Psalm 16:8

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.  – Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

 

Set – placed, put in that spot

Lord – Yahweh

Before – in front of; ahead of

Right hand – a symbol of God’s divine blessing, favor, protection

Shaken – fall, slip, slide; scared, unsteady, uncertain

 

In this verse, David says he puts God always before him.

He is telling us he keeps God first and foremost in his heart and mind, and in his life.

 

David knows God is walking with him through life (at his right hand).

He knows that because of this He doesn’t have to feel unsteady or scared.

He knows he won’t stumble.

David can look to God for strength, courage, and comfort.

 

An important part of our faith walk is setting the Lord always before us.

To do that means to put God first – to give Him first priority in all things.

It means to focus on Him first and foremost. in everything we do and ahead of everything we love and care about.

We put God in front of us so we can constantly see and look to Him.

Doing this causes us to be closer to Him and to see that He is always with us.

It allows us to look to God for His protection, wisdom, and guidance.

 

To have God at our right hand means He is walking beside us and is there for us.

The phrase, “at my right hand”, is used in the Old testament to mean divine favor, blessing, protection, power.

So, having God with us means we are in a place to receive these things.

 

Does this mean we’ll never sin again?

Does it mean we won’t ever be scared or unsure?

No – as humans we do look away from God from time-to-time.

When this happens we slip or stumble.

Having God at our right hand means is if we will keep God first – stay focused on Him – He will walk with us, helping us to fall less and He will help us get back up when we do slip.. .

 

Putting God before us is a conscious choice we must make every day, sometimes every minute.

The result is that He is at our right hand, walking with us.

Because He is always right with us, we do not have to be scared, unsteady, or uncertain.

Instead, we can be calm and confident that He loves us, He wants what’s best for us, and He will always help us.

Always.

 

 

Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.
24You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. – Psalm 73:23-25 (NIV)

 

 

To see all the posts I’ve shared in this series, please visit my Psalm 16 page.

 

To learn more about what a Psalm is, please visit my post, What is the Book of Psalms?

 

 

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Psalm 16:7

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

I will praise the Lord. who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7 (NIV)

 

Praise – bless, kneel down to, boast about

Lord – Yahweh, God’s proper name

Counsels – advises

Heart – reins, control of self; seat of emotion and affection, innermost being

Instructs – teaches me what is right; educates me

 

In this verse, David is expressing his appreciation for the way God leads him and guides him in many different areas..

He is saying God is so good to him that even at night when he is sleeping, God is still working on his heart about things and helping him to know what is right.

 

David knew something very important.

He knew it’s not just during a dedicated prayer time that the Lord counsels us.

As we go along in life He helps us, prompts us, guides us, and educates us.

At all times the Lord is there, ready with wisdom and knowledge, ready to counsel us about any and every thing we might need His help with.

 

I see this a lot in my own life.

I’ll see a verse or subject on several social media posts/sites.

Then, someone will mention it or I will hear it on the radio.

It will come up in my Bible devotions.

Every time that happens it is either in reference to something I am praying about or else something that is coming up in my life the Lord wants to talk to me about.

Whichever it is, it’s always something relevant to my current situation.

It might not be obvious what the connection is, but if I will stop, say a prayer, and look at what I am hearing, the relevance quickly becomes clear.

When I see these patterns it’s not because I am looking for signs.

It is because God is leading and guiding me.

He is showing me the answers I need.

 

His counsel is not limited to what I see and hear as I go about my day.

Sometimes I will pray about something and wake up the next morning with fresh perspective, wisdom, or an idea.

During the night while I was sleeping His Holy Spirit was speaking to me.

Sometimes it is reminding me of Scripture I already know.

Sometimes it is telling me something new.

Sometimes it is a mixture of the two.

Whatever the combination, God’s Spirit is helping me.

This is what David meant when he said his heart counsels him in the night.

 

No matter what is happening in our lives God is always there, offering instruction and advice.

We can trust Him to always guide us on the right path.

I praise Him for His counsel and thank Him for His goodness and generosity in showing me how to live a life that is honoring and pleasing to Him, a life in which He can be glorified.

