2021 Chapel #2
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
Psalm 16
Psalm 16
This is a Psalm written by David
Some translations call it a Miktam, which has no real definition in Hebrew.
The title Michtam is commonly understood as golden
This and other “Miktams” were written from times of peril, some think the idea is of covering the lips in the sense of secrecy, as if this were a secret or silent psalm given in a time of crisis.
But really what is being revealed is the secret, or the key to godly living.
This is a wonderful song relating how David found the secret of contentment and great gladness even in pressing times.
Let’s read it and then break it down
English Standard Version Psalm 16
You Will Not Abandon My Soul
16 A MIKTAM OF DAVID.
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.
4 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.
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.
7 I 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.
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.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
First off, what is the tone of the Psalm? Positive, glad, worshipful
But as we look at the beginning, that’s not how it starts
Verse 1 David writes preserve me.
Preserve me—or the NLT has keep me safe, so clearly by this and the next line, for I have come to you for refuge, or for in you I take refuge, David is in some kind of trouble.
We are not told what the scenario is for David, but what we are given is David’s response to his situation.
So, like David, with all things that happen in our life we have a choice on how we are going to respond, will we move closer to God or farther away?
In tough circumstances, will they make us better or bitter?
What does verse 2 reveal?
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
David, regardless of his circumstances knows that God is his Lord, he’s going to draw near to God, to be better and not grow bitter.
Did you guys notice a difference in the two words “Lord”? One is all caps and the other is capital L and then lower case
The first is “LORD is the word Yahweh”, this is the name of the One true God, it focuses on His sure existence and His relationship to His covenant people.
The 2nd word for Lord here is Adonai, or Master, which focuses on God’s authority and majesty of rule.
So the first is the One true relational God who cares for His people and the second is the God who is in control and is David’s master.
Why is it important to have this balanced view of God?
What if God is the One True God, who is all powerful and in control, but doesn’t care about you? He’s distant, you don’t matter, God can fix my problems or help me in them, but why would He, why would I matter.
Or if God is the One True God who loves you and cares for you, but He isn’t in control, He isn’t the majestic ruler, right, He can’t help you in your time of need.
So David has this healthy view of God, and he’s disciplined enough to think intentionally about Him during this tough time.
He also has a healthy view of himself. He knows deep down he isn’t good and the only good he is or has is from God.
It’s not his “badness” that got him into the situation and it won’t be his “goodness” that gets him out of it.
He has no good apart from God.
How about verse 3
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
Where is David looking? Out, at others who are a good example to him, looking at those who are lovers of God, living the right way.
All too often when we are in difficult circumstances, we look inward, everything is about us, how this is affecting us, and where is God, and why is this happening.
We become so self focused that it’s so easy to focus on our problem and become discouraged.
But not David here in the Psalm, he looks out at the “saints” but also at the “sinners” look at verse 4
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.
This is an interesting verse.
I think for us, in the world we live in, God is a general word for a higher power, so there is either a God or there isn’t.
We don’t view things the same way they did in David’s day.
Back then they had competing gods, there was Yahweh, the God of Israel, the One True God and then other gods of the pagan nations.
If you read through the O.T. you will read of Baal, or Molech, or Asherah, and some others, Dagon, whatever.
These were fertility gods, and gods of the harvest, or of the moon and sun and rain, etc.
They “promised” health, wealth, power, offspring, happiness, etc. but they asked a lot, “sacrifices of blood, sweat, and tears.”
So we may not bow down to Baal, or Molech, or Asherah, but we sure do desire what they promised.
We sure do make sacrifices to acquire what they’ve promised. Power, wealth, sex
What David is telling us that those who chase these “gods”and what they offer will actually acquire sorrows or troubles.
Why, because these things can not ultimately satisfy us, we will always come back for more, so we chase them, trying to catch them, to hold them, but we can’t they are fleeting.
So David says no, that won’t be me, I know the One True God and He loves me and He’s good.
So what does David do next, it’s a healthy exercise for all of us? He remembers
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.
God has been good to David, He’s taken care of him, it hasn’t always been easy, but God has been faithful.
God has made Himself known to David, and this the best of what God has done for David.
So, because David remembers God’s goodness, His provision, it causes Him to think of other ways God has been good.
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.
God has given David counsel, He’s advised David on what to do, where to go, He’s guided him through life.
Even at night, God speaks to David’s heart, and it instructs him.
God is always with Him, so David won’t be shaken, God is at David’s right hand, next to Him and acting on David’s behalf.
What a comfort that must’ve been to David. What confidence, and what peace that must have been the result.
Right, David is the middle of some difficult situation, but God is good, God who is both Yahweh and Adonai is with David and for David.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
the NLT translation reads this way
New Living Translation Psalm 16
9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
No wonder I’m doing fine right now, my heart is glad and I can rejoice.
No wonder I feel safe and secure and I’m content.
Even if this were to result in death, David knows God will not leave his soul among the dead to rot, he will be with God.
Before we look closer at verse 11, I want to remind us of verse 4, the contrast it presents.
New Living Translation Psalm 16
4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.
Troubles multiply for those who chase after these other gods who are not even close to the One True God.
But throughout this Psalm David has made a decision, he’s determined something, to not pursue and sacrifice to these false gods. But also,
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
David has put the Lord before him, in front of him, God before David is his mentality, but also with him, present, near, caring and in control.
That’s why he can experience verse 11
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
David knows the right way to find “life”
David has experienced, and even in this time is experiencing the fullness of joy, because he is in His presence, because he has intentionally drawn near to God.
David is experiencing and has experienced the pleasure of being right with God, and the pleasure found in this world the right way.
David has modeled for us, written out for us the path of life, of true life.
Jesus says in John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
The false gods come only to steal and kill and destroy, to multiply our troubles and create more sorrow, but..
Jesus has come to give us life and to the fullest, in God’s presence, fullness of joy and pleasures forever more.
Let me pray