Notes from Norman

The Terrors of Death

Psalm 55:4

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.

David’s negative feelings run much deeper than mere disappointment. He feels anguish. The dictionary defines anguish as “extreme pain or distress, especially of the mind.” I think his view of death as holding terror is a proper one. Jesus took the sting out of death, but death itself is not a friend. During my college days I sang with a choral group. One of our songs included these lyrics, “Come soothing death; come blessed repose.” That was pretty dark stuff for a bunch of college students. As a “senior citizen” I still find myself resisting the message. The Bible characterizes death as an enemy and in this passage it is a terror. It’s only victorious because Jesus has given us the victory through Christ.

posted by Norman @ 4:22 PM