Romans-Related Topical Applications

Psalm 16 - Part 1

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2008-04-06

Synopsis: John Weaver introduces Psalm 16 as a 'Golden Psalm' (Michtam of David), emphasizing its messianic focus on Jesus Christ. He explores the confession of trust in verses 1-3, showing how David's prayer for preservation and acknowledgment of God's perfection applies ultimately to Christ and, by extension, to believers. The sermon highlights God's protective care over Christ throughout His life and assures believers of similar preservation in Christ.

[John Weaver] Psalm 16, verse 1, Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord, my goodness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God. Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup. Thou maintainest my lot.

[John Weaver] The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yea, I have a godly, a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope, for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at the title of this psalm. It is given to us right above verse 1. It says, Midstom of David. Midstom of David.

[John Weaver] Now, the message today I've just entitled, The Golden Psalm. Because this title, the Midstam of David, is found first in Psalm 16, then it is found in Psalm 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60. But Psalm 16 is the very first occurrence of it. Scholars are divided as to the meaning of the word mitzvah. Some derive it from the Hebrew word katham, which seems to indicate a golden crest or a golden jewel. Other scholars seem to think that this is the beginning of a song, which at one time was very common. Still others say that mitzvah refers to a tune. But there was one scholar who pointed out that he believed the word actually meant to mark or to engrave and to denote that this psalm is worthy to be engraven or marked on a valuable and durable pillar. In fact, there was one scholar who said this, that it could be used as a sepulchral inscription, that is, a writing on a tombstone. He went on to say, as a sepulchral inscription, it might have been written on our Redeemer's tomb as a triumphal monument.

[John Weaver] It might have been sung by him in the region of the departed spirits, and in either, or in any sense, it may be well considered as a golden composition, as apples of gold in a network of which occur, and the titles of psalms are often names of old melodies." So, the scholars are divided, basically, as to what the word mitzvah means.

[John Weaver] Now, one of the classic commentators is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He's the preacher's preacher, but Spurgeon said this concerning Psalm 16. He says, This is usually understood to mean the golden psalm, and such a title is most appropriate, for the matter is of most fine gold. Ainsworth calls it David's jewel or notable psalm. Dr. Hawker, who is always alive to passages full of savor, devoutly cries, some have rendered it precious, others golden, and others precious jewels.

[John Weaver] And as the Holy Ghost, by the Apostles Peter and Paul, has shown us, that it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. What is here said of Him is precious, is golden, is a jewel indeed. So some, then, have referred to Psalm 16 as the psalm of the precious secret.

[John Weaver] Now, scholars may be divided as to what the word midgetum actually means, but no Bible believer will deny that this psalm is important, it's relevant, and the subject matter concerns, of course, Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry, one of the old commentators, said this, and I love just what he said in the opening line. He said this psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ. This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ. It begins with such expressions of devotions that may be applied to Christ, but concludes with such confidence of a resurrection And so timely one as to prevent corruption as must be applied to Christ, to him only, and cannot be understood of David as the Apostle Peter and Paul have observed." Now, it is true that David wrote Psalm 16, and certainly there are applications in this Psalm that may refer to David. The main applications in this psalm would refer to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and it might be accurately said that the whole psalm reflects the life and leaning of Jesus Christ upon His Father.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in Psalm 16, beginning there with verse 8, look what it says, I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved, Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope, for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to seek corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life, and my presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn over in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2, and let me show you first how Peter applies this passage. directly to Christ. We'll come back to this passage later on in this study. We'll look at Acts chapter 2, beginning there with verse 25. Acts 2 verse 25.

[John Weaver] And here we have this quote. For David speaketh concerning him, that is Christ. I foresaw the Lord always before my face. He is on my right hand that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to flesh, he would raise up Christ and sit on his throne, he seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we are all witnesses."

[John Weaver] So what does Peter do in Acts chapter 2? He takes Psalm 16, verses 8 through 11, and applies it directly to Jesus Christ. Now, if you will turn over to Acts chapter 13. And look there, beginning with verse 34, Acts 13 and verse 34. In fact, we can actually begin reading there with verse 33. Acts 13, verse 33. Paul is preaching, and he says, God has fulfilled the same unto us, unto their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, so he's quoting the second psalm there, and as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said, on this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David, wherefore he saith also in another psalm, psalm 16, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, that is, he died, and was laid into his father's and saw corruption.

[John Weaver] But he whom God raised up again saw no corruption." So once again, the Bible is applying Psalm 16 directly to Jesus Christ. No wonder it's called a golden psalm. No wonder it's called a precious jewel or the psalm of the precious secret. Because this psalm deals with the life, the leaning, the death, The resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Jesus Christ. And I like what the Bible says in Acts 2 and verse 25. Peter said it like this, David speaketh concerning him. In other words, everything that David was writing in Psalm 16 actually concerned Jesus Christ. Now, if you'll go back to Psalm 16, I want us to examine this psalm under three simple heads.

[John Weaver] We're certainly not going to cover all three points today. In fact, we're only going to cover one point. But first of all, I want you to see that there is a confession of trust, and you're going to find that in verses one through three. Secondly, there is the contentment of trust in verses four through seven. And then lastly, there's the confidence of trust in verses 8 through 11.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord is to be our supreme example in every way. We're not only to follow him in reference to his obedience to the Father, we're also to follow him in his trust to the Father. The next time you read through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I want you to take note of something. I want you to take note how often and how many times Jesus Christ refers to God as His Father. Let me give you an example. In Matthew 10, verses 32 and 33, our Lord says this, Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him also will I deny before My Father Who is in heaven? So Jesus Christ is referring to God as his father. Now, I want you to take note of something. I want you to understand that since we are in Christ as Christians, as believers, God is not just simply our God. He is not just simply our sovereign.

[John Weaver] He is not just simply our Lord and our master. He is our father. You know what our Lord said in John 20 verse 17. He said to Mary, let me just quote it. He said, touch me not. For I am not yet ascended unto my father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I go unto my father and to your father and to my God and to your God.

[John Weaver] So Psalm 16 may apply directly to Jesus Christ, but we've got to remember that he is our example in all things. In fact, verse Peter 2 and verse 21 tells us that Christ has also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should likewise follow in His steps. So He's to be our example in all things. So first of all today, I want you to look at this confession of trust. David begins with this prayer, Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. Now, we may take David's prayer for preservation as he fled from Saul and his numerous enemies. But his prayer here is a prayer that he would be preserved unto God's promised kingdom, not just simply the kingdom that God promised David, but he's talking about that eternal kingdom. So you can say that in this prayer, there is a temporal request And there is an eternal request. Yes, David wanted to be preserved until God elevated him to the throne where he could rule over Israel. But David also wanted to be preserved under that eternal kingdom as well.

[John Weaver] So there is a temporal and an eternal aspect to this request. Now, when he says, preserve me, O God, the word preserve here is expressive of actions of someone watching over another person. For instance, guards who are attending to their king, guarding and protecting, or a shepherd watching over the flock, guarding and protecting the sheep. So David is saying, preserve me, O God. In other words, he's saying, guard me and protect me.

[John Weaver] Now, notice what he said. Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. David is confessing that his trust is totally and completely in God. Let me just tell you, this is indeed a most powerful plea. I want you to think about this. Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. It's only a powerful plea, but this plea is extremely honoring and glorifying to God.

[John Weaver] Trusting in Him is one of the highest honors that we can give Him. Why? Because when you trust in God, we are recognizing His sovereignty, His grace, His mercy, His power, His goodness. And so when we trust in God, what we're actually doing is this. We're recognizing that God is on the throne. In essence, we're acknowledging the crown is upon His head, that He is the rightful ruler of everything. And when we also say, Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust, it not only places God where He ought to be that is on his throne. It places us where we ought to be at his feet, begging for mercy. So here's this prayer. Now, the Hebrew word for trust is the word Kossal. It is translated as trust or to make a refuge or to have hope. When he says, preserve me, O God, for in thee do I trust, he's saying, in thee do I place my refuge, in thee do I place my hope. So the word trust now has the implication of someone fleeing to another for protection.

[John Weaver] Let me just very quickly show you how this word is used up until Psalm 16, OK? Look in Psalm 5, and I'm just dealing with the book of Psalms right now, but look in Psalm 5 and verse 11.

[John Weaver] Now, I told you the word trust indicates that you're fleeing to someone for protection, for refuge, for a place of hope and safety. So in Psalm 5 and verse 11, notice what David says in this passage. Same word, trust. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice. Let them ever shout for joy, because thou wilt defendest them. Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee." Now, what did David say? David said, I'm putting my trust in you because you're defending me. In other words, I'm running to you for protection. Look in Psalm 7 and verse 1, O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust.

[John Weaver] Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me. Wow. Very obviously, if David is fleeing to God as a place of refuge, as a place of hope, he's saying save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me. I'm just trying to show you the word trust has the implication of fleeing to someone for help. Look at Psalm 9 and verse 10. Psalm 9 verse 10. David says, and they that know thy name will put their trust in thee, for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. In other words, Lord, you're not going to turn me away when I flee to you for protection. And then if you look in Psalm 11 and verse one. In the Lord put I my trust.

[John Weaver] How say you to my soul, please a bird to your mountain? Why should I run? Why should I worry? Why should I be afraid when the Lord is my trust? my refuge, my hope. And then you look in Psalm 16, verse 1. He says, Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. So what is the prayer doing? It is a prayer for protection over all. It is a prayer that God would guard and sustain and preserve him in every possible way.

[John Weaver] Now, I told you that certainly David wrote this psalm. And there are applications that could be made to David. That is true. But we've already seen in the New Testament that this psalm speaks particularly of Jesus Christ. So let me ask you a question. Did Jesus Christ trust the Father? And the answer is He trusted Him implicitly. Did Jesus Christ seek to be sustained, preserved, and protected by the Father? And the answer is yes, and he certainly was not disappointed now.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold some 16, but I do want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 42. I want to read a passage and then I want to go to the New Testament and try to illustrate. How some 16 verse one applies to Jesus Christ. So if you look in Isaiah 42. This is indeed a messianic passage. And you're going to see this passage, of course, applies to none other than Christ himself, Isaiah 42.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there. With verse one, Isaiah 42, verse one, just so that you can see this is Christ and Christ alone. God says, behold, my servant whom I have told my elect. and whom my soul delighteth, I have put my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

[John Weaver] A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith the Lord God, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out, he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it, he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein, I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, talking about Christ, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant unto the people, for a light unto the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, as them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory I will not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." Now, what is God saying in Isaiah 42?

[John Weaver] He says, I've got my servant, my elect, my Messiah. I'm going to hold his hand. I'm going to look what he says in verse 6. I, the Lord, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee. Would you like to know what the Hebrew word for keep means? It means to guard and protect and preserve and to watch over. What did the father tell the son?

[John Weaver] I have chosen you to be the mediator. I've chosen you to be the God man. I've chosen you to be the Lord, the Savior, and I'm going to hold your hand and I am going to keep you.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing In Matthew 12 and verse 18, this passage in Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Christ, because there it is said of Christ, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, and whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, and he will show judgment unto the Gentiles. Luke says it just a little differently in Luke 2 in verse 32. He says that he is to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel. But Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

[John Weaver] Now, let's ask a question. Did the father keep Christ? Did he preserve him and protect him? And the answer is yes. Do you remember? The duplicity of Herod in Matthew chapter 2. You remember those wise men came and inquired concerning where Christ was to be born. And Herod, oh that old fox as Christ called him. When he found out that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem in Matthew 2 in verse 8, listen to this. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search diligently for the young child. And when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also." Did Herod really want to worship Christ? Oh, no.

[John Weaver] He wanted to kill him. He did not want any competition. And so the Bible says in Matthew 2 and verse 12 that those wise men being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their country another way. I wonder who it was that was guarding and protecting the child. And do you remember a little bit later when Herod saw that these men had not obeyed him and his plans had been foiled?

[John Weaver] Well, now he thought, well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make sure that I get the young child. So he sent to have all children, all male children, two years old and under murdered. And the Bible says in Matthew 2 in verse 13, and when they departed, Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." I wonder who it was that sent Christ and Joseph and Mary down into Egypt. Hmm. And you remember after Herod died?

[John Weaver] His son, of course, reigning instead. So Joseph and Mary decided they would come back into the land. And we're told in Matthew 2 in verse 22, but when he heard that Archelios did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go in thither, notwithstanding being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee. What was God doing?

[John Weaver] Guarding, protecting and keeping Christ, even as a child, when Christ matured. You remember, after John baptized him, He was led out in the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, being tempted of the devil. But the Bible tells us in the book of Mark, chapter 1 and verse 13, and he was there in the wilderness 40 days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beast and the angels ministered unto him. Hmm. I wonder who sent those angels. I wonder who was guarding and protecting and preserving him.

[John Weaver] And look in your Bibles. I want you to see this one. Look in Luke chapter 4. Look in Luke chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 28. Luke 4 and verse 28. Jesus opens his ministry here in Nazareth. In fact, Let's begin reading verse 22. This to me is so astounding. I've preached on this passage before, but look at Luke 4 and verse 22. And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

[John Weaver] And they said, is not this Joseph's son? Now watch this. Jesus Christ was teaching and preaching and all these people said, oh, listen to him. Isn't he wonderful? Isn't this marvelous? Isn't this right? He is not this Joseph's son? Wait a minute. We raised this boy. He's one of us. Now watch this. They bear witness of the gracious words. Watch verse 23. And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.

