Psalm 16

Michtam of David.

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.

JW: David professes his trust in God, his adherence to him and love of his people, ver. 1-3; his satisfaction in God, ver. 4-7; he speaks in the person of Christ, of God's presence with him, of his resurrection and the glory that should follow, ver. 8-11.

As David was both a member, and an eminent type, of Christ, he speaks of himself sometimes in the one and sometimes in the other capacity: and therefore having spoken himself as a member of Christ in the former part of the psalm, he proceeds to consider himself as a type of Christ, and being inspired by the Holy Ghost: towards the close he speaks such things, as though they might be accommodated in a very imperfect sense, yet could not properly belong to any but Christ, to whom therefore they are justly appropriated in the New Testament.

[On verse 3:] 'But' - I bear a singular respect and love to all saints, for thy sake, whose friends and servants they are, and whose image they bear.

[On verse 5:] 'The Lord' - I rejoice in God as my portion, and desire no better, no other felicity. 'Cup' - the portion which is put into my cup, as the ancient matter was in feasts, where each had his portion of meat, and of wine allotted to him.

[On verse 8:] 'I have set' - I have always presented him to my mind, as my witness and judge, as my patron and protector. Hitherto David seems to have spoken with respect to himself, but now he is transported by the spirit of prophecy, and carried above himself, to speak as a type of Christ, in whom this and the following verses were truly accomplished. Christ as man did always set his father's will and glory before him. 'Right hand' - to strengthen, protect, assist, and comfort me: as this assistance of God was necessary to Christ as man.

[On verse 9:] 'My flesh' - my body shall quietly rest in the grave. 'Shall rest' - in confident assurance of its incorruption there, and of its resurrection to an immortal life.

More than in many other Psalms, Wesley's comments here resemble a test case that displays significant segments of his theology: a Christ-centered hermeneutic (typology), Christology, anthropology, and eschatology.

Staying true to what Wesley said in his introduction to the Book of Psalms, this Psalm is appropriately read through the lens of Christ, especially to the hope that we have in light of his resurrection. And it is in this light that I want to share with you an insight shared with me from a former professor.

If you've read many of my posts, you've likely come across the idea of the importance for Christians to maintain a faith and confidence in the bodily resurrection, as opposed to some notion of an immortal disembodied soul. The resurrection is something that not only happened for Jesus, but also will happen for us all. This is why David declares prophetically here, "my flesh shall rest in hope." It's also why Paul tells us that "we grieve, but not as those without hope." It is because death has been conquered in Christ's resurrection and will be ultimately destroyed in the general resurrection. If after death all that happens to me is that my soul goes to heaven, then death remains the victor. Some may question the pastoral application of this approach if spoken in the context of a funeral or recent loss of a close friend or family member. It is questioned because we're pressured to bring a word of happiness that will bring comfort for grievers NOW, that will cause them/us to be jubilant NOW! We're forced, essentially, into saying that "(fill in the blank) is in heaven, is no longer suffering, so everything is okay and great!" And this all too often leads to a troubling conclusion when you hear someone say of a corpse, "That's not really (fill in the blank)."

That is something I've heard from people many times. And it is what a friend and former professor of mine heard at his grandfather's funeral visitation. His grandfather was the first person he recalls dying with whom he had an intimate connection. Folks attempted to console him with that phrase. "That's not really your grandfather! He's in heaven now!" I'm not sure he actually said this to his "consolers" but his reply was, "I don't know my grandfather apart from that body. Those hands are the hands that held me. Those lips are the lips that read to me and told me stories...I don't know my grandfather apart from that body." Please don't mistake his reply for despair. It is a sobering reality. It is grief. But knowing my friend's confidence that his grandfather's body will one day be raised, it is NOT a grief without hope. I think that's what hope looks like in this "now and not yet" kingdom era we live in. A hope that is dissatisfied with pat answers. A hope that is dissatisfied that hurt still happens. A hope that is dissatisfied that death still stings. But a hope that confidently awaits a day when hurt and death will be no more, when it "shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" That is how we can rejoice! For "my flesh also shall rest in hope."