Today, Monday October 31
The Golden Psalm
A Michtam of David.
Psalm 16:1-11
“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You." As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight." Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.
O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16 begins with the title “A Michtam of David”. The word Michtam is of uncertain origin. Chapters 56-60 are Michtam psalms too. The word Michtam means "to engrave or sculptured writing." It comes from a noun meaning "gold." It is worthy of being written in gold. The Michtam psalms end on triumphant notes. They preserve the idea of resurrection. Martin Luther translated it as "a golden jewel." Spurgeon called this Psalm “The Golden Psalm.” Other commentators call it, “The Psalm of the Precious Secret”, “The Secret Treasure” and “David’s Jewel.”
This Psalm may have been written shortly after the Lord gave His gracious covenant to David and assured him of an enduring throne (2 Sam. 7). That covenant was eventually fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Luke 1:32-33). The style of David's response to the covenant (2 Sam. 7:18-29) matches that of Psalm 16, a combination of joy, praise to God, humility, and submission to the divine will. Other Bible teachers believe that it was written after David spared Saul’s life the second time and even though Saul left off seeking to kill him, David was still hiding from him. As David meditated on the Lord’s goodness in his private devotions, it appears that the language he used (1 Samuel 26:19-20), is echoed in this psalm (16:4-6).
Psalm 16 is also a Messianic Psalm. Peter referred to it in his message at Pentecost (Acts 2:25-31), and said it referred to Jesus. Paul also quotes from this Psalm in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:35) as he preached on the resurrection of Christ. In this third Messianic Psalm, you can find the Life of Christ (v. 8), the Death of Christ (v. 9), the resurrection of Christ (v. 10), and the ascension of Christ (v. 11).
Psalm 16 is a very personal hymn of joy that focuses on the goodness of the Lord. The personal pronoun "my" is used over a dozen times (my trust, my soul, my delight, my goodness, my cup, my heart, my inheritance, my glory, my flesh). David's joy (vv. 9, 11) is expressed in words like "delight" (vv. 3, 6), "pleasant" and "pleasure" (vv. 6, 11), and "glad" (v. 9). David finds his delight only in the Lord and confesses that everything good in his life has come from God.
The Psalm begins with these words, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust”. David is asking the Lord to “keep him safe”. This doesn't suggest that David was in trouble or danger, as in Psalms 9 and 13. It simply means that he needed God's constant care and oversight so that he might honor the Lord and enjoy all the good things that only God could give him. God alone is good (Matt. 19:17), and apart from Him, we have nothing good. David understands that true peace and security are not found in anything else except the Lord. They are not found in our abilities, in people, in money or weapons, but in God.
David says, "In Thee DO I put my trust." This is not something done on the spur of the moment or a last minute decision. It has been a habit in David's life for some time to trust in the Lord. Is it your habit too? Dear friend, true faith does not call upon the Lord when in trouble and then neglects Him when all is OK. True faith is consistent in good times as well as bad.
"In Thee do I put my trust or take refuge." We are supposed to do this. Our refuge is to be in the Lord at all times!
God bless!
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