Douglas Wilson's Letter From Moscow

The Mode of Funerals

Douglas Wilson
Blog&Mablog
Moscow, Idaho

INTRODUCTION

Part of living together is learning to deal with the fact of death. In the early years of our congregation, we had almost no funerals. The reason we had few funerals in the early days of the church is that we were all babies. Now we have had a number of funerals, and given how many of us have been worshiping together for many years, that number is only going to increase. So how shall we then die? As always, we want to look to Scripture first for our direction and instruction.Plant From Bible

THE TEXT:

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25–26).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT:

Job is an ancient text, and comes to us from deep within Old Testament history. Because many want to believe that the ancients had no concept of the resurrection, this text is therefore much controverted. It is disputed because it seems so clear. But it is still best to take it at face value. We may grant that the resurrection of the dead is not emphasized in the Old Testament the way it is in the New, but it is most certainly there. Remember that the Jews came to a sure and certain faith in the resurrection prior to one syllable of the New Testament being given. Martha confesses that she knew that her brother would rise again in the resurrection at the last day (John 11:24), and all she had to go on was the Old Testament. Remember that Jesus argues for the resurrection against the Sadducees, and does so from the Old Testament (Luke 20:37), from Exodus in fact.

So Job, in the midst of his perplexities and trials, knew certain things for sure.

Studies in I Samuel

A Study in Failure

Expository - Book of Samuel
Written by Douglas Wilson
Saturday, January 21, 2012

INTRODUCTION:
As 1 Samuel comes to a close, the life of Saul comes to a miserable end. As we will see, the manner of his death was a fitting picture of the way he had lived his life throughout the course of his reign. His reign was a long pattern of self-destruction, and in the end, Saul took his own life—the final act of self-destruction. He died the way he had lived, destroying himself.

THE TEXT:
“Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. . .” (1 Sam. 31:1-13).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT:
The chapter begins with the Philistines attacking, and they routed the men of Israel. As they fled from the Philistines, the carnage took place on the mountain Gilboa (v. 1). The Philistines were in hard pursuit of Saul and his three sons, and they successfully killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua (v. 2).

Burial or Cremation?

Treating The Deceased Faithfully

David Jones, professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has an excellent article in the latest issue of JETS on the topic of cremation, entitled To Bury or Burn? Toward an Ethic of Cremation.

The introduction reads:

In light of the growing interest in cremation, this brief work will attempt to summarize some of the key historical, Biblical, and theological considerations that have been a part of the moral discussion of cremation within the Judeo-Christian tradition.

The goal of this article, then, is to provide the reader with the material needed in order to develop an informed ethic of cremation, as well as to suggest perhaps a general trajectory for the discussion.

The article is replete with biblical and historical information. One of the best pieces on this rarely openly discussed subject we have read. It is a question every Christian will face over the course of life, so resources like this article are invaluable.

You can download the PDF here.

HT: Justin Taylor