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NOTES for Psa 16

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1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
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The Lord does not need our earthly goods, for He Himself is their giver; we can offer Him nothing that is not His creation. But He needs our faithfulness and the devotion of our hearts. Therefore, turning to foreign gods is pointless, and even repeating their names is pointless. The psalmist, however, calls the Lord his allotted portion and his cup. This image, reflecting ancient ideas, sounds unusual to the modern ear, but it reminds us of the cup that the faithful will receive in remembrance of the Last Supper.

Recognizing that the Lord is the true giver of earthly goods, the psalmist thanks Him not only for them and for His care, shown time and again. He is no less grateful to the Lord for instruction and for repeatedly revealing the right paths. Finally, the psalm expresses hope not only for life in harmony with Him on earth, but also for deliverance from death and hell. The fullness of life and the fullness of joy are all found in the Lord, and He does not close the way to them to anyone.

Other notes

 
For Psa 16:5
5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
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David says that even upon the assurance of the correctness of the way, his steps are not too firm sometimes, - footsteps slip. Man is a complex being, and his firmness in one thing doesn’t abolish...  Read more

David says that even upon the assurance of the correctness of the way, his steps are not too firm sometimes, - footsteps slip. Man is a complex being, and his firmness in one thing doesn’t abolish fear in another. Thus, the taken decision to serve the neighbor doesn’t abolish fear before pain. And in this prayer, David asks God to strengthen him particularly in what he cannot cope himself. It is very important that we realize our weakness, our inability to cope with life without God, and open them to God in prayer, - then the Lord can assert us, bestow us His power, because the power of God is fulfilled in our infirmities (see 2 Cor. 12:9).

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For
1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Hide
Standing before the Lord must be sincere and truthful. It is precisely because the psalmist is confident of his own truthfulness...  Read more

Standing before the Lord must be sincere and truthful. It is precisely because the psalmist is confident of his own truthfulness that he dares not only to cry out to the Lord, but also to call down His judgment upon himself. The psalmist needs not only to offer repentance to the Lord for the sins he has committed, but also, with God’s help, to feel healed and freed from the power of sin.

Yes, the Lord hears everyone who turns to Him, but how important it is to feel that the sins you have committed do not make you an outcast, and that the rebukes addressed to the wicked cannot apply to you yourself. The sense of being in the right that the psalmist experiences is not egocentric self-satisfaction, but the awareness of someone who stands before the Lord and seeks to live in harmony with Him.

Only with such an outlook can one hope both in the justice of God’s judgment and in the Lord’s protection from the wicked.

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