I have known several people in my lifetime who refused to attend a funeral, even of a close loved one. They did not want to face the reality of death and all the related issues surrounding a funeral. The state of grief, and the finality of life was just too much for them to be able to cope with.  I am not trivializing these individuals.  I truly sympathize. Death is a horrific event because all people live confined in physical bodies and do not naturally see beyond the grave.  All mankind, unlike the animals, can reason and think, but do not see naturally beyond this life. We are creatures who are aware of our sure eventual death and are naturally troubled by the prospect. Many people have the idea that death is a taboo subject that is best put away and out of the mind. To go to the funeral of someone we have known forces us to face its troubling reality. Solomon states under inspiration, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Eccl. 7:2). This idea of, “taking it to heart” seems morbid to many who do all they can to avoid thinking of death or being forced into a situation of being confronted by it.

Contrary to this shying away from the consideration of death, the Lord is saying through Solomon that facing the reality of death is more valuable than having a happy experience. Lighthearted experiences have their place in our life, but by comparison it is where we are going after our death that has the greater value. God created us to live eternally. If at the time of our death we ceased to exist, as many think or reason, then it would not matter one way or the other. There would be no plausible reason to have lived in the first place. The very reason our day of death has such value is because it ends our opportunities on this side. What do I mean? God has placed the world as a testing ground. We are accountable to Him. He has told us what we must be and what we must do in His Word. Paul says, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed  in all creation under heaven, and of which I Paul, was made a minister” (Col. 1:21-23). He is reminding those who have heard and believed the Gospel that not only is the Lord our substitute in spiritual death, but we are under divine obligation to live for Him by faith while we have opportunity according to the knowledge of His Word. It is for us a time of testing.

From the day we were born we are moving toward that moment of graduation day, our exit, and that is when our real life begins. “It is appointed for man once to die then comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Preparedness or readiness is the issue. A Scripture often quoted at funerals is, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps. 116:15). For those in Christ Jesus death is cherished by God and is a matter of moving from this present world of sin and trouble into an entirely better and glorious state. Death then represents the closure of our earthly testing time before our Creator and moving into eternity. This is why Paul stated that, “To die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). All of this is why the value of attendance at a funeral is more important than that of a party. Every person should have their end in view at all times. Just as the dear one we may grieve over at a funeral service has passed on in the completion of their course of life, so will we.

Oddly, the experience of our sorrow can be used by God to bring us to a true place of happiness. God often uses sorrows to bring about saving faith. Every person who comes to true faith must face the reality of the temporary nature of their life, even be broken by sorrow to come to grips with the joy found in Christ Jesus.  And true joy and happiness are found in peace with God. We should examine and contemplate the situations and sorrows of life for they will help mold us in character, in perspective, and in our relation of faith in God. God, who works all things together for our good has challenged us with sorrows, including the death of those we love, for His purposes. The more we anticipate our eternal future as promised in the Bible, the less concerned we will be about our exit from this life. Seeing God’s plan and the future He has for those who love Him, we are motivated to spend our days doing what He has told us to do, “Therefore be careful how you walk (live), not as unwise men, but as wise making the most of your time, for the days are evil” Eph. 4:15-16). Indeed, peace with God is the issue, and peace with God is sustained by the joy of doing His will. Instead of fear or sorrow, we have blessed hope of the world to come.  This new attitude gives us thankfulness and praise to Him who has mapped out every situation in life. Our times of loss and grief along life’s journey are comforted by the knowledge of who we are in Christ and where we are going. “For we know that if our earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). To God be the glory!