WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.720 Let's read it together. 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:03.419 Psalm 16, a mictum of David. 00:00:04.419 --> 00:00:08.140 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 00:00:08.140 --> 00:00:11.320 ! I say to the Lord, you are my God. 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:14.000 I have no good apart from you. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:20.539 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. 00:00:21.539 --> 00:00:25.780 The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply. 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:29.679 Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.920 Or take their names on my lips. 00:00:32.979 --> 00:00:36.000 The Lord is my chosen portion in my cup. 00:00:36.480 --> 00:00:38.039 You hold my lot. 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:42.359 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:45.000 Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 00:00:46.019 --> 00:00:48.439 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. 00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:51.780 In the night also my heart instructs me. 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:55.260 I have set the Lord always before me. 00:00:55.980 --> 00:00:59.000 Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:00.619 I shall not be moved. 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:06.379 Therefore, my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices. 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.239 My flesh also, it dwells secure. 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:14.280 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol. 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:17.359 Or let your Holy One see corruption. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:21.439 You make known to me the path of life. 00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:25.060 In your presence there is fullness of joy. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:30.180 At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 00:01:31.420 --> 00:01:31.760 Amen. 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:40.180 Psalm 16 is and has been a precious song to Christians. 00:01:40.939 --> 00:01:42.740 And that is for good reason. 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:49.460 The New Testament actually links this psalm directly to the person and work of Jesus Christ. 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:59.939 Both Peter in Acts chapter 2 and Paul in Acts chapter 13 explicitly quote this psalm as a prophetic utterance. 00:02:00.659 --> 00:02:04.639 Pointing to the eventual death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:09.719 They used it as they were preaching some of their early sermons. 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:13.400 Preaching the gospel of Jesus in order for people to be saved. 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.199 This was often their early text. 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:17.639 Psalm 16. 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:20.680 And what is it that they emphasized? 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:29.819 It was a declaration to the Jews that resurrection was always God's plan for his Messiah. 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:32.099 The promised son of David. 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:34.840 Which is key to our understanding of the psalm. 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:38.480 We might even call this a psalm of resurrection. 00:02:40.340 --> 00:02:48.140 Within the Christian theology there can be no doubt that Jesus himself is the ultimate fulfillment of the song. 00:02:48.139 --> 00:02:53.979 Making it especially precious as a piece of psalm for Christians. 00:02:54.559 --> 00:02:55.359 For us today. 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:03.819 The messianic nature of the psalm is so sure that Christian theologians in every age. 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:04.979 Augustine. 00:03:05.739 --> 00:03:06.419 Athanasius. 00:03:07.239 --> 00:03:08.159 Moving forward. 00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:09.619 Aquinas. 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.939 Even later than that we see in Calvin and Spurgeon and Luther. 00:03:13.939 --> 00:03:19.939 All of these men interpreted the psalm as if it was coming directly from the lips of Jesus. 00:03:20.259 --> 00:03:26.780 For truly he alone can sing this in the truest sense of the song. 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:35.960 And yet we need to remember that God gives us the psalm through the experience of King David. 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:42.159 He gives us the song not merely as something to see Jesus sing. 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:48.020 But as something that he anticipates all of his people beginning with faithful Israel even through his church. 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:51.400 That all of his people would sing this song with joy. 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:53.439 Sing it in hope. 00:03:55.379 --> 00:04:01.180 What was in the minds of David and the people of Israel as they sang it in worship to God? 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:02.819 That's the question. 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:07.639 It had a very real meaning to them then. 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:18.719 And we should be careful not to remove it too quickly from the context in which it was originally given to us by God. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:22.079 Because what will happen is if we do that what will happen? 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:31.379 We will risk missing the blessings of the psalm that come to us through Christ who fulfills it. 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:33.980 So you want to think about David here. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.740 How is David prefiguring his future son Jesus? 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:44.719 What is in the minds of Israel in the Old Testament as they lift this song in worship to the Lord? 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:49.620 And now as we look back through the lens of the gospel, through the cross and the resurrection, 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:52.540 what is it to mean for us? 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:59.160 The central theme of the psalm, I think, is seen most clearly in the first line of verse 11. