Sometimes it seems, as in the case of Lazarus, that death triumphs over love. But love will win the field!
Psalm 116 describes in graphic detail the mighty conflict between two of the greatest forces in the universe—death and love. “Love is as strong as death,” said the wise man (Song of Songs 8:6). Historically, death has been a robber; love is an enricher. And sometimes love is proven by another’s willingness to die for the one loved. The supreme example of this is our Lord Jesus. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 Jn 3:16). In our psalm, the author begins, “I love the Lord” (v 1). And is there a reason for that love? He continues, “because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live” (vv 1-2). How could you not love a God like this, who leans down to hear and help? It stirs in us a responding loyalty to Him. But what is the reason he has been crying out to God? “The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord” (vv 3-4). Sheol was then considered the place of those who had died, whether saved or lost. There was not yet the hope of heaven; Christ, the eternal Lover, must open that door for us. In this case, what was the Lord’s response? As expected, “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me” (vv 5-6). Like the dove sent out by Noah, the psalmist says there is just one place to find refuge in this corrupt world. “Return to your rest, O my soul” (v 7). The psalm has much more to teach us, but this is a lovely place to land. “I am persuaded that neither death nor life…shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).