A Brief Explication of the First Fifty Psalms, Psalm 16
PSAL. XVI. Michtam of David.
David in this Psalm, finding himself in the state of grace, prayeth for preservation in general, in relation unto all dangers, and evils of body and soul, and whatsoever other evill, from which a godly man, with allowance of Gods word might pray to be preserved. His only reason to assure himself to be heard, is because he had gotten grace to trust in God. The sincerity of which faith in God, he proveth by sundry evidences, ver. 1, 2, 3, 4. In the second place he climbeth up to the comfort and joy of believing; And all the grounds of joy whereupon he goeth, do serve both to confirme his faith, and to give him assurance of the granting of his prayer, ver. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.
Ver. 1. PReserve me, O GOD: for in thee do I put my trust.
HE findeth himself in a good condition, and all the prayers he prayeth, is in one word, for preservation. Whence learn, 1. As our being, living, and moving natural, and our bringing into the spiritual and blessed estate of grace, is of the Lord, so is our keeping therein of the Lord also, and our duty is to acknowledg God in both, and to live unto, and pray for his upholding of us, and not to leane upon our owne wisdome, strength, or holinesse; For David teacheth so to doe. Preserve me, O God. 2. The grace of God having granted to us lively faith, setled on God, is a sufficient ground of our hope, and assurance to persevere, and to be still preserved, for this is the reason whereby David confirmeth his prayer, For in thee doe I put my trust.
Ver. 2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodnesse extendeth not to thee:
3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
Because he hath made his faith in God, the reason of his hope of perseverance, and of his having his prayer granted, he proveth the sincerity of his faith by five Evidences or fruits thereof. Whence learn, 1. The first solid evidence of the sincerity of saving Faith, is the testimony of the conscience, bearing witnesse to a man, that he hath layd hold on the covenant of grace, and hath chosen God for his protectour, and master, and that he is resolved to depend upon God, and to serve him, as David did, saying, O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord. 2. Another evidence of the sincerity of faith, is renunciation of all confidence in a mans owne works, and the rejecting of all conceit of any possibility of merit at Gods hand, who cannot be profited by our goodnesse; for we have what we have of him, and can never put an obligation on him by any thing which we can doe. My goodnesse doth not extend to thee. 3. A third fruit and evidence of faith, is love and kindnesse to the godly, and bestowing of our own goods for supplying their need, joyned with a high estimation of their preciousnesse, above the godlesse world, and with pleasure taking in their fellowship: so reckoneth the prophet, saying, My goodnesse extendeth not to thee, but to the Saints that are on the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight: where, by the way, let us observe, He knew no saints to whom he could be profitable, save only the Saints who are upon the earth.
Ver. 4. Their sorrowes shal be multiplied, that hasten after another god: their drink-offerings of bloud will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
A fourth fruit and evidence of faith, is, the hating of false religion, and counting all followers of idolatry, or worship of another god, then the true God, to be accursed; such a hating of false religion as is accompanied with the discountenancing, open discrediting, and abhorring of all idol service, as David expresseth here in the whole verse. Whence learne, 1. Men as they are naturally averse from following the true God, and the true religion; so are they naturally bent to all idolatry, and zealous in following idols, and any false religion. They hasten after another god.. 2. The more men do hasten after felicity, in the way of idolatry, they have the worse speede. For their sorrowes shall be multiplied that hasten after another God. 3. The more madly the world runne after idolatry, the more should the faithful man testifie his abominating thereof, as David doth. Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. He cannot speak of them without disdaine.
Ver. 5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
A fifth fruit and evidence of faith in God, is delight, and satisfaction in, and resting on God, as all-sufficient for the believers compleat happinesse, as the whole verse holdeth forth. Whence learne, 1. The believer hath as sure right unto God, as any man hath to the patrimony whereunto he is born; or any Tribe ever had to his share in the Land of Canaan. T… Lord is the portion of his inheritance. 2. The Lord is the believers lot and share▪ when the world are seeking, some one, some another temporal good; The Lord, and the light of his countenance, is the believers compleat good; whatsoever measure of earthly things is given to the godly beside, Levi's portion is his portion. The Lord is the portion of his inheritance. 3. The Lord is the believers livelihood, and the furnisher of his daily bread, He is the portion of his cup. 4. The Lord giveth himselfe to the believer for his felicity, as he also maintaineth the believer in the right unto, and possession of himself: Hee maintaineth his lot: and so, as the believer cometh to his right he hath unto God, not by his owne purchase, but by spirituall birth-right, as a child of Christ by faith, or by free donation of this inheritance, received of God by faith; so he may claim to God, and enjoy the possession of God, as firmly as his inheritance; as fully as if God were his particular property and portion; as sweetly as his daily food, and the portion of his domestick cup: and with as great quietnesse and security, as the immediate vassal of the mightiest Monarch, being willing, able, and ingaged most deeply to maintain his lot.
Ver. 6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have goodly heritage.
In the second place he climbeth up to the joy of faith, arising from the certaine perswasion, and present sense of his being in the state of grace; The reasons or grounds of his joy are six, The first reason of his joy, is founded upon the properties and self-sufficiency of God, compared to a goodly and pleasant heritage, which wanteth no commodity within it self. Whence learn, 1. Pleasure and profit, and all commodities of life are abundantly to be found in God; & whatsoever can be represented by any goodly heritage, lying in most pleasant places, is but a shadow of what is to be found in him, as the comparison taken from lower things here importeth. 2. The more the believer considereth what the Lord is, and what are his perfections, and what is the believers own interest in God, the more is he satisfied, and ravished in the beholding of God, and his owne felicity in him. No wonder therefore if David say, for the measuring out of this share to him, that his lines are fallen out to him in pleasant places, &c. 3. The believer hath liberty to appropriate God in a manner to himselfe, and in comparison with the share of the worldlings, to preferre his own portion above all ot…rs: This doth David, when he calleth God his own pleasant places, and his own heritage.