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:00.840 Just set your eyes on it again. 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:02.300 We'll reference it throughout the sermon. 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:03.960 Notice what he says. 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:05.560 In summary, he says, 00:05:05.640 --> 00:05:08.300 You make known to me the path of life. 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:10.720 You make known to me the path of life. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:16.700 And as we journey through the psalm, we find that there are two dynamics of life at work here. 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:23.540 Foremost, I think, in David's thought is the notion of life after death. 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:26.660 Eternal life in the presence of God. 00:05:26.780 --> 00:05:29.480 And we see that most clearly in verse 10. 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:35.800 But then there's also the dynamic of the impact of that notion. 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:41.480 The impact of that confidence in eternal life on David's life in the present. 00:05:42.640 --> 00:05:49.379 In other words, David has confidence that God will grant him eternal life through his promised son. 00:05:50.080 --> 00:05:59.240 And his faith in God's promise proves to be the key to a joyful life in the here and now. 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:04.780 And it is those two dynamics that guide our thoughts today. 00:06:05.200 --> 00:06:07.500 How can we be sure of life after death? 00:06:07.840 --> 00:06:11.220 And how should that assurance affect our lives now? 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:15.840 Is joy something that we must wait for in eternity? 00:06:16.400 --> 00:06:19.520 Or is a joyful life, is there a key to it now? 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:23.200 And I think we will find that both are true here. 00:06:24.400 --> 00:06:26.200 Notice first the prayer of faith. 00:06:26.840 --> 00:06:28.700 The prayer of faith in verse 1. 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:30.220 David says, 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:34.759 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 00:06:35.200 --> 00:06:38.160 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.860 This opening line introduces the song as a prayer for God's protection. 00:06:45.960 --> 00:06:53.460 Preserve me, David cries, suggesting that he understands something to be a significant threat to his safety. 00:06:53.459 --> 00:07:00.459 Like bodyguards surrounding their king or a shepherd fencing in his sheep. 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:03.319 David cries out for God to keep him safe. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:05.419 That's the heading of the prayer. 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:08.799 The question is, safe from what? 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:16.780 Many times in David's Psalms, we can discern either because of a contextual element that's explicitly stated, 00:07:17.020 --> 00:07:20.240 or maybe because of where we see it used in other places in the Bible. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:26.560 We can discern what distresses in David's life were playing on his emotions, 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:30.160 that were causing him to call out to God in any given moment. 00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:32.379 But no such event is made clear here. 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:37.819 It's not given to us in the superscription, neither is it enumerated throughout the psalm. 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:48.920 And what we find as the message unfolds is that David's concern is that he preserve him from death. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:52.500 And again, we see it in verses 10-11. 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:57.639 You will not abandon my soul to Sheol. 00:07:57.699 --> 00:08:00.459 You will not abandon my soul to the place of the dead. 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:04.579 You will not let your Holy One see corruption. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.959 You won't let my body rot in eternity. 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:12.319 But instead, you have shown me the path of life. 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:14.160 That's what he's saying here. 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:15.120 That's what he's focused on. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:15.939 Preserve me, O God. 00:08:16.019 --> 00:08:16.779 Preserve me from what? 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:18.759 Preserve me in death. 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:25.539 Now, with that understanding, David's prayer here becomes immediately relevant to every person in this room. 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:29.899 David had many enemies during his years on earth. 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:31.219 We can read all about them. 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:35.700 His greatest enemy, though, is one that we share with him. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.419 It is the inevitability of death. 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:51.079 And like him, each of us must contemplate the reality of death and the mystery of what comes after it. 00:08:53.419 --> 00:08:54.899 None of us can escape it. 00:08:54.979 --> 00:08:57.399 Neither can we know when it will actually take place. 00:08:57.579 --> 00:09:00.559 And when death does come, what happens next? 00:09:01.459 --> 00:09:03.559 Do we simply cease to exist? 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:10.779 Or as our bodies see corruption in the ground, will our souls live on in some other place? 00:09:10.839 --> 00:09:13.319 And if so, what kind of place will that be? 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:16.219 And how can I be sure of any of it at all? 00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:22.599 All questions that we all ask, that we all must find a way to answer in some way. 00:09:23.019 --> 00:09:24.919 They plague us in this life, don't they? 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:31.759 But how we answer those questions directly impacts how we live in the present. 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:36.639 Whether that be in joyful hope or perhaps in dreadful fear. 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:41.099 Maybe in blissful ignorance. 