[John Weaver] Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also hear in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. Now watch this. He said, You're surely going to say to me, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we've heard done in Capernaum, do here in your own country. In other words, here's what they're saying. Now, listen, they're saying, Lord, whatever you've done over there in Alabama, you do for us here and more because we're your hometown folks. We helped raise you. You owe us. That was the implication.

[John Weaver] And look what he said. Now watch carefully. When he said in verse 24, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. He says, But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widower. A woman outside of Israel. Watch verse 27, And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Now, wait a minute.

[John Weaver] What is our Lord saying? Look, folks. He said, let me tell you something. There are many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but none of them were taken care of except this one Zidonian woman. And she wasn't an Israelite. Many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha. None of them were healed but Naaman. And he was a Syrian. You know what our Lord was telling these people?

[John Weaver] I don't owe you anything. Anything you get from me is grace. It is not justice. It is not merit. It is grace. And watch what happens when they heard this and all day in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath. Isn't it amazing? It went from hearing His gracious words to being filled with wrath. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon the city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way."

[John Weaver] I wonder who protected him at that time. I wonder who kept that infuriated mob from killing him. Well, of course, it was none other than the Father. I want you to look in John 7. Watch this.

[John Weaver] Now remember, preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. Look at John 7. John 7, verse 1. After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for He would not walk in Jury, because the Jews sought to kill Him. He walked in Galilee. He would not walk in Jury. Why? Because the Jews sought to kill Him. Have you ever asked yourself this question? Out of all those Jews that were alive, you mean all of them together could not kill one man? They wanted him dead. They wanted to kill him, but they couldn't. And if you look in John 7 and verse 30, I want you to notice what the Bible says. John 7 and verse 30. Then they sought to take him. Here's another incident. Then they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him. Why?

[John Weaver] Because his hour was not yet come. Now ask yourself this question. Who was protecting Christ? Who was preserving Christ? What did the Father say? I'll hold thy hand and I will keep thee. All the Jews in the world could not kill Christ. Because Christ was being protected by God the Father. And if you look in your Bibles to John 12, just to show you, when it came time for Christ to die, He was more than willing to die. Look what He said in John 12 and verse 27. He said, now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause came I into the world. Our Lord said, I came to die. And I'm not going to say, save me from this death. I came to die. But He came to die in an appointed way and an appointed time by the will of the Father. And there was not one finger going to be laid upon him until that day and that hour and that time and that manner of death.

[John Weaver] We must remember that in Christ, and by the way, now listen. We are in him. We are his body. In Christ. Listen carefully. Neither the assaults of Satan, the hatred of our enemies, the circumstances under which we live, the ignorance of truth by the multitudes, nor the powerful weapons of our enemies can destroy us before our time." Here it is. Let me spell it out dogmatically. In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die. We cannot be killed. We cannot be stopped because we are in him.

[John Weaver] Let me show you this. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 54. You've got to see this promise. Look in Isaiah 54. And I want you to watch verse 17. Isaiah 54, verse 17. I don't know about you. But I sure want to learn to pray with David. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. But notice Isaiah 54, and notice verse 17. Look what God says. We're in Christ now. Look what he says. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.

[John Weaver] This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." What is God saying? God is saying, I'm able to protect you. I'm able to guard you and preserve you. It doesn't matter what man says. It doesn't matter what man does. It doesn't matter what they conspire to do. I am quite capable of taking care of you. Did God the Father preserve Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane? Yes, He did. Did He preserve Jesus Christ for all the physical torture and the sufferings of the Romans which they inflicted upon Him? Yes, He did. Did he preserve him through the hatred and the enmity of the Jews? Yes, he did. Did he preserve him through the weight of sin that was imputed upon him because of our sins? Yes, he did. Did he preserve him from death and corruption? Yes, he did. Did he preserve him into his heavenly kingdom? Yes, he did. He raised him from the dead and Christ ascended and is sat down on the right hand of God.

[John Weaver] It was God who preserved and protected David. It was God who preserved and protected Christ.

[John Weaver] Now you say, but how does all this apply to me? What do I get out of this? Well, thank you for asking. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Watch carefully what the Bible says, Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there in verse 31. Remember, we are in Christ. Romans 8, look at it in verse 31. Here's what the scripture says. What shall we say then to these things? Everything that Paul has mentioned from Romans 1 through chapter 8. What then shall we say to these things?

[John Weaver] If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. If we are in Christ. If God be for us, who can be against us? What is he saying? Who can accomplish anything? The enemy may fight. The enemy may plan and scheme. The enemy may want to murder and destroy. But if God be for us, He's quite able to protect us and overthrow their plans and their schemes. and their wicked desires.

[John Weaver] And then he said, watch carefully, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Do you think that we are any less protected since we're in Christ? I just showed you what God the Father did for Christ. I preserved him and protected him until his appointed time. If we're in Christ, and if God gave His only begotten Son for us, shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Will He not give us protection? Will He not give us provision? Will He not give us His mercy? Of course He will.

[John Weaver] And if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation, the last two verses in the book of Jude, This is the icing on the cake. I want you to look. What is written? In fact, I could point out verse one, let me read verse one first, Jude, verse one, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James to them that are sanctified by God, the father and what preserved in Jesus Christ and called now go to verse 24. Look how he praises God.

[John Weaver] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling. And to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Till the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty and dominion and power both now and forever. Amen. Notice now unto him that is able to keep you from falling. And to present you blameless. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good plan of protection to me.

[John Weaver] I think it's even better than Medicare and Medicaid. So here is the prayer. We see the trust in His prayer. Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust Go back in your Bible to Psalm 16, because I want you to look at verses two and three. I want to tie these together. Look in Psalm 16, verse one, preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord, my goodness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. Now, in this passage, verses two and three, we want to see his confession of trust in his prosperity. We saw his confession of trust in his prayer in verse one. Now the confession of trust in his prosperity.

[John Weaver] And I chose the word prosperity for a reason, because it will aptly apply to David and to Christ. The Hebrew word tobe is translated as good. prosperity, favor, wealth and precious in our Bibles. But the word prosperity refers to all that we accomplish. You could point out an extremely rich man and you would say he's very prosperous. You could point out a farmer that had good crops. He may not necessarily be rich, but we could say he's prospering. You could look at someone with good health and say he's prospering. The word prosperity covers a lot, so I want you to look in verse two. David says, oh, my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop right there. I want you to note what David says. Oh, my soul. Thou hast said to the Lord, thou art my Lord. Let me ask you a question, and I want you to think hard about this question. Have you ever said in your spirit, have you ever said in your soul, oh, my Lord, thou art my Lord. That is, have you confessed him in your spirit, in your soul, not with just lip service, But has there been that in your life where in the deepest and most part of your being, you said to the Lord, oh, my Lord, thou art my Lord. There's a big difference between acknowledging Christ with your lips and acknowledging Christ with the very depth of your soul.

[John Weaver] Do you realize one of the stinging complaints that God had against Israel of old is found in Isaiah 29 and verse 13? Let me just quote it for you. Listen to what God says. Wherefore the Lord saith, for as much as this people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of man. What is God saying?

[John Weaver] It's all a ritual with them. It's all a sermon. They're just going. They're saying it with their mouth. They don't mean it. There's no depth. There's no emotion. There's no desire. They're just saying it. You know, it's easy to say with your mouth, Jesus Christ is Lord. Remember what the word Lord means? It's the Greek word kurios. It means boss, owner, master, sovereign. When you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, you are saying you are my sovereign.

[John Weaver] You have the absolute right to tell me what to do, when to do, how to dress, how to act, how to speak, everything. You are my Lord. David said, Oh, my soul, thou hast said it of the Lord, thou art mine. Lord. And so, with David, it's not just lip service. With Christ, it was not lip service when he acknowledged God as his Father and as his God.

[John Weaver] Now, look what he said in verse 2. Oh, my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord. My goodness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints that are in all the earth, and to the excellent as whom is all my delight."

[John Weaver] Now, in order to understand verses 2 and 3, you must in some degree grasp the doctrine of the perfection of God. God is not only the most absolute simple being, He is also the most perfect being. Since God is absolutely perfect, nothing can be added to him. Since God is absolutely perfect, nothing can be taken from him. If you can add something to God, he was not perfect before. If you can take something from God, if he was perfect, he's no longer perfect. When you talk about the perfection of God, you're saying that God is the most perfect being Nothing can be added to him. Nothing can be taken from him.

[John Weaver] Now, in light of that, let me tell you that God does have an inherent glory. And God does have an external glory and they are two separate things. His inherent glory is absolutely perfect. And is never affected by anyone. by what anyone does or does not do. Do you realize that God is perfectly content in and of Himself? Whatever we do cannot add to God's inherent glory.

[John Weaver] Let's suppose everyone in this room today stood up and with one mouth and one heart magnified God and praised Him and glorified Him. As great as that might be, that adds nothing to God. Let's suppose that everyone in this room stood up and with one voice cursed God and denied God. That does not detract one thing from God. God is still God. And He still is the most perfect being. So, regardless of what men do, the inherent glory of God is not affected.

[John Weaver] Now, when we talk about people dishonoring God, And failing to glorify God, we're talking about God's external glory. Now, watch this. There is nothing added to God. He is so perfect that sin cannot hurt him, and he is so righteous that righteousness cannot benefit him. So what is David saying in verse two? David says, Oh, my soul. thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord, my goodness extendeth not unto thee." You see, nothing can touch God. God's external glory may be glorified or despised by our actions, but none of that even affects God's inherent glory. And when you and I are concerned about God's glory, It's God's external glory that we're concerned about. And it is true that men may honor or dishonor His external glory, but that still does not affect His inherent internal glory.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a quote before I develop this. I want you to listen carefully. Calvin said this in regards to Psalm 16, verses 2 and 3. He said, David begins by stating that he can bestow nothing upon God, not only because God stands in no need of anything, but also because mortal man cannot merit the favor of God by any service which he can perform. At the same time, however, he, David, takes courage, and as God accepts our devotion and the service which we yield to Him, David protests that he will be one of his servants. The import of this language is, I am indeed fully convinced in my heart, and know assuredly, that God can derive no profit or advantage from me.

[John Weaver] But notwithstanding this, I will join myself in fellowship with the Saints, and with one accord we may worship Him by the sacrifice of praise." Two things are distinctly laid down in this verse. The first is that God has a right to require of us whatever He pleases, seeing we are wholly bound to Him as our rightful proprietor and Lord. David, by ascribing him the power and dominion of the Lord, declares that both himself and all that he possesses are the property of God. The other, or particular, the second thing containing this verse is the acknowledgment which the psalmist makes of his own indigenous for his own poverty."

[John Weaver] So what is he saying? David is saying, my goodness, extend it not to me. In other words, Lord, you don't need anything I have. And anything I do does not profit you or benefit you one iota. But nevertheless, in spite of that knowledge, I'm going to be your servant. I'm going to serve you. I'm going to do my best to honor you and glorify you. Listen to me. David may have been a great man. He may have been a great warrior. He may have been a great saint. He may have ministered to God's people. He may have helped innumerable multitudes. Yet nothing he did added anything to God. God was already perfect. His prosperity did not extend to God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. If you and I are required to honor God and to minister to God, and we are. How do we do it? How can I say today that I am ministering to the Lord. How can I say that? Is it true? Yes, it's true. Let me ask you a question. Does God need my preaching? No. Does God need my exhortation? No. Does God need my counsel? No. Does God need my abilities? No. Well, how can I say that I'm ministering to the Lord?

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter six, and look at verse 10. Hebrews, chapter six, and notice, if you would please, verse 10. Notice carefully what the Scripture says. Look in Hebrews six, verse 10. Are you there? I want you to see this now. Watch carefully. Hebrews 6, verse 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. Now, am I ministering to God this morning? Yes, I am. Does God need my preaching and teaching? No, He doesn't. Well, how am I ministering to Him? by ministering to his people, by ministering to his saints. You need the preaching. You need the counsel. You need the teaching. Do you realize the only way that we can really minister to Christ is by ministering to his people? May I remind you what our Lord said in Matthew 25, verse 40.

[John Weaver] You know that passage where the sheep on the right, the goats on the left. And the sheep said, Lord, When saw we thee hungered, and fed thee, and thirsty, and gave thee water? When saw we sick, and ministered unto thee? When saw we thee imprisoned, and ministered unto thee? And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, help me out, you have done it unto me."

[John Weaver] How do we minister to God? By ministering to each other. God doesn't need anything we have. In fact, we wouldn't have anything if he didn't give it to us. You know, I get so tickled sometimes. Cows, you know, dumb brute beast. Yet I go out there with that golf cart. And they'll come running. And they'll hear me banging around The food bin, and they come. You know, the Bible says the ox knoweth his crib and his stall. But then he said, my people doth not know, my people doth not consider. In other words, sometimes we're dumber than brute beasts.

