Psalms 16 Study Notes: The LORD as My Portion and Hope
David takes refuge in God, calls the LORD his only good and his inheritance, and delights in God's people while rejecting other gods. Kept steady by God's nearness, he trusts that God will not leave him to the realm of the dead, words the apostles apply to the resurrection of Jesus, and looks to lasting joy with God.
General
In Acts, how do Peter and Paul apply the promise of 16:10 that God's Holy One would not undergo decay?
Answer: As fulfilled in Jesus, raised before His body could decay
David says God will not abandon his soul to Sheol, the realm of the dead, nor let His Holy One undergo decay, and that God has shown him the way of life, with fullness of joy and pleasures forever in His presence (16:10-11). Peter explains at Pentecost that the promise was not fulfilled in David himself, because David had died, his body had been laid in a tomb, and that tomb was still known in Peter's day; as a prophet, David foresaw the Messiah rising from the dead, whose body did not decay (Acts 2:29-31). Paul makes the same point: David was buried and decayed, but the One God raised did not (Acts 13:35-37). God raised Jesus because death could not keep its hold on Him (Acts 2:24).
- Psalm 16:10-11 (BSB)“For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”David confesses that God will not abandon him to Sheol or let His Holy One undergo decay.
- Acts 2:29-31 (BSB)“Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.”Peter says David died and was buried, so he was foreseeing the resurrection of the Christ.
- Acts 13:35-37 (BSB)“So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’ For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay. But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.”Paul contrasts David, whose body decayed, with the One God raised, who did not.
- Acts 2:24 (BSB)“But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.”Peter declares that God raised Jesus because death could not hold Him.
Theological
How do Peter (Acts 2) and Paul (Acts 13) interpret 16:10?
Answer: As fulfilled in Jesus, raised before His body could decay
In 16:10-11 David confesses that God will not abandon his soul to Sheol or let His Holy One undergo decay, and that He has made known the way of life, with joy and eternal pleasures in His presence. The apostles read this as prophecy of Christ's resurrection. Peter argues that David died and his tomb remained, so David, as a prophet aware of God's oath about his descendant, spoke of the Messiah, who was not left in Hades and whose body saw no decay (Acts 2:29-31). Paul reasons identically at Pisidian Antioch: David's body decayed, while the One God raised never did (Acts 13:35-37). Death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24).
- Psalm 16:10-11 (BSB)“For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”David confesses that God will not abandon him to Sheol or let His Holy One undergo decay.
- Acts 2:29-31 (BSB)“Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.”Peter says David died and was buried, so he was foreseeing the resurrection of the Christ.
- Acts 13:35-37 (BSB)“So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’ For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay. But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.”Paul contrasts David, whose body decayed, with the One God raised, who did not.
- Acts 2:24 (BSB)“But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.”Peter declares that God raised Jesus because death could not hold Him.
General
True or False: In 16:7-9, David's gladness and security rest on the LORD's counsel and on keeping the LORD continually before him.
Answer: True
This is true. David blesses the LORD who gives him counsel, and even at night his inner self instructs him (16:7). He keeps the LORD always in view, and because God is beside him at his right hand, he will not be overthrown (16:8). The word therefore in 16:9 shows that his gladness and his confidence that his body will rest secure come from that nearness of God. Another psalm speaks of God holding the believer's right hand and guiding him with counsel (Psalm 73:23-24). Peter quotes 16:8-9 in his sermon at Pentecost as words David spoke about Jesus (Acts 2:25-26), and Jesus promises that none of His people can be taken from His hand (John 10:28-29).
- Psalm 16:7-9 (BSB)“I will bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.”David blesses the LORD's counsel, keeps Him in view, and so rejoices in security.
- Psalm 73:23-24 (BSB)“Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.”God holds the believer's right hand and guides him with counsel.
- Acts 2:25-26 (BSB)“David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope,”Peter quotes 16:8-9 and applies them to Jesus.
- John 10:28-29 (BSB)“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”Jesus promises that no one can snatch His people out of His or His Father's hand.
Theological
True or False: The joy and bodily security of 16:9 are grounded in God's constant presence and guidance described in 16:7-8.
Answer: True
This is true. God's counsel and the inner instruction it produces (16:7), together with David's settled practice of setting the LORD before him and the LORD's presence at his right hand (16:8), are the ground of the therefore in 16:9: gladness of heart and security of body. Psalm 73:23-24 joins the same themes of God's hand and counsel. Peter cites 16:8-11 at Pentecost and reads them as David speaking of Christ (Acts 2:25-26), and Jesus' promise that none can snatch His sheep from His or the Father's hand (John 10:28-29) grounds the believer's security in God's keeping.
- Psalm 16:7-9 (BSB)“I will bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.”David blesses the LORD's counsel, keeps Him in view, and so rejoices in security.