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:47.740 David understood God to be sovereign over death and all that follows him. 00:09:48.839 --> 00:09:49.959 That becomes clear. 00:09:50.819 --> 00:09:53.079 Why else would he pray to God to preserve him in death? 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:56.020 He understands God to be sovereign over his death. 00:09:56.100 --> 00:09:57.280 To know his appointed time. 00:09:57.379 --> 00:09:59.360 To know everything that would take place. 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:04.840 And he cries out for God to come to his aid in it. 00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:10.220 But what's interesting here is that knowing that God is sovereign over death, 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.280 David doesn't seek to be spared from it. 00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:17.740 He readily acknowledges that it will come. 00:10:17.860 --> 00:10:19.060 That that will not change. 00:10:19.180 --> 00:10:21.660 He doesn't ask God to keep him from ever dying. 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:24.860 No, he asked God to preserve him through it. 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:30.459 Death was an inescapable reality in God's purposes. 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:38.959 David, though, places all of his hope and his faith in the God who reigns over death itself. 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:44.360 In fact, it's David's faith that pervades the opening prayer. 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:50.100 We shouldn't think of this as a request with an uncertain answer. 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:55.120 As if he's pleading for God to do something, unsure of whether or not God will do it. 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:57.919 No, that's not exactly what David is doing here. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:00.600 No, notice what he says. 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:05.180 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:07.399 There is a stated fact happening here. 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:12.139 This is not a request with an uncertain answer. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:16.100 This is an expression of faith in the saving promises of God. 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:22.860 David has, by faith, as it were, run into the refuge of God. 00:11:23.220 --> 00:11:29.100 And in so doing, he now turns and expresses his confidence in God's saving grace. 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:31.100 You are my refuge. 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:33.100 I have run into you. 00:11:33.579 --> 00:11:34.539 Preserve me. 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:41.939 The prayer is not a plea of one who hopes to enter the refuge. 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:48.279 Rather, it is the song of those who, by faith, already have. 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:53.039 He has taken refuge by faith in God. 00:11:53.139 --> 00:11:57.799 And now he says, with confidence, preserve me through death. 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:01.159 And that's the introduction to the psalm. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.079 That's what he gives us. 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:06.040 We'll come to the grounds of David's confidence later. 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:09.660 But first, let's examine how his faith affected his worship. 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:11.580 That's the second note. 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:14.740 Notice his pledge of devotion. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:16.940 We see his prayer of faith. 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:19.700 Now we see his pledge of devotion. 00:12:20.560 --> 00:12:21.540 Verses 2 to 4. 00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:47.639 Pledge of devotion. 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.779 David's devotion on full display. 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:56.679 His language here, it's intentionally covenantal. 00:12:58.139 --> 00:13:00.860 He's echoing the first commandment. 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:07.939 In fact, he uses the same phrase from Exodus 20 and verse 3, where we read the very first commandment. 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:10.679 You shall have no other gods before me. 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:14.639 Or literally, you shall have no other gods apart from me. 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:18.479 And David turns to the Lord in his devotion. 00:13:18.479 --> 00:13:20.379 And he says, you are my Lord. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:23.779 I have no good apart from you. 00:13:23.859 --> 00:13:25.159 He's quoting the commands. 00:13:26.319 --> 00:13:27.379 It's intentional. 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:28.659 It's covenantal. 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:31.479 It's a pledge of devotion and of worship. 00:13:32.479 --> 00:13:36.719 David declares to Yahweh, you alone are my God. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:40.019 He would set his hope on none other. 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:44.779 And to David, God was the greatest possible good. 00:13:45.680 --> 00:13:51.019 He was committed to placing no other desire ahead of the Lord. 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:52.120 But why? 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:54.040 Verse 11. 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:59.120 Because the Lord had made known to him the path of life. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:05.000 The path to eternal life, which then affected his joy in the present life. 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:13.940 And believing the promise of God and the revelation of God of this path of life, David then turns and he says, you alone are my God. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:17.360 I have no good apart from you. 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:20.840 I will set no desire ahead of you. 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:24.419 And of course, we know David failed in that. 00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:25.519 He wasn't perfect in that. 00:14:25.680 --> 00:14:27.139 Jesus is perfect in that. 