ABRAHAM gives us an understanding of burying the dead.
Genesis 23:4 reads, “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
Please take note of the part that says out of my sight.
He bought a burial place to bury the dead away.
Some burial rites are meant to bring the dead back home.
The dead are buried away in a decent and humane way.
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We do that within the parameters of human dignity.
There’s generally nothing wrong about tombstones.
However, we cannot sustain that by biblical doctrine.
The slightest or the loosely nearest verse is Genesis 35:20, “And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.”
We don’t have two or three witnesses to build doctrine upon.
We maintain cemeteries or graves in order to have organised environments not that those bones inside are watching and rewarding us.
I have heard funny theories especially within our African mythology.
Some said their late loved ones needed renovation of tombstones for comfortable living or the graves were leaking.
That’s evil pro max.
They even support by dreams they had from the dead. Evil at its best. Is God not enough?
A visit to the graves can tell you what people think about the dead.
We see inscriptions like; We will miss you, watch over your family, etc.
Barring financial capacity, the opulence of the structures can be pointing to something beyond the eyes.
Last week we saw that at no time should we talk to the dead.
In some cultures, if you arrive late for burial, maybe days, weeks or months later, you go to the cemetery and pick a small stone and throw it on the grave and talk to the dead and commiserate and pass your condolences.
That’s very dangerous.
You will be inviting and making contact with legions of demons.
If this is echoing in you, please accept the salvation of Jesus Christ.
At the funeral, many speak to the dead and address them directly and say things like; Go well, we will miss you, etc.
If it’s out ignorance, I may understand but many think that the spirit or soul will be hovering around and the dead can hear.
Satan and his demons will be very present to gather very useful information to use one day. Please be careful.
The only time we speak to the dead is exemplified by John 11:43, “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”
Jesus spoke to Lazarus and called him back to life.
If ever you’re going to speak to a dead person in the coffin, it should only be in the name of Jesus to bring them to life.
Jesus spoke to Lazarus when he was dead for four days.
Should you want to talk directly to the dead at the burial site, let it be for purposes of bringing them to life and in the name of Jesus.
Do I have scriptural basis for that? Oh yes.
To the disciples, Jesus said in Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”
The Shona language is useful when it says, seri kweguva hakuna munamato loosely translated, beyond the grave, there’s no beneficial prayer.
Apart from praying for the dead to come back to life, every other prayer is entertaining the living and attendees.
We can’t appeal to God to be merciful to the soul of a dead unsaved relative.
Such prayers are just content creation for the prayer book amounting to nothing.
This is the right time to reach out to the unsaved and unbelievers and proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
After the curtain has come down and the silver cord broken, it’s time to mourn and close the chapter.
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through
knowledge.