[John Weaver] But the interesting thing is, occasionally I'll feed a cow. And of course, all of them are protective of their feed, but I'll put the feed down. And occasionally one of them will look at me, probably been irritated by this, kind of shake the head at me like that. And I thought, Now, wait a minute. If I didn't want you to have it, I never would have given it to you to begin with. Don't shake your head at me.

[John Weaver] Everything you got, I gave you. Do you realize everything we have and everything we are, God gave us? And if He didn't want us to have it, He wouldn't have given it to us to begin with. And so if we gave Him everything we had, we're not adding anything to Him because everything we had came from Him to begin with. William Secker said it like this, one of the old Puritans. He said, it is a greater glory to us that we are allowed to serve God than it is to him that we offer him that service.

[John Weaver] He is not rendered happy by us, but we are made happy by him. He can do without such earthly service, but we cannot do without such a heavenly master. He can do without us, but we can't do without him. What I want to do is apply this same truth that I'm making concerning David to Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, watch what he said in verse two. Oh, my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, my Lord, my righteousness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints and all the earth and the earth and to the excellent whom is all my delight.

[John Weaver] Now, not only did David not add anything to the father, The perfection and beauty and merits of Jesus Christ added nothing to the Father. Now listen. Here is a quote by Spurgeon. Spurgeon quoting and commenting on verses two and three. He says this. My goodness extendeth not to thee. The work of our Lord Jesus was not needful on any account of any necessity in the divine being.

[John Weaver] Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished and had no atonement been offered. Although the real work and death agony of the Son did reflect unparalleled luster upon every attribute of God, yet the most blessed and infinitely happy God stood in no need of the obedience and death of His Son. It was for our sakes that the work of redemption was undertaken, and not because of any lack or want on the part of the Most High.

[John Weaver] How modestly does the Savior estimate His own goodness! What overwhelming reasons have we for imitating His humility! If thou be righteous, says Job, what givest thou him, or what receiveth he of thy hand?"

[John Weaver] Now, here's what Spurgeon is saying. Here's what the Bible teaches. The most perfection of Jesus Christ, the obedience of Jesus Christ, everything that Christ did, every way that He honored God the Father, still added nothing to God. Well, who benefited from the work of Christ if it was not the Father? Well, there it is. Verse 2, My goodness extendeth not to thee, says Christ to the Father, But to the saints that are in the earth and to the excellent and whom is all my delight. We are the ones who benefited from the person and work of Jesus Christ. You know what the Bible says in Isaiah 53 in verse 10, this verse refers to the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] And I want you to listen carefully. The Bible says, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Now, wait a minute. Did you hear what I just said? The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. What pleasure of the Lord is he talking about? The beginning of the verse, but it pleased the Lord to bruise him. In other words, the life, the death, the sufferings of the Lord will prosper in his hands. How will it prosper?

[John Weaver] Because he gives that to the saints who are in the earth. Doesn't add anything to God the Father, but it added something to us. His prosperity was our benefit, for our benefit. You know what he did? He not only demonstrated his confidence in his prayer, he demonstrated his confidence in his prosperity because what God the Father ordained God the Son to do prospered in his hands.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to make one application, just one, and this application is a quote Listen to what Calvin said concerning Psalm 16 verses 1-3. He said, This is a prayer in which David commits himself to the protection of God. He does not, however, here implore the aid of God in some particular emergency, as he often does in other psalms, but he beseeches him to show himself his protector during the whole course of his life. and indeed our safety both in life and in death depends entirely upon our being under the protection of God. What follows concerning trust signifies much the same thing as if the Holy Spirit assured us by the mouth of David that God is ready to succor all of us provided we rely upon Him with a sure and steadfast faith. And He takes under His protection none but those who commit themselves to Him with their whole heart. At the same time, we must be reminded that David, supported by this trust, continued firm and unmoved amidst all the storms of adversity with which he was buffeted.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what I'm trying to tell you. Here's what Calvin is saying. Just because we put our trust in the Lord and he preserves and protects us does not mean that we'll never face storms, does not mean that we'll never face trials. does not mean that we'll never have any troubles, but what it does mean is that God will preserve us and protect us through the storms, through the trials, through the troubles. Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. What a golden song. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask today for Your blessing, for Your grace, for Your help, Help us, Lord, to trust Thee as David did. Help us to trust Thee as Christ did. And may we say, Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust. Lord, we ask Your blessing upon those here. We pray especially for Jane, Lord, and for Kathy, and for Harry and Monica, and for Tom and Gay, and for these that have been mentioned on the prayer list.

[John Weaver] We hold them up unto Thee. And help us, Lord, and help them to trust Thee, and in through our Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.

[John Weaver] You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R, C-O-R-N, Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-7000.

[John Weaver] You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

Psalm 16 - Part 1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	97081821292
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans-Related Topical Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-04-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 159: Psalm 16 — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	87

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Psalm 16, verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 16:1-11

"Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Introduction: The Golden Psalm

Weaver discusses the title 'Michtam of David' and various scholarly interpretations, concluding that the psalm is a precious, golden composition about Christ.

Now, I want you to look at the title of this psalm. It is given to us right above verse 1. It says, "Michtam of David." Michtam of David. Now, the message today I've just entitled, "The Golden Psalm." Because this title, the Michtam of David, is found first in Psalm 16, then it is found in Psalm 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60. But Psalm 16 is the very first occurrence of it. Scholars are divided as to the meaning of the word "michtam." Some derive it from the Hebrew word "kethem," which seems to indicate a golden crest or a golden jewel. Other scholars seem to think that this is the beginning of a song which at one time was very common. Still others say that "michtam" refers to a tune. But there was one scholar who pointed out that he believed the word actually meant "to mark" or "to engrave," and to denote that this psalm is worthy to be engraven or marked on a valuable and durable pillar. In fact, there was one scholar who said this, that it could be used as a sepulchral inscription, that is, a writing on a tombstone. He went on to say, "As a sepulchral inscription, it might have been written on our Redeemer's tomb as a triumphal monument.

It might have been sung by him in the region of the departed spirits, and in either, or in any sense, it may be well considered as a golden composition, as apples of gold in a network of which occur, and the titles of psalms are often names of old melodies." So, the scholars are divided, basically, as to what the word "michtam" means. Now, one of the classic commentators is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He's the preacher's preacher, but Spurgeon said this concerning Psalm 16. He says, "This is usually understood to mean the golden psalm, and such a title is most appropriate, for the matter is of most fine gold. Ainsworth calls it David's jewel or notable psalm. Dr. Hawker, who is always alive to passages full of savor, devoutly cries, 'Some have rendered it precious, others golden, and others precious jewels.'

And as the Holy Ghost, by the Apostles Peter and Paul, has shown us that it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ, what is here said of Him is precious, is golden, is a jewel indeed." So some, then, have referred to Psalm 16 as the psalm of the precious secret. Now, scholars may be divided as to what the word "michtam" actually means, but no Bible believer will deny that this psalm is important, it's relevant, and the subject matter concerns, of course, Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry, one of the old commentators, said this, and I love just what he said in the opening line. He said, "This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ. This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ. It begins with such expressions of devotion that may be applied to Christ, but concludes with such confidence of a resurrection, and so timely one as to prevent corruption, as must be applied to Christ, to him only, and cannot be understood of David, as the Apostle Peter and Paul have observed." Now, it is true that David wrote Psalm 16, and certainly there are applications in this psalm that may refer to David. The main applications in this psalm would refer to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and it might be accurately said that the whole psalm reflects the life and leaning of Jesus Christ upon His Father.

New Testament Application to Christ

Peter and Paul apply Psalm 16:8-11 directly to Jesus' resurrection, confirming the psalm's messianic nature.

Now, if you look in Psalm 16, beginning there with verse 8, look what it says: "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn over in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2, and let me show you first how Peter applies this passage directly to Christ. We'll come back to this passage later on in this study. We'll look at Acts chapter 2, beginning there with verse 25. Acts 2, verse 25.

And here we have this quote: "For David speaketh concerning him, that is Christ, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses."

So what does Peter do in Acts chapter 2? He takes Psalm 16, verses 8 through 11, and applies it directly to Jesus Christ. Now, if you will turn over to Acts chapter 13, and look there, beginning with verse 34. Acts 13 and verse 34. In fact, we can actually begin reading there with verse 33. Acts 13, verse 33. Paul is preaching, and he says, "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." So he's quoting the second psalm there. "And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Psalm 16, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, that is, he died, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.

Scripture Reading — Acts 13:33-37

But he whom God raised again saw no corruption."

So once again, the Bible is applying Psalm 16 directly to Jesus Christ. No wonder it's called a golden psalm. No wonder it's called a precious jewel or the psalm of the precious secret. Because this psalm deals with the life, the leaning, the death, the resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Jesus Christ. And I like what the Bible says in Acts 2 and verse 25. Peter said it like this: "David speaketh concerning him." In other words, everything that David was writing in Psalm 16 actually concerned Jesus Christ. Now, if you'll go back to Psalm 16, I want us to examine this psalm under three simple heads.

Threefold Structure of Trust

The psalm is divided into confession of trust (vv. 1-3), contentment of trust (vv. 4-7), and confidence of trust (vv. 8-11).

We're certainly not going to cover all three points today. In fact, we're only going to cover one point. But first of all, I want you to see that there is a confession of trust, and you're going to find that in verses 1 through 3. Secondly, there is the contentment of trust in verses 4 through 7. And then lastly, there's the confidence of trust in verses 8 through 11.

Now, our Lord is to be our supreme example in every way. We're not only to follow him in reference to his obedience to the Father, we're also to follow him in his trust to the Father. The next time you read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—I want you to take note of something. I want you to take note how often and how many times Jesus Christ refers to God as His Father. Let me give you an example. In Matthew 10, verses 32 and 33, our Lord says this: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." So Jesus Christ is referring to God as his father. Now, I want you to take note of something. I want you to understand that since we are in Christ as Christians, as believers, God is not just simply our God. He is not just simply our sovereign.

Confession of Trust in Prayer (v. 1)

David's plea 'Preserve me, O God' reflects trust as fleeing to God for refuge, a trust exemplified by Christ.

He is not just simply our Lord and our master. He is our father. You know what our Lord said in John 20, verse 17? He said to Mary, let me just quote it. He said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

So Psalm 16 may apply directly to Jesus Christ, but we've got to remember that he is our example in all things. In fact, 1 Peter 2 and verse 21 tells us that

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:21

Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

So He's to be our example in all things. So first of all today, I want you to look at this confession of trust. David begins with this prayer: "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Now, we may take David's prayer for preservation as he fled from Saul and his numerous enemies. But his prayer here is a prayer that he would be preserved unto God's promised kingdom, not just simply the kingdom that God promised David, but he's talking about that eternal kingdom. So you can say that in this prayer, there is a temporal request and there is an eternal request. Yes, David wanted to be preserved until God elevated him to the throne where he could rule over Israel. But David also wanted to be preserved unto that eternal kingdom as well.

So there is a temporal and an eternal aspect to this request. Now, when he says, "Preserve me, O God," the word "preserve" here is expressive of actions of someone watching over another person. For instance, guards who are attending to their king, guarding and protecting, or a shepherd watching over the flock, guarding and protecting the sheep. So David is saying, "Preserve me, O God." In other words, he's saying, "Guard me and protect me."

Now, notice what he said. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." David is confessing that his trust is totally and completely in God. Let me just tell you, this is indeed a most powerful plea. I want you to think about this. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." It's not only a powerful plea, but this plea is extremely honoring and glorifying to God. Trusting in Him is one of the highest honors that we can give Him. Why? Because when you trust in God, we are recognizing His sovereignty, His grace, His mercy, His power, His goodness. And so when we trust in God, what we're actually doing is this: we're recognizing that God is on the throne. In essence, we're acknowledging the crown is upon His head, that He is the rightful ruler of everything. And when we also say, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust," it not only places God where He ought to be, that is on his throne, it places us where we ought to be, at his feet, begging for mercy. So here's this prayer. Now, the Hebrew word for trust is the word "chasah." It is translated as "trust" or "to make a refuge" or "to have hope." When he says, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I trust," he's saying, "In thee do I place my refuge, in thee do I place my hope." So the word "trust" now has the implication of someone fleeing to another for protection.

Let me just very quickly show you how this word is used up until Psalm 16, OK? Look in Psalm 5, and I'm just dealing with the book of Psalms right now, but look in Psalm 5 and verse 11. Now, I told you the word "trust" indicates that you're fleeing to someone for protection, for refuge, for a place of hope and safety. So in Psalm 5 and verse 11, notice what David says in this passage. Same word, "trust."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 5:11

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."

Now, what did David say? David said, "I'm putting my trust in you because you're defending me." In other words, I'm running to you for protection. Look in Psalm 7 and verse 1: "O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:1

"Save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me."

Wow. Very obviously, if David is fleeing to God as a place of refuge, as a place of hope, he's saying,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:1

"Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me."

I'm just trying to show you the word "trust" has the implication of fleeing to someone for help. Look at Psalm 9 and verse 10. Psalm 9, verse 10. David says, "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." In other words, "Lord, you're not going to turn me away when I flee to you for protection." And then if you look in Psalm 11 and verse 1: "In the Lord put I my trust." "How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" Why should I run? Why should I worry? Why should I be afraid when the Lord is my trust, my refuge, my hope? And then you look in Psalm 16, verse 1. He says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:1

"Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust."

