"To Shine Like Stars Forever"

vaD SoH DichDaq ghobe' mej wIj qa' Daq Sheol, ghobe' DichDaq SoH allow lIj le' wa' Daq legh corruption.


For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption. Psalm 16:10

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We don't know much about Klingon Eschatology - that is, what Klingon's think about "the last things," particularly death and things beyond.

What little we know is that there definitely IS an expectation of personal survivival. Some speak of QI'tu', Paradise - sometimes Sto-Vo-Kor, as "the afterlife for the honored dead, where all true warriors go after they die to fight an eternal battle. The closest Klingon equivalent to heaven."

There is also a place of eternal punishmen "Gre'thor," spoken of in the expression describing the impossible: ghe'torvo' narghDI' qa'pu' (when spirits escape from Gre'thor).

Whether these reflect the beliefs of Klingons - it does give us the clear impression that Klingons understand the expectation that the "qa'" the spirit is something that will indeed survive beyond this life.

This verse of Psalm 16 draws us into considering this as well - what can we expect beyond this life?

Well, David has an answer - even though death may be a mystery. The word "Sheol" sometimes translated as death, or the grave, or even "hell" is derived from a word for "to ask," or "enquire." That is - we ask, we wonder what will happen next? David doesn't tell us he knows, but he goes forward here, with the confidence he's expressed already, and says

vaD SoH DichDaq ghobe' mej wIj qa' Daq Sheol, ghobe' DichDaq SoH allow lIj le' wa' Daq legh corruption.


For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption. Psalm 16:10

David trusts. He says he knows death will not be the "end of the line." He trusts that God won't let him simply rot. I should note that "your holy one" isn't a self-serving "I'm so holy" - the word used comes from Hesed - faithful. He's declaring his trust, his intent to be godly.

Now in the book of Acts, it was known that David did, in fact, die. Was buried. And stayed there. Peter sees "the ultimate 'holy' one" who didn't stay dead was... Jesus, who as "a son of David" fulfilled David's trust.

But that isn't the same as saying David's confidence was only a prediction about Jesus. While believers understand that Jesus does fulfill this promise, the scriptures also make clear we can, with David, be confident that

...God [will] not leave [them] in the grave. Many people fear death because they can neither control nor understand it. As believers, we can be assured that God will not forget us when we die. He will bring us to life again to live with him forever. This provides real security. (Life Application Bible)

Throughout the Bible, this promise is made clear - we can look forward to a hope, not just for now, but forever. As it says in the book of the prophet Daniel:

Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever. Daniel 12: 2,3

What a hope! What a tomorrow! When we put our hope, our faith in Him, our lives, our eternity will shine!