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:30.460 But David, at his best, cries out to the Lord meaningfully. 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:34.399 And he says, there is no desire in this life that I would ever put ahead of you. 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:36.240 You alone are my God. 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:38.120 You alone are my desire. 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:47.620 Says Christopher Ashe, David will not, as it were, look over God's shoulder to see if he can find blessing from other sources. 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:57.440 David's devotion to God then naturally spills over into delight in the people of God. 00:14:58.480 --> 00:14:59.500 That's where he moves. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.360 Next thing he says, as for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones. 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:06.799 Perhaps this is a statement coming from a king. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:15.839 Indicating where he would prioritize favor and kingship to those who are right to receive it. 00:15:17.459 --> 00:15:19.559 I think there's something deeper than that. 00:15:21.219 --> 00:15:22.939 He delights in God's people. 00:15:23.059 --> 00:15:24.679 Not on the basis of personality. 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:29.240 Not on the basis of peripheral matters or secondary agreements. 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:35.899 No, he delights in the people of God solely on the basis of their mutual covenant devotion to God. 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:40.019 David, as it were, he says, you alone are my God. 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:42.659 I have no other good apart from you. 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:48.919 And then he looks around and he says, the faithful in Israel, they have made you alone their God. 00:15:50.100 --> 00:15:53.860 They are the excellent ones because of their faith. 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:56.019 And I delight in them. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:15:58.740 Delight in them. 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:07.759 Another reminder to us that just as Jesus plainly taught, we cannot separate our devotion to God from delight in his people. 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:17.480 If we were to put it in New Testament language, we must not separate our devotion to Christ from delight in his church. 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.759 The two go together. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:22.840 Indeed, the one flows out of the other. 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:34.340 Finally, David contrasts the joy of these saints with the multiplication of sorrows for those who seek refuge in some other God. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:39.960 The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply, he says. 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:49.620 And his covenant devotion was such that he refused to take part in their forms of worship or even to speak the names of their gods with his lips. 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:55.379 There is no place for syncretism in true worship. 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:05.940 Any attempt to blend the worship of God with other philosophy and religion is a damning act that will only multiply one's sorrows, David says. 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:07.700 He says, I will not do that. 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:13.660 David was committed to serving Yahweh and Yahweh alone. 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:17.140 Now, what's the point of the pledge of devotion? 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:24.180 This is what it looks like when one has taken refuge in God. 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:26.640 Is that what he says in verse one? 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:27.100 Preserve me. 00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:29.000 I've taken refuge in you. 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:33.039 Well, how do we know he's taken refuge in God alone? 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:35.580 It's affected his worship. 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:37.720 It's affected him now. 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:43.380 Our devotion, like David's, it's not a means of earning safety from God. 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.640 It's not a password to get into the refuge. 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:53.040 It is the worshipful response of a heart that has been freely given that safety by grace. 00:17:54.600 --> 00:17:58.400 God has blessed him with this promise, and David has believed the promise. 00:17:58.580 --> 00:18:03.720 And as a result of God's grace in his life, he now turns and he says, you alone are my God. 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.960 No other good apart from you. 00:18:07.120 --> 00:18:07.780 Only you. 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:10.480 I won't even take another God's name on my lips. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:13.940 I certainly won't participate in their worship rituals. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:22.259 This pledge, it gets to the heart of what true worship is. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:29.380 But then it's carried on in the next set of verses where we find present delight. 00:18:30.200 --> 00:18:35.660 We have the prayer of faith, and then we have the pledge of devotion, and now we have present delight. 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:38.099 Verses five to eight. 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:42.000 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:44.439 You hold my lot. 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:48.619 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. 00:18:48.779 --> 00:18:50.719 Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:54.819 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. 00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:58.379 In the night also, my heart instructs me. 00:18:59.439 --> 00:19:03.659 I have set the Lord always before me because he's at my right hand. 00:19:04.399 --> 00:19:05.639 I shall not be shaken. 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:11.180 I shall not be moved from this faith, he intends to say, I believe. 