Psalm 16: The Path to Life
One of the things that made me feel uncomfortable as a nominal Christian was the fact that there are only two ways to live. You either worship God alone and are fully devoted to him, or you worship other gods. There are no grey areas. It’s either or. This psalm, is somewhat a prayer of confidence – somewhat because even though it opens with a cry for help, it is not necessarily a psalm of lament. It features elements of a ‘prayer song, faith and loyalty to God’ (Ross, 2011, pp. 399-400). The psalm is the work of someone who knew the two ways to live, and chose to live a life of devotion to God. This is evident in his prayer whom he has chosen to associate with, his sense of contentment and security in the land, and lastly his hope of security even in the end of his life.
Faith in Yahweh Alone (1-4)
The Psalm opens with a plea to God for help. It is not as clear from what exactly the psalmist need refuge from. Is he in the face of danger? Weiser does not think the psalmist is in the face of calamity. But instead, he thinks, the psalmist "simply prays that God may also protect him in future as he has done in the past… therefore the prayer arises out of the religious experiences of the worshipper who knows himself to be sheltered by God on account of God's presence in the Temple." (1959, p. 172-173).
Weiser is right to say the prayer rose from a relationship the psalmist has with God. However, I do think the psalmist is possibly in the face of immediate danger. Either from the danger of apostasy given his vows against the gods (v4). Or the danger that makes him meditate on death (v10-11). This I think is also suggested by the fact that all other miktams psalms (Ps 56-60, maybe with an exception of Ps 60) speak of immediate danger from enemies. Either way, however, what is clear is that from whatever danger he is facing, his help come only from the Lord.
The prayer is cognizant of the Decalogue. Walford et al make a great observation in linking the plea of trust to the first commandment, to which I will add that it resonates with the Shema too, 'the Lord our God is one" (Deut. 6:4) (2014, p. 179). The unifying theme of the psalm is the joy and pleasure derived from God alone as the sovereign Lord. This is evident in the contrast made in the first four verses between delight in the saints and departure from sinners.
Delight in the Saints
One way to show devotion to God is to take interest in His interests. The psalmist has a joyful interest in the people of God, the saints. Walford et al rightly argue that even though the word saints may refer to heavenly beings or gods or angels and rightly so, however the fact that the psalmist delights in these saints (v3) can hardly be coherent with any other view other than to conclude that the saints are a reference of the holy community devoted to Yahweh (2014, p. 179). And thus, in the community of people who find their satisfaction in God alone, there the psalmist finds his delight too.
Departure from Sinners
As already mentioned, there are only two ways to live. Choosing either way means the rejection of the other. Adam and Eve by virtue of listening and doing what the serpent told them they rejected God. The Psalmist here does the opposite. He chooses God and rejects the way of those who “have no portion in the blessing of God” (Lane, 2006, p. 84). Again, there are connotation here to the Pentateuch.
The increase of sorrow connotes to the down spiral of the fall. From the curse of more pain in child bearing and hard labour to the curse of the division and confusion in the construction of the tower of Babel (Gen 3-11). Thus, the joy of the psalmist is also evident not only in fellowship with the saints, but also in seeing the religion of the unbelievers for what it is, endless suffering. Hence the author part ways with sinners for “relation to God dominates the whole of human life, because God lays claim to the whole man… God's care for his people includes his absolute claim upon man and excludes all relations to other gods." (Weiser, 1959, p. 173-174).
In summary, thus far we have seen that the psalmist is a man devoted to God. His devotion is clearly evident in the company he chooses to associate with, the company of the righteous as opposed to the people who have no share in God’s blessings. And thus, devotion to God is divorce from the gods.
And now, the prayer of the psalmist turns from a confession of faith to the confidence he has in life because of his faith.
Security in Yahweh Alone (5-11).
The confession of the psalmist is of faith in Yahweh alone. His confidence springs from the relationship he has with God. In particular, the confidence of the psalmist springs from having God as his trusted counselor. And what better counselor than the one who knows the depths of the human heart and gives sight to the path that leads to life. And by experience and hope, the psalmist knows that in the hands of such a God he is safe from folly in the world and from failure to gain life in the end.
Security in the land
God’s counsel is nothing short of a delightful providence for the psalmist. For God himself, the LORD, the only God there is, he is his portion. As opposed to those who chase after other gods and earn for themselves suffering. His is the holistic experience of delightful inheritance. For both him and the saint, God has gifted them with not only the land (Numb: 33:50. Deut. 32:8-9) but also with an awakened conscience.
When God destroyed the earth with a flood, it was at the basis of a callous conscience of humanity (Gen 6:5). It can therefore be asserted that a heart awakened to the counsel of God proves the work of the Holy Spirit. And such heart was the heart of the psalmist. Day and night, the Spirit of God guides him in righteousness. And he knew that there was nothing great of him left to himself for his help comes not from within but from without; the LORD, before him and at his right hand, preserve me, God! Thus, by experience the psalmist had confidence and “assurance of God's help whenever he is in danger or afflicted, and of God's counsel and guidance in the decisions which he has to take." (Weiser, 1959, p. 176). His obedient heart was gift of God’s presence in his life. And, in the spirit of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, even if he should be overcome by calamity, death will only be to him a door way to eternal bliss.
