This article appeared in Grace Magazine (which I then edited) just over 10 years ago under the heading here. This is the first of three parts.Madness, evil and death
This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun. The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterwards they join the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:3
I was only 4 years old on 22 November 1963, but I remember it. It was the day President Kennedy died in Dallas. I guess my young sons will remember equally well 31 August 1997. It was the day Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris. Certainly they will remember 6 September 1997, when we walked the two streets from our door to where thousands had gathered to see the hearse containing Diana’s coffin pass. The outpouring of grief that has followed this tragic death has been unparalleled. Not even the deaths of Eva Peron, Elvis Presley or other so-called ‘icons’ have caused such widespread grief. Even Mother Teresa’s death has not been met with the same world-wide attention.
We were all stunned by the news. Sometimes God shocks us. You do not know what a day may bring forth he says. At the same time no doubt, our hearts went with compassion to the families involved and especially to the young princes, William and Harry.
But such a death also makes us stop and think. We need to consider, when God does such shocking things. Consider what God has done ... When times are bad consider (Ecc 7:13,14). There is no point in seeking to pry into God’s inscrutable providence. We cannot say, for instance, ‘If they bad not divorced, she would not be dead’. There are too many Ifs between the two events. God has not built a law into this present world that evil always leads to pain.
We were all stunned by the news. Sometimes God shocks us. You do not know what a day may bring forth he says. At the same time no doubt, our hearts went with compassion to the families involved and especially to the young princes, William and Harry.
But such a death also makes us stop and think. We need to consider, when God does such shocking things. Consider what God has done ... When times are bad consider (Ecc 7:13,14). There is no point in seeking to pry into God’s inscrutable providence. We cannot say, for instance, ‘If they bad not divorced, she would not be dead’. There are too many Ifs between the two events. God has not built a law into this present world that evil always leads to pain.
Death
Rather, as with every death, we call to mind God’s sovereignty in life and in death. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised (Job 1:21). Similarly it is a reminder of our own mortality. As the Preacher says All share a common destiny (Ecclesiastes 9:2). Even from the under the sun point of view, without considering the eternal dimension of heaven and hell, it is clear that everyone dies. Nothing can exempt you. The death of the princess brings this home.
Rather, as with every death, we call to mind God’s sovereignty in life and in death. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised (Job 1:21). Similarly it is a reminder of our own mortality. As the Preacher says All share a common destiny (Ecclesiastes 9:2). Even from the under the sun point of view, without considering the eternal dimension of heaven and hell, it is clear that everyone dies. Nothing can exempt you. The death of the princess brings this home.
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