 

What about you?

Do you see God offering you counsel?

Are there times in your life you see a pattern of a subject coming up?

Do you pray and ask the Lord to help you understand what He might be trying to say to you?

Will you look around and see where He is speaking to you now?

 

 

 

You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Psalm 73:24 (NIV)

 

For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14 (NIV)

 

 

To see all the posts I’ve shared in this series, please visit my Psalm 16 page.

 

To learn more about what a Psalm is, please visit my post, What is the Book of Psalms?

 

 

Category: God, Old Testament, Scripture Study, Teaching | LEAVE A COMMENT

Psalm 16:5-6

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

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

You have made my lot secure.

6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 (NIV)

 

Lord – Yahweh – God’s proper name

Assigned – set aside for one particular person or purpose

Portion – ration, serving, measurement

Cup – container used to hold something together

Lot – portion, position, path of life

Secure – keep, hold tight, make sure

Boundary – measuring line

Fallen – landed, ended up

Pleasant – agreeable, sweet, good

Inheritance – something received as a gifting, usually from one in line above you

 

In these verses David addresses God as Yahweh, which is God’s proper name.

He is not referring to any of God’s attributes or characteristics, he is talking directly to God.

David is acknowledging the Lord has chosen what his portion and lot in life will be.

He is also saying he realizes God has set the boundaries of his life and that they have fallen in a good way.

He is sure he will have a good life and future because of this.

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Psalm 16:3-4

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

As for the saints who are in the land,

They are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight;

4The 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.  Psalm 16:3-4 (NIV)

 

Saints – holy ones; those who follow after God

Glorious – good, noble, honorable, excellent

Delight – desired, valuable thing, acceptable

Sorrows – pain, wounds, hardships, struggles

Libations – offerings, like an offering to a god

Take Up – accept, bear (the weight of), deal with, tolerate

Names – name, by implication honor, authority, character

 

In these two verses David is contrasting the two types of people.

Those who are holy and follow after God and those who don’t.

He says he delights in those who are holy and follow God but he wants nothing to do with those who chase after other gods.

 

David tells us the ones who follow after God are noble and honorable.

They are someone to value and accept.

 

David warns that those who run after other gods will see their sorrows increase because they aren’t following God.

Because God is not their God He won’t protect them from bad things that might happen nor from their own poor choices.

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Psalm 16:2

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

I say to the Lord,

“You are my Lord;

Apart from You I have no good thing.”  Psalm 16:2 (NIV)

 

Master – owner of a slave or servant; king or ruler over another. This title is given to someone who has absolute authority over another.

 

In this passage, the word Lord is used twice.

The first time it is translated from Yahweh, which is God’s proper name.

The second time it is translated from Adonai, which means Master.

By using these two different words, David is telling God that he recognizes that He (Yahweh) is his Master (Adonai).

He is declaring loyalty to God and recognizing God as ruler over him.

David knew serving God and allowing God to rule over him and his life is what would bring him true happiness.

He knew that allowing God to be his Master meant he could trust God to show him what to do and how to live his life in a way that was not only best for him in the long run, but was also honoring and pleasing to God.

 

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Psalm 16:1

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. Psalm 16:1 (NIV)

 

Safe – guarded, protected, attended to – in some Bible versions this word is translated Preserve

Refuge – flee to for protection, confide in, have hope in, have trust in, to hide away in – in some Bible versions this word is translated Trust

 

This verse is a request for protection.

David is asking God to protect him and declaring he trusts Him for that protection..

David tells God he is seeking refuge in Him.

 

To take refuge in God means we are clinging to Him.

We see Him as our shelter, a safe place to hide.

When we take refuge in God, we choose to trust Him and His love for us.

We flee to Him for protection, even when nothing is chasing us.

We make staying very close to Him part of our everyday life.

We are trusting Him to be a fortress we can safely stay in that will shield us from harm.

 

David also asks God to keep him safe.

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She’s My Honeybunch

She’s 92 and likes to call me Honeybunch.

Seeing her walk in my office always makes me smile.

She’s been getting a little slower the last few months but she’s still going.