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:18.120 These verses show that David's pledge of devotion is not merely religious. 00:19:19.060 --> 00:19:22.299 It's deeply personal, relational. 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:31.740 Yahweh is not a distant being that David attempts to appease through religious practice. 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:40.279 No, he is the personal God who through covenant with his people pours out blessings and instructs them in his truth 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:49.160 and provides security so that they are not moved, so that they are not shaken, so that they are not overcome by the enemy. 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:54.660 God himself is David's preeminent desire. 00:19:55.160 --> 00:20:01.900 He's moved beyond mere forms of religion here to truly know and to love his creator. 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:06.700 It's interesting. 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:10.860 In verses 5 and 6, the imagery here is of land allotments. 00:20:11.860 --> 00:20:13.080 That's what David employs. 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:24.720 Portion, cup, lot, lines, and places all in this context refer to the blessings of the promised land for Israel. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:27.140 That was their inheritance. 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:30.059 And this was meaningful for them. 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:34.620 God had promised to give Israel the land of Canaan. 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:42.279 Each tribe and clan and family was given an allotment as an inheritance from God through God's covenant. 00:20:43.339 --> 00:20:45.940 Why did they persevere all those years in the wilderness? 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:49.980 Knowing that they themselves would not enter the land. 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:54.860 It was the inheritance that God had promised through covenant for their progeny. 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:56.980 They thought beyond their own lives. 00:20:57.720 --> 00:20:58.460 This was meaningful. 00:20:59.900 --> 00:21:05.339 The people of Israel in singing Psalm 16 would have picked up on this immediately, what David is saying. 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:06.839 But it's interesting what he does say. 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:17.160 David uses it to declare that God was his chosen portion and inheritance. 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:30.099 More than any blessing that may come from God's hand, David's delight at his best, again, imperfectly for sure, but at his best, David's delight was in God himself. 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:31.779 Notice what he says. 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:34.160 The Lord is my chosen portion. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:36.259 He is my inheritance. 00:21:36.620 --> 00:21:39.960 And it is a beautiful inheritance that I have in him. 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:47.259 David also delights in the fact that God takes personal interest in him. 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:58.519 Something he expressed so clearly in Psalm 8, when I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, that you have set in place. 00:21:58.700 --> 00:22:00.680 What is man that you are mindful of him? 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:03.319 And the son of man that you care for him. 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:09.279 David knew well God's interest in him, a personal interest, a relational interest. 00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:10.859 And it overwhelmed him. 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:12.240 It amazed him. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:17.819 And once again, he speaks of it, except he speaks of it in a unique way. 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:23.420 Here, God's interest comes in the form of counsel and instruction day and night. 00:22:24.579 --> 00:22:25.880 Notice what he says. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.720 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:29.640 That's relational. 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:31.539 That's personal. 00:22:31.539 --> 00:22:36.879 In the night also, at all times, my heart instructs me. 00:22:38.139 --> 00:22:39.279 How is this happening? 00:22:39.379 --> 00:22:42.420 Well, I think David lets us in on it in Psalm 1. 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:48.559 The blessed man has his delight in the law of the Lord. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:52.319 And on his law, he meditates day and night. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:58.879 So that David delights in the fact that God cares to reveal himself to his creatures. 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:01.679 And he wants to know this God intimately. 00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:07.220 He, again, at his best, sets the Lord always before him. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.259 What is his present delight? 00:23:09.539 --> 00:23:12.159 Not the blessings that come from God's hand. 00:23:12.159 --> 00:23:13.679 No, it is God himself. 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:16.240 It's not mere religion for David. 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:17.500 No, it's very personal. 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:18.720 It's relational. 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:19.939 It's intimate. 00:23:20.339 --> 00:23:22.159 It is a pursuit of God. 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:24.599 The promises of God. 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:27.679 And why take such delight in God? 00:23:28.639 --> 00:23:29.379 Well, verse 11. 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:34.480 Because God had made known to him the path of life. 00:23:35.759 --> 00:23:37.899 Which brings us to the final section. 00:23:38.740 --> 00:23:40.619 We find David's promised future. 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:43.559 David's promised future. 00:23:45.179 --> 00:23:48.279 This is where the whole psalm is grounded. 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:52.559 It's all moving forward to this climactic section. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:53.920 Verse 9. 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:56.779 Therefore, my heart is glad. 00:23:57.259 --> 00:23:59.299 My whole being rejoices. 