A Path Through the Psalms (Chapter 16) - He is our Refuge, it's the same story as many other Psalms

 

There's a path, let's follow it Today on our path we encounter a truly wonderful chapter, what miktam this must have been. We'll be looking chapter 16 together as we stride down the path.  We'll break down this chapter, have some songs together, and hear from our guest speaker. This week it's Jonny Munby, he's a great friend of mine who wears various hats. He's a husband to Beth, father to Ena and Isaiah, he's an elder at Middlesbrough Community Church, and Principle Lecturer (International) at Teesside University Business School, we look forward to hearing from him. so let's get on the path Psalm 16 A miktam of David 1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”  3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. 5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.     With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;     my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand Great are you Lord, we see in verse two that David refers to the Lord as the Lord and his Lord. Let's focus on the Lord by singing Great are you Lord by All Sons and Daughters.  We're going to go right to our guest speaker this week. I've been friends with Jonny ever since meeting him at Bible College as he visited his then girlfriend Beth, who was a student. Fast forward a couple of years and what a joy it was to speak at their wedding, we've spent some wonderful times together throughout the years. I think you'll get much out of his verse-by-verse look at our psalm.  Jonny Munby on Psalms 16 Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Been there, done that, got the T shirt. It's like a broken record, the same words over and over Refuge David can't get away from stating and reminding himself that in God alone he finds his refuge.  At this point it almost goes without saying, but I'll write anyway. God is your refuge too, whatever you are facing today, tomorrow or next week He is a refuge in times of trouble.  David is really clear that God is his God, and he is not going to look anywhere else for his strength. In verse 4 it's interesting to see that says he won't run after any others, sacrifice to or put their names on his lips. If we think back to the Ten Commandments which David would have surely known well, remember that the first two are about not having any other gods or making any images of other gods. It was a clear instruction to the people of God that Yahweh was the only option for them, He was their Lord and Father. Not Baal, Dagon, Molech, Marduk, Asherah or any of the other venerated gods of the day. The Lord was and is so clear that there are to be no other gods before him. The Old Testament is littered with stories of people turning to these and other gods, yet he alone is God.  In this psalm of worship David is not even going to entertain the idea of another god, it's Yahweh alone. In verse 5 then David states that Lord alone is his portion and his cup. This speaks of sustenance, the food needed for energy, and the water needed for life. In short God is all that he needs each and every day. This reminds us and gives us opportunity to thank the Lord for all that he has given to us, all that he has given to you. For his daily bread, the sunshine, family, health, a roof over your head and so, so much more.  David is celebrating in this psalm, that God is his God and he will receive an inheritance from God. When we think of an inheritance it is future, not something that is right now. Interestingly though in verse six he's already saying that the inheritance is delightful and pleasant to him. Not something for when a loved one passes away, but gifts from God to be enjoyed in the present. David is satisfied, all throughout this song we see the satisfaction that David has in the Lord. He is writing from a position of need, likely on the run from Saul yet again. He pens this song, which some call the 'Golden Psalm' or a psalm written in secret. This is twofold, one because he probably wrote it while cave-bound in hiding and secondly there are many secrets and treasures found throughout it's words. How about we pause and reflect together on this psalm as The Corner Room sings Psalm 16, it's such a pleasant song which helps brings this beautiful song alive. We all talk to ourselves don't we. I can hear myself saying 'Earl, don't drop that again, or I can do this, I can do this' We are probably our own worst critics along with being our best cheerleaders too. In verses 7-9 it seems like David is giving himself a pep-talk, we get to be inside of his thinking for a bit.  I will praise the Lord, I keep my eyes on the Lord, I will not be shaken.  He's stating his plan out-loud in song, but I think it's also a reminder to himself that this what he has committed to do. He's going to praise, he's going to keep his eyes open and not be shaken. No matter the situation, he knows where his help comes from and 'has his back'.  It's been a long time (too long really) since I've played on an organised sports team. I remember back in high school being in the huddle around the coach as we prepared to take the court. They were intense times, but the hard graft was done at practice working through drills, running, shooting and playing defense.  As team member you quickly realise you've got to have each others backs.  At practice everyone on the team from the star to the last guy on the bench has to run extra sprints, or hold the defensive position till it burns. Everyone is worn out, sweaty and ready for a cold drink. You learn that the next guy is more important than you, you learn how to watch after each other. Then when on the court in the actual game you're able to work together and hopefully be successful thanks to hard work and a coming together.  David knew who watched after him. As a result his body could rest secure knowing he wouldn't be abandon and especially through the intense struggle with Saul where some of the Psalms were penned. In the middle of trial and trouble David's knew and you can know or hopefully know where your anchor is placed.  There is a huge eternal perspective to this psalm. It's not only about God being the refuge and help in the present, but for eternity and evermore. This path that David highlights in verse 11 is one of joy and pleasures. While God lays out our path and reveals it through the Holy Spirit it is not only a path to be walked on, while on this terrestrial ball. The path is an eternal one, to be trod on for ever and a day. The joy that David experienced was with God, our joy which will last forever is not void of God, it's the absolute opposite. It's with Him, there is no separation, He is the reason for our joy. Our Psalm refers to the heart being glad and the tongue rejoicing. Imagine having 1,000 tongues to sing, Wesley wrote his famous hymn O for 1,000 tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. In this song 1,000 Tongues the Vertical Church Band has their modern take on these powerful words.  For our prayer today let's take a portion of this great chapter and pray it, make it your own expression to the Lord. Vs 5-8 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. This coming week we'll be taking the first two weeks moving through chapter 18 of the Psalms. Our guest is Simon Shaw who the UK lead for World Horizons Ministries.  He'll bring us his perspective along with an original song on Psalm 18.