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Commentary on Psalms 16 verses 1–7
This psalm is entitled Michtam, which some translate a golden psalm, a very precious one, more to be valued by us than gold, yea, than much fine gold, because it speaks so plainly of Christ and his resurrection, who is the true treasure hidden in the field of the Old Testament.
I. David here flies to God's protection with a cheerful believing confidence in it (Psa 16:1): "Preserve me, O God! from the deaths, and especially from the sins, to which I am continually exposed; for in thee, and in thee only, do I put my trust." Those that by faith commit themselves to the divine care, and submit themselves to the divine guidance, have reason to hope for the benefit of both. This is applicable to Christ, who prayed, Father, save me from this hour, and trusted in God that he would deliver him.
II. He recognizes his solemn dedication of himself to God as his God (Psa 16:2): "O my soul! thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord, and therefore thou mayest venture to trust him." Note, 1. It is the duty and interest of every one of us to acknowledge the Lord for our Lord, to subject ourselves to him, and then to stay ourselves upon him. Adonai signifies My stayer, the strength of my heart. 2. This must be done with our souls: "O my soul! thou hast said it." Covenanting with God must be heart-work; all that is within us must be employed therein and engaged thereby. 3. Those who have avouched the Lord for their Lord should be often putting themselves in mind of what they have done. "Hast thou said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord? Say it again then, stand to it, abide by it, and never unsay it. Hast thou said it? Take the comfort of it, and live up to it. He is thy Lord, and worship thou him, and let thy eye be ever towards him."
III. He devotes himself to the honour of God in the service of the saints (Psa 16:2, Psa 16:3): My goodness extends not to thee, but to the saints. Observe, 1. Those that have taken the lord for their Lord must, like him, be good and do good; we do not expect happiness without goodness. 2. Whatever good there is in us, or is done by us, we must humbly acknowledge that it extends not to God; so that we cannot pretend to merit any thing by it. God has no need of our services; he is not benefited by them, nor can they add any thing to his infinite perfection and blessedness. The wisest, and best, and most useful, men in the world cannot be profitable to God, Job 22:2; Job 35:7. God is infinitely above us, and happy without us, and whatever good we do it is all from him; so that we are indebted to him, not he to us: David owns it (Ch1 29:14), Of thy own have we given thee. 3. If God be ours, we must, for his sake, extend our goodness to those that are his, to the saints in the earth; for what is done to them he is pleased to take as done to himself, having constituted them his receivers. Note, (1.) There are saints in the earth; and saints on earth we must all be, or we shall never be saints in heaven. Those that are renewed by the grace of God, and devoted to the glory of God, are saints on earth. (2.) The saints in the earth are excellent ones, great, mighty, magnificent ones, and yet some of them so poor in the world that they need to have David's goodness extended to them. God makes them excellent by the grace he gives them. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour, and then he accounts them excellent. They are precious in his sight and honourable; they are his jewels, his peculiar treasure. Their God is their glory, and a diadem of beauty to them. (3.) All that have taken the Lord for their God delight in his saints as excellent ones, because they bear his image, and because he loves them. David, though a king, was a companion of all that feared God (Psa 119:63), even the meanest, which was a sign that his delight was in them. (4.) It is not enough for us to delight in the saints, but, as there is occasion, our goodness must extend to them; we must be ready to show them the kindness they need, distribute to their necessities, and abound in the labour of love to them. This is applicable to Christ. The salvation he wrought out for us was no gain to God, for our ruin would have been no loss to him; but the goodness and benefit of it extend to us men, in whom he delighteth, Pro 8:31. For their sakes, says he, I sanctify myself, Joh 17:19. Christ delights even in the saints on earth, notwithstanding their weaknesses and manifold informities, which is a good reason why we should.