Ver. 7. I will blesse the Lord who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night season.
The second reason and ground of joy, is because God hath perswaded him to believe in the Messiah, or Christ to come, as is clear by the next verse, and that God has taken the directing of him▪ Whence learn, 1. As it is the work of God only, to give effectuall counsel to any man to believe in Christ; So also the way of perswasion of a soul to trust in God, is a way of working, proper onelyonly to God; for it maketh the man so free an agent, in the act of believing, as if Gods work were counsel only, and the work of active perswasion so invincible, as the work is effectually wrought, and infallibly: for he calleth the bestowing of saving faith, or grace to consent to the covenant of grace, a giving counsel: He hath given me counsel. 2. The glory of trusting in God, is not a matter of gloriation of the believer, in his own disposing of himself, but a matter of thanksgiving to God, and glorifying of him, who giveth the counsel to believe, and maketh the counsel to him effectual: For David saith, I will blesse the Lord who hath given me counsel, to wit, effectually; for faith is not of our selfe, it is the gift of God, wherein flexanimous power and voluntary consent are sweetly joyned together. 3. This mercy of powerfully perswading a soul to make choice of God, to close in covenant with him, and to trust in him, doth put a perpetuall obligation of thanksgiving unto God upon the believer, to make him say in all time coming and for ever, I will blesse the Lord, who hath given me counsel. 4. With the gift of saving faith, or perswasive counsel to believe in God, is joyned the sweet guiding and directing of the Lords Spirit, how to order the wayes of the believer: For here instruction of him in the night season, is joyned with the former mercy, and is made a reason of thanksgiving, and blessing of God. For he addeth, My reins also shall instruct me in the night season. 5. The framing of the will, desire, appetite, affections, inclinations, thoughts, and secret meditations, is so inward, secret and deep a work, as the Spirit of God thinks good to expresse this his giving discretion secretly to David, in the terms of the teaching of the reins, because they are the hiddest parts of the body, and nearest to the back of any of the inward noble parts; and because of the nature of the reins, which have much affinity with the affections, and have for their office the discretive purging of the blood, the natural furniture of life, My reins also instruct me in the night season.
Ver. 8. I have set the Lord alwayes before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
The third reason, and ground of joy, is the gift of the grace of God, making him alwayes keep his eye (for getting assistance, direction, and comfort) to good purpose, upon Jesus Christ, the Lord, of whom this place is exponed Act. 2.25. Whence learn, 1. The duty of the believer, and the way for him to have and retain joy in the Lord, is to fix the eye of faith alwaies, in all estates, on the Mediator, the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus, for direction, assistance, comfort, and delivery. For this was Davids way, I have set the Lord alway before my face. 2. Such as implore Jesus Christ for all things in all estates, shall be sure to have his effectuall presence neer hand to help him in time of need. For he is at such a mans right hand, at all times. 3. Faith, kept in excercise by employing of Jesus Christ, may have assurance of perseverance, and enjoying constantly the state of grace: what-ever alterations, and commotions come, their state shall stand fixed; they shall stand in grace; for upon this ground the Prophet saith, I shall never be moved.
Ver. 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoyceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope.
A fourth reason of joy abounding in his heart, and breaking forth in his words, is his victory over death, and the grave, by faith in Jesus Christ. Whence learn, 1. Faith in Christ is able not only to give peace that passeth understanding, but also to fill the heart with joy, and to make the tongue, which is a mans glory, above all other creatures, sometime to break forth in expressions of joy; for therefore saith he, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoyceth. 2. So great victory over death and the grave, is gotten by faith in Jesus Christ, that a believer can lay down his body in the grave, as in a bed, to rest it there, in hope of the resurrection; and here an instance and example for it. My flesh also shall rest in hope.
Ver. 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption.
The first reason of his joy, is the assurance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ his head, through whom he hopeth to be raised in his own order and time. Whence learn, 1. A believer is so nearly joyned with Christ, that he may give to him the styles of what is nearest and dearest to him, and call him his very life and soul, as here David saith of Christ, who behoved to rise again, Act. 2.25. Thou wilt not leave my soul, or my life in grave: and by this means he also is assured of his own resurrection in due time; for our life and soul is bound up in Christ: Our life is hid with God in Christ, specially in respect of that wherein he standeth in our room, such as his suffering, rising, reigning as our Surety and Atturney. 3. The body of Christ not onelyonly was to rise from the dead, but also could not so much as putrifie in the grave: For of Christ he saith, Thou wilt not suffer thy holy One to see corruption.
V. 11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence there is life, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
The last ground and reason of his joy, is the assurance he hath of blessednesse and of eternall life: Whence learn, 1. The believer who is fixed by faith on Christ, may be assured of his perseverance in the way leading to life: Thou wilt shew me the way to life: that is, thou wilt point out the way that I should walk in, thou wilt go alongst with me, and make me effectually finde thy help, to walk in it. 2. The fruition of Gods immediate presence is not like the joyes of this world, which neither do feed nor fill a man: but when we shall enjoy Gods presence fully, we shall have full contentment, and compleat felicitie: For in his presence is fulnesse of joy. And the felicity of believers is not like the pleasures of this world, which passe away suddenly as a dream: but it endureth for ever: At his right hand are pleasures for evermore.