The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 1 — Section 101

his entire homage, 3, He finds in God his supreme ;'oy. "I have no good beyond thee" (cf, PR. lxiii. 25). All the largest desires of the soul have their perfect satis- faction in God. 4. In hisfellow-saints, he finds a holy brotherhood. In them is his delight (Ps. xiii. 4; Mai. iii. 16). The closest and dearest bond of permanent friend- ship is found in the fellowship of holy life aud love in God. 5. He shuns the ungodly. In blended pity and anger he looks on thos'3 of his nation who have lapsed into idolatry, and exchanged the worship of Jehovah for the service of idols (cf. Jer. ii. 13; Rom. i. 25, Revised Version). 6. The portion which he has in God is secured to him. (Ver. 5.) It cannot slip from his grasp, nor be snatched out of his hand, nor can he in any way be despoiled thereof. God will uphold him in possession, and will give him timely counsel and assistance (ver. 7). 7. God is ever before him, as a constantly present Friend. He is no abstraction. But one ever at his right hand, to guar<l, guide, advise, gladden, and strengthen. Yea, to give him a stea::lfast, unconquerable firm- ness in the midst of numerous foes. 8. Consequently, he has a heritage of wealth with which he is well pleased. (Ver. 6.) The inheritance assigned to him as it were by lot, and marked out as it were by line, was one which gave him a plenitude of delight. 9. For he knows that the near and dear relationship between himself and God is one which not even death itself can disturb. 1 David caught a glimpse of the sublime truth of how much God had meant when he told Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (cf. Matt. xxii. 31, 32). We have almost the truth \\hich is expressed in 1 'l'hess. v. 10. "My flesh," he says, " shall rest in hope." 2 Yea, more; Davicl even peers beyond the unseen state (Sheol); he beholds it conquered, and the one whose God is the Lord delivered for ever from the hold of death. And even this is not all; but ho sees far, far beyond, awaiting the believer, fulness of joy and eternal delights in the immediate presence of the great eternal Goe!.. So that the burden of the song may be summed up in our final thought on this aspect of the psalm, that: 10. Once God's, he was his/or ever I "Thou wilt not leave my soul to 8heol" (cf. Ps. xlviii. 14; lxxiii. 26). Is it any wonder that, with such a heritage in Divine love, the psalmist sliouhl find his heart glow with joy, and that his tongue should break out into shouts ot' praise? Surely if such a God is ours, and ours for ever, we are well provided for, aud shall be well guarded, throughout eternity. II. WE HAVE HERE ALSO TlIE VISION OF A SEER WHO WAS INSPIRED FOR A REVE- LATION. We have in that memorable sermon on the Day of Pentecost, when Peter opened up the kingdom to Israel, a remarkable reference to this very p~alm (cf. Acts ii. 25-31). In which the apostle declares that what David sf\icl respecting the Holy One, he spoke as a prophet, seeing far nheacl the fulfilment of the covenf\nt Gocl ktcl made with him. 3 And in Acts xiii. 34-37 tho .Apostle Paul makes an equally distinct reference to this psalm, while he even more emphatically cleclares thi~ propheLic utterance to be a Divine declaration. And we get a plain and distinct account of sucl1 far distant scriptural forecasts in 2 Pet. i. 21. Thus we can clearly trace a secon,l significance in the latter half of Ps. xvi., as it recounts "the sure mercies of Davicl." For, indeed, if it had not been for the Divine promise and oath made to him-n promise and an oath the fulfilment of which could never be disturbed by the vicissi- tudes of time, there might not and probably would not have been the like joyful repose of the saint in God, in the prospect of death and of eternity. So that, although the vision of tho prophet comes second in our consideration, it was really the first in importance, and the foundation of all the rest. And all this may be brought homo in fruitful teaching, in four or five progressive steps. 1. David had had a direct revelation that his throne should be established for ever. (2 Sam. xxiii. 3-5; vii. 12-lG ; Pss. lxxii.; lxxxix. 20-37.) And to his dying day, amid all the disturb,\nccs of his house, this covenant, "ordered in all things and sure," was all his salvation, and all his desire. 2. In the foreglancings of prophetic vision he saw the Holy One in the 1 It has been asked whether a view so lofty was tho average one iu IHro.cl. Surely such o question is needless. We should meet it with o.u empho.tio nogative. This was uo morll tlio avorage view of Israelites than tile holiest men of God are tho o.verugo men iu Christendom I • Noto Dishop Pcrowne on the word" flesh." • See the following po.ssages : 2 So.m. vii.; 1 Chron, xvii.; Pss. ii. ; :uiii. 50; xxii.; xlv.; l.xxii.; lxxxix. 22-24; ex.; cxxxii. 11, 12.  102 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PS. XVI. 1-11.