Security in God

Psalm 16

In the Old Testament, God's people, Israel, relied on God for their safety and security. Living in lands where there was constant threat of invasion from neighboring countries, and where drought, famine, plague, and hundreds of other dangers existed, there is no doubt as to why Israel would call upon God for protection from all these things. So too in the New Testament, we believers call upon God for protection from the same things, both from physical elements as weather and war, and from spiritual things, as asking God to protect us from the evil one. In Psalm 16, David writes a song about the security we have in God, and gives three evidences of possessing that security. First, we take delight in the Lord, second we delight in the Lord's people and His kingdom, and third, we delight in the Lord's truth.

In the first verse, David sets the stage for his song by showing the main theme, that God is our safe place, our refuge. This is what the whole psalm is about. He asks God to preserve him, or keep him safe, and proclaims that God is the only one we can run to for safety. Then David moves on to show why he can proclaim such great confidence in God's protection.

David's first evidence is that he takes delight in the Lord. He is not talking about the provision God gives him, but just taking delight in the Lord, and knowing that he is a child of God. We can see this in a few verses in particular. Take for instance verse 2, where David says, “I say to the Lord, `You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.'” So here we have David, the king of the nation of Israel, who has riches and palaces and servants and gold and treasure and all sorts of things that we might label as “good,” and yet he says he has no good apart from God. We tend to see rich and famous people who have all the things David had, like their big houses and fast cars and all the luxurious things and we say they are living the “good life.” But we instead need to have the attitude of David, who, while he had such abundance, found no good in it, but only in the Lord.

Also in verse 5 he says “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” Well, what does it mean that God is his “portion?” Is he talking about a portion like a portion of food? Not quite. In the Old Testament, portion meant “inheritance.” The Lord is David's inheritance. That still doesn't quite make sense, so lets expound on it a little more. In David's time, people's lives depended on their families, and land and possessions they owned. The children's continued existence and prosperity depended on the inheritance they would receive. Land was obtained by inheriting it from the father, so their livelihood depended on the father's assets. All the treasure that the father has would be the inheritance of the sons. David claims that God Himself is his inheritance. By this he means that all the treasures and lands God gives on earth, the worldly “blessings” do not compare to the treasure that comes in knowing God, and being known by God. God is holy, which means He is infinitely worthy, which means there is nothing in all of creation that is more valuable than God. So for God to be our inheritance means that we have the greatest treasure available as our own possession, and in this we delight. Just as children in David's time relied on their inheritance for security in the future (through inheritance) we rely on God and His abundant treasure for our security.

In verse 9 David says, “Therefore, my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.” And in verse 11 he ends his song with “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forever more.” Here we see David rejoicing because of the security he has in God, and we see that this security brings him joy. David ends this psalm powerfully by proclaiming that in God's presence, when we live as His children, dwelling with Him daily, there is fullness of joy. We know that there is no good apart from God, and so we see now, that fullness of joy comes only in God's presence. So nothing in the world, the riches and fame that it offers can provide us with joy. There is no satisfaction in these things. That is why rich people keep buying more and more. They seek joy, but do not find it because they seek it in worldly things, when it is only truly and fully found in the presence of God. And pleasure, which we all seek, is found only at God's right hand, and they are not the fleeting pleasures of this world, but pleasures forever more. The pleasure we have in God does not come and go, but lasts, and satisfies, for when we find true joy and pleasure in God, we don't need to seek it in anything else, for there is no greater fountain but His, which pours into us, filling us up to the point of overflowing!

Next we see that we are secure in God by the fact that we take delight in God's people. In verse 3 David says, “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” David takes delight in his fellow children of God, his brothers and sisters. The same should be for us; we should find delight in fellow believers. It is not because we live in the same area, go to the same school, or church, or are the same age that binds us together; it is because we are God's children, saved by grace that brings us together, and causes us to delight in one another.