00:24:00.139 --> 00:24:03.299 My flesh also dwells secure. 00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:03.379 Therefore. 00:24:05.579 --> 00:24:07.700 The therefore is important, isn't it? 00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:13.000 It introduces a conclusion based on the facts just presented. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:15.680 We might understand it this way. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:25.099 Because Yahweh is David's God, whom he supremely delights in, his whole being is full of joy and gladness. 00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:31.199 In other words, David has found God to be the very refuge he so desperately needed. 00:24:32.199 --> 00:24:41.299 And despite the reality of grief and suffering in this life, God has blessed him with a joy that would not be overcome. 00:24:41.299 --> 00:24:44.480 But how? 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:56.819 How can a heart be glad amid brokenness and sorrow? 00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:06.139 How can a soul rejoice in a world full of evil and suffering? 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:13.700 How could any of us feel secure in a life like this? 00:25:16.060 --> 00:25:19.280 Well, that's where we come to verse 10. 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:25.980 David had joy in the present because of the promise of his future. 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:27.280 Look at verse 10. 00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:28.240 What he affirms here. 00:25:28.360 --> 00:25:30.680 You will not abandon my soul to Sheol. 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:32.100 That's the place of the dead. 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:32.960 The realm of the dead. 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:36.279 The Greek term or the Greek reference to this would have been Hades. 00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:37.700 Okay? 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:39.240 So this is the realm of death. 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:42.819 You will not let your Holy One see corruption. 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:48.640 And in David's mind in this place, at least the immediate interpretation is that it is David's soul. 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:52.019 And it is David being the Holy One who will not see corruption. 00:25:52.340 --> 00:25:54.740 And we're going to see a future fulfillment of this. 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:56.200 But in the immediate, it's David. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:58.940 He says, you will not abandon my soul to Sheol. 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:01.860 You will not let your Holy One see corruption. 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:06.660 And it is here that the notion of life after death comes into view. 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:10.480 David doesn't expect to escape death. 00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:15.500 No, he readily acknowledges death as a surety. 00:26:17.120 --> 00:26:22.740 But he did have confidence that God would not abandon his soul to the realm of the dead. 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:30.279 He was certain that God would indeed preserve him through death, not allowing him to see eternal corruption. 00:26:32.059 --> 00:26:35.500 But the question is, where does David find this assurance? 00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:39.000 How does he receive such confidence? 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:46.420 And the answer is that David's hope rested entirely on the promise of God. 00:26:47.880 --> 00:26:50.099 You see, the Lord had made a covenant with David. 00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:56.039 You can read the full covenant in 2 Samuel 7 or in 1 Chronicles 17. 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:01.660 But at the heart of the covenant is a son, a future son for David. 00:27:01.660 --> 00:27:06.620 And even in the covenant itself, God tells David, one day you will lie down with your fathers. 00:27:06.800 --> 00:27:08.540 You will die, David. 00:27:10.300 --> 00:27:13.279 But I will raise up a son from your lineage. 00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:15.320 I will raise up a son after you. 00:27:15.360 --> 00:27:18.620 And he will not see corruption. 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:21.840 No, he will be an eternal king. 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:26.160 He will bring salvation for my people. 00:27:26.300 --> 00:27:28.200 And he will sit on your throne forever. 00:27:28.380 --> 00:27:29.080 That's the promise. 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:31.399 David hears the promise and he believes. 00:27:32.679 --> 00:27:39.819 How can David have such confidence in verse 10 that God will not abandon his soul to the realm of the dead or let his Holy One see corruption? 00:27:40.099 --> 00:27:43.439 He simply believed God. 00:27:45.379 --> 00:27:50.859 David's promised future would come through David's promised son. 00:27:51.339 --> 00:27:55.159 And we know that son to be Jesus of Nazareth. 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.779 Hear the words of Peter in Acts chapter 2. 00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:00.539 In fact, why don't you just turn there? 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:01.940 Acts chapter 2. 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:08.440 This is Peter's first sermon. 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:16.399 It's the day of Pentecost and the Spirit of God has come and the dramatic display and fulfillment of the prophet Joel. 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:22.099 People have gathered around and they're trying to figure out what's going on. 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:25.160 And Peter steps up and he preaches his first gospel sermon. 00:28:25.160 --> 00:28:27.779 And what does he take as his text? 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:35.660 Well, after he explains the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, he turns his attention into Psalm 16. 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:38.940 And I want you to look with me at verse 22. 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:44.440 Men of Israel, Peter says, hear these words. 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:53.000 Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst. 00:28:53.000 --> 00:29:01.259 As you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. 