Precious in the sight of the Lord

Psalm 116:15  Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Death.

Death is spoken of in several ways in the Scriptures – physical death (Genesis 5:5), spiritual death (Eph. 2:1, 5), eternal death (the second death, Rev. 20:14-15). In the context of Psalm 116, the word speaks of physical death, the time when our temporal bodies cease to function and return to the dust.

A clinical, medical, or scientific definition of death is the permanent cessation of all vital bodily functions. A legal definition of death is the irreversible cessation of cardiorespiratory function or irreversible cessation of all brain function. These are clinically measurable criteria, though ultimately imperfect and fallible. Folks who have been pronounced dead have later been found to have life – some before burial, fortunately.

The biblical definition of death is true and accurate, but not clinically measurable. “The body without the spirit is dead.” James 2:26.

Saints.

A saint in the minds of many people is a person of great virtue and holiness – and in the Roman Catholic sense especially a virtuous holy person who has been declared a “capital S” Saint. However, in the biblical sense a saint is a child of God, either living or dead. Jude 1:14 demonstrates the latter, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.” (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:13) So does Matthew 27:52 (“bodies of the saints which slept arose”). But primarily in the New Testament, saints are the living born again believers in the gathered congregations (e.g., Acts 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10). They assemble together (Romans 16:15; 1 Corinthians 1:2), the Spirit intercedes for them (Romans 8:27), act carnally (1 Corinthians 5-6), need perfecting (Ephesians 4:12), experience want (2 Corinthians 9:12), need refreshing (Philemon 1:7), have feet that need washing (1 Timothy 4:10), pray & are prayed for (Revelation 5:8; Ephesians 6:18), and have had the faith delivered unto them (Jude 1:3).

In context these saints are initially physical alive, since it talks about their coming physical death.

Precious.

Precious is an adjective that means highly esteemed; cherished; dear; beloved; of great value; valuable. Some things described in the Bible as precious are: costly stones, metals, jewels, ointments, & spices (1 Kings 10:2; 2 Kings 20:13); thoughts (Psalm 139:17), a good name (Ecclesiastes 7:1), the fruit of the earth (James 5:7), life (2 Kings 1:14; Psalm 49:8), faith (2 Peter 1:1), promises (2 Peter 1:4), and – most of all – “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).

All of these things named are either costly, cherished, beloved, and/or highly esteemed, by God or man.

In the sight of the Lord.

“In the sight of the Lord” ties together precious, death, and saints. The separation of the body and spirit in physical death of the born again children of God (his saints – not Catholic saints, not imagined saints on earth – his saints) is valuable, cherished, and highly esteemed.

“In the sight of the Lord” – This fact is based on God himself (i.e., his truth and his perspective) and by extension to all who then understand death from God’s point of view. To be precious, death must be viewed in a certain light. God is truth (John 3:33), his word is truth (John 17:17), and God’s point of view is truth. “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” 

To the dying saint going home, from God’s point of view, and in truth itself, death is gain (Philippians 1:21): a removal from mortal life in the temporal world to immortal life in the eternal world, a reunion of saints living on earth with saints already in heaven, a rest from strife and struggling, and a relief from pain and sorrow. 

To the living saint left behind, from God’s point of view, and in truth itself, death is a readjustment at which time we know that we can have sorrow for our loss, but that we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The dead in Christ are with him in spirit (2 Corinthians 5:8), and when he comes again, the bodies of those saints will rise from their graves.

Death is not precious to the world. It is a hated and despised enemy. Like Ahab to Elijah, when death comes the world must say “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?” And like Elijah and Paul, death answers, “I have found thee…for the wages of sin is death.” Those who have no hope beyond the grave cannot see that there is the victory over death – yea, cannot obtain victory over death, and can have neither feeling nor understanding that it is precious. 

To be precious, death must be viewed in a certain light – the light of God’s​ word, God’s will, and of God himself.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.