Psalm 16

Psalm 16 (NIV)

A miktam of David.^[a]

1 Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.

2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."

3 As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. ^[b]

4 The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.

5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made 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 have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is 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 grave, ^[c]
nor will you let your Holy One ^[d] see decay.

11 You have made ^[e] known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

(Verses taken from Biblegateway.com)

Observation
What are some of the key idea or word that has been repeated throughout the Psalm?

The marks of the believer (verse 1 to verse 4)
a. God is the object of his trust in the sense that he take refuge in Him;
b. Yahweh is his sovereign Lord and utterly sufficient, so that apart from Him he desires no good thing;
c. To acknowledges the worth and delights in the fellowship of the saints, the people set apart for God’s possession and in whom His holy character is seen;
d. He shuns all false worship. [+]

The present blessings of the believer (verse 5 to verse 8)
a. A satisfied heart (v5 and v6)
b. Counsel and correction (v7)
c. Security (v8)

The prospect of the believer (verse 9 to verse 11)
a. Preservation from death (v9 and v10)
b. The path of life made known to him (v11a)
c. Joy in God’s presence (v11)

Interpretation
Background:

This psalm is a celebration of the joy of fellowship that Davis realized comes from the faith in the Lord. The psalm may be written when he faced great danger in the wilderness or opposition in his reign. Whatever its occasion, David was convinced that because he had come to know and trust the Lord as his portion in life, he could trust him in the face of death.

Death posed no threat to David because he enjoyed great blessing and fellowship with the Lord. God would not permit death and the grave to interrupt the marvelous fellowship. So in a fuller sense this is true of believer today, who having the full revelation about the doctrine of resurrection, can say that even when they die, God will not let death destroy the full fellowship they enjoyed with the Lord. This expression of faith is possible because Christ conquered death (Luke 26:6) and rose to become the firstfruits of all who sleep. (I Cor 15:20)

Q: What is the theme?
A: A prayer of safekeeping, pleading for the Lord’s protection against the threat of death. It could also be called a psalm of trust.

Q: What is the key verse?
A: Verse 1, keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Application
You can only experience true joy and completeness in God’s presence. Therefore, invest time to know God deeply and to be in His presence by reading his Words day and night, and talking to Him through prayers. Do not replace God’s love with human love and worldly pleasures.

Source
• The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Old Testament; Cook)
• The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan
• New Bible Commentary, 3rd Edition, edited by D Guthrie, JA Motyer, AM Stibbs, DJ Wiseman, Inter Varsity Press