As you well know, Psalm 23 is often read or sung at funerals to bring consolation and comfort to those who are grieving. For the child of God, it is a blessed and triumphant Psalm, as it speaks to God’s divine provision and protection and hope, not only through the hills and valleys of Life but even in times of death.
“Yes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”, God’s word does not ‘airbrush’ the issue of death. As it speaks of life, so it speaks of death, close to 900 times. Here David is speaking, not so much of death itself, but rather the circumstances and events that might lead to death. It is only the shadow of death. It is good to remind ourselves that none of us know when we will die, so in one sense we all live all the time in the shadow of death.
I remember so well how my late father was so set on always saying: “God willing – I shall see you next week”. What is also noteworthy in this context is that we also don’t know How we will die and no one can tell us what it is like to die. I believe that is part of God’s common grace over the lives of all of mankind. The one thing that we do know, is that one day, unless the Lord returns before that, we will die. For the Believer in Jesus Christ there is no need to be afraid of death. The sting of death is sin. In Christ, the believer’s sin has been forgiven and forgotten hence the sting has been removed: 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says: “ O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. That is wonderful news but we need to admit that even as Christians, there can be some anxious thoughts around death and the suffering that might present itself before we actually die.
Woody Allen, once said: ‘I’m not afraid of dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens’. On a more serious note, a believing brother once said: ‘I don’t mind the Lord taking down my tent, I just want him to take it down gently’. What we must also know is that God provides grace for every situation. He will be there when we need it. That’s why David says: “I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”.
Possibly one of the most beautiful and comforting verses in scripture is this one in Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”. How is it possible that God’s Word treats the issue of death so gently. The answer lies in a paradox. Even though death begins when we are born, eternal life begins when we are born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. John 17:3 says: ”Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”. So as a believer in Jesus Christ we are experiencing eternal life right now and death will be no more than a short interruption. Praise God for that!
With much Christian Love,
Anton van Stormbroek