It is a Promise to Embrace

 Today we are looking at the 16^th Psalm. And I encourage you to get your Bible and follow along.

This was written by David and is a song on the hope of the faithful and the Messiah’s Victory 

¹Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
²I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
³As 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.
⁵The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
⁶The 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.
⁸I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰For 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.

David began Psalm 16 with a prayer, “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” and immediately, we see the language of faith. David takes cover in God. He doesn’t merely acknowledge that God exists, but he understands his entire existence in relation to God’s supremacy.

And he continues throughout this psalm to expand his declaration of trust’ and proclaims that the Lord is the authority in his life. The Lord is the One who gives him direction and purpose.

Notice his theme... He started with a prayer and then a declaration,

Verse 2, “I have no good apart from you”
Verse 5 “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot”
Verse 8 “I have set the Lord always before me”

This Psalm portrays the life of faith, and it’s this picture that leads us to the fullness of joy spoken of in 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.”

This Psalm speaks the words of a life that is trusting God.
It shows us, that it is the Lord who makes his heart glad... indeed, his whole being rejoices and his flesh dwells secure! (Verse 9)

But why does his flesh dwell secure? Or as The KJV says: My flesh will rest in hope.

Because God will not abandon his soul to the grave.
The Lord won’t let his holy one see corruption. Which is to say: either his death will forever be prevented, or there will be a resurrection.
It's important for us to see that the theme of the resurrection is throughout this Psalm, and it has clear references to the Messiah.

In fact, the apostles tell us explicitly that this verse is about Jesus in Acts 2:19–36. Listen to what Peter proclaims in Acts 2:31, “He [David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:31).

And this is really good news. For if this Psalm 16 is about Jesus, then that means it’s about us, too.

For just as Christ was raised from the dead, so also will we be raised (1 Corinthians 15:17–20).

For the Christian, we have more than the promise of resurrection; we have an actual demonstration... for: “The tomb is empty”.

The theme of resurrection helps us understand what David meant in verse 11, “You make known to me the path of life.”
You see, the path of life is not mainly about the here and now.

The guiding grace of God is for more than this life. The path of life is only for a very few years in this world. Eternity is for – forever. 

There is a lot in the Bible about how to live our life in this world, but this passage isn’t talking about that.
The path of life isn’t about balancing our checkbook, or making wise decisions in our relationships, or blessing others... all of which are good things. The path of life spoken here, goes beyond the basics of faith. The path of life means - being united to God such a way that we’ll never be without him.

It’s not so much a trail to follow - as it is a promise to embrace!

That’s the glorious shift in Psalm 16. It begins with our faith in God and ends with God’s faithfulness to us.

He will not abandon us. No...

He makes known to us the path of life — life beyond the grave, life that ushers us into his presence where there is fullness of joy, where at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

So we have much to rejoice... we dwell secure... our whole being rejoices.

We are glad... We can go forth today and tomorrow and the next... knowing that not even death can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ.

We can fix our eyes upon the cross and run to our Savior — our Savior who is risen from the dead — who has trampled death by His own sacrificial death.

We can rejoice because Jesus, by His strength, is raised from the dead, and we, by His grace, will be raised with him.

So, let us as the Church, arise and proclaim: Christ is risen from dead!