So what is the prayer doing? It is a prayer for protection over all. It is a prayer that God would guard and sustain and preserve him in every possible way.

Now, I told you that certainly David wrote this psalm. And there are applications that could be made to David. That is true. But we've already seen in the New Testament that this psalm speaks particularly of Jesus Christ. So let me ask you a question. Did Jesus Christ trust the Father? And the answer is He trusted Him implicitly. Did Jesus Christ seek to be sustained, preserved, and protected by the Father? And the answer is yes, and he certainly was not disappointed.

Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but I do want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 42. I want to read a passage and then I want to go to the New Testament and try to illustrate how Psalm 16, verse 1 applies to Jesus Christ. So if you look in Isaiah 42, this is indeed a messianic passage. And you're going to see this passage, of course, applies to none other than Christ himself. Isaiah 42. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Isaiah 42, verse 1, just so that you can see this is Christ and Christ alone. God says,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:1-8

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

God's Preservation of Christ

Scriptural examples show the Father guarding Jesus from infancy through His ministry, fulfilling the prayer of Psalm 16:1.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:1-8

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, talking about Christ, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." Now, what is God saying in Isaiah 42?

He says, "I've got my servant, my elect, my Messiah. I'm going to hold his hand. I'm going to—look what he says in verse 6: 'I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee.'" Would you like to know what the Hebrew word for "keep" means? It means to guard and protect and preserve and to watch over. What did the Father tell the Son? "I have chosen you to be the mediator. I've chosen you to be the God-man. I've chosen you to be the Lord, the Savior, and I'm going to hold your hand and I am going to keep you."

Now, the interesting thing: In Matthew 12 and verse 18, this passage in Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Christ, because there it is said of Christ,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 12:18

"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles."

Luke says it just a little differently in Luke 2, verse 32. He says that he is to be "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." But Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Now, let's ask a question. Did the Father keep Christ? Did He preserve him and protect him? And the answer is yes. Do you remember the duplicity of Herod in Matthew chapter 2? You remember those wise men came and inquired concerning where Christ was to be born. And Herod, oh, that old fox, as Christ called him, when he found out that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, in Matthew 2, verse 8, listen to this: "And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." Did Herod really want to worship Christ? Oh, no.

He wanted to kill him. He did not want any competition. And so the Bible says in Matthew 2, verse 12, that those wise men, being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. I wonder who it was that was guarding and protecting the child. And do you remember a little bit later when Herod saw that these men had not obeyed him and his plans had been foiled? Well, now he thought, "Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make sure that I get the young child." So he sent to have all children, all male children, two years old and under, murdered. And the Bible says in Matthew 2, verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 2:8, 12-13, 22

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

I wonder who it was that sent Christ and Joseph and Mary down into Egypt. Hmm. And you remember after Herod died?

His son, of course, reigning instead. So Joseph and Mary decided they would come back into the land. And we're told in Matthew 2, verse 22, "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee." What was God doing? Guarding, protecting, and keeping Christ, even as a child. When Christ matured, you remember, after John baptized him, He was led out in the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, being tempted of the devil. But the Bible tells us in the book of Mark, chapter 1 and verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Mark 1:13

"And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."

Hmm. I wonder who sent those angels. I wonder who was guarding and protecting and preserving him.

And look in your Bibles. I want you to see this one. Look in Luke chapter 4. Look in Luke chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 28. Luke 4 and verse 28. Jesus opens his ministry here in Nazareth. In fact, let's begin reading verse 22. This to me is so astounding. I've preached on this passage before, but look at Luke 4 and verse 22. "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" Now watch this. Jesus Christ was teaching and preaching and all these people said, "Oh, listen to him. Isn't he wonderful? Isn't this marvelous? Isn't this right? Is not this Joseph's son? Wait a minute. We raised this boy. He's one of us." Now watch this. They bear witness of the gracious words. Watch verse 23. "And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.

Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." Now watch this. He said, "You're surely going to say to me, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we've heard done in Capernaum, do here in your own country." In other words, here's what they're saying. Now, listen, they're saying, "Lord, whatever you've done over there in Alabama, you do for us here and more because we're your hometown folks. We helped raise you. You owe us." That was the implication.

And look what he said. Now watch carefully. When he said in verse 24, "Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." He says, "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow." A woman outside of Israel. Watch verse 27: "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." Now, wait a minute. What is our Lord saying? Look, folks. He said, "Let me tell you something. There are many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but none of them were taken care of except this one Sidonian woman. And she wasn't an Israelite. Many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha. None of them were healed but Naaman. And he was a Syrian." You know what our Lord was telling these people?

"I don't owe you anything. Anything you get from me is grace. It is not justice. It is not merit. It is grace." And watch what happens: "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath." Isn't it amazing? It went from hearing His gracious words to being filled with wrath. "And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way."

I wonder who protected him at that time. I wonder who kept that infuriated mob from killing him. Well, of course, it was none other than the Father. I want you to look in John 7. Watch this.

Now remember, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Look at John 7. John 7, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — John 7:1, 30

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him."

He walked in Galilee. He would not walk in Jewry. Why? Because the Jews sought to kill him. Have you ever asked yourself this question? Out of all those Jews that were alive, you mean all of them together could not kill one man? They wanted him dead. They wanted to kill him, but they couldn't. And if you look in John 7 and verse 30, I want you to notice what the Bible says. John 7 and verse 30. "Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him." Why? Because his hour was not yet come. Now ask yourself this question: Who was protecting Christ? Who was preserving Christ? What did the Father say? "I'll hold thy hand and I will keep thee." All the Jews in the world could not kill Christ, because Christ was being protected by God the Father. And if you look in your Bibles to John 12, just to show you, when it came time for Christ to die, He was more than willing to die. Look what He said in John 12 and verse 27. He said, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour." Our Lord said, "I came to die. And I'm not going to say, 'Save me from this death.' I came to die." But He came to die in an appointed way and an appointed time by the will of the Father. And there was not one finger going to be laid upon him until that day and that hour and that time and that manner of death.

We must remember that in Christ—and by the way, now listen. We are in him. We are his body. In Christ. Listen carefully. Neither the assaults of Satan, the hatred of our enemies, the circumstances under which we live, the ignorance of truth by the multitudes, nor the powerful weapons of our enemies can destroy us before our time. Here it is. Let me spell it out dogmatically. In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die. We cannot be killed. We cannot be stopped because we are in him.

Application to Believers

Because believers are in Christ, they share in His preservation; no weapon formed against them will prosper, and God will keep them until their appointed time.

Let me show you this. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 54. You've got to see this promise. Look in Isaiah 54. And I want you to watch verse 17. Isaiah 54, verse 17. I don't know about you, but I sure want to learn to pray with David: "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." But notice Isaiah 54, and notice verse 17. Look what God says. We're in Christ now. Look what he says. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." What is God saying? God is saying, "I'm able to protect you. I'm able to guard you and preserve you. It doesn't matter what man says. It doesn't matter what man does. It doesn't matter what they conspire to do. I am quite capable of taking care of you." Did God the Father preserve Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane? Yes, He did. Did He preserve Jesus Christ through all the physical torture and the sufferings of the Romans which they inflicted upon Him? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him through the hatred and the enmity of the Jews? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him through the weight of sin that was imputed upon him because of our sins? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him from death and corruption? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him into his heavenly kingdom? Yes, He did. He raised him from the dead and Christ ascended and is sat down on the right hand of God.

It was God who preserved and protected David. It was God who preserved and protected Christ. Now you say, "But how does all this apply to me? What do I get out of this?" Well, thank you for asking. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Watch carefully what the Bible says. Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there in verse 31. Remember, we are in Christ. Romans 8, look at it in verse 31. Here's what the scripture says: "What shall we then say to these things?" Everything that Paul has mentioned from Romans 1 through chapter 8. "What then shall we say to these things?

If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Now let me ask you a question. If we are in Christ, if God be for us, who can be against us? What is he saying? Who can accomplish anything? The enemy may fight. The enemy may plan and scheme. The enemy may want to murder and destroy. But if God be for us, He's quite able to protect us and overthrow their plans and their schemes and their wicked desires.

And then he said, watch carefully, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Do you think that we are any less protected since we're in Christ? I just showed you what God the Father did for Christ. He preserved him and protected him until his appointed time. If we're in Christ, and if God gave His only begotten Son for us, shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Will He not give us protection? Will He not give us provision? Will He not give us His mercy? Of course He will.

Scripture Reading — Jude 1, 24

And if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation, the last two verses in the book of Jude, this is the icing on the cake. I want you to look. What is written? In fact, I could point out verse 1. Let me read verse 1 first. Jude, verse 1: "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Now go to verse 24. Look how he praises God.

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Notice: "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you blameless." I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good plan of protection to me. I think it's even better than Medicare and Medicaid. So here is the prayer. We see the trust in His prayer. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Go back in your Bible to Psalm 16, because I want you to look at verses 2 and 3. I want to tie these together. Look in Psalm 16, verse 1: "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Verse 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight." Now, in this passage, verses 2 and 3, we want to see his confession of trust in his prosperity. We saw his confession of trust in his prayer in verse 1. Now the confession of trust in his prosperity.

Confession of Trust in Prosperity (vv. 2-3)

David acknowledges that his goodness adds nothing to God's perfection; service to God is rendered by ministering to His saints.

And I chose the word "prosperity" for a reason, because it will aptly apply to David and to Christ. The Hebrew word "tov" is translated as "good," "prosperity," "favor," "wealth," and "precious" in our Bibles. But the word "prosperity" refers to all that we accomplish. You could point out an extremely rich man and you would say he's very prosperous. You could point out a farmer that had good crops. He may not necessarily be rich, but we could say he's prospering. You could look at someone with good health and say he's prospering. The word "prosperity" covers a lot. So I want you to look in verse 2. David says, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord."

Now, let me just stop right there. I want you to note what David says. "O my soul, thou hast said to the Lord, Thou art my Lord." Let me ask you a question, and I want you to think hard about this question. Have you ever said in your spirit, have you ever said in your soul, "O my Lord, thou art my Lord"? That is, have you confessed him in your spirit, in your soul, not with just lip service, but has there been that in your life where in the deepest and most part of your being, you said to the Lord, "O my Lord, thou art my Lord"? There's a big difference between acknowledging Christ with your lips and acknowledging Christ with the very depth of your soul. Do you realize one of the stinging complaints that God had against Israel of old is found in Isaiah 29 and verse 13? Let me just quote it for you. Listen to what God says: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." What is God saying?

It's all a ritual with them. It's all a sermon. They're just going. They're saying it with their mouth. They don't mean it. There's no depth. There's no emotion. There's no desire. They're just saying it. You know, it's easy to say with your mouth, "Jesus Christ is Lord." Remember what the word "Lord" means? It's the Greek word "kurios." It means boss, owner, master, sovereign. When you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, you are saying, "You are my sovereign.

You have the absolute right to tell me what to do, when to do, how to dress, how to act, how to speak, everything. You are my Lord." David said, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord." And so, with David, it's not just lip service. With Christ, it was not lip service when he acknowledged God as his Father and as his God. Now, look what he said in verse 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."

Now, in order to understand verses 2 and 3, you must in some degree grasp the doctrine of the perfection of God. God is not only the most absolute simple being, He is also the most perfect being. Since God is absolutely perfect, nothing can be added to him. Since God is absolutely perfect, nothing can be taken from him. If you can add something to God, he was not perfect before. If you can take something from God, if he was perfect, he's no longer perfect. When you talk about the perfection of God, you're saying that God is the most perfect being. Nothing can be added to him. Nothing can be taken from him.

Now, in light of that, let me tell you that God does have an inherent glory. And God does have an external glory, and they are two separate things. His inherent glory is absolutely perfect and is never affected by anyone, by what anyone does or does not do. Do you realize that God is perfectly content in and of Himself? Whatever we do cannot add to God's inherent glory. Let's suppose everyone in this room today stood up and with one mouth and one heart magnified God and praised Him and glorified Him. As great as that might be, that adds nothing to God. Let's suppose that everyone in this room stood up and with one voice cursed God and denied God. That does not detract one thing from God. God is still God. And He still is the most perfect being. So, regardless of what men do, the inherent glory of God is not affected.

Now, when we talk about people dishonoring God and failing to glorify God, we're talking about God's external glory. Now, watch this. There is nothing added to God. He is so perfect that sin cannot hurt him, and he is so righteous that righteousness cannot benefit him. So what is David saying in verse 2? David says, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not unto thee." You see, nothing can touch God. God's external glory may be glorified or despised by our actions, but none of that even affects God's inherent glory. And when you and I are concerned about God's glory, it's God's external glory that we're concerned about. And it is true that men may honor or dishonor His external glory, but that still does not affect His inherent internal glory.

Now, let me give you a quote before I develop this. I want you to listen carefully. Calvin said this in regards to Psalm 16, verses 2 and 3. He said, "David begins by stating that he can bestow nothing upon God, not only because God stands in no need of anything, but also because mortal man cannot merit the favor of God by any service which he can perform. At the same time, however, he, David, takes courage, and as God accepts our devotion and the service which we yield to Him, David protests that he will be one of his servants. The import of this language is, 'I am indeed fully convinced in my heart, and know assuredly, that God can derive no profit or advantage from me.

