“Keep me safe, my God, for in In you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 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. Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful b one see decay. 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.” Psalm 16 NIV
Psalm 16 has often been entitled the Psalm of the ‘Good Life.’ I would say that it is one of my most favourite Psalms and I meditate on portions of it just about every day as I go for prayer walks, speaking it over my life. It’s called a Psalm of David and prophetically describes the ‘resurrected life’. It was affirmed by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Not the singers, but is referred to by Peter in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:25-28) and Paul (Acts 13:34-35) and literally experienced by Mary, being the first to see Jesus after rising from the dead.
“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’” Acts 2:25-28 (Peter)
“And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm,“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ Acts 13:34-35 (Paul)
We have the same Spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead which enables us to experience this Good Life, this side of Heaven. In verse 2 we read of those who have no goodness apart from God. These are the true believers, those who have no righteousness of their own as they have received it from God as a gift. Here are a couple of translations of this verse.
“I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
“O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extends not to thee;”
“I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense. So I said to the Lord God, “You are my Maker, my Mediator, and my Master. Any good thing you find in me has come from you.”
You are blessed when you understand all about the gift of righteousness, which is given to you by God. It’s the only way to enter into Heaven. All our righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight. In the next verse we read of the Saints of God. This is speaking of Christians who have been washed in the blood of Jesus and received this gift of righteousness.
“ I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
The Saints of God are His Children whom He loves dearly, and so should we love God’s Children, for they are our brothers and sisters. Unfortunately circumstances change in life and we can end up not loving God’s people as we used too. The word says “How can you say you love God and not love His people?” Sometimes God’s people may not look or act the way they should and some may come from the other side of the railway line, never the less they are still His children, ‘His glorious Ones.’ We can look on the outward man but God looks on the inside, at the heart. His children are new creatures in Christ. So often we favour those who look good on the outside, yet inside they can be an abomination to God. Take the Pop Culture for instance and all of the rubbish coming out of Hollywood. It’s highly esteemed by man but their values are far from biblical.
“But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.”
“I want the company of the godly men and women in the land; they are the true nobility.”
“And he said to me, “My holy lovers are wonderful, my majestic ones, my glorious ones, fulfilling all my desires.”
The next verse speaks of the troubles that come to those who worship idols. When we read this verse we may think of how people used to worship idols in Bible times, like Baal or Ashteroth. It doesn’t apply to us today - does it? But we too can worship idols even today in the form of sport, films, money and fame to name a few. As I have said before even Christians can worship idols. I often see troubles come on some folks’ lives because they have idols. More troubles than they should be having are multiplied unto them.
“Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god:”
“Yet there are those who yield to their weakness, and they will have troubles and sorrows unending.”
Susannah Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, the famous leaders of the Methodist Church. Once said, "Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or removes your desire for spiritual things, that is sin to you." Let others argue over what sin is and what it's not. You know in your heart of hearts if there's something standing between you and the Lord.
Television can and is an idol for many today. We can spend hours in front of the set and have no time for God. If a program on TV keeps you out of God’s House and the word, then it has become an idol to you. I remember when we were at Bible College in RSA in the early 1980s. We never visited anyone in the Church on a certain night because ‘Dallas’ was on then. That came first.
“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” Deuteronomy 5:29
The next verse speaks of God being our portion, our cup, our food and drink, our everything and our all. Our ‘all in all’ and indeed He wants to be just that. This is a wonderful place to be in. When taking communion we are meant to remind ourselves that Jesus gave everything for us and so should we give everything for Him. He is our prize and our exceeding great reward. Our lives are blessed and full of His love. When I think of how my paths have fallen on a such beautiful environment I am overwhelmed. For many years I war from my homeland missing it so much, but God has let my lines fall again on pleasant places.
“The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
“The Lord himself is my inheritance, my prize. He is my food and drink, my highest joy! He guards all that is mine. He sees that I am given pleasant brooks and meadows as my share! What a wonderful inheritance!
“My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!”
“Lord, I have chosen you alone as my inheritance. You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion. I leave my destiny and its timing in your hands. Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places. I’m overwhelmed by the privileges that come with following you, for you have given me the best!”
The next verse has been a very powerful truth in my life. To get up at night and wait upon Him brings such a great reward. Indeed His Spirit instructs me in the night seasons. It’s at night that the dew falls and we can claim an anointing from God in the night, and receive fresh dew from Heaven. It appears that night watch was David’s favourite time with God. It’s quiet then with no distractions. I’m sure he went to bed a lot earlier than we do so that he could reap a better harvest. Look at Psalm 110:3
“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” Psalm 110:3
There are treasures to be found in the darkness of the night and it’s an opportunity to prophecy over your day. We can use our words of declaration as as weapon against the enemy. Jesus used the word when He was in the Wilderness to resist Satan. He said that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Speak out the good word of God for life and death are in the power of your tongue.
“I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.”
“I will bless the Lord who counsels me; he gives me wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do.”
“The way you counsel and correct me makes me praise you more, for your whispers in the night give me wisdom, showing me what to do next.”
Next David went on to say that he had ‘set’ the Lord always before him. Another translation says that he was always thinking about the Lord. The Holy Spirit is wanting to work on our thinking, especially our ‘stinking thinking’. God wants Jesus to be No 1 in our lives and the knowledge of Him to be excellent. He wants us to see His face by faith every day. In the Book of Revelation it speaks of those who have Jesus’ name written on their foreheads. I believe this is figuratively speaking of those who are always thinking about the Lord. The Bible says “But we see Jesus.” You may be looking at all the problems around you but we see Jesus. Amen, let’s behold Him now by faith and not just on a Sunday.
“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
“ I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so near, I never need to stumble or fall.”
Loving God always brings with it a great reward. ‘Because’ is a result of doing something either good or bad. It tells us in Psalm 91 that ‘Because’ you have set your love on me I will deliver you.
“Because you are close to me and always available,my confidence will never be shaken, for I experience your wrap-around presence every moment.”
“Because he has set his love on me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known my name.” “He shall call on me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.” “With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16
The next verse is speaking about Jesus dying on the cross and going down to Hell afterwards trusting the Father to raise Him up again. Jesus is confident that His Father will not leave Him there, but bring Him out again. This is true for us too, for our God will not leave us in terrible situations but deliver, we shall yet stand again in the land of the living. Especially if we set our hearts towards Him in praise and worship. Trust Him to come through for you.
“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
“because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
After many years as a Christian I have found the Spirit trying to show me a better way to live. His plans for me are good and not evil to give me a future and a hope. He wants to show me a path that leads to life and to experience the life that Christ has given me. Satan however wants to steal,kill and destroy. Jesus has come to give Life and Life abundance. Will you believe in the goodness of God.
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
“You have let me experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasures of your own eternal presence.”
“For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life, the path to the bliss that brings me face-to-face with you.”