12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.
The silver lining. There must always be a silver lining, or life will appear to be nothing but clouds! Because of their faith and hope in Christ, even though thousands mourn the loss of family members, they not only rejoice, but exult in the hope and even knowledge that their loved ones have gone on to a state of never ending happiness, because they were faithful to God and Christ through their covenants.
I was curious about the word exult and it’s meaning, because it sounded like it meant something much greater than rejoicing, and indeed it does!
EXULT', verb intransitive egzult'. [Latin exulto; ex and salto, salio, to leap.]
Properly, to leap for joy; hence, to rejoice in triumph; to rejoice exceedingly, at success or victory; to be glad above measure; to triumph. It is natural to man to exult at the success of his schemes, and to exult over a fallen adversary.
Basically it’s being so happy that you leap for joy! It is beyond rejoicing! This is how many looked upon the death of their loved ones. How can that be? How can anyone feel to not only rejoice, but to leap for joy over the death of a beloved family member? Over the death of their brother or father or son? And yet they did.
Surely this comes from an eternal perspective for this very brief mortal experience. They realize and are sure and are focused on what life is all about, on the purpose of this earth life. Not just that it is temporary for all, which surely is true. But from the perspective that this life is a test! This life is a test of our love for God and our fellow man. And nothing- nothing- matters but passing the test and being faithful to the truth and to the covenants and promises we have made— both here on earth, and before we came here, which the veil of forgetfulness has temporarily clouded.
The only thing to truly mourn in the passing of a loved one is if they leave this life unprepared to meet their God, as the scripture states several times. But, if they leave prepared to meet their God there is great reason to rejoice! For they have passed their test, and have gone on to receive their eternal reward!
But those who are not faithful in this life will go on to their reward also, except their reward is sorrow and regret and suffering for their poor choices. And that perhaps eternal.
So is there not great reason to rejoice in the death of a faithful loved one? Even greater reason to rejoice than to mourn? Surely we will miss them, but we miss them anyway when they move to another part of the world, or when they are at work and unable to communicate with us, etc. But do we mourn? Perhaps not. We just go on, knowing that when it’s time we will get to talk to them or see them or embrace them again.
So it is with death. It is a temporary separation. But this is the thing. If the separation from a loved one for years is because they are being detained in a high security prison for committing a heinous crime, or if the separation is because they are called to serve a mission for years in some other part of the world, is there not a difference in our sorrow or rejoicing based upon why we are separated from them? Surely! We may rejoice and even exult over a beloved family member being separated from us because of their being faithful and true to God. Ans we may sorrow for those who are separated because of sin and failing to be faithful to the test of life.
It’s all about the test! It’s all about the test. ”It’s all about the bass, that bass, not treble”, the pop song goes. And with life, ”it’s all about the test, that test, not trouble.” It’s not about what we suffer. It’s not about parting in death. It’s about the test, and whether or not we pass or fail.
Comments