A reflection on Psalm 16.
He is risen! Christ is risen indeed.
There was understandable shock and surprise, followed by joy, when the two women announced that the tomb in which Jesus’s body had been laid was empty, and that Jesus, crucified on the Friday afternoon, was alive and well.
Peter and John run to the tomb. John arrives first. Stooping down, he sees the linen grave cloths lying there, but does not go in. Peter passes John and enters the empty tomb, sees the linen cloths, and notices that the wrapping that had been lovingly placed around Jesus’s head was folded and placed in a separate place by itself. Then, as he later writes in the Gospel that bears his name, John “also went in, saw, and believed” (Jn 20:1-8).
A lot more happens that day, and over the next few days and weeks. More and more people see with their own eyes the risen Lord Jesus, and he spends time teaching and encouraging them, explaining the meaning of his death and resurrection, and how these great events relate to the in-breaking kingdom of God.
And then he disappears (Lk 24:50f; Acts 1:9).
Then comes the Day of Pentecost, and a strange miracle occurs where the followers of Jesus are filled with the Holy Spirit and declare “the magnificent acts of God” in the various languages of those who had come from distant places for the Jewish feast of Pentecost (Ac 2:1-13).
Peter notices that some are astounded, others perplexed, and still others are accusing the Christians of being drunk (Ac 2:12f). He addresses the crowd, explaining that what they witnessed was prophesied in Joel 2:28-32, the resurrection of Jesus was foreshadowed in Psalm 16:8-11, and his ascension in Psalm 110:1 (Ac 2:14-36).
Wait, what? The resurrection of Jesus? In Psalm 16? Is that true?
At first glance, Psalm 16 is a song of confident trust in God despite circumstances. There is no sense of immediate distress, or impending doom, so the call for protection and the assurance of refuge in verse 1 probably focus on trust in the Living God in contrast to pagan deities (cf v. 4).
This is a song of someone who knows God well, who enjoys a deep intimate relationship with God that cultivates trust, and brings joy, and imparts peace:
“Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future” (v. 5).
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (v. 6).
“I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (v. 8).
“Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely” (v. 9).
“You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures” (v. 11).
God is evidently real and personal to David, and this instils confidence and trust for the present and the future.
Verses 5 and 6 employ language and imagery that recall Joshua 13-19, where Joshua, now in old age, divides up the land of Canaan and marks out the territories inherited by the twelve tribes of Israel. Generations later, David is grateful to God for material blessings, but also for guidance and constant presence in his life.
The peace he feels, the sense of security and blessing and profound wellbeing, are not his own achievements. The blessings of God are not a reward for David’s ingenuity, or acumen, or material wealth, or generosity, or power. They are the result of a life surrendered to God, entrusted to God, a life of daily fellowship with the Living God. And David’s inner joy breaks forth in a song of faith and trust and assurance of the unending goodness and love of God.
In verse 10, the psalmist suggests that this faithful love of God is stronger even than death. He has found the elusive “path of life,” the relationship he enjoys with God will transcend the death of the body, and what awaits at the moment of death is not darkness, or nothing, but “abundant joy” in the real presence of God, and “eternal pleasures” at God’s right hand.
If we follow the line of Peter’s argument in Acts 2, where he quotes Psalm 16:10f, he implies that God did not abandon Jesus in Sheol (the grave) nor allow his body to experience the decay brought on by death, but miraculously raised him from death to new life. Paul quotes Psalm 16:10 in Acts 13:35 to make the same point.
David doesn’t express a fully formed view of resurrection and the afterlife here. But there is the “downward” journey to Sheol, the snuffing out of human existence and no hope of return, contrasted with the glorious reality that comes to meet the faithful at the end of the path of life, the “upward” journey to abundant joy, eternal pleasures, the fullness of God’s presence and life.
David’s song also foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus, and the apostles in the New Testament saw Psalm 16:10f as applying to Jesus. David testifies that God has revealed “the path of life” to him, and the New Testament writers agree that God has done the same for Jesus. As Hebrews 12:2b teaches, “for the joy that lay before him, [Jesus] endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.” And as we keep our eyes on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfector of our faith” (Heb 12:2a), that same joy and rest awaits us. As Charles Wesley put it in one of his best-loved hymns, Jesus is
Love divine, all love excelling;
Joy of heav’n, to earth come down.”[1]
Before he went to the cross, and the grave, and the sky, Jesus said these words to his apprentices: “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:9-11).
Sermon 805 copyright © 2025 Rod Benson. Preached at North Rocks Community Church, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday 20 April 2025. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Christian Standard Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).
[1] Charles Wesley, “Love divine, all loves excelling,” hymn.
Image source: freepik.com
iDigress 