1 Samuel 31:9 (NKJV)
“And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people.”

We will all die one day, in one way or another. Death is one of the constant fixtures in life. Irrespective of how great or lowly we are, it is an inevitable reality. Some people waste so much effort trying to avoid death, but it will surely come to pass, one day, somehow.

How we die is not so important because godly men have been known to die peacefully in their sleep, or in horrific pain and agony through martyrdom or protracted sickness. How you die is not a mark of your spirituality or acceptance before God.

What happens to your body after you die is also not important because it will add no value to who you are after death or where you are going. People may celebrate you or your body, or they may denigrate you. All of that does not matter because you are not in that body.

So, what is it that really matters in death? One thing. What happens to you after death. The body will perish, but the spirit never dies. The human spirit lives eternally because it was made in the image of God, but where it lives in eternity is the one thing to prepare for.

Saul and sons died on the same day. Such a tragedy. The Philistines cut off Saul’s head, stripped him of his armor, celebrated in the temple of their gods, and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. What an inglorious way to die, but did Saul and his sons end up in the same place?

We know that Jonathan was so different from his father. We know that Jonathan had an unquenchable love for David. If David symbolized Christ and David’s ascension to the throne typified Christ’s rulership, then Jonathan’s love for David marked his love for righteousness.

It is very sad to accept this, but even among loved ones, Jesus said that one will be taken and another left behind. Living together in this world is no guarantee that we will be together in the next life. This is the one thing every family needs to assess. Do we end up in the same place?

So, how we die and what happens to our bodies after we die is really irrelevant in the eternal scope of things. As individuals and as families, may we prepare ourselves for the everlasting existence that awaits us in the next life. That is all that really matters.

@ChineduOranye
RestlessPilgrim.org