“The Shadow” Psalm 23

“The Shadow” Psalm 23

There's a step that we all take alone
An appointment we have with the great unknown
Like a vapor this life is just waiting to pass
Like the flowers that fade, like the withering grass

By and large people fear death. Scientist search for cures for it, explores have searched for a fountain of youth, and a cup of eternal life.

Total healthcare spending is projected to rise to 20% of GDP by 2025.
Average U.S. household spent nearly $4,300 on healthcare in 2014

 

In 2014, households ranked in the top 20 percent in annual income spent an average of $7,219 on healthcare. That was almost 4 times the amount spent by households in the lowest 20 percent ($1,868). The top 20 percent also spent more than the combined amount spent by households in the lowest 40 percent.

The more money we have the more we will spend to cheat death.

 

Waring: the surgeon general has determined the greatest cause of death is life.

Genesis 3:20
cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

James 4:14

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

 

Psalm 103:15

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,

 

 

Ecc 3:20

They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.   ²⁰All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.   ²¹Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

Hebrews 9:27  “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” 

Rev 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Physical death is part of the judgement from Genesis 319 and it leads to the judgement of Revelation 20:11. Death without Jesus is something to be feared.

Rev 20:12 “Then another book was open, which is the book of life.”

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 

 

1 John 5:12
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

But life seems so long and death so complete
And the grave an impossible potion to cheat
But there's One who has been there and still lives to tell
There is One who has been through both heaven and hell

And the grave will come up empty-handed that day
Jesus will come and steal us away

Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite?
When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night
Where is the victory, where is the prize?
When the grave robber comes and death finally dies

For those who have been saved by Jesus death is a shadow

Theologian Donald Barnhouse was on the way home from the funeral of his wife and he was trying to think of some way of comforting his children. Just then a huge moving van passed by their car and its shadow swept over them. Instantly, Mr. Barnouse asked, “Children, would you rather be run over by a truck or by its shadow?” The children instantly replied, “By its shadow daddy…its shadow!” To which Mr. Barnhouse replied, your mommy only had to pass through deaths shadow!”

In Jesus death has become a doorway, a mere shadow, even a blessing. Not to be forced or sought after, for Psalm 139 reminds us that all our days have been written before even one comes to pass. But because Jesus has taken the judgement out of death, our name is in the book of life, death for us who believe is no more to be feared than walking through the shadow of a tree or cloud. And even in the shadow our savior walks with us.