Jump Start # 3692

2 Chronicles 35:25 “Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations.”

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, is shown here singing a song at the funeral for King Josiah. The king was dead. He was a good king. He had helped reform the nation. But what he did was not enough to keep the nation on course with God. Captivity was coming. Babylon would march through the cities and ransack the temple.

The CEB words our verse: “Jeremiah composed a funeral song for Josiah, and to this day every singer, man or woman, continues to remember Josiah n their funeral songs. They are not traditional in Israel and are written down among the funeral songs.”

Jeremiah the singer. Jeremiah, possibly a composer. Jeremiah leading the people in remembering a good man. Jeremiah recognizing the contributions and dedication of one who loved the Lord.

And, this leads us to some thoughts about funerals. Boy, I’ve been a part of a lot of funerals through the years. Some, I never knew the person. Those are hard. Some, were for dear friends. Those are hard. I preached the funeral for both of my parents. Those were hard. I spoke at a special memorial for mothers who had miscarriages. That was touching and sad. I’ve seen laughter, tears, and great hope and faith at funerals.

There has been a cultural shift in funerals. Celebration of life, is commonly what they are called today, with very little reflection to the Scriptures or eternity with God. Many funeral homes now have liquor licenses to accommodate the changing culture about what is important in a secular world. Solomon’s words about the value of going to the house of mourning because the living take it to heart, seems to have fallen on deaf ears these days. The living doesn’t take it to heart. These days the living tries to ignore the reality of what has happened.

Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah.

Some thoughts for us:

First, it is at the funeral that we learn the right perspectives in life. Sometimes it takes a funeral for some to see those lessons. What do we find at funerals? Lots of pictures of the deceased surrounded by family and friends. We see flowers. We see people who care. We don’t see a bunch of stuff. Because at that moment, stuff really doesn’t matter. And, you can’t take the stuff with you.

Second, it is at funerals that we are forced to wonder and even ask questions to ourselves. Is this it? Does everyone go to Heaven? What happens now? Even with the laughter, smiles and hugs, there is a solemn aspect of funerals that one cannot escape. Someone has died. Life for them here is over. That person is not coming back. And it is that finality of life that brings a person to wonder, “What’s the point?” And, without a God focused heart, there really isn’t an answer to that question. We live, work a long time, and if lucky, get to retire and not have the money run out. Then we die. And, for those absent of God, in their minds, that’s it. And, when that person is young, it sure seems like life cheated him.

Third, it is at funerals that many think about Heaven for the first time. They want their loved one to be in Heaven. No matter how they lived, what they did, what they believed, it is at the funeral that the audience wants that person in Heaven. Their concept of Heaven may be fishing, drinking alcohol, and having a good time, but that’s where they believe they are. It’s a fantasy based solely upon feelings and nothing else. Most having never thought of it before, are embracing a form of old universalism, in which everyone is saved and no one is lost. No one, except maybe the worst of the worst.

But thinking about Heaven is a good thing. Set your minds on things above the Colossian brethren were told. The Philippians understood that they belonged to Heaven. Citizenship was not in Rome, but in Heaven. Thinking about Heaven, ought to lead us to making changes in our hearts and our behavior. We ought to live as if one foot is already in Heaven.

For the child of God, death is nothing more than a door that we go through to get to the other side. It’s the other side where we want to be. To get there, you have to pass through a door.

Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah.  It was a time to reflect upon a good life. It was time to remember what the Lord has said. It was a time to think about the eternal.

Roger