It tickles me that the first time she brought me a box of candy for Christmas she apologized for not bringing me her usual buttermilk pie, stating, “Now that I’m 90, my hips just don’t like standing the way they used to.”

 

What seems like such a little thing as giving someone candy is actually something huge in disguise.

She is not just trying to soothe my sweet tooth. She is showing me she cares about me.
By giving me that candy she is telling me I matter to her. I am important in her eyes.

 

She’s done other things for me, too.

Phone calls now and then just to say hi.

Cards mailed to my house that tell me she appreciates me.

Short visits to my office for no other reason than to check on me and see how I am.

All these seemingly small things are really big things because they are her way of showing the love of Christ to me just because she can.

 

I pray I’m reaching out to others so that someday when I’m slowed by age someone will look at me and appreciate the way I’ve sown love into their life the way she’s sowing love into mine.

 

She’s an inspiration and a shining example of how to love others – humbly, generously, and without any expectation of anything in return.

Just spilling the over-pouring of Christ’s love for her onto others.

I pray I will love Jesus enough that my cup, too, will overflow on to others and they will see the love Christ has for them through me.

Just like I see it through my Honeybunch.

 

 

 

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What Is the Book of Psalms?

The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poems found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

They were written to be used as songs and prayers for praising and worshipping God.

Authors include King David, King Solomon, Asaph, the sons of Korah, and at least four others.

 

There are several kinds of Psalms.

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What Are the Gospels?

The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament.

The word Gospel means good news. When coupled with Christianity it means the good news of Jesus and His resurrection.

These books tell us about Jesus’ birth, His life on earth, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension into Heaven. They show us some of the miracles He performed. They also share a lot of the wisdom and parables He gave us while here.

 

The books are:

Matthew – Matthew was a tax collector. This book was written somewhere between 75 and 90 A.D. It’s main purpose was to prove to the Jewish people that Jesus is the Messiah they were waiting for. It also helped them understand that the Old Testament law no longer applied because Jesus fulfilled it. It explains that because of this, Jesus’ teachings and way of doing things is how things should now be done. Lastly, Matthew explains how the kingdom of heaven is both present and future reality.

You can read about Jesus calling Matthew in Matthew 9:9. It is also mentioned in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 – 28. In these passages the tax collector is called Levi, but many scholars believe these men named Levi and Matthew are the same person. Both were tax collectors. Both were sons of Alphaeus. The story of Jesus calling the tax collector is virtually identical in all three books. Some scholars think Levi was his Hebrew name and that Matthew was his Greek name. Others think Jesus began calling him Matthew when he called him to follow Him. Whichever the case, Levi and Matthew are very likely the same person.

 

Mark – Written by Mark, who was often called John Mark. This book was written around 65 A.D. Written for Gentiles, it’s main purpose was to encourage Christians who were suffering for their faith. Mark spends time explaining Jewish customs and laws so the Gentiles would better understand their Jewish brothers and sisters. He also sometimes uses Roman words instead of Jewish words.

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Galatians 3:3

In Galatians 3, Paul is explaining to the Christians in Galatia that it’s not about following the law that makes us free.

Some Jewish converts to Christianity in Antioch were telling the Gentile Christians the men had to be circumcised if they wanted to be true Christians. They were trying to make it a condition of salvation.

They were teaching this because under the law of the Old Testament, God told all Jewish men to be circumcised.

Paul was explaining that it was no longer necessary to live according to the law.

Once Christ came the Old Testament law was fulfilled by His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Therefore it no longer applied.

Then Paul brought the point home when he asked the question:

 

Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Galatians 3:3 NIV

 

In other words, you know it’s grace that saves you by having faith in Christ and what He did for you at Calvary. Why are you now trying to use your works and your actions to make it happen?

The truth is we can’t.

Salvation is only given to us by us having faith in Jesus, not by anything else we do.

No matter what we do, we can never be “good enough” to earn our way in to Heaven.

It doesn’t work that way.

 

As I was reading this verse I thought about how we as humans often try to make things happen, not just concerning salvation but also in our lives and the lives of others.

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