Continuing to speak in appreciation of Jehovah’s preservation, the psalmist emphasizes the value that Jehovah places on the lives of those who live according to his righteous principles: “Precious in the eyes of Jehovah is the death of his loyal ones.

DEATH OF LOYAL ONES “PRECIOUS”

How is the death of his loyal ones “precious in the eyes of Jehovah”? Well, just as the psalmist was, they are precious slaves to Jehovah. God’s loving-kindness toward his servant moved him to preserve his servant’s life. A person’s life is particularly valuable in Jehovah’s eyes if the person uses it in the right way, as a true worshiper of Him. Jehovah counts the death of the entire body of his loyal ones too costly to let occur. Of course, the loyal ones will express appreciation and thanksgiving for this, because life is exceedingly precious to them. It is a marvelous quality on Jehovah’s part that he is deeply concerned with his servants’ lives. He considers their death as being too high a price to pay, and so does not let the death occur.​—Rom. 8:35-39.

Not only is Jehovah’s great love here manifested, but also his regard for justice and righteousness in the universe is shown, for the benefit of all his creatures. For him to let his enemies triumph over his loyal people and wipe all of them from the face of the earth would be a blot upon his universal sovereignty, his rulership over heaven and earth. He is the Creator of the earth and he created it for those loyal to him. (Isa. 45:18) If he cannot preserve his group of loyal ones on earth even under the heaviest, most dastardly attack by anti-God enemies, it would be as if his enemies were more powerful than he is and had the right to say who shall live permanently on earth. He will not have his rulership of earth, in fact, his whole universal sovereignty as well as his name reproached, impugned by such a thing.

Furthermore, if Jehovah let his whole body of loyal ones be effaced from the earth, there would be no one left in the courtyards of his great spiritual temple, which are located here on earth. There would be on earth no basis or foundation for the “new earth” or righteous human society to dwell under the “new heaven.” (Rev. 21:1) How, then, could the thousand-year reign of the Messiah begin, with no earthly subjects? No! The death of the entire group of God’s loyal ones on earth would be too precious, too costly, for Jehovah. Out of respect for Himself, it is too costly to allow.