IV. He disclaims the worship of all false gods and all communion with their worshippers, Psa 16:4. Here, 1. He reads the doom of idolaters, who hasten after another God, being mad upon their idols, and pursuing them as eagerly as if they were afraid they would escape from them: Their sorrows shall be multiplied, both by the judgments they bring upon themselves from the true God whom they forsake and by the disappointment they will meet with in the false gods they embrace. Those that multiply gods multiply griefs to themselves; for, whoever thinks one God too little, will find two too many, and yet hundreds not enough. 2. He declares his resolution to have no fellowship with them nor with their unfruitful works of darkness: "Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, not only because the gods they are offered to are a lie, but because the offerings themselves are barbarous." At God's altar, because the blood made atonement, the drinking of it was most strictly prohibited, and the drink-offerings were of wine; but the devil prescribed to his worshippers to drink of the blood of the sacrifices, to teach them cruelty. "I will have nothing to do" (says David) "with those bloody deities, nor so much as take their names into my lips with any delight in them or respect to them." Thus must we hate idols and idolatry with a perfect hatred. Some make this also applicable to Christ and his undertaking, showing the nature of the sacrifice he offered (it was not the blood of bulls and goats, which was offered according to the law; that was never named, nor did he ever make any mention of it, but his own blood), showing also the multiplied sorrows of the unbelieving Jews, who hastened after another king, Caesar, and are still hastening after another Messiah, whom they in vain look for.
V. He repeats the solemn choice he had made of God for his portion and happiness (Psa 16:5), takes to himself the comfort of the choice (Psa 16:6), and gives God the glory of it, Psa 16:7. This is very much the language of a devout and pious soul in its gracious exercises.
1.Choosing the Lord for its portion and happiness. "Most men take the world for their chief good, and place their felicity in the enjoyments of it; but this I say, The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup, the portion I make choice of, and will gladly take up with, how poor soever my condition is in this world. Let me have the love and favour of God, and be accepted of him; let me have the comfort of communion with God, and satisfaction in the communications of his graces and comforts; let me have an interest in his promises, and a title by promise to everlasting life and happiness in the future state; and I have enough, I need no more, I desire no more, to complete my felicity." Would we do well and wisely for ourselves, we must take God, in Christ, to be, (1.) The portion of our inheritance in the other world. Heaven is an inheritance. God himself is the inheritance of the saints there, whose everlasting bliss is to enjoy him. We must take that for our inheritance, our home, our rest, our lasting, everlasting, good, and look upon this world to be no more ours than the country through which our road lies when we are on a journey. (2.) The portion of our cup in this world, with which we are nourished, and refreshed, and kept from fainting. Those have not God for theirs who do not reckon his comforts the most reviving cordials, acquaint themselves with them, and make use of them as sufficient to counterbalance all the grievances of this present time and to sweeten the most bitter cup of affliction.
2.Confiding in him for the securing of this portion: "Thou maintainest my lot. Thou that hast by promise made over thy self to me, to be mine, wilt graciously make good what thou hast promised, and never leave me to myself to forfeit this happiness, nor leave it in the power of my enemies to rob me of it. Nothing shall pluck me out of thy hands, nor separate me from thy love, and the sure mercies of David." The saints and their bliss are kept by the power of God.
3.Rejoicing in this portion, and taking a complacency in it (Psa 16:6): The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Those have reason to say so that have God for their portion; they have a worthy portion, a goodly heritage. What can they have better? What can they desire more? Return unto thy rest, O my soul! and look no further. Note, Gracious persons, though they still covet more of God, never covet more than God; but, being satisfied of his loving-kindness, they are abundantly satisfied with it, and envy not any their carnal mirth and sensual pleasures and delights, but account themselves truly happy in what they have, and doubt not but to be completely happy in what they hope for. Those whose lot is cast, as David's was, in a land of light, in a valley of vision, where God is known and worshipped, have, upon that account, reason to say, The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; much more those who have not only the means, but the end, not only Immanuel's land, but Immanuel's love.
