"Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death
of His faithful ones."
The verses of this Sunday's Psalm are words
Abraham might have prayed when he was
called on to sacrifice his son Isaac.
“I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving;
I will pay my vows to the Lord.”
Who else could have kept the faith at a time
like that? Yet Abraham’s devotion to the Lord
did not waver. (Genesis 22:10-12)
We may not be called upon to offer up
so heavy a sacrifice, but we are commanded
to listen to God’s son, and to imitate Him.
Abraham may have used words like those
of our psalmist, “I believed even when I said,
‘I am greatly afflicted.'”
God relented and provided a substitute for Isaac, “Too costly in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of His faithful ones.”
But God did not spare His own son,
as St Paul reminds us in Sunday's 2nd reading.
(Romans 8:32)
And for whom did God sacrifice His son Jesus?
It was for us that God handed over His
beloved Son. Jesus’ death on the cross has
given us life; as people of faith we are chosen
by God for life. We pray that we are not put
to the test as Abraham was, but we might
at least, as the Psalm says,
“Pay our vows to the Lord in the presence
of all His people.”
The psalmist says, “O Lord, I am your servant;
you have loosed my bonds.” We too are made free
by becoming the Lord's servant. That is how it is when
we follow His commandments and do His will.
It is not something that binds us. Rather, it is something
that sets us free.
We take delight in serving the Lord.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist speaks of the power of his faith, even in the darkest of times,
"I believed, even when I said, 'I am greatly afflicted.'" Give an example of
how your faith has strengthened you in difficult times.
2. The Psalm says, 'O Lord, I am your servant; you have loosed my bonds.'
Explain how it is that, having been freed from your chains, you wish to serve
the Lord and become yoked to Him.
One of the most often quoted verses from the Bible is found in Psalm 116: "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."
ReplyDeletePrior to this verse, the Psalmist is expressing his great love for the Lord. When he seemed to be surrounded by death, he called upon the name of the Lord and God saved him. What if God hadn't saved him? Would that have meant that God wasn't answering his prayer?
We ask that question often, don't we? Why do babies die; why did that Christian who was so faithful to God and who had such a great and wonderful impact in teaching God's Word die of cancer? I really think that the Psalmist was pondering this, too, as he walked before the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 116 reminds us that death is not a curse to the Christian. Those left behind are certainly very grieved, but we certainly do not want them to have to come back to this world. Their joy is complete in Christ at this very moment.
Yes, Lord, I am Your servant and will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call upon your name as long as I remain on this earth. And, when that day comes that I am to depart this world, I will not be unhappy. I will be in God's presence forever!
I am amazed at the power of our palmist, David’s faith in the darkest times. In spite of his being greatly afflicted He kept worshipping the Lord and offering thanks and praise to God.
ReplyDeleteDavid is confident that he will walk in the land of the living because of God's goodness to him. He believes the Lord protects the simple hearted because the Lord is gracious and righteous. And also God is full of compassion; He will hear David's petition and listen to his prayer. God will set him loose from his chains to give him life. How strong is David’s faith !
I looked at Abraham's faith when he was told to sacrifice his one, only precious son, Isaac. God provided a substitute for Isaac. God also through the death on the cross of His only begotten son, has given us life. Where does such strong faith come from ? I wonder. I desire that faith. By simply asking could I get it ?
David’s relationship with God was close and intimate. He was a servant of God. He knew God would listen and hear him. His prayer must have been answered whenever he called upon the Lord in the time of hardship or near death.
I desire to learn how to be a faithful servant of the Lord. However, in my case my prayers do not get answered exactly in the way I wish for. Instead, God has strengthened my faith, giving me the patience to endure the hardship before me.
At the same time God lets me know He is near and watching over my problems I am facing now. That feeling comforts me. He helps me to get up from stumbling and helps me to get going to move forward in order to make me His servant. In this way He frees me from the bondage of frustration , depression, and sometimes the fear of becoming yoked to Jesus.
I feel like worshipping God, knowing the God of Abraham and David is faithful to his people.