00:29:01.720 --> 00:29:05.119 You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:12.959 But God raised him up, loosing the pains of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 00:29:13.439 --> 00:29:18.319 For David says concerning him, that is concerning Jesus, Psalm 16. 00:29:18.739 --> 00:29:25.339 I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:29.439 Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:38.240 My flesh also will dwell in hope for you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your Holy One see corruption. 00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:41.500 You have made known to me the paths of life. 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:45.039 You will make me full of gladness with your presence. 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:47.480 And notice Peter's interpretation. 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:48.259 Verse 29. 00:29:48.259 --> 00:30:01.440 Do you see what Peter's doing here? 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:04.740 He's saying, yes, God gave us this through David. 00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:09.660 And there is some sense in which David himself has hope in these words. 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:12.440 But brothers, go look, his grave is there. 00:30:13.379 --> 00:30:14.119 He died. 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:16.879 All that's left is bones. 00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:19.140 You can see them yourselves. 00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:21.220 What's Peter saying? 00:30:21.620 --> 00:30:24.320 He's saying Psalm 16 wasn't ultimately about David. 00:30:24.600 --> 00:30:26.160 It was about a greater David. 00:30:27.280 --> 00:30:28.560 Look again, verse 30. 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:39.160 Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne. 00:30:39.380 --> 00:30:44.100 That's the covenant from 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17. 00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:47.699 He foresaw in shadowy form, of course. 00:30:47.699 --> 00:30:52.539 But he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ. 00:30:52.959 --> 00:30:54.759 That he was not abandoned to Hades. 00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:56.959 Nor did his flesh see corruption. 00:30:57.699 --> 00:30:59.919 This Jesus God raised up. 00:31:00.599 --> 00:31:03.399 And of that we are all witnesses. 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:05.880 That's amazing, isn't it? 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:08.320 You see, the disciples got it all. 00:31:08.580 --> 00:31:10.580 They received it all backwards, didn't they? 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:14.640 Jesus would tell them these things and they just couldn't grasp it. 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:17.240 And then finally, they met the risen Christ. 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:23.920 And Jesus himself opens his word to show all the ways that he was the fulfillment of all the scriptures. 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:31.539 No doubt in that night, on resurrection night, sitting in Jerusalem, Jesus turns at some point to Psalm 16 and he says, 00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:34.039 Peter, look, this wasn't about David. 00:31:34.300 --> 00:31:35.680 This was about me. 00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:41.500 And understanding what he had seen and what he experienced in the resurrection of Christ. 00:31:41.900 --> 00:31:47.759 Peter stands up and he tells the Jews the gospel of Jesus through Psalm 16. 00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:50.140 That's the point. 00:31:50.140 --> 00:31:54.120 Now from David's viewpoint, this was a mystery, wasn't it? 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:58.480 He could only see the gospel in shadowy form. 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:04.420 But from our perspective, the mystery has been revealed in the person of Jesus. 00:32:05.400 --> 00:32:10.720 Who took our death in order that he might give us his life. 00:32:12.320 --> 00:32:17.320 And because he lives, so will all who trust in him. 00:32:17.319 --> 00:32:25.240 David wouldn't have comprehended all that was entailed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:29.259 There's no way he could have possibly comprehended all of that the way that we understand it. 00:32:30.700 --> 00:32:32.740 But he trusted God's promise. 00:32:33.639 --> 00:32:34.679 Isn't that what Peter says? 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:37.659 How could David say such a thing, Peter says? 00:32:37.660 --> 00:32:40.560 Because he trusted the promise of God. 00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:49.220 That after he was dead and gone, God was going to raise up a son who would do what David never could do. 00:32:53.040 --> 00:32:57.519 By faith, David ran into the refuge of God. 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:07.819 And by faith, we must also run into the refuge that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 00:33:09.660 --> 00:33:15.319 Indeed, like David, you can have confidence in life beyond death, but it only comes through Jesus. 00:33:16.299 --> 00:33:18.200 It only came to David through Jesus. 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:21.779 It only comes to any of us through Jesus. 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:23.859 By the way, that's good news. 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:26.099 Remember that enemy. 00:33:26.099 --> 00:33:28.719 The enemy that we share with David. 00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:31.699 The inevitability of death and the mystery of what will come after. 00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:33.099 You can have certainty. 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:34.639 This is at the heart of the gospel. 00:33:35.259 --> 00:33:36.799 Christ has conquered death. 00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:40.319 He's conquered it for us. 00:33:41.419 --> 00:33:45.819 And by faith in Christ, we can confidently sing this verse, 00:33:46.939 --> 00:33:48.679 knowing that Christ has fulfilled it. 00:33:49.919 --> 00:33:50.759 Verse 11. 00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:54.519 David summarizes the whole thing. 00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:54.920 He says, 00:33:55.039 --> 00:33:57.460 You make known to me the paths of life. 00:33:58.539 --> 00:34:01.539 In your presence, there is fullness of joy. 00:34:01.879 --> 00:34:05.940 At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 00:34:05.940 --> 00:34:22.039 The path of life is paved with the promises of God that lead to his eternal presence where there are pleasures forever and ever and ever. 00:34:22.539 --> 00:34:23.579 What kind of pleasures? 