My Portion and My Cup: Help from Our Risen Savior (Ps 16)

Read Psalm 16:

A Miktam of David.

¹ Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. ² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

³ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. ⁴ The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. ⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. ⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. ⁸ I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. ¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. ¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Understand Psalm 16:

A. Look Above You (vv. 1-2)

In the believer’s life, our joy is often mingled with pain. Thus, David rejoices in the Lord even in the midst of his trials. He takes refuge in “God” (El) as the all-powerful deity and submits his prayer to “the LORD” (Yahweh)—the covenant God of Israel. He then declares the goodness of the Lord (Adonai) who exercises sovereign authority over his people. David’s relationship with God filters down to every other relationship in life. For this reason, believers always look to God in prayer as we wrestle with our afflictions.

B. Look Around You (vv. 3-4)

David delights in God’s chosen people (“the saints”), but despises the idolaters who hastily rush after other gods and pour out their blood guilt as an offering. The sorrows of the wicked will one day be multiplied (see Gen 3:16a), yet God’s holy people must presently live among them. As believers recognize the depravity around us, we cling to the glory of God’s salvation.

C. Look Within You (vv. 5-8)

David examines his circumstances, then declares the Lord to be his chosen portion and his cup.[1] He would rather have God than his own plot of land or the blessings befitting a king. He trusts the Lord’s wise counsel for his past (“the lines”), present (“pleasant places”), and future well-being (“beautiful inheritance”). The Lord’s sound advice transforms his innermost affections even in the darkest night.[2] The Lord’s “right hand” is the place of strength, power, and stability (vv. 8, 11). Likewise, believers today will never be shaken when we have set the Lord always before us. He is our refuge and our good, our portion and our inheritance, our source of wisdom and our firm foundation.

D. Look Beyond You (vv. 9-11)

“Therefore” indicates the psalmist’s resolve to rejoice in full (“heart,” “being,” “flesh”). His gladness rests on the promise that the Lord will not abandon his soul to the place of the dead (Sheol) or let his holy one see corruption. Yet doesn’t Scripture declare that no one can look upon the face of God (Exod 33:17-23)? How then can the psalmist claim that “in your presence [before your face] there is fullness of joy” (Ps 16:11b)? Any sinner who looks upon a holy God deserves to die.

This is one of the few Old Testament passages dealing with resurrection (see Pss 49:7-9, 15; 89:48; 133:3; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2). Yet the language is “too strong even for David’s hope of his own resurrection”[3] and could only be fulfilled by the coming Messiah. Thus, Peter and Paul will both quote from Psalm 16 in reference to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:25-28; 13:35-37), for the prophet David had spoken better than he knew (2:30).

The risen Christ Jesus then secures the believer’s reward, for a resurrected Messiah is the believer’s greatest hope (1 Cor 15:19-20; 1 Pet 1:3). “The path of life” and “fullness of joy” (Ps 16:11; see 1 Pet 1:8) can refer to either abundant life on earth (John 10:10b), eternal life in heaven, or both. The Lord’s presence at David’s right hand (Ps 16:8) guarantees David’s presence at the Lord’s right hand in the life to come (v. 11). Likewise, believers today can claim these promises in the greater Son of David who will conquer all sin, suffering, grief, and sorrow (see 2 Sam 7). Jesus Christ will banish death itself and cast it into the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).

Apply Psalm 16:

How does your relationship with the Lord filter down to every other relationship in your life? Practice praying to him as you meditate on the unique aspects of his various names (e.g., El Shaddai, Yahweh, Adonai).
Where do you find your significance and security if not in Christ? Examine your heart using David Powlison’s “X-Ray Questions,” accessed at https://www.ccef.org/jbc_article/x-ray-questions-drawing-out-the-whys-and-wherefores-of-human-behaviors.
Does your inner man delight in the Lord (vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11)? Describe examples of God’s faithful promises in your past, present, and future. Listen to Psalm 16 set to music and praise him from your kidneys.
What does it mean to set the Lord always before you (v. 8)? How can you do this practically in your everyday life? Consider the psalmist’s greater delights in the Lord.[4]
- My Good – “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you’” (v. 2).
- My Life – “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; . . . pleasant; . . . beautiful inheritance” (vv. 5, 6).
- My Counsel – “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me” (v. 7).
- My Gaze – “I have set the LORD always before me” (v. 8a).
- My Strength/Power/Victory – “Because he is at my right hand” (v. 8b).
- My Longing – “In your presence there is fullness of joy” (v. 11).
How do you know that David prophesied of the risen Christ Jesus (v. 10; Acts 2:30)? List out every blessing you have received through Christ’s resurrection both in the present life and in the life to come.
For further study, read Thomas Chalmers, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection, updated edition (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), accessed at https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-expulsive-power-of-a-new-affection.

Pray Psalm 16:

God, keep me safe and keep me faithful to you (vv. 1, 3-4).
Thank you for your manifold blessings (vv. 2, 5-6).
Your wise counsel fills my heart with gladness (v. 7).
Father, grant me your presence and strength (v. 8).
Show to me the path of life and eternal joy (vv. 9-11).

Counsel Psalm 16:

Learn to counsel others with God’s wisdom and instruct their hearts to delight in his Word. Show them how their heart is the ultimate source of their thoughts (v. 7), emotions (v. 9), and behavior (v. 4). Warn them that their heart will chase after other gods or temporary pleasures which will multiply their sorrows (v. 4). Then teach them to set the Lord always before them in every aspect of life (past, present, and future) and to rejoice in the promises guaranteed by Christ’s resurrection. For counseling insights, listen to Brent Aucoin, “The Pure Heart: Identifying the Heart of a Person Who Delights in the Lord—Psalm 16,” ACBC Conference 2021 (breakout session).

[1] A father would leave his son a “portion” of his inheritance and a host would offer goodness to his guest with a “cup” of wine. Thus, David’s satisfaction and security are found in God alone. Relate this to God’s covenant promises to Abraham of land, blessing, and a multitude of descendants (Gen 12:1-3).

[2] David does not use the common Hebrew word for “heart” (lev, levav), but rather the less common term, “kidney” (kilyot) to describe the emotions of his innermost being—a “gut feeling” (see 26:2). The heart is the ultimate source of our thoughts (16:7), emotions (v. 9), and behavior (v. 4). “From it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23).

[3] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1975), 86.

[4] Adapted from Brent Aucoin, “The Pure Heart,” ACBC Conference 2021 (breakout session).