Heavenly Security - Psalm 16:9-11

When we think about security in general, we often default to things that protect us: security guards, security systems, alarms, cameras, motion detectors, and lights. Things that deter criminals from harming us or our possessions. If we have a need for these things, it means that there is the possibility that we are not safe where we are at. A few years ago we had a security system installed in our home. Not because we live in an unsafe neighborhood, but because, you know, what if? The thing that struck me the most about our system, what that there was a special “hostage code”. If someone in our home was already threatened and was told to turn off the alarm under the threat of harm, they could enter the special code. The alarm would turn off, and the police would immediately be alerted to come to the house ready for the situation. Yikes. The guy installing the system said we would be surprised just how often the hostage codes had to be used. You hope you never have to, but when you need it, you really need it.

The security of God is not just about protecting us from physical harm in this world. Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” There is much more at stake than our physical wellbeing in this life. The time we spend on earth is so short compared to the eternity we will spend with God. Just because we suffer pain, it does not mean we are outside of God’s will or protection.

This is the third and final post on Psalm 16. These last verses take what was said in all the previous verses and turn it back in praise to God who has prepared a place for us with Him for all eternity.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body will also rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grace,

nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Therefore, because we have no good thing apart from God (vs 2), because we delight in the saints and holy ones that are among us and have gone before (vs 3), because we stay true to our God and do not run after worthless idols (vs 4), because God provides for all our physical and spiritual needs and puts in places where we can worship and know Him (vs 5-6), because we receive instruction from Him (vs 7), and because He stands with us as we go through life, therefore, we can rejoice and be secure in our salvation. When our eyes are fixed fully on Jesus, the author of our salvation, we rejoice and rest secure. When we turn our eyes away and look at the world, we begin to wonder about our security.

The verse from Matthew above is basically saying that while on earth, we may be killed physically, but that is the extent of man’s power. The harm is just physical, and as I said previously, our time on earth is so small compared with eternity. God, however, can erase our very existence and destroy both our bodies and souls. So why do we fear this world more than we fear and revere God? Especially when we have the promise of verse 10: “you will not abandon me to the grave.” This verse is not just about death, but divine rejection.[1] God is not going to reject his faithful followers and consign them to an eternity of separation from His glory and presence.

Instead, He makes known to us the path of life. Note that this is a singular “path” not a plural “paths”. There is only one path to life and it is through Jesus. This path leads to God’s presence where we are filled with joy, and eternal pleasures. All the suffering, troubles, tears, and stress of living in this world terminate before the throne of God. There is an end to it all! Those things are taken from us when we stand before God, and are replaced with joy and gladness, rejoicing and pleasure, and the truest security we could ever have.

We can stand confidently in this truth because Christ, who went before and bore the sins of the whole word, also was not abandoned to the grave, or to divine wrath and rejection (Acts 2:24-36).[2] The hardships we face are nothing compared to what Christ suffered on the cross. When the Father turned His face away from Jesus, he suffered soul ripping pain that we will never have to endure. Yet, Jesus was not abandoned to death and decay, instead he rose from the grave victorious over death so now we who believe are also offered this same victory over death because we get to have life with God.

And the amazing thing is that this life starts now, here on earth. When we chose faith, obedience, and the pursuit of holiness, we begin our new lives. Trying to keep ourselves and our families secure and safe while here on earth is not a bad thing, unless we put our faith in our own inventions and preventative measures instead of in God. Our lives are not just about avoiding pain, but embracing God and the places He takes us so that we can truly acknowledge that apart from you I have no good thing (16:2).

God provides not just for our physical needs—food and drink (16:5-6), but also for our spiritual needs and eternal lives (16:7-8). Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 when he says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)” We need to hunger for God and His word because if we want to live in His presence in heaven, we need to live for his presence while here on earth.

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[1] D. Guthrie and J.A. Motyer, eds., The New Bible Commentary; Revised (London: Intervarsity Press, 1970), 460.

[2] Ibid.

My Portion, My Cup, and My Lot - Psalm 16:5-8

Satisfaction. Contentment. Gratitude for our place in life. These are things that are often talked about, but are harder to achieve. Every day we are bombarded with advertisements for things we need. Things that will make us happier, prettier, more efficient, or just distract us from the drudgery of life. But joy is not found in things, it is found in a person: true joy is found in being completely satisfied in God and His salvation for us.

This is the second installment of Psalm 16. Verses 5-8 have been my life verse for a while. This is the attitude I want to have. Sometimes it’s easy embrace it, often it’s not.

