Psalm 16

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Prayer

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Sermon Title: Finding Refuge in the Lord

Scripture: Psalm 16

I. The Lord as a Provision of Refuge

A. A provision of daily needs — Psalm 16:2

1. The Hebrew word for "good" conveys the idea of welfare and daily needs being met
2. Echoes the Lord's Prayer — Matthew 6 — seek first the kingdom and God will provide temporal needs

B. A provision of God's counsel — Psalm 16:7

1. God instructs; David sets that instruction on his heart, even through the night
2. Contrast with the disciples sleeping at Gethsemane — the heart is willing but the flesh is weak
3. Illustrated by C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters: Wormwood distracts the subject from spiritual things by drawing him into the busyness of the world

C. A provision of God's protection — Psalm 16:8

1. God stands at David's right hand as protector — the "right-hand man" in battle
2. Parallel to Psalm 23 — "I will fear no evil, for you are with me"
3. Likely setting: David on the run from Saul, yet finding refuge in God's provision

II. The Lord as a Refuge in His People

A. The evil ones — Psalm 16:4

1. Those who go after another god; their sorrows shall multiply
2. The Hebrew phrase nearly mirrors Genesis 3:16 — the curse on Eve; to follow idols is to bring the curse of the Fall upon oneself
3. David avoids them not because of personality differences but because of the gods they serve

B. The holy ones — Psalm 16:3

1. The Hebrew word for "holy ones" most often refers to heavenly beings; here applied to the godly on earth
2. Surrounding oneself with godly saints steers the heart heavenward — cf. Psalm 84 and the pilgrims in the Valley of Baca
3. Thomas Brooks: let those be your choicest companions who have made Christ their chief companion
4. C.S. Lewis: the next best thing to being wise yourself is to live in a circle of those who are
5. Application: pursue friendships with those who are wiser and more godly, even if intimidating

III. The Lord as the Place of Refuge

A. The Lord as portion and inheritance — Psalm 16:5–6

1. Language echoes Numbers 18:20 — the Lord tells Aaron that Yahweh himself is the Levites' portion and inheritance, not land
2. All Israel was called a kingdom of priests — Exodus 19:6 — making Yahweh the portion of the whole nation, not only the Levites
3. Psalm 84 expresses longing to dwell in God's presence as the Levites do

B. The path of life leads to God's presence — Psalm 16:11

1. God makes known the path of life; it is called "life" because of where it leads — to the Lord of life himself
2. Movement in the psalm: in verse 8 God is at David's right hand as protector on the pilgrimage; in verse 11 David arrives at God's right hand — the consummation of the journey

C. Fulfillment in Jesus Christ — Acts 2:25–33

1. Peter's Pentecost sermon explicitly applies Psalm 16 to the resurrection of Jesus
2. David prophesied of one whose body would not see corruption; Christ rises after three days and ascends to the Father's right hand
3. The principle of Book One of the Psalms (Psalms 1–41): as the king goes, so goes Israel — cf. Psalm 18 as a hinge
4. Because our King now sits at the Father's right hand, his people have a sure and certain destination; this is the incentive not to slumber but to set our hearts on the instruction of the Lord with full assurance