4.Giving thanks to God for it, and for grace to make this wise and happy choice (Psa 16:7): "I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel, this counsel, to take him for my portion and happiness." So ignorant and foolish are we that, if we be left to ourselves, our hearts will follow our eyes, and we shall choose our own delusions, and forsake our own mercies for lying vanities; and therefore, if we have indeed taken God for our portion and preferred spiritual and eternal blessings before those that are sensible and temporal, we must thankfully acknowledge the power and goodness of divine grace directing and enabling us to make that choice. If we have the pleasure of it, let God have the praise of it.
5.Making a good use of it. God having given him counsel by his word and Spirit, his own reins also (his own thoughts) instructed him in the night-season; when he was silent and solitary, and retired from the world, then his own conscience (which is called the reins, Jer 17:10) not only reflected with comfort upon the choice he had made, but instructed or admonished him concerning the duties arising out of this choice, catechized him, and engaged and quickened him to live as one that had God for his portion, by faith to live upon him and to live to him. Those who have God for their portion, and who will be faithful to him, must give their own consciences leave to deal thus faithfully and plainly with them.
All this may be applied to Christ, who made the Lord his portion and was pleased with that portion, made his Father's glory his highest end and made it his meat and drink to seek that and to do his will, and delighted to prosecute his undertaking, pursuant to his Father's counsel, depending upon him to maintain his lot and to carry him through his undertaking. We may also apply it to ourselves in singing it, renewing our choice of God as ours, with a holy complacency and satisfaction.
"To the saints who are on His earth" [Psalm 16:3]: to the saints who have placed their hope in the land of the living, the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, whose spiritual conversation is, by the anchor of hope, fixed in that country, which is rightly called God's earth; although as yet in this earth too they be conversant in the flesh. "He has wonderfully fulfilled all My wishes in them." To those saints then He has wonderfully fulfilled all My wishes in their advancement, whereby they have perceived, how both the humanity of My divinity has profited them that I might die, and the divinity of the humanity that I might rise again.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 16:3 serves as a profound declaration from David, articulating his deep affection and unwavering delight in the community of God's faithful people. In stark contrast to the emptiness of idolatry and worldly pursuits, which he implicitly rejects in the surrounding verses, David finds his ultimate joy and satisfaction not in material possessions or false gods, but in the "saints" and "excellent" ones on earth—those consecrated by God and reflecting His divine character. This verse powerfully underscores the vital importance of godly fellowship as a source of spiritual strength, encouragement, and true contentment for the believer, highlighting the communal dimension of genuine faith.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 16:3 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound message and emotional depth. Contrast is central to the psalm's argument, as David's profound delight in the "saints" stands in stark opposition to the "sorrows" of those who "hasten after another god," explicitly mentioned in Psalm 16:4. This highlights the spiritual chasm between true worship and idolatry, and between godly and ungodly companionship. The phrase "all my delight" functions as Hyperbole, emphasizing the completeness and intensity of David's joy; it suggests that his satisfaction in this fellowship is paramount and all-encompassing, though not to the exclusion of his ultimate delight in God Himself. Emphasis is further achieved through the powerful Parallelism and dual description of God's people as both "saints" and "excellent." These two distinct yet complementary terms create a richer, more comprehensive portrait of the community David cherishes, underscoring both their divine consecration and their admirable character.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
David's declaration in Psalms 16:3 is deeply theological, revealing a core truth about the nature of true faith: it is not a solitary endeavor but a communal experience, deeply rooted in shared devotion to God. His profound delight in the "saints" and "excellent" ones underscores the biblical emphasis on the indispensable importance of fellowship among believers. This verse teaches that those who genuinely love God will also love and cherish His people, finding spiritual nourishment, mutual encouragement, and profound joy in their company. It reflects the truth that God's holiness is manifested through His consecrated people, and their moral excellence is a tangible reflection of His character working within them. The pursuit of godly companionship is not merely a preference but a spiritual discipline that guards against temptation, fosters growth, and aligns one's deepest affections with God's own delight in His chosen ones.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 16:3 serves as a powerful challenge to contemporary believers, urging us to critically examine the objects of our own delight and the nature of our chosen companions. In a world that often values superficial connections, promotes isolation, or encourages associations based on fleeting worldly interests, David's profound joy in the "saints" calls us to prioritize and actively cultivate deep, spiritually enriching relationships within the body of Christ. Do we genuinely find delight in the company of those who are consecrated to God and strive for excellence in their walk with Him? This verse reminds us that Christian fellowship is not merely a social activity but a vital, indispensable component of spiritual health, offering mutual encouragement, accountability, and a shared pursuit of God's kingdom. It also serves as a powerful affirmation of our own identity as "saints" and "excellent" in Christ, empowering us to live lives worthy of this high calling and to be the kind of individuals in whom others can find godly delight and spiritual inspiration.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who are the "saints" and "excellent" ones mentioned in Psalms 16:3?