But notwithstanding this, I will join myself in fellowship with the saints, and with one accord we may worship Him by the sacrifice of praise.' Two things are distinctly laid down in this verse. The first is that God has a right to require of us whatever He pleases, seeing we are wholly bound to Him as our rightful proprietor and Lord. David, by ascribing him the power and dominion of the Lord, declares that both himself and all that he possesses are the property of God. The other, or particular, the second thing containing this verse is the acknowledgment which the psalmist makes of his own indigence, for his own poverty."

So what is he saying? David is saying, "My goodness extendeth not to thee." In other words, "Lord, you don't need anything I have. And anything I do does not profit you or benefit you one iota. But nevertheless, in spite of that knowledge, I'm going to be your servant. I'm going to serve you. I'm going to do my best to honor you and glorify you." Listen to me. David may have been a great man. He may have been a great warrior. He may have been a great saint. He may have ministered to God's people. He may have helped innumerable multitudes. Yet nothing he did added anything to God. God was already perfect. His prosperity did not extend to God.

Now, let me ask you a question. If you and I are required to honor God and to minister to God—and we are—how do we do it? How can I say today that I am ministering to the Lord? How can I say that? Is it true? Yes, it's true. Let me ask you a question. Does God need my preaching? No. Does God need my exhortation? No. Does God need my counsel? No. Does God need my abilities? No. Well, how can I say that I'm ministering to the Lord?

Christ's Prosperity Benefits the Saints

Christ's perfect work added nothing to the Father but prospered for the benefit of believers, fulfilling the Father's pleasure.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 6, and look at verse 10. Hebrews, chapter 6, and notice, if you would please, verse 10. Notice carefully what the Scripture says. Look in Hebrews 6, verse 10. Are you there? I want you to see this now. Watch carefully. Hebrews 6, verse 10: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Now, am I ministering to God this morning? Yes, I am. Does God need my preaching and teaching? No, He doesn't. Well, how am I ministering to Him? By ministering to his people, by ministering to his saints. You need the preaching. You need the counsel. You need the teaching. Do you realize the only way that we can really minister to Christ is by ministering to his people? May I remind you what our Lord said in Matthew 25, verse 40.

You know that passage where the sheep on the right, the goats on the left. And the sheep said, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?" And the king shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." How do we minister to God? By ministering to each other. God doesn't need anything we have. In fact, we wouldn't have anything if he didn't give it to us. You know, I get so tickled sometimes. Cows, you know, dumb brute beast. Yet I go out there with that golf cart, and they'll come running. And they'll hear me banging around the food bin, and they come. You know, the Bible says the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. In other words, sometimes we're dumber than brute beasts.

But the interesting thing is, occasionally I'll feed a cow. And of course, all of them are protective of their feed, but I'll put the feed down. And occasionally one of them will look at me, probably been irritated by this, kind of shake the head at me like that. And I thought, "Now, wait a minute. If I didn't want you to have it, I never would have given it to you to begin with. Don't shake your head at me. Everything you got, I gave you." Do you realize everything we have and everything we are, God gave us? And if He didn't want us to have it, He wouldn't have given it to us to begin with. And so if we gave Him everything we had, we're not adding anything to Him because everything we had came from Him to begin with. William Secker said it like this, one of the old Puritans. He said, "It is a greater glory to us that we are allowed to serve God than it is to him that we offer him that service.

He is not rendered happy by us, but we are made happy by him. He can do without such earthly service, but we cannot do without such a heavenly master. He can do without us, but we can't do without him." What I want to do is apply this same truth that I'm making concerning David to Jesus Christ. Now, watch what he said in verse 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."

Now, not only did David not add anything to the Father, the perfection and beauty and merits of Jesus Christ added nothing to the Father. Now listen. Here is a quote by Spurgeon. Spurgeon quoting and commenting on verses 2 and 3. He says this: "'My goodness extendeth not to thee.' The work of our Lord Jesus was not needful on any account of any necessity in the divine being. Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished and had no atonement been offered. Although the real work and death agony of the Son did reflect unparalleled luster upon every attribute of God, yet the most blessed and infinitely happy God stood in no need of the obedience and death of His Son. It was for our sakes that the work of redemption was undertaken, and not because of any lack or want on the part of the Most High.

How modestly does the Saviour estimate His own goodness! What overwhelming reasons have we for imitating His humility! 'If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?'" Now, here's what Spurgeon is saying. Here's what the Bible teaches. The most perfection of Jesus Christ, the obedience of Jesus Christ, everything that Christ did, every way that He honored God the Father, still added nothing to God. Well, who benefited from the work of Christ if it was not the Father? Well, there it is. Verse 2: "My goodness extendeth not to thee," says Christ to the Father, "but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight." We are the ones who benefited from the person and work of Jesus Christ. You know what the Bible says in Isaiah 53, verse 10? This verse refers to the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

And I want you to listen carefully. The Bible says, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." Now, wait a minute. Did you hear what I just said? "The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." What pleasure of the Lord is he talking about? The beginning of the verse: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him." In other words, the life, the death, the sufferings of the Lord will prosper in his hands. How will it prosper? Because he gives that to the saints who are in the earth. Doesn't add anything to God the Father, but it added something to us. His prosperity was for our benefit. You know what he did? He not only demonstrated his confidence in his prayer, he demonstrated his confidence in his prosperity because what God the Father ordained God the Son to do prospered in his hands.

Conclusion: Trust Amidst Trials

Trusting God does not eliminate storms but ensures preservation through them, as Calvin noted.

Now, I want to make one application, just one, and this application is a quote. Listen to what Calvin said concerning Psalm 16, verses 1-3. He said, "This is a prayer in which David commits himself to the protection of God. He does not, however, here implore the aid of God in some particular emergency, as he often does in other psalms, but he beseeches him to show himself his protector during the whole course of his life. And indeed our safety both in life and in death depends entirely upon our being under the protection of God. What follows concerning trust signifies much the same thing as if the Holy Spirit assured us by the mouth of David that God is ready to succor all of us provided we rely upon Him with a sure and steadfast faith. And He takes under His protection none but those who commit themselves to Him with their whole heart. At the same time, we must be reminded that David, supported by this trust, continued firm and unmoved amidst all the storms of adversity with which he was buffeted."

Now, here's what I'm trying to tell you. Here's what Calvin is saying. Just because we put our trust in the Lord and he preserves and protects us does not mean that we'll never face storms, does not mean that we'll never face trials, does not mean that we'll never have any troubles, but what it does mean is that God will preserve us and protect us through the storms, through the trials, through the troubles. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." What a golden song. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask today for Your blessing, for Your grace, for Your help. Help us, Lord, to trust Thee as David did. Help us to trust Thee as Christ did. And may we say, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Lord, we ask Your blessing upon those here. We pray especially for Jane, Lord, and for Kathy, and for Harry and Monica, and for Tom and Gay, and for these that have been mentioned on the prayer list.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Messianic Nature of Psalm 16

Summary: The psalm is primarily about Jesus Christ, as confirmed by apostolic interpretation in Acts.

Evidence: Weaver cites Acts 2:25-32 and Acts 13:34-37 where Peter and Paul apply Psalm 16:8-11 to Christ's resurrection.

Trust as Refuge in God

Summary: The Hebrew word for trust implies fleeing to God for protection, a theme central to the psalm.

Evidence: Weaver explains 'chasah' and illustrates with Psalms 5:11, 7:1, 9:10, and 11:1.

Divine Preservation of Christ

Summary: God the Father actively preserved Jesus throughout His earthly life until His appointed death.

Evidence: Examples include the flight to Egypt (Matt. 2), protection in Nazareth (Luke 4), and the Jews' inability to seize Him before His hour (John 7).

Believers' Security in Christ

Summary: Because believers are united with Christ, they share in His preservation and cannot be destroyed before God's time.

Evidence: Weaver references Romans 8:31-32, Isaiah 54:17, and Jude 24 to assert that God protects His people.

God's Perfection and Human Service

Summary: God's inherent glory is unaffected by human actions; our service benefits the saints, not God.

Evidence: Weaver explains that nothing can be added to or taken from God's perfection, citing Psalm 16:2 and Hebrews 6:10.

Christ's Work Benefits Believers

Summary: Christ's obedience and death added nothing to the Father but prospered for the salvation of the saints.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Spurgeon and references Isaiah 53:10 to show that Christ's goodness extends to the saints.

Key Arguments

Psalm 16 is a messianic psalm about Christ

Summary: The New Testament explicitly applies Psalm 16:8-11 to Jesus' resurrection, proving its primary reference is to Christ.

Evidence: Acts 2:25-32 and Acts 13:34-37 are cited as direct apostolic interpretations.

Trust in God is a plea for protection

Summary: The Hebrew 'chasah' means to flee for refuge, making 'Preserve me, O God' a prayer for divine guardianship.

Evidence: Weaver traces the word through Psalms 5, 7, 9, and 11 to show its connotation of seeking shelter.

God preserved Christ throughout His life

Summary: The Father's promise in Isaiah 42:6 to hold Christ's hand and keep Him was fulfilled in numerous biblical events.

Evidence: Weaver recounts Herod's plot, the wilderness temptation, the Nazareth mob, and the Jews' failed attempts to kill Jesus.

Believers are immortal until God's appointed time

Summary: Union with Christ guarantees that no enemy can destroy a believer before God's ordained moment.

Evidence: Weaver states dogmatically: 'In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die.'

Human goodness does not profit God

Summary: God's perfection means He needs nothing from us; our service is directed toward His people.

Evidence: Weaver explains the doctrine of divine perfection and cites Hebrews 6:10 and Matthew 25:40.

Christ's work was for our sake, not God's need

Summary: The Father was not lacking anything; redemption was undertaken for the benefit of the saints.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished.'

Scripture References

Psalm 16:1-11

Context: The entire psalm is read at the beginning as the text for the sermon.

Acts 2:25-32

Context: Peter applies Psalm 16:8-11 to Christ's resurrection, showing David spoke of Christ.

Acts 13:33-37

Context: Paul quotes Psalm 16:10 to prove Christ's resurrection and that His body saw no corruption.

Matthew 10:32-33

Context: Jesus refers to God as His Father, illustrating Christ's trust in the Father.

John 20:17

Context: Jesus tells Mary He ascends to 'my Father, and your Father,' showing shared relationship.

1 Peter 2:21

Context: Christ is our example in suffering and trust.

Psalm 5:11

Context: Used to illustrate the Hebrew word for trust as fleeing to God for defense.

Psalm 7:1

Context: David trusts God to save him from persecutors, showing trust as refuge.

Psalm 9:10

Context: Those who know God's name trust Him, for He does not forsake seekers.

Psalm 11:1

Context: David trusts in the Lord and questions why he should flee like a bird.

Isaiah 42:1-8

Context: Messianic prophecy where God promises to hold Christ's hand and keep Him.

Matthew 12:18

Context: Isaiah 42 is applied to Christ, confirming His identity as God's chosen servant.

Matthew 2:8, 12-13, 22

Context: God's protection of the infant Christ through warnings to the wise men and Joseph.

Mark 1:13

Context: Angels ministered to Jesus during His temptation, showing divine preservation.

Luke 4:22-30

Context: Jesus passes through an angry mob unharmed, illustrating God's protection.

John 7:1, 30

Context: The Jews sought to kill Jesus but could not because His hour had not come.

John 12:27

Context: Jesus acknowledges He came for the hour of His death, trusting the Father's timing.

Isaiah 54:17

Context: Promise that no weapon formed against God's servants will prosper.

Romans 8:31-32

Context: If God is for us, no one can be against us; He will freely give us all things.

Jude 1, 24

Context: Believers are preserved in Christ and kept from falling by God's power.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Quoted as calling Psalm 16 a golden psalm and commenting on its messianic content.

Matthew Henry

Context: Cited for his comment that the psalm has something of David but much of Christ.

John Calvin

Context: Quoted extensively on Psalm 16:2-3 regarding God's perfection and human service.

William Secker

Context: Puritan writer quoted on the privilege of serving God.

Ainsworth

Context: Referred to by Spurgeon as calling Psalm 16 'David's jewel or notable psalm.'

Dr. Hawker

Context: Mentioned by Spurgeon as a commentator who saw the psalm as precious and golden.

Important Quotes

This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ.

Significance: Summarizes the dual application of the psalm, emphasizing its primary messianic focus.

Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

Significance: The central prayer of the sermon, exemplifying trust as fleeing to God for protection.

In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die.

Significance: A bold assertion of the believer's security in God's sovereign protection.

My goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

Significance: Key verse showing that human goodness does not benefit God but is directed to His people.

It is a greater glory to us that we are allowed to serve God than it is to him that we offer him that service.

Significance: Highlights the privilege of serving God, who needs nothing from us.

Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished and had no atonement been offered.

Significance: Spurgeon's quote emphasizing God's self-sufficiency and that redemption was for our sake.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding Psalm 16 as primarily about Christ change the way we read and apply it?

