and damnation of God (John 3:36). They will be on the left hand of Matthew 25:41, and be cast into an eternal, Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15). This loss of these unsaved souls is a great grief to our God, but in light of it, it makes the gain of those that receive His eternal life in Christ so much more precious. "Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints."
"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints."
Let's break this short verse into four parts and consider each of them separately to give us a better appreciation of this "precious" verse.
The first part is the word "precious". When we think of the death of a "saint" (Christian), we probably usually don't think of it as "precious". It might even be tragic.
It might cause us to be sad. We don't think of something that is "precious" as something that would grieve us. But to understand why it is "precious" to God we must look at the second part of the verse, which is "in the sight of the Lord".
We must understand this death from God's "sight", viewpoint, or perspective, not ours; not how we "naturally" would understand it or feel about it. From our viewpoint, we see a loss, which might bring us great emotional pain. From God's viewpoint, He sees a gain, which brings Him great personal joy.
The third part of the verse contains the word "death". We should rightly understand that "death" is separation; not just separation of the human spirit from the body of the person that has died, but separation from us that are still living. After their death, we no longer at this time can interact with this person that has been separated from us.
But when we understand this death of a saint from God's viewpoint, we recognize that this death is not a separation from Him, but a great and precious union. "Absent from the body and present with the Lord" (the Lord Jesus' body in Heaven). Not only present with the Lord, but gloriously present with all the others that are now rejoicing in Heaven as well, enjoying all that is there. We sadly say "goodbye" to the dearly departed, while God and those in Heaven say "Welcome home!" Imagine two lovers that have been sadly separated for a long time, and then catch that first sight of each other at a longed for reunion. How "precious" to now be back together, to be able to hold one another, and to express their love face to face. This is what God and the saints experience at the death of the saint. How precious.
The last part of the verse contains the words "his saints." They are not just "saints", but they are "his" saints. They belong to God. They are His beloved children, that He not only created, and cared for throughout their life, but redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus. What are "saints"? They are different, distinguished from all the rest of the people of the world. They are "separated" from them by that distinction. They are different. Those that have received Jesus as Savior, that have placed their trust in the shed blood on their behalf, are redeemed, bought back from their spiritual condemnation and eternal doom. These are the people that have more that just their created eternal existence (that which all people have), but eternal life; assurance that they will live in glory with Jesus forever. They will be on the right hand of the Lord in regards to Matthew 25:34. Those that have not trusted in that shed blood, that have not been redeemed, who have not come to personally know Jesus, remain under the wrath, condemnation, and damnation of God (John 3:36). They will be on the left hand of Matthew 25:41, and be cast into an eternal, Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15). This loss of these unsaved souls is a great grief to our God, but in light of it, it makes the gain of those that receive His eternal life in Christ so much more precious. "Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints."
