Psalm 16- Fullness of Joy

 Psalm 16- Fullness of Joy

Giving and Thanksgiving

 Psalms 16:1 (NASB)

The LORD the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.

A MIKHTAM OF DAVID.

1 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.

2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

I have no good besides You.”

3 As for the saints who are in the earth,

They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied;

I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,

Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You support my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

7 I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;

Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

8 I have set the LORD continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will dwell securely.

10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

11 You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Continuing on our previous thoughts on Psalm 15 about abiding, we see hear that the psalmist takes refuge in the Lord. In taking refuge in, and thus abiding in the Lord, he reaps many bountiful blessings. “I have no good besides You.” and “In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” It’s hard to describe all the blessings and goodness of the Lord, but the psalmist makes a good beginning of that here.

5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You support my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

I can agree with the Psalmist in the sentiments in verses 5 and 6. Though I was joking with my wife about verse 5 in the NKJV

Psalms 16:5b …You maintain my lot.

If the Lord is maintaining my lot, then why do I spend so much time cutting grass and trimming trees?

But seriously, The Lord has provided for us bountifully. Probably the biggest surprise in retiring was to realize the the Lord had provided for us even more generously than we could have imagined. We have given tithes and offerings for decades and so we shouldn’t have been surprised if we just had had a little faith! I was aware of God’s bountiful provision while I was working as that seemed natural, to work hard and reap the benefits, but to quit working and still be provided for was a pleasant surprise. We had heard many stories of how people retire and then have to cut back and pinch all their pennies, but that has not been the case with us. Thus I can agree with the Psalmist:

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

It is important to continue on, as the Psalmist does in verses 7-11, to bless the Lord and thank Him for his lovingkindness. I think that two of the most important a actions to do to enjoy a blessed life is “giving” and “thanks giving”. It is hard for many new Christians to accept the principle of tithing. It seems counterproductive, in the world’s view, to get increase by giving away a major part of your income, but in the Kingdom of God, that is the way that economics works. By generously giving, the Lord provides, and then it is our obligation and joy to thank Him for His provision. Parting with at least 10% of your income may seem like pain in the beginning, but in the end it leads to fullness of joy.

11 You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Also, note that buried in this text is a prophecy about Jesus.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will dwell securely.

10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

This is quoted by Peter in his sermon in Acts 2:31 as one of the proofs from scripture that Jesus is the true Messiah and savior of the world. And that is just another reason to bless the Lord and to be thankful for His goodness towards us.