Book of Life

Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
Psalm 69:27-28

David is bothered by his enemies again. And he spends time and ink in thinking and writing about what he would like God to do about them. “Let their eyes go blind”; “Pour our Your fury”; “Let their homes go desolate”; “Pile their sins up high”. Such sentiments appear in David’s thoughts. And he finishes this section appealing to God, that He would erase their names from the Book of Life. 

The Book of Life. A book where God writes down the names of His righteous ones. His sons and daughters. All those who, through Jesus, have an inheritance in Heaven. References to the “Book of Life” appear in both the Old and New Testaments. There are preconditions to having our names recorded in this Heavenly Book. Those who have overcome evil, those who don’t practise idolatry and dishonesty; those who are not sinners or unrighteous – these are all qualities that will ensure our names will be recorded. But why is it the Book of Life? I suppose another name would perhaps be the Register of God’s People. Or perhaps “Afterlife” would also be an appropriate reference. But whatever we call it, it is of paramount importance that our names are written in it. Imagine how we would feel, standing at the pearly gates, hoping to gain entry into Heaven, perhaps seeing people we have known waiting for us, but being turned away because our names are not written in the Book of Life.

There is only one way to ensure that our names are recorded. And that is through Jesus. It is through our acceptance that we have sinned, have repented of those sins, and that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. In Romans 10:9-10, the Apostle Paul wrote, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” So there you have it. If your name is not written in the Book of Life, don’t waste any time. My name is there. How about yours?