Bible Reading: Leviticus 13; Psalms 15 & 16; Proverbs 27; 2 Thessalonians 1
Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
The Bible tells us at the beginning of Psalm 16 that this is a psalm of David. David lived about a thousand years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Did David's soul go to hell? Is David the Holy One? Did God promise David that he would not see corruption? (In other words did he receive a promise that his body would not decay?) If this was all we had, we would be left with so many questions! After David died and Solomon took has place as king, David's body was buried. After just a few days his body would have begun to decay. If you lived after the time of David and read this text you would have a lot of questions.
You and I however have the New Testament and we can learn what God meant here in his word! Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and he tells us there that David was speaking of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved…
Acts 2:27-31 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Peter pointed out to his audience that the tomb of David was well known. He was dead and buried. However, this psalm is a prophecy of the Messiah. God had promised David that one of his descendants would be the Messiah and would sit on his throne. David spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ a thousand years before it happened! On the third day Jesus was raised again after descending into hell and preaching to the captives there (1 Peter 3:18-19).
Always read the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament. Jesus is the Holy One of God that did not see corruption. He was not left in hell but was resurrected, victorious over the grave. He is the Lord of Lord and King of Kings!
In Christ,
Rody