Context: Weaver emphasizes the messianic interpretation based on Acts 2 and 13.

What does it mean to 'put your trust' in God as a refuge, and how can we cultivate that kind of trust in daily life?

Context: The Hebrew word 'chasah' implies fleeing to God for protection.

In what ways have you experienced God's preservation in your own life, even amidst trials?

Context: Weaver assures that trust does not eliminate storms but ensures preservation through them.

How does the truth that 'my goodness extendeth not to thee' affect our motivation for serving God and others?

Context: Weaver explains that God's perfection means He needs nothing from us; our service benefits the saints.

Why is it significant that Christ's work added nothing to the Father but prospered for our benefit?

Context: Spurgeon's quote and Isaiah 53:10 are used to show the purpose of redemption.

How can we practically minister to the Lord by ministering to His saints?

Context: Hebrews 6:10 and Matthew 25:40 are cited to show that service to believers is service to Christ.

Applications

Pray for God's preservation with trust

Summary: Believers should emulate David and Christ by praying for God's protection, trusting Him as their refuge.

Evidence: Weaver urges, 'I sure want to learn to pray with David: Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.'

Rest in God's sovereign protection

Summary: Because we are in Christ, we can be confident that no enemy can harm us before God's appointed time.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die.'

Serve God by serving His people

Summary: Since our goodness does not profit God, we minister to Him by ministering to the saints.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The only way that we can really minister to Christ is by ministering to his people.'

Acknowledge Christ as Lord from the soul

Summary: True confession of Christ's lordship must come from the depth of our being, not mere lip service.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Have you ever said in your spirit... O my Lord, thou art my Lord?'

Trust God through trials

Summary: Trusting God does not remove storms but ensures His preservation through them.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Calvin: 'David, supported by this trust, continued firm... amidst all the storms of adversity.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:34:58Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:01:18Z

