Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Psalms 1 (6)
Pray Psalm 16.1, 2, 5, 6.
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.”
O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
Sing Psalm 16.1, 2, 5, 6, 11.
(All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
Preserve me, O my God; I refuge seek in You.
You alone are all my good, my LORD and Savior true!
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.
My portion and my cup are You, my Savior dear;
You help and hold me up and ever keep me near.
Refrain
Read Psalm 16.1-11; meditate on verses 8-11.
Preparation
1. How did David describe what the Lord meant to him?
2. How did he respond to that?
Meditation
This psalm astonishes me. David declares that God was his only good—the defining and only completely satisfying good of his life. He rejoiced to share in the company of the Lord’s “excellent ones”, the saints who were in (not “on”) the earth. David repudiated all idolatry, claimed the Lord as His portion and cup, gloried in His sovereign provision, acknowledged His beneficent care, blessed Him for His counsel and instruction, set Him always before the eyes of his heart, knew His Presence and rejoiced in it, basked in the hope of resurrection, sought the way of the Lord, and longed for the pleasures and joys of His unimpeded Presence.
All that in 11 verses!
We see Jesus in this psalm quite clearly. He is the only truly Good One. We fellowship with Him in His cup. David prophecies of the resurrection of Jesus in verses 8-11, which Peter turned to as he preached Jesus on that first day of the coming of the Kingdom to earth (Acts 2.25). Further, David encourages us, as Paul does (Col. 3.1-3), to set our minds on Jesus, exalted in glory, in the full expectation that one day we shall be like Him, for we will see Him as He is (1 Jn. 3.1-3). And he called on the Lord to show him the Jesus Path (1 Jn. 2.1-6), the path of life in our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 14.6).
Only the Holy Spirit could pack so much glorious truth into one compact psalm. He convinces us—me, at least—that God, in Jesus Christ, is, indeed, our only and eternal Good.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—the Triune God is our only Good, now and eternally.
It is to this Great, Good God that we pledge our love and our loyalty—our lives—all we have to offer.
In a question regarding goodness, Jesus answered His young inquisitor carefully on the topic.
Here is their conversation: “‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’
And He said to him, ‘Why do you ask Me about what is good?
There is only One Who is good—that is, God.
If you would enter life, keep the commandments’” (Matt. 19.17 ESV/NKJV).
“I and My Father are One” (Jn. 10.30).
Therefore, Jesus is The Good and Perfect Gift (Jms. 1.17).
And “Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come [and that have come]”,
and by His Own blood He obtained eternal redemption, once for all. Jesus, through the eternal Spirit,
“offered Himself without spot to God” (Heb. 9.11-14). All Perfection, Beauty, and Goodness.
And to this Perfect One, our only good, we say:
“You are my LORD, my goodness is nothing apart from You.”
“O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot” (Ps. 16.2, 5).
“Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever” (Ps. 73.25, 26).
“I cried out to You, O LORD:
I said, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Ps. 142.5).
“Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good…” (Ps. 135.3).
“You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes” (Ps. 119.68).
“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God;
Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness” (Ps. 143.10).
“Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken.
Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate.
It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious
to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5.14, 15).
And to His Church today.
Through Jesus, Who is our only Hope and Good.
Reflection
1. What’s so good about Jesus? How would you answer that question?
2. How have you experienced the goodness of Jesus?
3. Why do we say that Jesus is our great and good gift and hope?
Verses 8-11, are quoted by St. Peter in his first sermon, after the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:25-31; he declared that David in them speaks concerning Christ, and particularly of his resurrection. And Christ being the Head of the body, the church, these verses may be applied to all Christians, guided and animated by the Spirit of Christ; and we may hence learn, that it is our wisdom and duty to set the Lord always before us. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 16.1-11
Pray Psalm 16.7-11.
Rejoice in Jesus—resurrected, ascended, reigning in power, and coming again soon! Meditate on His beauty, majesty, and glory, and call on Him to show you the path of life and be present with you throughout this day.
Sing Psalm 16.7-11.
(All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
I bless Your Name, O LORD; my mind instructs each night;
You teach me by Your Word and guide me in the right.
Refrain v. 11
Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand.
Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.
You are ever with me, LORD; in You I shall not fall.
But rejoicing in Your Word, I abide within Your call.
Refrain
Soon Your glory I shall see, for as Jesus rose again,
You will come to gather me to my home with You in heav’n.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
