The Lord, Your Greatest Good

Abundant Goodness

This week we celebrated Thanksgiving and I’m sure in many of your households your dinner table was overflowing with an over-abundance of delectable dishes, sweet treats and good company. You could easily feel guilty or ashamed at how lavish your dinner was or how much you actually ate. I suppose if we at this way all the time or wasted much of it on a regular basis, then we should consider the stewardship of our resources. However, celebratory feasts and special seasons do have their place as pleasant reminders of the abundant goodness of God and the gracious generosity of our Heavenly Father.

For the Christian, you should be able to recognize the goodness provided by God, whether plenty or little, and in all circumstances. Whether in times of sorrow or loss, trial or tribulation, peace or prosperity, every child of faith should be able to say, “I have no good apart from You.” These words can be expressed in believing hope, even if personal experience lacks assurance. They can also be stated in confident affirmation because your experience proves it true. No matter the level of Christian experience or immediate circumstance, a mark of Christian maturity is the ability to cry out to the Lord in all situations, affirm your trust in His good character, and confidently face the journey of life with joy and security of your future in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 16 is a golden song of resolved trust as David’s security was threatened, facing possible death and an uncertain outcome. Even though the Bible doesn’t explain the exact reasons David wrote this psalm, the language and tone seem to indicate a mature response to life’s later difficulties. Much of David’s life appeared to always be in peril from Saul, the Philistines, political enemies, and even his own family. So many of his psalms were born out of the terrors, trials and events he faced in his lifetime, serving as his prayerful lifelines to God. It’s why the psalms are both a theological and practical treasure trove of hope, faith, cries and appeals for assurance in our living God.

How do you respond in the midst of crisis? Where is your hope or joy found in the face of loss? Do you credit God’s goodness only in times of plenty, or also in times of scarcity? Your ability to affirm the goodness of God in all circumstances comes through the maturity of your fellowship with God. David modeled this mature pathway through the theme of Psalm 16. This Psalm makes it clear that personal communion with God leads to a personal commitment to God which brings confident hope in God.

I. Communion with God [16:1-4]

Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. 4The 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."

David’s Plea for Preservation

As Israel’s great king and prophet, David’s writing came from his life’s experiences under the providence of God. Even after encountering all the threats and hurts he experienced in life, he was still able to claim God as His personal protector, sustainer, and rescuer of his soul. David’s plea for preservation was from a position of personal communion/fellowship with God. God was not an abstract deity that David wished would listen to him. David was intimately familiar with the One True God whom he could confidently call upon at any time. David’s plea is personal in nature and his cry for safety is an appeal for God to keep guarding watch over his life as he sought asylum in His presence. Like a refugee seeking safety and sanctuary in a secure place, so David sought protective shelter in the personal presence of God.

David uses three important names of God showing the depth of his personal relationship. He trusted in the Almighty God (El’) as the One who was his protective refuge during troubling times. The name “God” refers to His almighty power and authority as the One True Creator God. David also uses the intimately revealed name of God, “LORD” (Yahweh) which means “I AM”. This refers to His eternal nature and divine power which is not hidden from mankind but is specially revealed to His people. David also calls Him “Lord/Master” (Adonai) which means he willingly submitted and obediently lived to please his very good Master. The person who knows and calls on the name of the Lord is someone who has personal communion and relationship with Him by faith (Heb.11:1, 6). Such a personal profession of faith expresses total reliance upon the Lord God.

David’s plea extends beyond mere rescue from physical danger, as he personally confesses that God is his sole source of goodness and greatest good in life. In a concise statement, David declares his total dependence on the goodness of God in all things! He expresses his heart’s contentment and satisfaction in possessing God only. The apostle Paul similarly declared his contentment in God in all circumstances, and the subsequent strength to do all things for God’s glory (Phil.4:11-13). How content and satisfied are you in God alone? If you were to lose all earthly possessions, forsaken by family or friends, no stable position, could you confidently respond as David in declaring God as your greatest good? Only in times of trials are these truths tested in your heart. Only through times of testing do you mature into this confident hope that comes through your personal communion with God.

David’s preference for God’s people

God does not leave us all alone in this life. There are times you might be alone or feel lonely, but God’s goodness is experienced through the company of his saints. Saints refers to those who have been set apart and belong to God. David’s delight was found in surrounding himself with God’s people, who were the most excellent companions he could have. Loving the company of God means loving the company of those who love Him also.

Do you love the people of God more than the companionship of unbelievers? The type of people you turn to in times of distress and difficulty reveal who your heart trusts and delights in.

David contrasts his preference for God’s people to those who pursue other forms of security. David’s maturity enables him to know that their anxious, worthless pursuits will only end in multiple sorrows. The book of Proverbs illustrates how the path of the ungodly always ends in sorrowful ruin. Wisdom knows that participating in the practices of false worship and hope are useless and dangerous. God forbid His people from even speaking the names of false gods so as not to be identified or associated with them. (Exo.23:13) Why would God be so strict towards such practices and names? Because it is a matter of TRUST! Just as David knew ungodly practices could not provide the security, hope and trust he needed most, you must recognize that any other form of trust apart from God Himself will not lead you to a place of secure confidence. Growing in communion with God means your exclusive trust is in the sovereign care of your very good Master and Lord.

II. Commitment to God [16:5-8]

Psalm 16:5 "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."

