“He may look on death with joy, who can look on forgiveness with faith. ”

Thomas Watson

Psalm 6 – Death, where is thy sting?

Death is the unavoidable reality of life. It is inescapable. It is unstoppable. Death charts its course for the harbor of our life and its coming is irreversible. Both saint and sinner fall to Death’s sickle. Both Prince and pauper eventually entertain this unwelcome guest. The idea of David’s death focused his heart on the needful things. The need for God’s mercy both to deliver David physically (from his enemies) and to forgive David spiritually (from our common enemy – Sin).

One of the reasons that people so fear death today is due to its finality. David laments, “No one remembers you when he is dead.” (v. 5) The book of our life is sealed on the day of our death. We cannot rewrite a single page. We will stand accountable for both our words and deeds and this thought is frightening. Vavasor Powell understands this fear and hints toward hope, “The fear of death is ingrafted in the common nature of man, but faith works it out of Christians.” (Puritan Golden Treasury, p. 71)

How do we overcome this reasonable fear of death? By faith. True faith is a clinging to the Lord Jesus Christ who now holds “the keys of death and Hades.” (Rev 1:18) The sting of death is sin but Jesus is the one who “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.’ (Rom 4:25) Through the forgiveness that Jesus provides he is able to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Heb 2:15)

This freedom is clearly for the Christian only. Only those who have been born twice may look forward to one death, but men who reside in their sins and scoff at the grace freely offered to them look forward to two deaths, an earthly one and an eternal one. For the Christian, “Death is only a grim porter to let us into a stately palace.” (Puritan Golden Treasury, P. 70, Richard Sibbes) For the lost man, death carries with it a note of finality and futility. Death’s doleful tune should cause the perishing to cry out, “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint.” (v. 2) And Christ’s victorious song will allow the penitent to sing, “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” (v. 9)

Unto Him be glory,
Pastor Dale