Psalm 116:15

Psalm 116:15

All about death

There’s a lot about death in this Psalm! In verse 3 the writer remembers being entangled by the cords of death. In verse 8-9 he gives the Lord credit for saving him from death and allowing him to walk in the land of the living. And now we have this curious statement that seems to suggest that the Lord places great value on the death of one of His servants!

Death is often an elaborate and time-consuming process. Few people pass straight from this world to the next in the blink of an eye. It can be done, through an accident or a heart attack, however, for most, the manner by which we die occupies us for a considerable time. Many have noted that they do not fear death, but they do fear the means by which they will die, especially if it involves illness, dependency, and months or even years, of slow deterioration. 

The word translated as “precious” means “of high worth, value, or cost.” In the original Hebrew, the term rendered “saints or servants” refers to the Lord’s faithful followers—those who love and serve God actively and commit themselves to a covenantal relationship with Him. Thus, the statement “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His servants” reveals that God is not indifferent about how and when His faithful servants die. Isn’t it rewarding to know that just as our lives are precious to the Lord, so is the ending of our lives? God does not take it lightly when we prepare to leave this world. If it is not His appointed time, then He will protect us and keep us from death. When the psalmist was fighting for his life in the “entangling cords of death,” his prayer got God’s attention. His life-and-death predicament was precious in the eyes of the Lord. When we undergo life-threatening experiences, we can know that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil”. (1 Peter 3:12) We can trust that God will come to our defence.

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