By any measure, King David was a great leader worthy of admiration. Even in his failures, he demonstrated character and humility (Psalms 51 and 32 serve as examples). Paul would have been well versed in the life of David, having grown up in a devout Jewish home. David was a hero to Paul and his friends. As great as David was, he too followed the same course as everyone who lived before him (Elijah and Enoch as noted exceptions). David died, was buried, and decayed (Acts 13:36). The fact that all of us regardless of our influence in life will die and decay is a sobering thought. It is one of the realities that creates a common ground among humans. It is just what we do; we die and then our bodies decay.
However Jesus’ body did not decay, setting Him apart from the rest of humanity. Some could argue that Elijah’s and Enoch’s bodies didn’t decay either, but they didn’t die either. No one, NO ONE else who walked on the earth has ever died and then their body not decayed. The disciples saw the scars in His hands and side (John 20:27). There was no question that Jesus was resurrected body and all. In Acts 13, Paul pointed to the death of David to help his listeners understand that Jesus was greater than David (and anyone else we might want to put on that list). The decaying of our bodies serves as a testament to the greatness of our Savior and to His resurrection. Since He is not decaying, He and He alone can be looked to as our Savior, the One who came to take away our sin.