DISCUSSION:
In Psalm16, David rejoices that the life God gives cannot be canceled by
the grave. But generally speaking, the Old Testament offers little insight into
life after death, but here David’s faith carries him to a deeper understanding.
The apostles Peter and Paul understand this psalm as prophesying about the
resurrection of Jesus. (See Acts 2:25-28, 13:35-37). Because of the
resurrection of Jesus, David and “all God’s people” will come to a new life in
him.
People have always wanted an answer to the question: “What happens to
you after you die?” and the Psalmists were no different. They lived in an age
without effective medicine, in an age when wars were fought hand to hand. Dead
bodies were a familiar reality. Yet death, however familiar, remained
mysterious and frightening.
The Israelites called the dark and shadowy place where dead people go
“Sheol.” When you got there, your life seemed thoroughly finished. The
psalmists emphatically did not want to go there, and they ask God when praying
for his help, what possible good there might be in death. “Are your wonders
known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of
oblivion?” (Psalm 88:12) Sheol was the great leveler: it meant the end of
plans, of worship, of a relationship with God (Psalm 30:9; 146:4). The dead
were found there, not the living.
Yet many of the psalms seem to understand “God’s Power Over Death.” They
reveal a happier view, that God’s authority is unmistakable. He holds the key
that unlocks the mystery of the grave. Only God can redeem a person from there.
(Psalm 49:7-9, 15). God will not let his Holy One see decay, speaking of the
resurrection of his son Jesus. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, we too
can now pass from death to life eternal, in the presence of the Lord.
(Revelation 21:1-5).
Psalm 17:15, And I — in righteousness I will see your face; when I
awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.