Safety in the end
The psalmist has a confidence not only in the counsel of God to provide for him a good life but also in God’s counsel to preserve his life even after death. This second confidence conditions the first. It is because he knows by faith that even that if he should die he will not die, that he in the first place finds pleasure in the security he has in the land. For what is good life if death can put an end to it all. But because God is his portion, God will preserve his life from the grave and lead him to eternal pleasure forevermore in his presence.
But aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves here, aren’t we anticipating the doctrine of resurrection that would at most been obscure for his time? That might be true, after all Sheol in the Old Testament is a place of nothingness, no pain or consciousness (Goldingay, 2013, np). But this I suggest was not the understanding of David.
Until now I have not mentioned David as the author because it is only here that I think it sheds light to the text. Goldingay suggest that the author might possibly be a “devout elderly widow” (2006, 40–41). But I do not think that is plausible. First, all the miktams in the psalter (Ps 56-60) are credited to David including psalm 16. Traditionally also, book one of the psalm is by large credited to David. Even though we do not know for certain that David authored the psalms, but the fact that the psalm is titled after him makes a plausible ground to assume his authorship than any other person. The Apostles also assumed the authorship of David (Acts 2:25-29, 13:35-36). And thus, David is more likely the author of the psalm.
Given the above, in respect to the doctrine of resurrection David knew he was going to die at some point and somehow that his kingdom line will continue to eternity (2 Sam 7:11-16). If then his seed could be exalted in this way, would David not pray so live long to see God’s blessing come to fruition even to eternity. The prayer of David therefore was both for preservation of life in the body and life in the spirit, that he may live with God, and in God forever. And of course, as the Apostle Peter demonstrated, David’s prayer was a prophetic prayer that finds it’s fulfilment in Christ Jesus (Acts 2:14-3). I shall say more on this in the contemporary significance, for now let us conclude.
We have seen that David was a man of one mind, a man devoted to God. His faith in God opportuned him to sink not in lament but to rise in confidence in the LORD. Even in the face of trouble David could rejoice in the life God has portioned for him. And because of the hope of life even beyond the grave that God guides him towards. For "friendship with God (which has become real in this life), cannot be extinguished by death…" (Augustine, quoted in Waltke et al, 2019, p. 309). Again this is an anticipation of the resurrection of Christ and of all believers thereafter. The real living hope of life.
Contemporary Significance
David’s Living Hope
To pick up on my introduction again, the two ways to live, there is one reason I could not fully make up my mind. For too long I could not put an end to being lukewarm. The reason was that my prayers seemed to only end up in the clouds. But now, looking back, I see that my prayers were always a cry of rescue but without confidence in the goodness of God. I was like the crowds in the African tale of villagers who went up the mountain to pray for rain but only one kid brought an umbrella with.
The prayer as we have seen express a firm confidence in the Lord. In the face of calamity, David has an unshakable confidence in the providence of God. His confidence goes even beyond life as we know it now but to life in the afterlife. And the source of his confidence is not only what God had done for him and his people, but it was also on what God had promised him.
In the promise of an offspring, who was to succeed David in his throne and establish God’s throne forever, David found hope for a life that made him sleep peacefully at night even in the face of calamity. In other words, we see in David’s hope and trust that safety and security is not found in the absence of danger, but in knowing that God is with you even amidst the shadow of death (Psalm 23). And this is the life believers even today are invited to in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ whom David only knew by promise but whom Christians know by his works and teaching in the flesh. In the resurrection of Christ, Christians today, even in the face of inevitable death, can live life with confidence and joy that matches the language of the psalmist, “the LORD makes known to me the path of life” (Mays, 19989, pp 88-89). Thus we, Christians today can find our voice in the psalm and pray it as God's Word on our lips. What was David’s hope by promise, it’s now our living Hope by resurrection.
Bibliography
deClaisse-Walford, N., Jacobson, R. A. & Tanner, B. L., 2014. In: E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison & R. L. Hubbard, JR., eds. The Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Piblishing.
Goldingay J., 2006. Psalms (3 vols). Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Academic.
Goldingay, J., 2013. Psalms for everyone, part 1 (psalm 1-72), Louisville, KY : Westminster John Know Press.
Lane, E., 2006. Psalm 16 David FAces Trouble in Family and Nation. In: F. o. t. B. C. Series, ed. Psalm 1-89: The Lord Saves. Fearn: Christian Focus Publications, pp. 83-86.
Mays, J. L., 1989. Psalms. interpretation, A bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox Press.
Ross, A.P., 2011. A commentary on the Psalms (3 vols). Grand Rapids, Mi.: Kregel Academic & Professional, pp. 397-413.
Waltke , B. K., Houston, J. M. & Moore, E., 2010. The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans.
Weiser, A., 1959. The Psalms. Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Reprecht.
