The Death of the Righteous

Anchor Scripture: Numbers 23: 8 - 12

Introduction Many times, I have been inundated with questions that bothers on the 'untimely' death of perceived righteous men and women, so-called children of God. One of such questions was the one that one sister asked in a Sunday school class one day that: "Is it possible for a child of God to die prematurely?" Brethren, it is a fact, even as the Bible did establish it, that we are all going to die. However, God, in the Scriptures did make the promise to "make a distinction between them that serve me and those that don't serve me." That is where the challenge of our claims of being children of God comes in. Are we, children of God, supposed to have same bad experiences as those in the world? Even when we do, what ought to be our dispositions and reactions to such occurrences?  Even though, every mortal shall die, according to the Scriptures, are children of God destined or purposed to die the same way those without die? The fact that God opened the mouth of Balaam to say, "let me die the death of the righteous" tells us that the way "a righteous person" should die MUST BE DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY a sinner dies. Often, our consolation is Isaiah 57: 1, we either quote or read it in isolation without taking heed of other Scriptures or the circumstances surrounding a person's death. If you asked me whether a TRUE child of God could die through an auto accident, my answer shall be a NO! The reasons behind my answer shall be seen shortly. Today, we are trusting God to feed us again from His Throne of Grace, with this all important topic that has always left many Christians perplexed whenever a death occurred of or to somebody we have always believed to be a devout Christian. May our hearts of understanding be enlightened more in His Divine Presence today as we gather to feed at His feet again today in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.

Message A. Who is a righteous person? A person is said to be righteous if he/she lived or is living a life that is pleasing unto God. Such people are wary or their lifestyles in terms of what they think, say and do. They also mind their relationships with people. They are just not everybody's people! Permit me to say that righteousness or holiness (they are synonymous) is not a destination, rather, it is a journey! Thus, no one can become righteous in a day. That is why the word "renewing", a present continuous tense, was used in Romans 12: 2. So, we walk and work towards it; it is an ongoing process.

There are a few people adjudged to be righteous by God in the Scriptures: Noah (Gen. 6: 9), Job (Job 1: 1), Simeon (Luke 2: 25). Some others, Abraham, David, and others received grace of perfection before God and were adjudged, righteous.

One thing we must be clear about here is that it is God Who justifies us. Having said this, we must not however lose track of the fact that the Holy Spirit can give a man a personal conviction of his righteousness before God. B. Characteristics of the Death of the Righteous As rightly said by the Scriptures, all men shall die (at least, the first (physical) death). However, how should a person said to be a devout Christian, a TRUE child of God, die?

Here are a few things common to how righteous people of the past died. They died:

(a) In peace: No person adjudged to be righteous in the Bible had a violent end - Psalm 37:37-40,                       Isaiah 32: 17; 57: 2, Luke 2: 25 - 29, Gen. 49: 33, 1 Kings 2: 10, Rev. 14: 13 - compare                       Acts 12: 23 for example.

(b) In riches and wealth: This means that their latter end was always better than their beginning - Job 8: 7; 42: 12 - 17, Gen. 25: 5 - 9, 1 Chron. 22: 2 - 5

(c) Having hope: A righteous person, even in death, has hope (perhaps, hope of being with the Lord on the last day - Prov. 14: 32, 2 Tim. 4: 6 - 8, Job 19: 25 - 27, 2 Cor. 1: 9

(d) In good old age: I have searched through the Scriptures, I have not come across a righteous                          person who died young or in his prime; they all died in old age - Gen. 25: 8; 9: 28 - 29, 1 Chron. 23: 1, Job 42: 16 - 17, Gen. 49: 33

Conclusions Brethren, the thought of God towards us are good and kind (Jer. 29:11). This God will allow death to come to us, but not in questionable circumstances. His purpose is that we live to old age and fulfill our days (Isaiah 65:20).

God has not changed, a bit (Heb. 13: 8). The onus therefore is on us to live to please Him, so that He may be to us What and Who He was to to the Patriarchs of our faith.

Till we meet again to feed at His feet, keep keeping on in Him!