00:34:24.539 --> 00:34:26.980 God himself is that pleasure. 00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:31.380 Remember what David says early. 00:34:32.740 --> 00:34:34.480 I have no good apart from you. 00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:37.240 You are my greatest good. 00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:39.460 What does David mean when he says, 00:34:39.619 --> 00:34:42.800 In your presence there is complete joy and fullness of joy? 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:43.559 What does he mean? 00:34:43.900 --> 00:34:45.900 He means that God is his greatest desire, 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:47.659 and after this life is over, 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:50.800 he will be with his greatest desire for eternity. 00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:53.920 That's what completed his joy. 00:34:55.400 --> 00:35:01.240 It wasn't some vision of golden streets and mansions and beauty, 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:05.660 and of course all of that is ahead for those who know the Lord and love the Lord. 00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:10.440 No, his desire though, the preeminent thing in his mind was God himself. 00:35:11.700 --> 00:35:15.140 If I can just get through this life and get to him, 00:35:15.539 --> 00:35:17.400 then will my joy be complete. 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:21.440 That's why Christians can lay on their deathbed with joy. 00:35:25.380 --> 00:35:27.400 That's why they die so well. 00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:32.220 That's why you, many of you, when your day comes, 00:35:34.099 --> 00:35:35.300 if you've walked with the Lord, 00:35:36.700 --> 00:35:38.240 if you've come to know his gospel, 00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:40.920 you will die well. 00:35:41.579 --> 00:35:42.099 Why? 00:35:42.099 --> 00:35:47.900 Because what awaits you in the next life is far better than anything you've enjoyed in this life. 00:35:49.179 --> 00:35:52.599 Isn't that what Paul affirms for us in Romans 8? 00:35:53.279 --> 00:35:59.159 I am persuaded that no suffering in this life can compare to the glory that awaits. 00:35:59.239 --> 00:36:01.779 And what is that glory in Paul's mind? 00:36:02.079 --> 00:36:03.360 It is the glory of Christ. 00:36:03.360 --> 00:36:07.220 He is the completion of our joy. 00:36:08.720 --> 00:36:12.780 He is the pleasure that never comes to an end. 00:36:15.640 --> 00:36:18.840 God has revealed the path to eternal life in Christ, 00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:21.800 and all who will walk that path by faith 00:36:21.800 --> 00:36:24.360 will receive perfect joy 00:36:24.360 --> 00:36:27.840 and unending pleasure in his presence. 00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:31.860 Now what a joy that God has made this known. 00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:34.260 He hasn't only made it known to David. 00:36:34.519 --> 00:36:36.100 He has made it known to us 00:36:36.100 --> 00:36:37.660 in his word. 00:36:39.880 --> 00:36:41.120 There is no secret 00:36:41.120 --> 00:36:42.860 to the path of life. 00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:43.760 It's been revealed. 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:46.300 God has told us. 00:36:47.100 --> 00:36:48.519 And what a joy that he has. 00:36:50.120 --> 00:36:51.820 Walking God's path to life 00:36:51.820 --> 00:36:53.220 is the key to joy now 00:36:53.220 --> 00:36:54.200 and forever. 00:36:54.199 --> 00:36:58.119 Believing his promises. 00:36:58.819 --> 00:37:00.579 Trusting in him as your refuge. 00:37:01.480 --> 00:37:03.239 That is the key to this life. 00:37:05.419 --> 00:37:07.839 David's worship and his desire for God, 00:37:07.939 --> 00:37:10.739 they were the overflow of his confidence in God's promises. 00:37:11.679 --> 00:37:12.059 In other words, 00:37:12.099 --> 00:37:14.199 he didn't worship and delight in God 00:37:14.199 --> 00:37:16.319 in order to receive God's promise. 00:37:16.659 --> 00:37:19.099 Rather, because he trusted in God's promise, 00:37:19.259 --> 00:37:20.500 taking refuge in him, 00:37:21.419 --> 00:37:22.799 he then pledged his devotion 00:37:22.799 --> 00:37:24.059 and made God his delight. 00:37:24.199 --> 00:37:27.980 His faith in God's promise then 00:37:27.980 --> 00:37:30.719 dramatically affected 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:31.980 how he lived in the present. 00:37:32.379 --> 00:37:34.119 And that will be true for us as well. 00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:38.539 The psalm really is a precious one, isn't it? 00:37:38.559 --> 00:37:40.559 It's precious to all who have come to know 00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:42.279 Jesus as its fulfillment. 00:37:44.159 --> 00:37:45.559 But it's also precious 00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:46.859 in that we can sing it 00:37:46.859 --> 00:37:48.279 with great depth of meaning 00:37:48.279 --> 00:37:49.539 as did David 00:37:49.539 --> 00:37:51.920 and faithful Israel. 00:37:53.759 --> 00:37:55.940 Who did not know the fullness of its truth 00:37:55.940 --> 00:37:56.779 as we now know. 00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:00.199 What is your refuge? 00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:02.400 What is your hope? 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:05.659 Where does your confidence lie? 00:38:05.659 --> 00:38:09.739 Come and find your rest in Christ. 00:38:12.179 --> 00:38:13.440 You will find that 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:14.940 he lacks nothing. 00:38:14.940 --> 00:38:15.880 What is your protection? 00:38:15.880 --> 00:38:16.780 What is your protection? 00:38:16.780 --> 00:38:16.780 00:38:16.780 --> 00:38:17.579 What is your protection? 00:38:17.579 --> 00:38:18.519 What is your protection? 00:38:18.519 --> 00:38:19.400 What is your protection? 00:38:19.400 --> 00:38:19.820 What is your protection? 00:38:19.820 --> 00:38:20.260 What is your protection? 00:38:20.260 --> 00:38:20.920 What is your protection? 00:38:20.920 --> 00:38:21.240 What is your protection? 00:38:21.240 --> 00:38:21.240 00:38:21.240 --> 00:38:22.139 What is your protection? 00:38:22.139 --> 00:38:22.619 What is your protection? 00:38:22.619 --> 00:38:23.340 What is your protection? 00:38:23.340 --> 00:38:23.880 What is your protection? 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880 00:38:23.880 --> 00:38:23.880