Clean Transcript

Psalm 16 - Part 1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Psalm 16, verse 1: "Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
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The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
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Now, I want you to look at the title of this psalm. It is given to us right above verse 1. It says, "Michtam of David." Michtam of David.
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Now, the message today I've just entitled, "The Golden Psalm." Because this title, the Michtam of David, is found first in Psalm 16, then it is found in Psalm 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60. But Psalm 16 is the very first occurrence of it. Scholars are divided as to the meaning of the word "michtam." Some derive it from the Hebrew word "kethem," which seems to indicate a golden crest or a golden jewel. Other scholars seem to think that this is the beginning of a song which at one time was very common. Still others say that "michtam" refers to a tune. But there was one scholar who pointed out that he believed the word actually meant "to mark" or "to engrave," and to denote that this psalm is worthy to be engraven or marked on a valuable and durable pillar. In fact, there was one scholar who said this, that it could be used as a sepulchral inscription, that is, a writing on a tombstone. He went on to say, "As a sepulchral inscription, it might have been written on our Redeemer's tomb as a triumphal monument.
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It might have been sung by him in the region of the departed spirits, and in either, or in any sense, it may be well considered as a golden composition, as apples of gold in a network of which occur, and the titles of psalms are often names of old melodies." So, the scholars are divided, basically, as to what the word "michtam" means.
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Now, one of the classic commentators is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He's the preacher's preacher, but Spurgeon said this concerning Psalm 16. He says, "This is usually understood to mean the golden psalm, and such a title is most appropriate, for the matter is of most fine gold. Ainsworth calls it David's jewel or notable psalm. Dr. Hawker, who is always alive to passages full of savor, devoutly cries, 'Some have rendered it precious, others golden, and others precious jewels.'
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And as the Holy Ghost, by the Apostles Peter and Paul, has shown us that it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ, what is here said of Him is precious, is golden, is a jewel indeed." So some, then, have referred to Psalm 16 as the psalm of the precious secret.
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Now, scholars may be divided as to what the word "michtam" actually means, but no Bible believer will deny that this psalm is important, it's relevant, and the subject matter concerns, of course, Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry, one of the old commentators, said this, and I love just what he said in the opening line. He said, "This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ. This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ. It begins with such expressions of devotion that may be applied to Christ, but concludes with such confidence of a resurrection, and so timely one as to prevent corruption, as must be applied to Christ, to him only, and cannot be understood of David, as the Apostle Peter and Paul have observed." Now, it is true that David wrote Psalm 16, and certainly there are applications in this psalm that may refer to David. The main applications in this psalm would refer to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and it might be accurately said that the whole psalm reflects the life and leaning of Jesus Christ upon His Father.
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Now, if you look in Psalm 16, beginning there with verse 8, look what it says: "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn over in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2, and let me show you first how Peter applies this passage directly to Christ. We'll come back to this passage later on in this study. We'll look at Acts chapter 2, beginning there with verse 25. Acts 2, verse 25.
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And here we have this quote: "For David speaketh concerning him, that is Christ, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses."
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So what does Peter do in Acts chapter 2? He takes Psalm 16, verses 8 through 11, and applies it directly to Jesus Christ. Now, if you will turn over to Acts chapter 13, and look there, beginning with verse 34. Acts 13 and verse 34. In fact, we can actually begin reading there with verse 33. Acts 13, verse 33. Paul is preaching, and he says, "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." So he's quoting the second psalm there. "And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Psalm 16, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, that is, he died, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.
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But he whom God raised again saw no corruption." So once again, the Bible is applying Psalm 16 directly to Jesus Christ. No wonder it's called a golden psalm. No wonder it's called a precious jewel or the psalm of the precious secret. Because this psalm deals with the life, the leaning, the death, the resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Jesus Christ. And I like what the Bible says in Acts 2 and verse 25. Peter said it like this: "David speaketh concerning him." In other words, everything that David was writing in Psalm 16 actually concerned Jesus Christ. Now, if you'll go back to Psalm 16, I want us to examine this psalm under three simple heads.
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We're certainly not going to cover all three points today. In fact, we're only going to cover one point. But first of all, I want you to see that there is a confession of trust, and you're going to find that in verses 1 through 3. Secondly, there is the contentment of trust in verses 4 through 7. And then lastly, there's the confidence of trust in verses 8 through 11.
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Now, our Lord is to be our supreme example in every way. We're not only to follow him in reference to his obedience to the Father, we're also to follow him in his trust to the Father. The next time you read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—I want you to take note of something. I want you to take note how often and how many times Jesus Christ refers to God as His Father. Let me give you an example. In Matthew 10, verses 32 and 33, our Lord says this: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." So Jesus Christ is referring to God as his father. Now, I want you to take note of something. I want you to understand that since we are in Christ as Christians, as believers, God is not just simply our God. He is not just simply our sovereign.
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He is not just simply our Lord and our master. He is our father. You know what our Lord said in John 20, verse 17? He said to Mary, let me just quote it. He said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
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So Psalm 16 may apply directly to Jesus Christ, but we've got to remember that he is our example in all things. In fact, 1 Peter 2 and verse 21 tells us that Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. So He's to be our example in all things. So first of all today, I want you to look at this confession of trust. David begins with this prayer: "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Now, we may take David's prayer for preservation as he fled from Saul and his numerous enemies. But his prayer here is a prayer that he would be preserved unto God's promised kingdom, not just simply the kingdom that God promised David, but he's talking about that eternal kingdom. So you can say that in this prayer, there is a temporal request and there is an eternal request. Yes, David wanted to be preserved until God elevated him to the throne where he could rule over Israel. But David also wanted to be preserved unto that eternal kingdom as well.
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So there is a temporal and an eternal aspect to this request. Now, when he says, "Preserve me, O God," the word "preserve" here is expressive of actions of someone watching over another person. For instance, guards who are attending to their king, guarding and protecting, or a shepherd watching over the flock, guarding and protecting the sheep. So David is saying, "Preserve me, O God." In other words, he's saying, "Guard me and protect me."
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Now, notice what he said. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." David is confessing that his trust is totally and completely in God. Let me just tell you, this is indeed a most powerful plea. I want you to think about this. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." It's not only a powerful plea, but this plea is extremely honoring and glorifying to God.
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Trusting in Him is one of the highest honors that we can give Him. Why? Because when you trust in God, we are recognizing His sovereignty, His grace, His mercy, His power, His goodness. And so when we trust in God, what we're actually doing is this: we're recognizing that God is on the throne. In essence, we're acknowledging the crown is upon His head, that He is the rightful ruler of everything. And when we also say, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust," it not only places God where He ought to be, that is on his throne, it places us where we ought to be, at his feet, begging for mercy. So here's this prayer. Now, the Hebrew word for trust is the word "chasah." It is translated as "trust" or "to make a refuge" or "to have hope." When he says, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I trust," he's saying, "In thee do I place my refuge, in thee do I place my hope." So the word "trust" now has the implication of someone fleeing to another for protection.
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Let me just very quickly show you how this word is used up until Psalm 16, OK? Look in Psalm 5, and I'm just dealing with the book of Psalms right now, but look in Psalm 5 and verse 11.
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Now, I told you the word "trust" indicates that you're fleeing to someone for protection, for refuge, for a place of hope and safety. So in Psalm 5 and verse 11, notice what David says in this passage. Same word, "trust." "But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee." Now, what did David say? David said, "I'm putting my trust in you because you're defending me." In other words, I'm running to you for protection. Look in Psalm 7 and verse 1: "O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust."
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"Save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me." Wow. Very obviously, if David is fleeing to God as a place of refuge, as a place of hope, he's saying, "Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me." I'm just trying to show you the word "trust" has the implication of fleeing to someone for help. Look at Psalm 9 and verse 10. Psalm 9, verse 10. David says, "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." In other words, "Lord, you're not going to turn me away when I flee to you for protection." And then if you look in Psalm 11 and verse 1: "In the Lord put I my trust."
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"How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" Why should I run? Why should I worry? Why should I be afraid when the Lord is my trust, my refuge, my hope? And then you look in Psalm 16, verse 1. He says, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." So what is the prayer doing? It is a prayer for protection over all. It is a prayer that God would guard and sustain and preserve him in every possible way.
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Now, I told you that certainly David wrote this psalm. And there are applications that could be made to David. That is true. But we've already seen in the New Testament that this psalm speaks particularly of Jesus Christ. So let me ask you a question. Did Jesus Christ trust the Father? And the answer is He trusted Him implicitly. Did Jesus Christ seek to be sustained, preserved, and protected by the Father? And the answer is yes, and he certainly was not disappointed.
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Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but I do want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah chapter 42. I want to read a passage and then I want to go to the New Testament and try to illustrate how Psalm 16, verse 1 applies to Jesus Christ. So if you look in Isaiah 42, this is indeed a messianic passage. And you're going to see this passage, of course, applies to none other than Christ himself. Isaiah 42.
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And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Isaiah 42, verse 1, just so that you can see this is Christ and Christ alone. God says, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
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A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, talking about Christ, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." Now, what is God saying in Isaiah 42?
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He says, "I've got my servant, my elect, my Messiah. I'm going to hold his hand. I'm going to—look what he says in verse 6: 'I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee.'" Would you like to know what the Hebrew word for "keep" means? It means to guard and protect and preserve and to watch over. What did the Father tell the Son?
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"I have chosen you to be the mediator. I've chosen you to be the God-man. I've chosen you to be the Lord, the Savior, and I'm going to hold your hand and I am going to keep you."
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Now, the interesting thing: In Matthew 12 and verse 18, this passage in Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Christ, because there it is said of Christ, "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles." Luke says it just a little differently in Luke 2, verse 32. He says that he is to be "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." But Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
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Now, let's ask a question. Did the Father keep Christ? Did He preserve him and protect him? And the answer is yes. Do you remember the duplicity of Herod in Matthew chapter 2? You remember those wise men came and inquired concerning where Christ was to be born. And Herod, oh, that old fox, as Christ called him, when he found out that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, in Matthew 2, verse 8, listen to this: "And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." Did Herod really want to worship Christ? Oh, no.
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He wanted to kill him. He did not want any competition. And so the Bible says in Matthew 2, verse 12, that those wise men, being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. I wonder who it was that was guarding and protecting the child. And do you remember a little bit later when Herod saw that these men had not obeyed him and his plans had been foiled?
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Well, now he thought, "Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make sure that I get the young child." So he sent to have all children, all male children, two years old and under, murdered. And the Bible says in Matthew 2, verse 13, "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." I wonder who it was that sent Christ and Joseph and Mary down into Egypt. Hmm. And you remember after Herod died?
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His son, of course, reigning instead. So Joseph and Mary decided they would come back into the land. And we're told in Matthew 2, verse 22, "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee." What was God doing?
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Guarding, protecting, and keeping Christ, even as a child. When Christ matured, you remember, after John baptized him, He was led out in the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, being tempted of the devil. But the Bible tells us in the book of Mark, chapter 1 and verse 13, "And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him." Hmm. I wonder who sent those angels. I wonder who was guarding and protecting and preserving him.
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And look in your Bibles. I want you to see this one. Look in Luke chapter 4. Look in Luke chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 28. Luke 4 and verse 28. Jesus opens his ministry here in Nazareth. In fact, let's begin reading verse 22. This to me is so astounding. I've preached on this passage before, but look at Luke 4 and verse 22. "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.
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And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" Now watch this. Jesus Christ was teaching and preaching and all these people said, "Oh, listen to him. Isn't he wonderful? Isn't this marvelous? Isn't this right? Is not this Joseph's son? Wait a minute. We raised this boy. He's one of us." Now watch this. They bear witness of the gracious words. Watch verse 23. "And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself.
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Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." Now watch this. He said, "You're surely going to say to me, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we've heard done in Capernaum, do here in your own country." In other words, here's what they're saying. Now, listen, they're saying, "Lord, whatever you've done over there in Alabama, you do for us here and more because we're your hometown folks. We helped raise you. You owe us." That was the implication.
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And look what he said. Now watch carefully. When he said in verse 24, "Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." He says, "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow." A woman outside of Israel. Watch verse 27: "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." Now, wait a minute.
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What is our Lord saying? Look, folks. He said, "Let me tell you something. There are many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but none of them were taken care of except this one Sidonian woman. And she wasn't an Israelite. Many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha. None of them were healed but Naaman. And he was a Syrian." You know what our Lord was telling these people?
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"I don't owe you anything. Anything you get from me is grace. It is not justice. It is not merit. It is grace." And watch what happens: "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath." Isn't it amazing? It went from hearing His gracious words to being filled with wrath. "And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way."
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I wonder who protected him at that time. I wonder who kept that infuriated mob from killing him. Well, of course, it was none other than the Father. I want you to look in John 7. Watch this.
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Now remember, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Look at John 7. John 7, verse 1. "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him." He walked in Galilee. He would not walk in Jewry. Why? Because the Jews sought to kill him. Have you ever asked yourself this question? Out of all those Jews that were alive, you mean all of them together could not kill one man? They wanted him dead. They wanted to kill him, but they couldn't. And if you look in John 7 and verse 30, I want you to notice what the Bible says. John 7 and verse 30. "Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him." Why?
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Because his hour was not yet come. Now ask yourself this question: Who was protecting Christ? Who was preserving Christ? What did the Father say? "I'll hold thy hand and I will keep thee." All the Jews in the world could not kill Christ, because Christ was being protected by God the Father. And if you look in your Bibles to John 12, just to show you, when it came time for Christ to die, He was more than willing to die. Look what He said in John 12 and verse 27. He said, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour." Our Lord said, "I came to die. And I'm not going to say, 'Save me from this death.' I came to die." But He came to die in an appointed way and an appointed time by the will of the Father. And there was not one finger going to be laid upon him until that day and that hour and that time and that manner of death.
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We must remember that in Christ—and by the way, now listen. We are in him. We are his body. In Christ. Listen carefully. Neither the assaults of Satan, the hatred of our enemies, the circumstances under which we live, the ignorance of truth by the multitudes, nor the powerful weapons of our enemies can destroy us before our time. Here it is. Let me spell it out dogmatically. In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die. We cannot be killed. We cannot be stopped because we are in him.
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Let me show you this. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 54. You've got to see this promise. Look in Isaiah 54. And I want you to watch verse 17. Isaiah 54, verse 17. I don't know about you, but I sure want to learn to pray with David: "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." But notice Isaiah 54, and notice verse 17. Look what God says. We're in Christ now. Look what he says. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
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This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." What is God saying? God is saying, "I'm able to protect you. I'm able to guard you and preserve you. It doesn't matter what man says. It doesn't matter what man does. It doesn't matter what they conspire to do. I am quite capable of taking care of you." Did God the Father preserve Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane? Yes, He did. Did He preserve Jesus Christ through all the physical torture and the sufferings of the Romans which they inflicted upon Him? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him through the hatred and the enmity of the Jews? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him through the weight of sin that was imputed upon him because of our sins? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him from death and corruption? Yes, He did. Did He preserve him into his heavenly kingdom? Yes, He did. He raised him from the dead and Christ ascended and is sat down on the right hand of God.
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It was God who preserved and protected David. It was God who preserved and protected Christ.
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Now you say, "But how does all this apply to me? What do I get out of this?" Well, thank you for asking. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Watch carefully what the Bible says. Romans chapter 8, and let's begin reading there in verse 31. Remember, we are in Christ. Romans 8, look at it in verse 31. Here's what the scripture says: "What shall we then say to these things?" Everything that Paul has mentioned from Romans 1 through chapter 8. "What then shall we say to these things?
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If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
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Now let me ask you a question. If we are in Christ, if God be for us, who can be against us? What is he saying? Who can accomplish anything? The enemy may fight. The enemy may plan and scheme. The enemy may want to murder and destroy. But if God be for us, He's quite able to protect us and overthrow their plans and their schemes and their wicked desires.
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And then he said, watch carefully, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Do you think that we are any less protected since we're in Christ? I just showed you what God the Father did for Christ. He preserved him and protected him until his appointed time. If we're in Christ, and if God gave His only begotten Son for us, shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Will He not give us protection? Will He not give us provision? Will He not give us His mercy? Of course He will.
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And if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation, the last two verses in the book of Jude, this is the icing on the cake. I want you to look. What is written? In fact, I could point out verse 1. Let me read verse 1 first. Jude, verse 1: "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Now go to verse 24. Look how he praises God.
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"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Notice: "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you blameless." I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good plan of protection to me.
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I think it's even better than Medicare and Medicaid. So here is the prayer. We see the trust in His prayer. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Go back in your Bible to Psalm 16, because I want you to look at verses 2 and 3. I want to tie these together. Look in Psalm 16, verse 1: "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Verse 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight." Now, in this passage, verses 2 and 3, we want to see his confession of trust in his prosperity. We saw his confession of trust in his prayer in verse 1. Now the confession of trust in his prosperity.
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And I chose the word "prosperity" for a reason, because it will aptly apply to David and to Christ. The Hebrew word "tov" is translated as "good," "prosperity," "favor," "wealth," and "precious" in our Bibles. But the word "prosperity" refers to all that we accomplish. You could point out an extremely rich man and you would say he's very prosperous. You could point out a farmer that had good crops. He may not necessarily be rich, but we could say he's prospering. You could look at someone with good health and say he's prospering. The word "prosperity" covers a lot. So I want you to look in verse 2. David says, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord."
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Now, let me just stop right there. I want you to note what David says. "O my soul, thou hast said to the Lord, Thou art my Lord." Let me ask you a question, and I want you to think hard about this question. Have you ever said in your spirit, have you ever said in your soul, "O my Lord, thou art my Lord"? That is, have you confessed him in your spirit, in your soul, not with just lip service, but has there been that in your life where in the deepest and most part of your being, you said to the Lord, "O my Lord, thou art my Lord"? There's a big difference between acknowledging Christ with your lips and acknowledging Christ with the very depth of your soul.
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Do you realize one of the stinging complaints that God had against Israel of old is found in Isaiah 29 and verse 13? Let me just quote it for you. Listen to what God says: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." What is God saying?
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It's all a ritual with them. It's all a sermon. They're just going. They're saying it with their mouth. They don't mean it. There's no depth. There's no emotion. There's no desire. They're just saying it. You know, it's easy to say with your mouth, "Jesus Christ is Lord." Remember what the word "Lord" means? It's the Greek word "kurios." It means boss, owner, master, sovereign. When you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, you are saying, "You are my sovereign.
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You have the absolute right to tell me what to do, when to do, how to dress, how to act, how to speak, everything. You are my Lord." David said, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord." And so, with David, it's not just lip service. With Christ, it was not lip service when he acknowledged God as his Father and as his God.
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Now, look what he said in verse 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."
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Now, in order to understand verses 2 and 3, you must in some degree grasp the doctrine of the perfection of God. God is not only the most absolute simple being, He is also the most perfect being. Since God is absolutely perfect, nothing can be added to him. Since God is absolutely perfect, nothing can be taken from him. If you can add something to God, he was not perfect before. If you can take something from God, if he was perfect, he's no longer perfect. When you talk about the perfection of God, you're saying that God is the most perfect being. Nothing can be added to him. Nothing can be taken from him.
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Now, in light of that, let me tell you that God does have an inherent glory. And God does have an external glory, and they are two separate things. His inherent glory is absolutely perfect and is never affected by anyone, by what anyone does or does not do. Do you realize that God is perfectly content in and of Himself? Whatever we do cannot add to God's inherent glory.
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Let's suppose everyone in this room today stood up and with one mouth and one heart magnified God and praised Him and glorified Him. As great as that might be, that adds nothing to God. Let's suppose that everyone in this room stood up and with one voice cursed God and denied God. That does not detract one thing from God. God is still God. And He still is the most perfect being. So, regardless of what men do, the inherent glory of God is not affected.
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Now, when we talk about people dishonoring God and failing to glorify God, we're talking about God's external glory. Now, watch this. There is nothing added to God. He is so perfect that sin cannot hurt him, and he is so righteous that righteousness cannot benefit him. So what is David saying in verse 2? David says, "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not unto thee." You see, nothing can touch God. God's external glory may be glorified or despised by our actions, but none of that even affects God's inherent glory. And when you and I are concerned about God's glory, it's God's external glory that we're concerned about. And it is true that men may honor or dishonor His external glory, but that still does not affect His inherent internal glory.
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Now, let me give you a quote before I develop this. I want you to listen carefully. Calvin said this in regards to Psalm 16, verses 2 and 3. He said, "David begins by stating that he can bestow nothing upon God, not only because God stands in no need of anything, but also because mortal man cannot merit the favor of God by any service which he can perform. At the same time, however, he, David, takes courage, and as God accepts our devotion and the service which we yield to Him, David protests that he will be one of his servants. The import of this language is, 'I am indeed fully convinced in my heart, and know assuredly, that God can derive no profit or advantage from me.
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But notwithstanding this, I will join myself in fellowship with the saints, and with one accord we may worship Him by the sacrifice of praise.' Two things are distinctly laid down in this verse. The first is that God has a right to require of us whatever He pleases, seeing we are wholly bound to Him as our rightful proprietor and Lord. David, by ascribing him the power and dominion of the Lord, declares that both himself and all that he possesses are the property of God. The other, or particular, the second thing containing this verse is the acknowledgment which the psalmist makes of his own indigence, for his own poverty."
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So what is he saying? David is saying, "My goodness extendeth not to thee." In other words, "Lord, you don't need anything I have. And anything I do does not profit you or benefit you one iota. But nevertheless, in spite of that knowledge, I'm going to be your servant. I'm going to serve you. I'm going to do my best to honor you and glorify you." Listen to me. David may have been a great man. He may have been a great warrior. He may have been a great saint. He may have ministered to God's people. He may have helped innumerable multitudes. Yet nothing he did added anything to God. God was already perfect. His prosperity did not extend to God.
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Now, let me ask you a question. If you and I are required to honor God and to minister to God—and we are—how do we do it? How can I say today that I am ministering to the Lord? How can I say that? Is it true? Yes, it's true. Let me ask you a question. Does God need my preaching? No. Does God need my exhortation? No. Does God need my counsel? No. Does God need my abilities? No. Well, how can I say that I'm ministering to the Lord?
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 6, and look at verse 10. Hebrews, chapter 6, and notice, if you would please, verse 10. Notice carefully what the Scripture says. Look in Hebrews 6, verse 10. Are you there? I want you to see this now. Watch carefully. Hebrews 6, verse 10: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Now, am I ministering to God this morning? Yes, I am. Does God need my preaching and teaching? No, He doesn't. Well, how am I ministering to Him? By ministering to his people, by ministering to his saints. You need the preaching. You need the counsel. You need the teaching. Do you realize the only way that we can really minister to Christ is by ministering to his people? May I remind you what our Lord said in Matthew 25, verse 40.
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You know that passage where the sheep on the right, the goats on the left. And the sheep said, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?" And the king shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
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How do we minister to God? By ministering to each other. God doesn't need anything we have. In fact, we wouldn't have anything if he didn't give it to us. You know, I get so tickled sometimes. Cows, you know, dumb brute beast. Yet I go out there with that golf cart, and they'll come running. And they'll hear me banging around the food bin, and they come. You know, the Bible says the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. In other words, sometimes we're dumber than brute beasts.
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But the interesting thing is, occasionally I'll feed a cow. And of course, all of them are protective of their feed, but I'll put the feed down. And occasionally one of them will look at me, probably been irritated by this, kind of shake the head at me like that. And I thought, "Now, wait a minute. If I didn't want you to have it, I never would have given it to you to begin with. Don't shake your head at me.
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Everything you got, I gave you." Do you realize everything we have and everything we are, God gave us? And if He didn't want us to have it, He wouldn't have given it to us to begin with. And so if we gave Him everything we had, we're not adding anything to Him because everything we had came from Him to begin with. William Secker said it like this, one of the old Puritans. He said, "It is a greater glory to us that we are allowed to serve God than it is to him that we offer him that service.
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He is not rendered happy by us, but we are made happy by him. He can do without such earthly service, but we cannot do without such a heavenly master. He can do without us, but we can't do without him." What I want to do is apply this same truth that I'm making concerning David to Jesus Christ.
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Now, watch what he said in verse 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight."
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Now, not only did David not add anything to the Father, the perfection and beauty and merits of Jesus Christ added nothing to the Father. Now listen. Here is a quote by Spurgeon. Spurgeon quoting and commenting on verses 2 and 3. He says this: "'My goodness extendeth not to thee.' The work of our Lord Jesus was not needful on any account of any necessity in the divine being.
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Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished and had no atonement been offered. Although the real work and death agony of the Son did reflect unparalleled luster upon every attribute of God, yet the most blessed and infinitely happy God stood in no need of the obedience and death of His Son. It was for our sakes that the work of redemption was undertaken, and not because of any lack or want on the part of the Most High.
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How modestly does the Saviour estimate His own goodness! What overwhelming reasons have we for imitating His humility! 'If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?'"
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Now, here's what Spurgeon is saying. Here's what the Bible teaches. The most perfection of Jesus Christ, the obedience of Jesus Christ, everything that Christ did, every way that He honored God the Father, still added nothing to God. Well, who benefited from the work of Christ if it was not the Father? Well, there it is. Verse 2: "My goodness extendeth not to thee," says Christ to the Father, "but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight." We are the ones who benefited from the person and work of Jesus Christ. You know what the Bible says in Isaiah 53, verse 10? This verse refers to the sufferings of Jesus Christ.
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And I want you to listen carefully. The Bible says, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." Now, wait a minute. Did you hear what I just said? "The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." What pleasure of the Lord is he talking about? The beginning of the verse: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him." In other words, the life, the death, the sufferings of the Lord will prosper in his hands. How will it prosper?
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Because he gives that to the saints who are in the earth. Doesn't add anything to God the Father, but it added something to us. His prosperity was for our benefit. You know what he did? He not only demonstrated his confidence in his prayer, he demonstrated his confidence in his prosperity because what God the Father ordained God the Son to do prospered in his hands.
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Now, I want to make one application, just one, and this application is a quote. Listen to what Calvin said concerning Psalm 16, verses 1-3. He said, "This is a prayer in which David commits himself to the protection of God. He does not, however, here implore the aid of God in some particular emergency, as he often does in other psalms, but he beseeches him to show himself his protector during the whole course of his life. And indeed our safety both in life and in death depends entirely upon our being under the protection of God. What follows concerning trust signifies much the same thing as if the Holy Spirit assured us by the mouth of David that God is ready to succor all of us provided we rely upon Him with a sure and steadfast faith. And He takes under His protection none but those who commit themselves to Him with their whole heart. At the same time, we must be reminded that David, supported by this trust, continued firm and unmoved amidst all the storms of adversity with which he was buffeted."
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Now, here's what I'm trying to tell you. Here's what Calvin is saying. Just because we put our trust in the Lord and he preserves and protects us does not mean that we'll never face storms, does not mean that we'll never face trials, does not mean that we'll never have any troubles, but what it does mean is that God will preserve us and protect us through the storms, through the trials, through the troubles. "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." What a golden song. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask today for Your blessing, for Your grace, for Your help. Help us, Lord, to trust Thee as David did. Help us to trust Thee as Christ did. And may we say, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Lord, we ask Your blessing upon those here. We pray especially for Jane, Lord, and for Kathy, and for Harry and Monica, and for Tom and Gay, and for these that have been mentioned on the prayer list.
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We hold them up unto Thee. And help us, Lord, and help them to trust Thee, in and through our Saviour Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
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You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N, Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-7000.
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You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:34:58Z

