First, we must remember that death is offensive to God. He didn’t want death in His wonderful world.  (When God finished His work of creating He saw that the world was very good. (Genesis 1.31))  That is why the Lord warned and commanded Adam not to eat from that one tree.  But, Adam did eat, and death was the result; not immediately humankind was not wiped out immediately, but a long slow death entered the world.  Death became part of living.  We are always surrounded by death and decay.

At the other end of the Bible (Revelation 21) God tells us that there will be a time when there is no more death. This still doesn’t tell us why death of God’s people is precious – but, it points us in the right direction. You see, before there could be no more death, God had to deal with death, He had to destroy its power over life.

When He sent Jesus to call people back to Himself, the Almighty God showed that death can be conquered.  The Son of God was killed, but God raised Him back to life.  When He did this, the Lord God showed that He can, and He has, beaten death. But it was costly to beat death. Our Heavenly Father allowed His own Son to taste death for us. In order to destroy the power of death, Jesus died for us. That is one reason why the death of His people is precious in the sight of the Lord.

Breaking the power of death cost God the life of His only Son.  Every death of one of God’s people is a reminder of the heavy price God paid to save people from death.

Now, there is a bit of a myth, no, it is more than myth – it is just a falsehood that has grown up about how a person gets to be one of God’s people.

Some folks think that you have got to be good to get into heaven. But, that is not true.  Jesus made it clear that He didn’t come to the religious people who thought they were good enough for heaven.  He didn’t come to people who thought they were OK! We see this again and again in the Gospels. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37, Matthew 22, Mark 12), Jesus said “Woe” to those people who thought they had the right to get into heaven because they thought they were good enough (Matthew 23).  No, Jesus came to rescue people who were trapped, people who were stuck in a world that is falling apart because people have chosen to turn away from the Lord God. From the time of Adam’s first act of “self determination” when he chose against God and for himself the whole world has been groaning because death entered the world (Romans 8.18-23).

But, people still die.

Does that mean that Jesus failed?

No; not at all.

When Jesus was raised from death to life He showed that death is not the end. He showed that there is a way through death to new life; and, Jesus himself is the way (John 11.23-27; 14.1-6).  Now, that is another reason why the death of His people is precious in the sight of the Lord.

When God’s people die, they are still with Him, death is not the end. When God raised Jesus from the dead He changed death. It is no longer the end; it is now a new beginning – where Jesus leads the way home to His Father.  And, His Heavenly Father is waiting for all those people He is calling back to himself.