Hope

There is a third point to notice in this psalm; it is hope. The blessed Lord knew every step of the path of suffering He would have to endure. He knew all things that would come upon Him, and could see beyond it all. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross and despised the shame. His hope was in His God. He could look through all the sufferings and death on Calvary, and the reality of the sepulcher too, and say, "Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory [or My tongue] rejoiceth: My flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell [hades]; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption." (vv. 9,10.)
So our adorable Lord could contemplate His own death, the actual separation of soul and body, the soul going into hades (the state of departed spirits), and the body into the sepulcher, where all others go to corruption. But more than this, His confidence was in Jehovah, the God of resurrection. He knew that, for He said He would rise again the third day, and that He would be raised again from among the dead by the glory of the Father. He also said that He would be seated at the "right hand" of the Majesty on high.
He says, referring to resurrection, "Thou wilt show Me the path of life"—this path which, though beginning from the sepulcher, would extend to the right hand of God as He so blessedly adds: "in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." What a triumphant path in the power of faith and hope!
Surely our privilege, too, is to be rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, in fact, to be abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. We triumph in His victories and we look forward to eternal blessedness based upon His already-accomplished work. Though our destiny is to share His glory, yet how different is the path of hope for us from what it was to Him. But if He went down into death and the grave, and grappled with sin, Satan, the grave, and judgment, what was it for? It was to give us present and everlasting triumph over all these enemies and intruders into God's once fair creation.
Our hope, then, is not to follow Him into death, but because of His having accomplished that triumphant work for us, it can now be said, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," and "caught up... to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." We earnestly desire "to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.... Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." 2 Cor. 5:2, 4. Our precious Lord, therefore, by His death, and His triumph over death, Satan and the grave, has given us a near way into glory at His coming. A momentary journey, a rapid flight like a lightning flash, and we shall be changed and translated, and so be forever with the Lord.
Oh the perfect bliss of this hope, based on the atoning work, and made certain to us by the risen Jesus having gone into heaven by His own blood! How divinely real it is! It is like having only a curtain between us at this moment and the positive and unchanging possession of eternal glory. The Head in heaven and members on earth, already joined by one Spirit, are soon to meet in the air. His desire is that we should be with Him and behold His glory. The thrice-repeated "I come quickly" of Him who is "the bright and morning star" should nerve our souls to hearty, loving response, for the Spirit incites the cry in us, "Come." "The Spirit and the bride say, Come." Happy are those who know the blessedness of the life of faith so as to tread the path of dependence, communion, and hope!