Also in verse 6 David speaks of his delight in the kingdom of God, as his own kingdom, the nation of Israel. He says, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The lines he speaks of here refer to boundary lines for land. The boundary lines in ancient times for nations and family lands were usually marked by landmarks or special stones set out so people know where they are. For David to speak of the boundaries of his earthly kingdom in reference to security in God is quite easy to see. He is praising God for giving so abundantly, and for providing protection of those boundaries. God will protect all that is within the boundaries of His kingdom, as today, we are the kingdom of God, and He will protect us and keep us forever. Again we also have the imagery of an inheritance, as David claims a “beautiful inheritance.” This again shows his delight in the Lord, and in His people, by understanding the inheritance (the inheritance of God Himself) applies to all of God's children, and thus, all who are within the boundaries of the Kingdom of God.

Moving on to the third evidence for security in God, we see how David found delight in God's truth. We may easily see how we can delight in God's truth, but how does this relate to the security provided us by God? God's truth is the power for our salvation, and is the rock on which we stand. We know His promises are true (such as the promise of an inheritance) because of His faithfulness. We delight in His truth because it stands above the false pagan religions and keeps us safe from being led astray by lies and deceit. In verse 4 David speaks of those false religions that try to lead us away from the truth of God. He says, “The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” David not only tells God he will not succumb to performing rituals to false God's, but he also proclaims that since they worship false gods, their sorrows will increase. David is secure and delights in God's truth, and will not even take the names of such false God's on his lips. Also in verses 7 and 8 he says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” God counsels David, instructing him according to His truth, and in this there is nothing but delight. The fact that by God's grace He has mercy on us to make us His children and teach us His truth so that we will not be led astray by false gods and religions and die, but that we will live planted on the rock of God's truth, and not be shaken loose, so that we will have life eternal, living in fullness of joy in the presence of God.

If you have noticed, the three things that evidence our security, and safety in God all have to do with delight. The life of a child of God is not a gloomy downtrodden life that is based on always following rules that keep us from things we like to do, but is instead a life full of joy and pleasures, all because we take delight in God, and not merely in the things He created. We are safe in His arms because we know that there is no other place of security. We delight in this because we know that there is nothing better for us, there is no greater treasure, no higher pleasure to be obtained, and no true joy outside of God Almighty. Let us join with David in rejoicing in our security in God, by delighting in Him, in His people, His kingdom, and in His truth.


