Fullness of Joy
INTRODUCTION
This is one of the Messianic Psalms. It was written by David during his exile period. Driven from his material inheritance, he claims God Himself as the true portion. As David ponders his fate, he looks above (1-2), around (3-4), within (5-6), and beyond (9-11). This psalm, as does many others, begins with prayer, implies trouble, abounds in holy confidence, and closes with assurance.
Psalm 16, along with Psalms 56-60, is referred to as a Michtam psalm. All were written during the time of David’s rejection. These psalms are described in various ways; some think it comes from a word meaning to engrave, or sculptural writing. The thought would be that here something is preserved that should never be forgotten. W.W. Wiersbe says that Ps. 16:11 is his favorite verse (life verse). Each of the psalms, 16, 56-60, preserve the thought of resurrection. Some think it refers to a psalm of hidden, mysterious meaning or a golden psalm. Michtam suggests that the psalm was one of David’s golden meditations, dealing with truth so significant it should be preserved forever, although originally a personal, private meditation.
Let’s view this psalm as to what it meant to David.
I. PRAYER FOR THE LORD’S PROTECTION. 1-4
A. EXPRESSION OF TRUST. 1
“for in You I put my trust” – that is no new or sudden action. It has been going on for some time and has now become a habit. There is such a thing as crying to God in a moment of trouble or danger, and then neglecting and forgetting Him when things are going all right.
This was a Complete Trust
This was a Consistent Trust
This was a Constant Trust
“Preserve me” – (keep me safe) doesn’t suggest that David was in trouble or danger. It simply means that he needed God’s constant care and oversight so that he might honor God.
David uses 3 words for God in v.1-2
1. Elohim
God the Creator; omnipotent, the all-powerful One; stands for God in all His strength and might
2. Jehovah
God of Covenant; He is the God Who desires to enter a saving contract with humanity.
2. Adonai
My Sovereign Lord; my King
God is my Maker, my Mediator, and my Master
B. PROFESSION OF TRUST. 2
“You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” KJV says, “my goodness extendeth not to thee” The Hebrew scholars translate it, “Thou art my Lord, You do not need my goodness”
“There is a certain pride in man that will give and give, but to come and accept is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom, I will give myself in consecration, I will do anything, but do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is to accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God; we must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest blessing spiritually is the knowledge that we are destitute; until we get there our Lord is powerless.” Oswald Chambers
(My well-being is entirely dependent upon You)
I have no good beyond God.
The Lord is our highest goal and greatest treasure.
Psalms 73:25, “Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.”
Psalms 73:28, “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works.”
He is the giver of every good and perfect gift
James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
To know Him through Jesus Christ is the highest privilege in life. Jesus is indeed the One who saves and the One who satisfies.
C. COMPANIONS OF TRUST. 3-4
Psalms 119:63, “I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.”
1. THERE IS COMMITMENT TO THE
CHURCH. (BODY) 3
Speaks of affection for others in the body
John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
This serves as one of the first marks of a born-again believer
a. Modeled After His Love.
v.34 “as I have loved you”
John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”
b. Manifested by His Love.
Gal. 5:22 Love is fruit produced by the Spirit of God in us. Agape; love of choice
1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
God calls Christians to that same standard of love for one another as He had for us.
David was not only living in the Lord’s presence in v.1-2, but now he was living for the Lord’s people. They were his delight.
He refers to them as “the excellent ones” (majestic ones); carries the meaning of nobility and glory. In spite of our faults and failures, believers are God’s elite, His nobility on earth. We must all love one another and use our God-given abilities and resources to minister to the family of God.
We don’t live the Christian life alone, because we’re part of a great spiritual family and need each other.
1 John 4:18-21, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”
A claim to love God is a delusion if not accompanied by unselfish love for other Christians.
2. THERE IS NO COMPROMISE. 4
David desired to keep himself away from evil aspirations and associations. In David’s day it was the worship of Dagon of the Philistines. Today, it’s the idolatry of money, success and fame.
II. PRAISE FOR THE LORD’S PROVIDENCE. 5-6
A. SPEAKS OF THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD. 5
After Israel conquered the Promised Land, each tribe, except Levi, was assigned a special inheritance (Josh 13-21). The priests and the Levites, because they served in the sanctuary and ate of the holy sacrifices, had the Lord as their special inheritance. David saw himself in that privileged position.
To possess great wealth but not have the Lord is poverty indeed.
Luke 12:15, “And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’"
When David penned these verses, he was excluded from his inheritance by Saul. David’s share was in the fields of Bethlehem. He writes as a fugitive on the run.
“ ‘I have lived a long time,’ Benjamin Franklin, age eighty-one, told the Constitutional Convention, ‘and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?’
Nations rise and fall; leaders come and go. But there is only one King of kings and Lord of lords, and He who ordains the flow of history and guides the sparrow’s flight also carefully attends to the needs of His children. A.W. Tozer wrote, ‘To the child of God, there is no such thing as accident. He travels an appointed way…Accidents may indeed appear to befall him and misfortune stalk his way; but these evils will be so in appearance only and will seem evil only because we cannot read the secret script of God’s hidden providence.’
God is eternal, so His perspective is broad. He is immortal, having no fear of death. He is invisible and always present. He is all-wise, always knowing just what to do. Trust Him – and give him honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
David Jeremiah
B. SPEAKS OF OUR FUTURE WITH GOD. 6
Years before, David had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to one day be the king of Israel. David knew that there was nothing Saul could do to prevent that. It was around 20 years before he would know this reality. We also have a good inheritance.
“lines” – Old Testament metaphor to describe God’s blessings. W.W. Wiersbe said, “If Jesus is Lord of our lives, then the possessions we have and the circumstances we are in represent the inheritance He gives us.”
TESTIMONY
I am grateful for the day 25 years ago when His “lines” fell on the boundaries of Woodstock, Georgia. I can honestly say,
“The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance”.