Monday

Psalm 16:1-8 - Delight in God

Psalm 16 is quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost when he says that verses 8–11 were fulfilled when Jesus arose from the dead. Therefore, it is appropriate to read the psalm as Messianic and apply its verses to the Saviour. Having said that, it is also important to recognise that the psalm originally described David’s description of his own life, which means that we can interpret the psalm as expressing the desires of a godly person.

Verse 1 is a prayer for preservation and it is straightforward to see how it would be a suitable prayer for David who often found himself in situations of danger. Verse 2 is a statement of commitment by which the speaker affirms that God is his Lord. Obviously, David regards his relationship with God as his highest blessing.

In verse 3, David says that God’s people are his delight, and he is an example to us in estimating the worth of believers. Verse 4, on the other hand, describes David’s estimation of those who are not believers and of how he detests their failure to worship the true God (‘names’ here probably refers to the titles of the false gods). So in verse 5, David repeats that his soul feeds on God (portion, when linked with cup in this verse, probably means bread). This portion David regards as a wonderful and beautiful inheritance (v. 6). 

Verse 7 indicates that David enjoyed being taught by God. He mentions that this often occurred at night. Perhaps nighttime was when it was possible for David to find undisturbed time to meditate on his God and the way he had been led in life. Meditation is the way to digest heavenly food. When we do so, we will have a similar outlook of praise and thankfulness.

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