God as David’s sufficient inheritance

This type of personal communion with God leads to a personal commitment to God. David accepted that what he received in this life was directly given to him by God. David viewed his identity, his position, and his possessions as a blessed inheritance from God. David uses familiar language and promises from God to describe God’s sustenance to him. Portion refers to family inheritance, and cup references the goodness of a host. Lot and beautiful inheritance recall God’s special designation for the Levitical priests to receive God Himself as their inherited portion. (Num.18:20; Deut.10:9; 18:1-2)

These descriptions of “portion”, “cup”, “lot” and “inheritance” aren’t simply referring to physical possessions but to God Himself. Everything you see and have that is material in this physical world is temporary. Cars break down, homes need repair, jobs aren’t certain, relationships change, and personal health fails. But the person who has God as their “chosen portion” receives the beautiful unfailing inheritance that is God Himself.

God is David’s wise counselor

Another benefit of David’s commitment to God meant that the LORD was his personal Counselor. How wonderful it is to have the Eternal God as your own counselor whose wise words can soothe your mind at night to calm your anxious and intrusive thoughts. How does God instruct and counsel you? Through His revealed Word and His indwelling Spirit. In the NT James reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”(Jam.1:5) The ESV uses “heart”, while the NASB translates the Hebrew word as “mind.” Both refer to the inner-man, but mind gives a more specific designation as to how God’s counsel comes to you.

It is from God’s Word you hear God’s instructive counsel; it is with your mind you meditate and speak God’s truth to your heart in the middle of the night with His counsel.

God is David’s secure confidence

The person who sets “the LORD always before” them receives assurance of His presence and security. Just as God honored David’s commitment to trust and set the Lord before himself, you can be confident that He will grant you personal stability in all your life’s circumstances. From an early age David had committed to pursuing the Lord’s pathway for his life’s course. Even though there were times David diverged from the path, he consistently came back to setting the Lord before Him. The result of this commitment was a sense of contentment and satisfaction whose source is the Lord God. It is never too late to start setting the Lord always before you. However, the earlier you are able to make this commitment and pursue this path, the greater the maturity and confidence in God’s security you’ll possess in this life.

III. Confidence in God [16:9-11]

Psalm 16:9 "Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Secure hope in the resurrection of Messiah

Personal communion with God leads to a personal commitment to God which brings confident hope in God. The apex of this psalm is reached in these final verses. One of the greatest satisfactions you can have in life is a glad heart and joyous well-being. David doesn’t miss describing all aspects of personhood because God is concerned with the wellness and security of your whole being – heart, body, soul and mind. God doesn’t just rescue your soul, He redeems the whole person! David knew this and confidently spoke of his safety in the presence of the Lord. He knew the Lord would not leave him abandoned in the afterlife, because of God’s promised Messiah.

Remarkably David prophesies the resurrection of Jesus Christ! It can be easy to forget that David was also a prophet who wrote Scripture by the will of God concerning things he would not see fulfilled in his day. David lived in the confidence of God’s promises and his hope was in the future “Holy One” whom God would preserve. The reason we know this is by the preaching of the Apostle Peter after Jesus Christ’s resurrection:

ACTS 2:22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know - 23this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because bit was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, "'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' 29"Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, band of that we all are witnesses.

Because this psalm points us to Jesus Christ, it confirms the truth of life after death and a physical resurrection that will bring us into the presence of God. The Apostle Paul also confirmed this interpretation in Acts 13:36-37. This is an example of Scripture interpreting Scripture and revealing mysteries that otherwise aren’t always clear. David’s greatest confidence in the difficulties of life and in the face of death was in God’s promised Holy One. Which means Jesus Christ is always your highest confidence and security in all things!

Secure path into the presence of God

Everyone is in pursuit of some sort of personal satisfaction along many well-worn paths: career, dreams, experiential, relational or the ordinary. While many of these may be good paths to walk, they cannot bring lasting joy and satisfaction. There is only one path that leads to “fullness of joy”, one path to enjoy “pleasures forevermore”, and one “path of life” that is eternal and true. That path goes through Jesus Christ and leads into the face-to-face presence of God.

Conclusion

At the close of John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress, he offers his imaginative description of the scene when Christian and Hopeful arrived at the gates of Heaven and are ushered in. It is this confident hope our hearts are thrilled and whole being awaits the fulfillment of our redemption into the presence of God.

Now, as they were drawing near the gate, a company of the heavenly host came out to meet them. To this multitude the two angels said, “These are the men who have loved our Lord when they were in the world, and they have left all for His holy name. He has sent us to fetch them, and we have brought them this far on their desired journey so that they now may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.”

At this time, several of the King’s trumpeters also came out to meet them. They had white shining clothes, and with loud, melodious noises, they made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters greeted Christian and Hopeful with ten thousand welcomes from the world, and they did this with shouting and the sound of the trumpets… it was as if Heaven itself came down to meet them.

Now I saw in my dream that Christian and Hopeul went in the gate, as and as they entered, they were suddenly transfigured and arrayed in clothes that shone like gold. Some of the inhabitants of the City met them and provided harps and crowns. The harps were given for worship, and the crowns were give as a token of honor.

Then I heard in my dream all the bells in the city ring again for joy and that it was said to the pilgrims, “Enter into the joy of your Lord!” Just as the gates were opened to let the men inside, I looked in after them and witnessed the City shining like the sun! The streets were also paved with gold, and many men walked on them with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises with forever. There were also some angelic beings with wings that responded in never-ending praise, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!” Then I watched them shut the gates and wished that I, too, was among them.[1]

[1] John Bunyan (rev.Alan Vermilye), The Pilgrim’s Progress, pp.224-26