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

You have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

Surely I have a delightful inheritance

I will praise the Lord who counsels me;

Even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

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

What strikes me about reading these verses is that the author, David, was completely secure and satisfied with his life. Perhaps this is easy to come by when one is King, but it is likely that this Psalm was written when David was living as an outlaw in hiding from Saul.[1] Yet he has the perspective to see that God has provided for him physically, given him counsel and correction, and promised him protection and kingship.

A few days ago while doing my quiet time in the morning, I read through Psalm 105. This Psalm recounts the story of Jacob and his sons going to Egypt (preceded by Joseph), and then coming out of Egypt and entering the Promised Land as the reason for the psalmist’s praise and worship of God. The Psalm ends with this statement:

He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

He gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—

That they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord.

God brought His people to the Promised Land so that they could keep his precepts and observe his laws. God put His people in the best place to worship and know Him. So when David speaks of God’s provision for him, and his delightful inheritance, He recognizes that God has given him what he needs to worship and know God. For David, it was the promise of being King over Israel, and having an everlasting dynasty. How has God put you in a place where you can worship Him, know Him, and keep His precepts?

Nine years ago, my husband and I were floundering a bit. We lived in California, didn’t really like our jobs, and didn’t have a strong church or church community around us. Late one night in the height of tax season, I walked into the office of a partner of the accounting firm where I worked, and asked for church recommendations. We had just resolved to leave our current church. He looked at me, sighed, and said, “For what you need, I just don’t think I can recommend any place around here.”

Talk about heartbreaking.

Not two months later though, God began moving in our hearts to bring us out of California and to Colorado. I desired to know more about God and the Old Testament, and my husband was up for a change. We wanted to live in a place where we could thrive. God began opening doors, and five months after my conversation with the partner, we moved to Colorado, and I began classes at Denver Seminary. I can now see how God brought us here, and how our relationship with God has thrived after our move.

Looking back on the past 9 years, I can see that God provided my portion and my cup—that is, He provided for my physical needs. He made my lot secure by giving me what I need physically and spiritually to enjoy and pursue a relationship with Him. The personal property and other responsibilities He has assigned to me are good and pleasant blessings for me to enjoy. And if that isn’t enough, surely I have a delightful inheritance. God has called me to be His disciple, to enjoy eternity with Him in His Kingdom, and to bring His truth and light into the world He created.

In light of all this, how can I not praise the Lord who counsels me and guides me to places of healthy spiritual living? David continues in verse 7, even at night, my heart instructs me. What is in our hearts will ultimately guide us.[2] If we have filled our hearts and minds with God, His word, and His Holy Spirit, then we will be guided by these sound and truthful principles. Thus being in a place where we have the space and freedom to pursue God, regardless of our physical circumstances is so important! God desires our holiness over tithing, and any other physical sacrifice. It’s all about knowing Him and loving Him. He will bring us to places that might be hard, but it is for our benefit, because He desires our presence in His Kingdom. For me personally, there have definitely been physical comforts that have come, but the greatest thing is having the space and freedom to know and worship God.

It’s easy to not be satisfied by our physical circumstances and to wonder what it would be like to have more, or something different. The world tells us that there are fixes for our problems, but striving after what God has not ordained for us will not make us happy or holy. When I fall into this pattern, I find myself doubting God’s love for me, whether He sees and hears me, and if He cares about my struggles. At this point it’s not about what God wants for me, but what I want for me. Instead, David says: I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. David didn’t exactly live a completely moral and upright life. His kids had Issues with a capital “I” (2 Samuel 13, 14, 16). He plotted to have a man murdered after getting his wife pregnant (2 Samuel 11). Yet he can still say that despite his failings and sins, I will not be shaken, because his attention was turned towards God.

God is our guardian who goes before us, yet He also stands beside us as our comforter, counselor, and comrade.[3] He prepares the way for us, He brings us to the place we need to be in order to know and worship Him. He isn’t just asking that we live holy lives, but also makes a way for us to do so. He loves us so much, that He made the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we could know Him, and hear Him. His spirit lives in us to guide us and direct us. As 16:2 says: Apart from you I have no good thing. Recognizing God’s will for us, and that He is working to bring us into the most glorious place possible is the source of our joy. Our God cares and loves us, provides for us, and moves us into the places that are best for us eternally. Hallelujah!

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[1] D. Guthrie and J.A. Motyer, eds., The New Bible Commentary; Revised (London: Intervarsity Press, 1970), 460.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

The Only Good Thing - Psalm 16:1-4

Psalm 16 has been coursing through my mind lately. It is so easy to be discontent with what is going on in the world, the country, the city, and our home. The Presidential election left half the country devastated. But Psalm 16 is a great reminder that our faith and trust is not in any created thing, but the Creator. It takes a little effort on our behalf though: we have to discipline our thoughts and actions. Verses 1-4 say:

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

This Psalm is attributed to David, whom is considered to be the best King that Israel ever had. He definitely had his fair share of sins, but his heart was malleable, and always turned towards God. He struggled with his power, and bore the consequences of failing in this struggle multiple times. But he was God’s chosen King, and he rejoiced in the love of his God.

