“Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” -Psalm 16:9–10
David rejoices because of the security he has in Christ. Moreover, his rejoicing is not temporal or shallow. It is deep and abiding, heart and soul. Even his physical being is secure. He lives without the angst that comes from the insecurity of his safety, even in death. Though the Psalm is typological, that is, it transcends David’s personal experience and reason for penning it and is historically true for the person of Christ—the Apostles, particularly Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2:25–28) and Paul at Antioch (Acts 13:35–37), quoted the passage in reference to Christ’s resurrection–the idea is that David was rejoicing in his security from death. A.P. Ross helpfully notes,
“Preservation from the decaying grave is the idea behind both David’s and Jesus’ experiences, but with David it came through a deliverance from death, whereas with Jesus it came through a resurrection from death.”
In Christ, Christians are secure, even in death! Because of Jesus conquered death, it has no more hold over us. The blessed hope of the Christian is not “heaven” in the sense we will be unembodied spirits blissfully floating around the ether. The blessed hope is that we too will be resurrected in a new body to live forever—and without sin.