Summary
Many of David’s psalms were written in response to events in his life. Psalm 16 is one of the exceptions, where it simply reflects David’s confidence in God alone to save him and hope in God’s promises. Psalm 16 expresses the confidence that God’s people should express towards God in life, whether things are swell, unwell, or hard to tell.
Our passage explained
v1-4
Psalm 16 opens with a cry to God for help. In verse 1, David cries “preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” This expresses a continual prayer for God’s protection over him, because God is the one in whom David places his trust.
The trust David places is reflected in David’s worship of God, not false idols. David’s worship shows that he believes all good things come from the ultimate source of good – his covenant God. “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you’” (v.2).
His worship of God is reflected in his love of God’s people, of whom he says “as for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (v.3). David delights in God’s chosen people, whom he considers delightful.
The goodness of God and delight in God’s people is contrasted with false idols and their followers. “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips” (v.4).
v5-6
David recognises that true good does not come to those who worship false idols (through calling on them by name and offering blood sacrifices), but ultimately increasing sorrows as they receive punishment from God both in this life and the next. David will not associate himself with these people or their idols, even for seeming momentary gain.
Instead, David expresses confidence in God’s promises to him. Picking up imagery from God’s giving the Promised Land as an inheritance to the Israelites, David says “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (vv.5-6). His portion in God is certain and pleasant, unlike the sorrows of idol worshipers.
v7-8
David’s confidence in God extends to receiving learning and protection from him. “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (vv.7-8).
David praises God for the teaching which God blesses him with, which he meditates on day and night (Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8). David knows that because he trusts God continually, that God is at hand to help (the right hand) and so he will not be moved.
The confidence that David has in God’s presence with him causes David to rejoice in God. In verse nine, David sings “therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices” because God is at hand to help and to keep him secure in God’s presence.
v9-11
But God’s helping hand extends beyond the present circumstance to eternity. “my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption” (vv.9-10). David is secure in God’s presence, both now and in the future, because God will not abandon David to death.
But moreover, David is secure because in this passage David prophetically speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:24-36, 13:34-39). It is through Christ’s resurrection, the true holy one of God, that David and all of God’s people dwell secure, and will not be abandoned in death.
The rejoicing in God which David expresses is summed up in verse eleven, the psalm’s conclusion. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” God reveals to David the way to live, giving him joy in whatever circumstances he is in. The pleasant places and things which God gives David (v.6) will last throughout life and into eternity.
Our passage applied
Like David, we can sing with confidence of God’s help to us all our days. Through Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the dead (v.10) we are reconciled to God, and enjoy his presence. We can take refuge in God, because he has stepped forward to help us and to save us from sin and death. He promises us a beautiful inheritance as his children, enjoying his presence in a world made new.
This psalm encourages us to worship God, to rejoice in him, to take confidence in him. God is the source of all true good, and with him, his pleasures endure forever. We do not need to trust in any other, whether ourselves, other people, or false idols. God alone is the true source of goodness and confidence in which we can take refuge.
Do you want to sing along with David this song of confidence and rejoicing in God? This version of Psalm 16 expresses the joy and beauty of taking refuge in God.
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