	Psalm 16 In the Old Testament, God's people, Israel, relied on God for their safety and security. Living in lands where there was constant threat of invasion from neighboring countries, and where drought, famine, plague, and hundreds of other dangers existed, there is no doubt as to why Israel would call upon God for protection from all these things. So too in the New Testament, we believers call upon God for protection from the same things, both from physical elements as weather and war, and from spiritual things, as asking God to protect us from the evil one. In Psalm 16, David writes a song about the security we have in God, and gives three evidences of possessing that security. First, we take delight in the Lord, second we delight in the Lord's people and His kingdom, and third, we delight in the Lord's truth. In the first verse, David sets the stage for his song by showing the main theme, that God is our safe place, our refuge. This is what the whole psalm is about. He asks God to preserve him, or keep him safe, and proclaims that God is the only one we can run to for safety. Then David moves on to show why he can proclaim such great confidence in God's protection. David's first evidence is that he takes delight in the Lord. He is not talking about the provision God gives him, but just taking delight in the Lord, and knowing that he is a child of God. We can see this in a few verses in particular. Take for instance verse 2, where David says, “I say to the Lord, `You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.'” So here we have David, the king of the nation of Israel, who has riches and palaces and servants and gold and treasure and all sorts of things that we might label as “good,” and yet he says he has no good apart from God. We tend to see rich and famous people who have all the things David had, like their big houses and fast cars and all the luxurious things and we say they are living the “good life.” But we instead need to have the attitude of David, who, while he had such abundance, found no good in it, but only in the Lord. Also in verse 5 he says “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” Well, what does it mean that God is his “portion?” Is he talking about a portion like a portion of food? Not quite. In the Old Testament, portion meant “inheritance.” The Lord is David's inheritance. That still doesn't quite make sense, so lets expound on it a little more. In David's time, people's lives depended on their families, and land and possessions they owned. The children's continued existence and prosperity depended on the inheritance they would receive. Land was obtained by inheriting it from the father, so their livelihood depended on the father's assets. All the treasure that the father has would be the inheritance of the sons. David claims that God Himself is his inheritance. By this he means that all the treasures and lands God gives on earth, the worldly “blessings” do not compare to the treasure that comes in knowing God, and being known by God. God is holy, which means He is infinitely worthy, which means there is nothing in all of creation that is more valuable than God. So for God to be our inheritance means that we have the greatest treasure available as our own possession, and in this we delight. Just as children in David's time relied on their inheritance for security in the future (through inheritance) we rely on God and His abundant treasure for our security. In verse 9 David says, “Therefore, my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.” And in verse 11 he ends his song with “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forever more.” Here we see David rejoicing because of the security he has in God, and we see that this security brings him joy. David ends this psalm powerfully by proclaiming that in God's presence, when we live as His children, dwelling with Him daily, there is fullness of joy. We know that there is no good apart from God, and so we see now, that fullness of joy comes only in God's presence. So nothing in the world, the riches and fame that it offers can provide us with joy. There is no satisfaction in these things. That is why rich people keep buying more and more. They seek joy, but do not find it because they seek it in worldly things, when it is only truly and fully found in the presence of God. And pleasure, which we all seek, is found only at God's right hand, and they are not the fleeting pleasures of this world, but pleasures forever more. The pleasure we have in God does not come and go, but lasts, and satisfies, for when we find true joy and pleasure in God, we don't need to seek it in anything else, for there is no greater fountain but His, which pours into us, filling us up to the point of overflowing! Next we see that we are secure in God by the fact that we take delight in God's people. In verse 3 David says, “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” David takes delight in his fellow children of God, his brothers and sisters. The same should be for us; we should find delight in fellow believers. It is not because we live in the same area, go to the same school, or church, or are the same age that binds us together; it is because we are God's children, saved by grace that brings us together, and causes us to delight in one another. Also in verse 6 David speaks of his delight in the kingdom of God, as his own kingdom, the nation of Israel. He says, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The lines he speaks of here refer to boundary lines for land. The boundary lines in ancient times for nations and family lands were usually marked by landmarks or special stones set out so people know where they are. For David to speak of the boundaries of his earthly kingdom in reference to security in God is quite easy to see. He is praising God for giving so abundantly, and for providing protection of those boundaries. God will protect all that is within the boundaries of His kingdom, as today, we are the kingdom of God, and He will protect us and keep us forever. Again we also have the imagery of an inheritance, as David claims a “beautiful inheritance.” This again shows his delight in the Lord, and in His people, by understanding the inheritance (the inheritance of God Himself) applies to all of God's children, and thus, all who are within the boundaries of the Kingdom of God. Moving on to the third evidence for security in God, we see how David found delight in God's truth. We may easily see how we can delight in God's truth, but how does this relate to the security provided us by God? God's truth is the power for our salvation, and is the rock on which we stand. We know His promises are true (such as the promise of an inheritance) because of His faithfulness. We delight in His truth because it stands above the false pagan religions and keeps us safe from being led astray by lies and deceit. In verse 4 David speaks of those false religions that try to lead us away from the truth of God. He says, “The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” David not only tells God he will not succumb to performing rituals to false God's, but he also proclaims that since they worship false gods, their sorrows will increase. David is secure and delights in God's truth, and will not even take the names of such false God's on his lips. Also in verses 7 and 8 he says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” God counsels David, instructing him according to His truth, and in this there is nothing but delight. The fact that by God's grace He has mercy on us to make us His children and teach us His truth so that we will not be led astray by false gods and religions and die, but that we will live planted on the rock of God's truth, and not be shaken loose, so that we will have life eternal, living in fullness of joy in the presence of God. If you have noticed, the three things that evidence our security, and safety in God all have to do with delight. The life of a child of God is not a gloomy downtrodden life that is based on always following rules that keep us from things we like to do, but is instead a life full of joy and pleasures, all because we take delight in God, and not merely in the things He created. We are safe in His arms because we know that there is no other place of security. We delight in this because we know that there is nothing better for us, there is no greater treasure, no higher pleasure to be obtained, and no true joy outside of God Almighty. Let us join with David in rejoicing in our security in God, by delighting in Him, in His people, His kingdom, and in His truth.