- Psalm 73:23-24 (BSB)“Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.”God holds the believer's right hand and guides him with counsel.
- Acts 2:25-26 (BSB)“David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope,”Peter quotes 16:8-9 and applies them to Jesus.
- John 10:28-29 (BSB)“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”Jesus promises that no one can snatch His people out of His or His Father's hand.
General
In 16:1-4, where does David find his good and his delight?
Answer: In the LORD Himself and in God's holy people
David begins by asking God to keep him safe because he has taken refuge in Him (16:1). He confesses the LORD as his Lord and says he has nothing good apart from Him (16:2). His delight is in the saints, God's holy people in the land (16:3). By contrast, those who run after other gods multiply their sorrows, and David refuses to take part in their offerings or even speak their gods' names (16:4). Another psalmist says he desires nothing on earth besides God, who is his strength and portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26), and the command against other gods forbids having any other gods before the LORD (Exodus 20:3).
- Psalm 16:1-4 (BSB)“A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides. Sorrows will multiply to those who chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or speak their names with my lips.”David takes refuge in God, finds his good in Him, delights in the saints, and renounces other gods.
- Psalm 73:25-26 (BSB)“Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”Another psalmist desires nothing besides God, who is his strength and portion forever.
- Exodus 20:3 (BSB)“You shall have no other gods before Me.”The first commandment forbids having any other gods before the LORD.
Theological
According to 16:1-4, what is the source of David's good, and whom does he delight in?
Answer: In the LORD Himself and in God's holy people
The psalm opens with a plea for preservation grounded in refuge (16:1) and a confession that the LORD is David's Lord, his sole good (16:2). His affections run toward God's holy ones in the land (16:3), while those who pursue other gods only multiply sorrow; David renounces their libations and will not even name their gods (16:4). Exclusive devotion to the LORD is both his confession and his joy. Psalm 73:25-26 voices the same God-centered desire, and Exodus 20:3 lays down the exclusive loyalty David here embraces.
- Psalm 16:1-4 (BSB)“A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides. Sorrows will multiply to those who chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or speak their names with my lips.”David takes refuge in God, finds his good in Him, delights in the saints, and renounces other gods.
- Psalm 73:25-26 (BSB)“Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”Another psalmist desires nothing besides God, who is his strength and portion forever.
- Exodus 20:3 (BSB)“You shall have no other gods before Me.”The first commandment forbids having any other gods before the LORD.
General
What is David saying when he calls the LORD his portion and says his boundary lines fell in pleasant places (16:5-6)?
Answer: That God Himself is his share, and what he has is good
When Israel entered Canaan, each tribe and family received a portion of land, marked out by lot and by boundary lines. David uses that picture: the LORD Himself is his chosen portion and cup, God keeps his lot secure, and his inheritance is delightful (16:5-6). His greatest possession is God. The priestly tribe of Levi received no territory because the LORD Himself was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20; Joshua 13:33). Lamentations uses the same language of hope (Lamentations 3:24), and Peter speaks of an inheritance kept in heaven for believers that can never perish (1 Peter 1:3-4).
- Psalm 16:5-6 (BSB)“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.”David calls the LORD his portion and cup and rejoices in his secure, delightful inheritance.
- Numbers 18:20 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”God told Aaron that He Himself was the priests' portion and inheritance instead of land.
- Joshua 13:33 (BSB)“To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.”The Levites received no territory because the LORD was their inheritance.
- Lamentations 3:24 (BSB)““The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.””The writer of Lamentations confesses the LORD as his portion and so hopes in Him.
- 1 Peter 1:3-4 (BSB)“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,”Believers have an imperishable inheritance kept in heaven through Christ's resurrection.
Theological
What do the images of portion, cup, lot, and boundary lines express in 16:5-6?
Answer: That God Himself is his share, and what he has is good
David takes the vocabulary of Israel's land allotment, portion, lot, boundary lines, inheritance, and applies it to his relationship with God: the LORD is his chosen portion and cup, holds his lot secure, and makes his inheritance delightful (16:5-6). The Levites offer a close parallel, since they received no tribal territory because the LORD was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20; Joshua 13:33). Lamentations 3:24 turns the same confession into hope, and 1 Peter 1:3-4 speaks of the believer's imperishable inheritance reserved in heaven, secured through Christ's resurrection.
- Psalm 16:5-6 (BSB)“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.”David calls the LORD his portion and cup and rejoices in his secure, delightful inheritance.
- Numbers 18:20 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”God told Aaron that He Himself was the priests' portion and inheritance instead of land.
- Joshua 13:33 (BSB)“To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.”The Levites received no territory because the LORD was their inheritance.
- Lamentations 3:24 (BSB)““The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.””The writer of Lamentations confesses the LORD as his portion and so hopes in Him.
- 1 Peter 1:3-4 (BSB)“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,”Believers have an imperishable inheritance kept in heaven through Christ's resurrection.