In their thoughts that their houses are eternal, and that their dwellings are for generations and generations...

he will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light.449

Further, the text is built on the contrast between the fools who will descend to Sheol and remain there, having lost their worldly glory and fortune, and the psalmist himself, who expects a different future. The internal logic of the psalm suggests that it should not be placed in the previous category – in the category of salvation from premature death; instead, we seem, as in Psalm 72, to encounter at least a glimmer of faith in the liberating power of God, which is stronger than death itself. Otherwise, this psalm would only say that the wise and righteous receive only a short reprieve from sentencing, but in due time will follow the fools to Sheol. But no:

Like sheep, they will shut them up in Sheol; Death shall feed them;

they will go down straight to the grave, and their strength will be exhausted;

Sheol is their dwelling.

But God will deliver my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.450

If this understanding were correct, many believers would later be able to see the meaning even where, as in Psalm 15, historical exegesis might have cast doubt on this interpretation.

These three psalms are built separately.452 On the contrary, in Psalms 33 and 36 the righteous receive recompense in this world. The agonizing entreaties of one of the darkest Psalms, the 87th, pose their terrible questions, seemingly without any hope of a good answer. Only Psalm 15, and Psalm 72 and 48 alone among the biblical texts, hint at a future unknown to the rest of the ancient writings of Israel.

(iv) The Basis of Future Hope

If we find a glimmer of such hope anywhere, it rests not on some attribute of human nature (as, say, the "immortal soul"), but on the LORD, and on Him alone. Moreover, the LORD is the essence of hope, not merely its foundation: He Himself is the "inheritance," i.e., the inheritance, of the righteous and godly Israelites. At the same time, only His power can give life, as it is said in some ancient prayers.455 "For with Thee is the fountain of life," says the Psalmist, "in Thy light we see light."456 When this strong faith in the LORD the Creator, the Giver of life, the God of ultimate justice, came into conflict with the injustices and sufferings of life, it was at this point that a new faith could be born. However, Israel's suffering did not always generate such a response. Psalm 87 and the book of Job are the opposite. Ecclesiastes, that Old Testament donkey Eeyore, who sometimes seems lost, would just shrug his shoulders and advise you to make the best use of what little you have. But if the LORD is the inheritance of his people, and if their love and faithfulness are as strong as the traditions of Israel portray them, then in the end there is nothing to prevent them from seeing death itself as a defeated enemy. That is what some of the key texts are about, and we must now come close to them.