Read Psalm 16
A miktam of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Go Deeper
We are made for life with God. Without God’s presence in our lives, we have an insatiable desire in our hearts for more. It might be more money, more pleasure, or more comfort; whatever it is, we think it will satisfy but it never does. We’ll always need more apart from God because our needs aren’t met apart from Him.
But in this psalm we get to see what life lived with God looks like. Since David was a king, he could get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. All he had to do was snap his fingers and he would be given anything he desired. But in this moment, as he surveyed all he had, he realized that he truly didn’t want anything other than God. Indeed apart from God, he had no good thing (v. 2).
David isn’t the only one who felt this way. In John 6 after a hard teaching, many of Jesus’ disciples turned back and stopped following Him. Jesus then turned to His closest friends and asked if they were going to leave Him too. Peter replied to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68). Peter couldn’t fathom leaving Jesus for anything else because in Jesus was life itself. Apart from Jesus, Peter had no good thing.
This is the story of following God. The more you live with Him, the more you realize He is all you need. You don’t need all that this world is trying to throw at you. All of those things are just temporary pleasures– they won’t ever satisfy. The deepest joys and the greatest comforts will only be found in God. Your heart will only find rest when you give it to the One it was made for.
Questions
- What stood out to you about how David speaks about God in this chapter?
- Which verse in this passage do you most connect with?
- What distracts you from God on a daily basis?
By the way
This psalm is often referred to as a Messianic psalm because it is quoted in the New Testament as referring to the resurrection of Jesus. Both Peter and Paul quoted Psalm 16 when speaking of the resurrection (Acts 2:25-28; 13:35-37).
4 thoughts on “Psalms of Trust: Psalm 16”
Vs 1-3
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”
“Preserve me from the world; let me not be carried away with its excitements; suffer me not to be before its blandishments, nor to fear its frowns. Preserve me, from the devil; let him not tempt me above what I am able to bear. Preserve me from myself; keep me from growing envious, selfish, high-minded, proud, slothful. Preserve me from those evils into which I see others run, and preserve me, from those evils into which I am myself most apt to run; keep me from evils known and from evils unknown.” (Spurgeon)
God help me to be preserved for You. God, that I take delight in Your people. God thank You that You are whom I want to serve. Thank You that You are my inheritance, that I have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that I, would have hope in Christ, and would be to the praise of His glory. God thank You that You are my lot and my portion. Thank You that You are the path of life and in Your presence is fullness of joy that I am a part of. God I know this world is not problem free BUT YOU GOD, in my life, give me directions so that You are my path. Thank You for helping me shape my tree in this world. That I see others through Your love goggles and let go of that judgmental-nist attitude. Thank You that I am in more and more a state of discussion with You. God, I just want to praise, honor and glorifiy You today in these minutes of this day in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
David knows from personal experience that God is:
•a refuge
•delight
•portion & cup
•security
•inheritance
•counselor
•instructor
•life
•joy
•eternal pleasures
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20. How unbelievable that we can know and experience the same God David knew through Christ.
6 “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;”
Of the 8 billion people on planet Earth, of the billions of people who have ever lived, I count my blessings to live where I do in this moment of history. My boundary lines are in a very pleasant place. I can’t take this for granted. Thank you, God!
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
This verse teaches that nothing in life is good without God. It also reminds me that any good in me comes from God, and not of myself.