Paul knew that he could provide the information they were missing and help them be at peace with the passing of fellow followers of Jesus Christ. He said, “I don’t want you to lack knowledge about the coming of Christ, ‘lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.’” Paul was about to drop some knowledge that would give them hope concerning the deceased Christians. In verse 14, he said, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."
In response to the cries of the people, God did indeed raise up another judge, and again this was an unlikely candidate. God chose Deborah, who was “a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth.” She “was judging Israel at that time” (v. 4). She is the only judge in the Bible who was also a prophet, and she is the only judge who was a woman. Indeed, in the entire Bible, she is the only woman described as being in a leadership role in Israel.
Paul said that not only is death defeated, but it will also be destroyed. There will come a time (in a place where there is no time) when death will no longer exist. Death came into existence through the sin of Adam, but through Jesus Christ, life has been given as a gift to all who believe in Him and in the power of His sacrifice on the cross.
Do not fear. God said, “Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish” (v. 11). When life comes at us, we need to remember that God’s got this. It might take us a minute to steady ourselves and get past the initial wave of bad news, but God is there to hold us and help us overcome.
Satan may look and sound like a foe that we cannot defeat, but the truth is that he is already defeated. Jesus defeated him from the cross, and when we put our faith in Jesus, the victory Jesus won becomes our victory as well. The story comes full circle because God has already declared the end from the beginning. The end of Satan, his demons, and all who follow him is found in the final chapters of the Bible.
Jesus, the Man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, is the one who gives us joy unspeakable and full of glory. There will be times of sorrow in the midst of our joy, but one day soon, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death, or sorrow, or crying. And there will be no more pain because all those things have passed away.
You’ve been preparing for this! All those prayers, all those hours reading your Bible, all those Sundays that you got up and came to church even when you didn’t feel like it, all those tears, all that praise, all that worship, it has ALL been leading to this. This could be your finest hour because if you endure to the end, you will be victorious! There are witnesses in heaven on the edges of their seats cheering you on. You’ve got this because the battle is the Lord’s, and there is always victory in Jesus.
Our victory is not dependent upon elections or economic conditions. Pandemic or no pandemic, I’m still singing my victory song because an old rugged cross was lifted up against the backdrop of the Jerusalem sky, and with His last breath Jesus declared, “It is finished!” The war has already been won, and this is my victory song!
I think that for a number of reasons, this past year has been like that for many people. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, the non-stop negative news on the media featuring abuse, bombings, and burning cities, along with a culture determined to divide and conquer the community of faith, this has been a very difficult year. But like David in Psalm 138 we can keep singing.