Answer: The "saints" (Hebrew: qĕdōšîm) are those whom God has set apart and consecrated for Himself; they are His holy people, distinct from the world. The "excellent" (Hebrew: ʾaddîrîm) are those who possess spiritual nobility, majesty, and moral uprightness, reflecting God's character in their lives. Together, these terms describe the community of true believers, those devoted to Yahweh, who are distinguished by their divine calling and their godly conduct. David finds his deepest human delight and satisfaction in the company of such individuals, contrasting them with those who follow false gods or worldly paths, as he emphasizes his commitment to God alone in Psalm 16:2.
Why is David's "delight" in them significant?
Answer: David's "delight" (chêphets) in the saints is profoundly significant because it highlights his spiritual priorities and the communal nature of true faith. In a world filled with temptations and the allure of idolatry, David explicitly chooses to find his joy not in worldly possessions, power, or false worship, but in the fellowship of those who truly serve God. This profound delight underscores the immense value of godly community as a source of spiritual strength, encouragement, and shared purpose. It demonstrates that genuine faith leads to a deep love for God's people, recognizing their inherent worth and the spiritual benefits of their companionship, a principle echoed in the New Testament emphasis on the unity and love among believers, as Jesus commanded in John 13:35.
How does Psalms 16:3 relate to the rest of Psalm 16?
Answer: Psalms 16:3 is a pivotal verse that flows directly from David's initial declaration of absolute trust in God alone (Ps 16:1-2) and sets the stage for the psalm's triumphant conclusion. Having established God as his sole refuge and source of good, David then expresses his explicit rejection of idolatry and its associated sorrows (Ps 16:4). His delight in the "saints" (Ps 16:3) is the positive counterpart to this rejection, demonstrating where his true affections and loyalties lie. It shows that his devotion to God naturally extends to God's people, fostering a deep appreciation for their fellowship. This communal aspect then leads seamlessly to the psalm's climax, where David finds "fullness of joy" and "pleasures forevermore" in God's presence (Ps 16:11), reinforcing that a life centered on God and His people leads to ultimate satisfaction and eternal blessing.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 16:3 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ and the community of His Church. While David delighted in the "saints" of his era, Jesus is the quintessential "Excellent One," the perfectly holy and consecrated "Saint" (Hebrews 7:26). He is the unique Son in whom the Father's "delight" truly rests, as proclaimed at His baptism and transfiguration (Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 17:5). Furthermore, Christ Himself, through His redemptive work on the cross and His resurrection, establishes and gathers the ultimate community of "saints" on earth—His Church. We, as believers, are now called "saints" not by our own merit or inherent goodness, but by virtue of our union with Him, being chosen and set apart to be "holy and without blame before him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). It is in this new covenant community, the very body of Christ, that we find true spiritual fellowship, mutual delight, and a shared purpose, reflecting the profound love that Christ has for His own (Ephesians 5:25-27). Our delight in one another as believers is a tangible reflection of Christ's love for His Church, and our unity is a powerful testament to His transformative work, fulfilling His prayer that His followers "may be one, just as we are one" (John 17:22). Ultimately, the "saints" in whom David delighted prefigure the global Church, which Christ is building and perfecting for His own glory, a community of "excellent" ones being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29) until His glorious return.