In verse 1, we see that he takes refuge in God and trusts Him to keep him safe. When times are hard, God is the one who is there for us, the ultimate comforter and companion. Often, I find myself turning to other things for comfort rather than to God. When I am down and depressed, I turn to chocolate, or watch TV to try and zone out the world and my troubles. And these things might help for a little while, but in the end, they don’t lift me out of my funk. How different would my outlook be if I turned to God through Scripture and prayer when things started to go a little haywire, or when I started wondering about my worth and purpose? I have to discipline my thoughts and actions to do and think what is right and true.

Verse 2 continues: I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” By calling God, “Lord,” and “Lord,” David is asserting that it is Yahweh God – not any other, as we will see in verse 4 – that is the giver of every good thing in his life. Sometimes I think all the stuff gets in the way of me acknowledging that God is the only truly good thing I have to cling to. It makes me put my hope in people and things, and not God. A year ago, my in laws lost their house to one of the California forest fires. A 2,000+ square foot house filled to the brim with stuff was reduced ash. Glass and metal melted under the intense heat of the flames and overnight, all that stuff was gone. As I look around my house, there really isn’t anything that is fire proof. The copious amount of notes I took in Seminary, the multiple versions of Scripture I own – these things too will burn up. But, what will survive is God’s presence in my life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in my heart and soul, and Kingship of Christ over all I do. That’s good, right? The answer is a resounding YES! We worship a God who sees us and loves us and cares for us. Cares so much that he died for us, so that we could spend eternity with Him. God is sovereign, and utterly sufficient.[1] The fires of life don’t change that. No amount of stuff changes that.

Verse 3 kind of kicks me in the pants. As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. The word “saints” literally means, “holy ones.” These are the people who are set apart for God, and in whom God’s holy character is seen.[2] David says that these are the glorious ones—the ones worth fame and attention. He delights in them. Who do we delight in? Who do we give inordinate amounts of attention? Whose fame do we celebrate and, dare I say it, idolize? One look at the media answers that question, and Christians are just as guilty of it. I am just as guilty of it. I don’t turn to the teachings of past saints and devoted disciples of Christ. I don’t study the words of the apostles with delight because I find greater entertainment in watching TV shows, or reading other fiction books. As I said before, when I am struggling, I turn to other entertainers rather than to my God who has saved me from darkness. Instead of embracing the light, I prefer to hide in the shadows and watch the flickering TV. Instead of calling on the saints and the community of believers in my church, I hide my pain and struggle and try to manage it myself. And does it make me feel better? No, not really.

Verse 4 wraps up this section of the Psalm with David asserting that he will not engage in false worship. The previous three verses make it apparent that it is just not worth it. If God is our refuge, our sovereign, our Creator, provider, redeemer, and every other good thing in our life, how could we ever settle for the doubt and confusion that comes from false worship? Sometimes it feels good to be able to do something, instead of just wait, and pray, and hope. But there is no God like our God, and if we are going to follow Him, we have to realize that waiting is part of being faithful. If we feel we need to do something, then we need to pray and read His word, not seek answers from false gods and empty idols. For that matter, whatever we turn to before turning to God becomes an idol in our life. If we are depending on our own strength, chocolate, or TV to get us through, then God does not hold the superior place in our hearts.

This is hard you all. I have been in a funk lately, I have had the blues, depression, whatever you want to call it the last few weeks. I cry at the drop of a hat as I fight to believe that my life and efforts to be a wife and mother are not just wasted time. It’s hard to cling to God when it takes all my strength to get myself and my little guy up and dressed in the morning. I sit here wondering how to break years of bad habits and destructive thought patterns the easy way, and there is no easy way to do it. We just have to start, we have to practice. Last night at gymnastics practice, I told one of my gymnasts who was struggling with a twisting jump to, “Do it a thousand times. If you’re still having a hard time after that, we’ll talk.” I have to take my own advice and try to do it a thousand times. I have to discipline myself, my thoughts, and my actions, in order to cling to the light of the Son. Diligence can be so underrated in the face of easy entertainment, but it is worth it.

May God, who lavishes His love upon us, be the only good thing in our lives, and may He be completely sufficient for all our needs.

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[1] D. Guthrie and J.A. Motyer, eds., The New Bible Commentary; Revised (London: Intervarsity Press, 1970), 460.

[2] Ibid.