Wednesday April 24
Death and Loneliness
Someone once asked the question: What’s the difference between humans and chickens in regard to the question of death? The answer is that, unlike chickens, who die, we humans, who die, too, know that we will die. Chickens don’t. And it’s this knowledge of our impending death that greatly impacts how we live now.
Paul wanted to die. Why? Do we fear death? Why do we not want to die now to be asleep until Jesus comes? On the other hand, if we are not sure about our spiritual condition, maybe we ought to be fearful of dying today or tomorrow?
As we know, all relationships, including marriage, sooner or later come to an end in our greatest enemy: death.
Our greatest enemy is not death, it is sin and Satan. Death is sleep. "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead." John 11:11-14. Are we afraid to sleep until Jesus comes? Otherwise we must love this world?
No matter how close a union, no matter the great love, the deep companionship, the time spent together, as human beings we (unlike chickens) know that sooner or later death will come (unless Jesus returns beforehand) and, when it does, all our relationships will cease. This has been our fate from the first sin and will be so until the return of Jesus.
I thought we will all be reunited if we fall asleep in Jesus?
The Bible doesn’t tell us which of the two, Adam or Eve, died first, but it must have been particularly painful for the other one, especially since death was never supposed to be part of life to begin with. If, as we saw in an earlier lesson, the death of a single leaf caused them to mourn, who could imagine what they went through with a death of a spouse?
I think Adam looked forward to death after all he saw because of his sin. And, how did they look at the death of their son, the innocent one?
The problem is that we are so used to death, we just take it for granted. But it was never supposed to be something that we as humans experienced. Hence, even to this day, we struggle to make sense of it, when, so often, we just can’t.
What do the following texts teach us about death and about how people struggle with it?
Isa. 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth [it] to heart: and merciful men [are] taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come].
Rev. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
1 Thess. 4:17, 18 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Matt. 5:4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
2 Sam. 18:33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Gen. 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
This is a rebuke to those who do not understand, but ought to have: "none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil "to come." And how about David weeping over his son, Absalom? I would surely weep if my unrepentant son died, especially if I had been the influence that David was to his sons.
No question: not only do we all face the reality of our own death, we face the reality of the death of others, of loved ones, of maybe our closest companion. Hence, sooner or later, many of us will face a time, a season, of loneliness brought about by the death of someone else. It’s hard, it hurts, and at such times we can, and often must, just claim the promises of God. After all, in this world of sin, suffering, and death, what else do we have?
Can we not rejoice that the loved one no longer is in pain, sorrow, or tempted to sin? We miss those we love, but are we to continue thinking of ourselves rather than of the one who has escaped the corruption in this world?
And how are we to comfort those who have lost a loved one? We are to remind them that it is not as bad as they think. Remind them of the things which are not seem which are eternal. This life is just to prepare us for the next where the dead's resting place has already been decided. As for the dead outside of Christ, remind the living one that God is perfectly fair, and there are many more we can have an influence to save. In other words, led the dead bury the dead. Go and help those who still can be saved.There is great joy in doing so.
How can your church help those whom you know are suffering loneliness from the death of a loved one?
We can be a friend and turn their eyes upon Jesus.