The Epitaph
In 1 Samuel 25, only one brief sentence is given to Samuel’s death: “Samuel died and all Israel gathered for his funeral and buried him in his family plot at Ramah”. This great man who was dedicated to the Lord and served Him from his youngest days was now dead. Epitaph? Not likely. Legacy? Certainly. His is a legacy written by God, canonized forever in the sacred Scriptures.
Samuel, dedicated as a child to the priesthood, grew in wisdom, became a prophet, priest, and judge over Israel. He was a man of prayer who finished the work of the judges, began the school of the prophets, and anointed Israel’s first kings. He ran the spiritual race well from start to finish. At his death, Samuel was buried at the family plot at his beloved home in Ramah. Undoubtedly, Samuel visited that family burial plot whenever he was home in Ramah. And doing so would have ushered in reminders of his own mortality. I too have had that experience.
Some time ago at my mother-in-law’s death, Mike and his 4 siblings purchased a family burial plot for 12 at a local cemetery. A large marker stands in the center with the family surname. It is surrounded by 12 headstones, already engraved with names of the original siblings, their spouses, birth year, and the ubiquitous dash. Three spaces are already occupied by Mike’s parents, and our sister-in-law whom we lost last year to cancer.
Being close to the road, the plot is not easily avoided. I pass it often as I visit my own mother’s grave nearby. But it was at my sister-in-law’s burial last year that God truly grabbed my attention. The tent was set and the large green carpet was stretched wide for spectators. Apparently, it was not stretched wide enough, because as I looked down, rather than standing on carpet, I was standing squarely on my headstone. It was a spine-chilling moment…to put it mildly.
That moment shook me, and subsequently brought me back to the foot of the cross to do business with my Savior. Realizing my mortality as never before, I was gripped at the shortness of our earthly journey, regardless of age. Sometimes I wonder what will be said and remembered of me when I die. As with Samuel, an epitaph is unlikely. (There’s no room!) But I do pray that my spiritual legacy will live on thru my children and theirs and theirs and….
Ernest Hemingway once quoted: “We die twice. One when we stop breathing and a second time when someone mentions our name for the last time.” Of course, Samuel will never die that second time. His righteous and faithful life is written, studied, and heralded forevermore in the eternal Word of God. As God’s spiritual leader, Samuel’s preeminent work was to know the mind and heart of God, to hear His instructions, and to obey Him. Samuel knew! He heard! He obeyed! That is his eternal epitaph…written not on stone but on the heart of God.
There’s a song I’ve requested to be sung at my funeral: “When It’s All Been Said and Done” lyrics written by Jim Cowan. It speaks for me everything that the dash on my headstone cannot. It is certainly too long for an epitaph…but perfect for a legacy I desire above all things. I will quote only the refrain.
“When its all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters.
Did I do my best to live for TRUTH?
Did I live my life for YOU?”
I so love the heroes of the faith as they are recorded in the 39 verses of Hebrews 11. (And yes, Samuel resides there!) May each of us be challenged to write our own personal 40th verse, an epitaph so to speak. I would want mine to simply read: “BY FAITH…she lived for TRUTH”.
Esther Farhat