Ecclesiastes
12:7 says, “The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to
God who gave it.” ESV[i]
The
Scriptures do not address directly how the body of a deceased individual is to
be treated. The Scriptures do report
history, and historically, the Jewish people practiced burial and the Egyptians
practiced embalming. These practices are
reflected in both the historical accounts and the culture as it appears in
Scripture.
When God created
man, He formed him from the dust of the ground.
Therefore, when man sinned and God pronounced judgment on him, God said,
“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for
out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19, ESV)
We know
that the body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Hebrews 9:27 adds to this the idea of
judgment when it says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and
after that comes judgment . . .” ESV
As for the
treatment of the dead, the Law was clear that Jews were not to mutilate
themselves in mourning. (Deuteronomy
14:1) And, the Nazarite was not to break
a vow to the Lord even for the sake of the dead. (Numbers 6:7, Not even for his father or for
his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean,
because his separation to God is on his head.
ESV) These passages are
indications of the principle that ceremonies for and the treatment of the dead
need to honor God above the deceased.
While respect for and honor of the deceased is appropriate, they are
people like us and it is inappropriate to pray to or seek their advice or to
assume they are somehow deified for having passed on.
The Bible
does tell us the dead will be raised. 1
Corinthians 15:42-44 says:
So is it with the resurrection of
the dead. What is sown is perishable;
what is raised is imperishable. It is
sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised
a spiritual body. If there is a natural
body, there is also a spiritual body.
ESV
We all look
forward to this resurrection, and a resurrection body. It is not dependent on the disposition of the
earthly body. The earthly body has
presumably returned to the dust from where God took it.
The
treatment of the body after death varies with culture, and is not regulated by
Scripture. The spirit returns to God who
gave it and faces judgment for the things done while in the body. The believer in Jesus Christ looks forward to
a resurrection body that will live forever.
Our concern should be to honor God in our ceremonies and respect the
deceased.
[i]Scripture
quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News
Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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