Psalm 16 

This psalm is titled A Michtam of David. It is commonly understood as golden, or some others think that it’s a word with the meaning ‘to cover.’ 

Devotional Portion: ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:1-3‬

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O, my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

The prayer “preserve me, O God” has deep pain in it, a cry for protection, a plea to God to guard him, and a sigh to keep his ways from the adversary. His plea was confident as he was sure that he has put his trust in the LORD. In You, in You alone, I put my trust! Though David was seeking God’s help, he was in joy as he had seen the glory of the Lord and was praising Him with joy. 

“Preserve me” has deeper meaning:

  1. Preserve me from the world- let not the world conform me to its patterns; (Romans 12:2)
  2. Preserve me from the devil- give me strength to defend the enemy; (James 4:7)
  3. Preserve me from myself- let not my heart become callus, and proud; (James 4:6)
  4. Preserve me from the evil device- that I may dwell in the land to proclaim Your glory; (Psalm 140)
  5. Preserve me in this generation- to lead a holy life and to spread your joy; (Psalm 12:7)
  6. Preserve me by Your Word- guide me by Your word that I may not sin, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 119:11)

 “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

David acknowledges that Yahweh is his Lord and Master and that all his goodness is nothing apart from God. “I receive all good from thee, but no good can I return to thee; wherefore I acknowledge thee to be most rich, and myself to be most beggardly.” (Greenham, cited in Spurgeon). He is doing a calculation here:  goodness without God is nothing. The goodness he has is all by the grace of God and it has no value or glory without God in it. 

As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

David is delighted by seeing the upright who lives in the righteousness of the LORD. “This is a practical matter, for it is a way by which we can measure our relationship to the Lord. Do you love other Christians? Do you find it good and rewarding to be with them? Do you seek their company? This is a simple test. Those who love the Lord will love the company of those who also love him.” (Boice)

David delighted the fellowship with others. On the contrary, in Psalm 119:115, he says, “Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God!” This shows the mandatory boundary line for every Christian. For this, we need to discern the ‘Christians’ we meet in our daily life. People can be Christians by their name or can ‘preach’ that they are Christians, but, we must discern to make sure that we are encouraging the truth or is it an adulterated one. Discern before making company with anyone.

Reflection: Let’s pray that we are preserved by the Lord in this generation and let’s walk in the righteousness of the LORD and let’s encourage others.