The Fullness of Joy


Psalm 16
A Miktam of David.
1Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
4The 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.
5The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
11You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

This is one of those Psalms that comes up for me several times a year and I always think, “Oh yeah, that’s a good one!” And in fact I think that 11 times as I read the Psalm because each verse solicits the same response as well. “Oh Yeah, that’s a good one!” I’ve spent the last hour chasing 11 rabbits (that’s what Cliff calls my distractions) around in my head and each one is more interesting than the last.

But that doesn’t end us up in a place of a solid devotion, does it? So I will just try and share a few of the rabbits I’ve chased in this prayer. This is a Messianic Psalm that prophetically (especially in verses 10) references Jesus' death and resurrection. And because Jesus is the Savior it also refers to our death and eternal resurrection. In verse 4 we find the phrases “run after other gods” and “pour out their libations of blood” which refers to participation in the worship of idols with the hope of receiving blessings from them. I love the way that David won’t even “take their names on my lips”. That’s a commitment to staying away from idolatry!

My favorite verses in this Psalm have always been 5 and 6.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

The idea that God would place a border around my life is comforting indeed. My inheritance is what lay inside of that border and it is good because it is from God. Verse 7 assures me that if I will listen the Lord will give me His counsel, which I sorely need and that even in the night His instruction awaits me. Educators and brain experts tell us that all real learning takes place while we sleep and the synapses for the information we’ve gained during the day are solidified. I don’t know if that’s what David had in mind here – but it’s still true. In a more tangible sense, night time is when many are able to find more quiet and thereby a chance to tune into God.

9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
11You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

For our purposes during this week of “joy” we must give time to verses 9 and 11. What solicits that sense of joy and rejoicing? The presence of Lord – always before me. . . I shall not be shaken. Just as my joy cannot be stolen, neither can my security when it is found in the Lord. Because my joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it is always and forever mine. Because of the redeeming work of Jesus, the path of life has been made known to me and in that there is nothing but joy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv
Read more

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl
Read more