Psalm 16 - Part 1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver introduces Psalm 16 as a 'Golden Psalm' (Michtam of David), emphasizing its messianic focus on Jesus Christ. He explores the confession of trust in verses 1-3, showing how David's prayer for preservation and acknowledgment of God's perfection applies ultimately to Christ and, by extension, to believers. The sermon highlights God's protective care over Christ throughout His life and assures believers of similar preservation in Christ.

Opening

Psalm 16, verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 16:1-11

"Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Introduction: The Golden Psalm

Weaver discusses the title 'Michtam of David' and various scholarly interpretations, concluding that the psalm is a precious, golden composition about Christ.

New Testament Application to Christ

Peter and Paul apply Psalm 16:8-11 directly to Jesus' resurrection, confirming the psalm's messianic nature.

Scripture Reading — Acts 13:33-37

But he whom God raised again saw no corruption."

Threefold Structure of Trust

The psalm is divided into confession of trust (vv. 1-3), contentment of trust (vv. 4-7), and confidence of trust (vv. 8-11).

Confession of Trust in Prayer (v. 1)

David's plea 'Preserve me, O God' reflects trust as fleeing to God for refuge, a trust exemplified by Christ.

So Psalm 16 may apply directly to Jesus Christ, but we've got to remember that he is our example in all things. In fact, 1 Peter 2 and verse 21 tells us that

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:21

Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 5:11

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:1

"Save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me."

Wow. Very obviously, if David is fleeing to God as a place of refuge, as a place of hope, he's saying,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:1

"Save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:1

"Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust."

So what is the prayer doing? It is a prayer for protection over all. It is a prayer that God would guard and sustain and preserve him in every possible way.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:1-8

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

God's Preservation of Christ

Scriptural examples show the Father guarding Jesus from infancy through His ministry, fulfilling the prayer of Psalm 16:1.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:1-8

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

Now, the interesting thing: In Matthew 12 and verse 18, this passage in Isaiah 42 is applied directly to Christ, because there it is said of Christ,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 12:18

"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 2:8, 12-13, 22

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

I wonder who it was that sent Christ and Joseph and Mary down into Egypt. Hmm. And you remember after Herod died?

Scripture Reading — Mark 1:13

"And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."

Hmm. I wonder who sent those angels. I wonder who was guarding and protecting and preserving him.

I wonder who protected him at that time. I wonder who kept that infuriated mob from killing him. Well, of course, it was none other than the Father. I want you to look in John 7. Watch this.

Now remember, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." Look at John 7. John 7, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — John 7:1, 30

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him."

Application to Believers

Because believers are in Christ, they share in His preservation; no weapon formed against them will prosper, and God will keep them until their appointed time.

Scripture Reading — Jude 1, 24

And if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation, the last two verses in the book of Jude, this is the icing on the cake. I want you to look. What is written? In fact, I could point out verse 1. Let me read verse 1 first. Jude, verse 1: "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Now go to verse 24. Look how he praises God.

Confession of Trust in Prosperity (vv. 2-3)

David acknowledges that his goodness adds nothing to God's perfection; service to God is rendered by ministering to His saints.

Christ's Prosperity Benefits the Saints

Christ's perfect work added nothing to the Father but prospered for the benefit of believers, fulfilling the Father's pleasure.

Conclusion: Trust Amidst Trials

Trusting God does not eliminate storms but ensures preservation through them, as Calvin noted.

Psalm 16 - Part 1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	97081821292
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans-Related Topical Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-04-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 159: Psalm 16 — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	87

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Golden Psalm: Weaver discusses the title 'Michtam of David' and various scholarly interpretations, concluding that the psalm is a precious, golden composition about Christ.
New Testament Application to Christ: Peter and Paul apply Psalm 16:8-11 directly to Jesus' resurrection, confirming the psalm's messianic nature.
Threefold Structure of Trust: The psalm is divided into confession of trust (vv. 1-3), contentment of trust (vv. 4-7), and confidence of trust (vv. 8-11).
Confession of Trust in Prayer (v. 1): David's plea 'Preserve me, O God' reflects trust as fleeing to God for refuge, a trust exemplified by Christ.
God's Preservation of Christ: Scriptural examples show the Father guarding Jesus from infancy through His ministry, fulfilling the prayer of Psalm 16:1.
Application to Believers: Because believers are in Christ, they share in His preservation; no weapon formed against them will prosper, and God will keep them until their appointed time.
Confession of Trust in Prosperity (vv. 2-3): David acknowledges that his goodness adds nothing to God's perfection; service to God is rendered by ministering to His saints.
Christ's Prosperity Benefits the Saints: Christ's perfect work added nothing to the Father but prospered for the benefit of believers, fulfilling the Father's pleasure.
Conclusion: Trust Amidst Trials: Trusting God does not eliminate storms but ensures preservation through them, as Calvin noted.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Psalm 16 is a messianic psalm about Christ

The New Testament explicitly applies Psalm 16:8-11 to Jesus' resurrection, proving its primary reference is to Christ.

Acts 2:25-32 and Acts 13:34-37 are cited as direct apostolic interpretations.

Trust in God is a plea for protection

The Hebrew 'chasah' means to flee for refuge, making 'Preserve me, O God' a prayer for divine guardianship.

Weaver traces the word through Psalms 5, 7, 9, and 11 to show its connotation of seeking shelter.

God preserved Christ throughout His life

The Father's promise in Isaiah 42:6 to hold Christ's hand and keep Him was fulfilled in numerous biblical events.

Weaver recounts Herod's plot, the wilderness temptation, the Nazareth mob, and the Jews' failed attempts to kill Jesus.

Believers are immortal until God's appointed time

Union with Christ guarantees that no enemy can destroy a believer before God's ordained moment.

Weaver states dogmatically: 'In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die.'

Human goodness does not profit God

God's perfection means He needs nothing from us; our service is directed toward His people.

Weaver explains the doctrine of divine perfection and cites Hebrews 6:10 and Matthew 25:40.

Christ's work was for our sake, not God's need

The Father was not lacking anything; redemption was undertaken for the benefit of the saints.

Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished.'

Scripture References

Psalm 16:1-11: The entire psalm is read at the beginning as the text for the sermon.
Acts 2:25-32: Peter applies Psalm 16:8-11 to Christ's resurrection, showing David spoke of Christ.
Acts 13:33-37: Paul quotes Psalm 16:10 to prove Christ's resurrection and that His body saw no corruption.
Matthew 10:32-33: Jesus refers to God as His Father, illustrating Christ's trust in the Father.
John 20:17: Jesus tells Mary He ascends to 'my Father, and your Father,' showing shared relationship.
1 Peter 2:21: Christ is our example in suffering and trust.
Psalm 5:11: Used to illustrate the Hebrew word for trust as fleeing to God for defense.
Psalm 7:1: David trusts God to save him from persecutors, showing trust as refuge.
Psalm 9:10: Those who know God's name trust Him, for He does not forsake seekers.
Psalm 11:1: David trusts in the Lord and questions why he should flee like a bird.
Isaiah 42:1-8: Messianic prophecy where God promises to hold Christ's hand and keep Him.
Matthew 12:18: Isaiah 42 is applied to Christ, confirming His identity as God's chosen servant.
Matthew 2:8, 12-13, 22: God's protection of the infant Christ through warnings to the wise men and Joseph.
Mark 1:13: Angels ministered to Jesus during His temptation, showing divine preservation.
Luke 4:22-30: Jesus passes through an angry mob unharmed, illustrating God's protection.
John 7:1, 30: The Jews sought to kill Jesus but could not because His hour had not come.
John 12:27: Jesus acknowledges He came for the hour of His death, trusting the Father's timing.
Isaiah 54:17: Promise that no weapon formed against God's servants will prosper.
Romans 8:31-32: If God is for us, no one can be against us; He will freely give us all things.
Jude 1, 24: Believers are preserved in Christ and kept from falling by God's power.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Quoted as calling Psalm 16 a golden psalm and commenting on its messianic content.
Matthew Henry: Cited for his comment that the psalm has something of David but much of Christ.
John Calvin: Quoted extensively on Psalm 16:2-3 regarding God's perfection and human service.
William Secker: Puritan writer quoted on the privilege of serving God.
Ainsworth: Referred to by Spurgeon as calling Psalm 16 'David's jewel or notable psalm.'
Dr. Hawker: Mentioned by Spurgeon as a commentator who saw the psalm as precious and golden.

Important Quotes

This psalm has something of David in it, but much of Christ.

Summarizes the dual application of the psalm, emphasizing its primary messianic focus.

Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

The central prayer of the sermon, exemplifying trust as fleeing to God for protection.

In Christ, we are immortal until the day that God has ordained that we die.

A bold assertion of the believer's security in God's sovereign protection.

My goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

Key verse showing that human goodness does not benefit God but is directed to His people.

It is a greater glory to us that we are allowed to serve God than it is to him that we offer him that service.

Highlights the privilege of serving God, who needs nothing from us.

Jehovah would have been inconceivably glorious had the human race perished and had no atonement been offered.

Spurgeon's quote emphasizing God's self-sufficiency and that redemption was for our sake.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding Psalm 16 as primarily about Christ change the way we read and apply it?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes the messianic interpretation based on Acts 2 and 13.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'put your trust' in God as a refuge, and how can we cultivate that kind of trust in daily life?

[Context]

The Hebrew word 'chasah' implies fleeing to God for protection.

[Question]

In what ways have you experienced God's preservation in your own life, even amidst trials?

[Context]

Weaver assures that trust does not eliminate storms but ensures preservation through them.

[Question]

How does the truth that 'my goodness extendeth not to thee' affect our motivation for serving God and others?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God's perfection means He needs nothing from us; our service benefits the saints.

[Question]

Why is it significant that Christ's work added nothing to the Father but prospered for our benefit?

[Context]

Spurgeon's quote and Isaiah 53:10 are used to show the purpose of redemption.

[Question]

How can we practically minister to the Lord by ministering to His saints?

[Context]

Hebrews 6:10 and Matthew 25:40 are cited to show that service to believers is service to Christ.

Applications

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