Daily Meditations

Psalm 16:11   A companion for life      The path to life is not just a metaphor for life’s journey, it is a literal road along which we pass, and it leads to life.     Jesus talked of it,   “Enter through the narrow gate ……. Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”   Matthew 7:13-14. This gate and this road lead into the Kingdom of Heaven but the road ascends, it is constricted, and the way is hard in this world. It is so much easier to go with the flow, to avoid confrontation, to forgo self-discipline, to live a life of ease; these things are what the sinful mind and body crave. Who wants to fast or apply discipline or live for others or face persecution and ridicule for their beliefs?   The road to destruction is wide and crowded but the path to life is narrow for few travel along it, but the Lord Himself walks with us and He makes the way known – for He is the way! He is our map, our compass, our guide and no one can progress alo

Psalm 16:10    He is risen!       As we noted in verse 8, Peter reminded the eager crowd, gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost, of these verses from Psalm 16. As he explained the cruel events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus he quoted Psalm 16:8-11 to a Jewish crowd who would have been very familiar with the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul also dipped into Psalm 16:10 in his synagogue address to the Jews in Pisidian Antioch. Both Peter and Paul knew that the Psalm would have been so familiar to the Messiah as He suffered. Our Lord breathed His last in the sure and certain hope that God His Father would not allow His body to decay and He would not be abandoned in Sheol. Sheol [Hades in Greek], is the place of departed spirits, the evil ones go to bitter sorrow and darkness and the good to a paradise existence while they await their deliverance. This deliverance came when Jesus ascended into heaven and opened the way for all who believe in Him.  That is why many came out of the tombs

Psalm 16:9     More than conquerors!     There is a beautiful passage of Scripture at the end of Moses’ blessing of the tribes of Israel, just before he died, found in Deuteronomy 33:26-29. I suspect that David had these words in mind as he completes verse 9.  “There is no God like the God of Jeshurun (Israel), who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in His Majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, “Destroy them!” So Israel will live in safety, Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew. Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and your helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.”  What a song for us who are redeemed by the Lord! What a comfort to know that if we believe this, then our enemies cannot harm us and we can rest se

Psalm 16:9      Gleam of hope     So here is yet another expression that involves the heart within us, David’s heart is glad. There are no worldly antidotes to a sad or fearful heart.  We can be lifted for a while; a great sporting event, a concert, a good night out, Christmas, a loving relationship; many of these things make us glad and our hearts are lifted but the man or woman who has fixed his or her eye on Jesus has the best reason to be glad.  “Everything is going to be ok, I am safe, no one can hurt me, I do not have to fear, all my needs are cared for, therefore I will be glad.” The word tongue in this verse literally means “glory” – my glory rejoices! And rejoices literally means with exuberance. As we have seen, there is a Messianic thread running through this wonderful Song.  The Lord Jesus Himself, as He faced dreadful persecution and a gruesome death, will have clung to these words. Imagine them going around in His mind as He suffered in darkness on that brutal crucif

Psalm 16:8     Right hand man    David now comes up with a remarkable thought, the Lord is “at my right hand.” In ancient times the right hand was a place of dignity and honour and we still speak of someone we trust as being a “right hand man or woman.” Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven after completing His work on earth. See Psalm 110:1. However, the expression also means one who is a defender or who protects, such as an armour bearer or shield bearer. Psalm 109:31 depicts the Lord standing at the right hand of the needy, in Psalm 110:5 from the right hand, He will crush kings on the day of His wrath. In Psalm 121:5 He is our shade from the relentless sun at our right hand. What a comfort to know, that whatever we face and whatever trials befall us One stand near to guard and protect His people. The Lord will stand with us, beside us and that is why Paul could write, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  Romans 8:37.

Psalm 16:8   I will not be shaken    This verse has another angle for David was, once again, pointing forwards: this is a prophetic Psalm. He is led by the Holy Spirit to write these words for the Messiah who, during His suffering and agony, was able to keep His eyes on the Lord at all times.  As a consequence, Jesus was not shaken! We know this to be true because Peter quoted these words in his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost, they are recorded in Acts 2:25-28. Such was the absolute faith in the heart of Jesus, in God His Father, that even as He was cruelly condemned and crucified, as He breathed His last breath, He was resting in the truth of Psalm 16. How many Christian martyrs must have taken these promises, these assurances, and faced death in the knowledge that they too had been chosen to follow in the footsteps of their master and just as He suffered and was killed, they too will suffer and be killed but NOT be shaken! What a promise and affirmation to take into the

Psalm 16:8    K eep focussed     At the time of writing we stand at the cusp of a New Year. What a verse this is to take forward onto the roller coaster ride that 2019 will inevitably become.  “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”  The ploughman needs to have his eyes fixed on a point on the headland to plough a straight furrow; the ship’s Captain needs to watch the buoys and the lighthouse; the motorist is alert to the road ahead – all of these are so important if we want the journey to go well.  So it is with the man or woman of God, we must keep our eyes on the Lord. Eyes of faith, of trust and of devotion for He alone will take us across the stormy seas that inevitable lie before us. I just watched, on a Shetland Webcam, a ferry crossing the Sound at Lerwick in 70mph gales, the Captain of that boat would certainly have ensured that he was not distracted from the entrance to the port ahead of him. Hebrews 12:1-2 tell us to  “Run w

Psalm 16:7b    Guard your heart   David refers to his night-times of counsel as “being instructed by his heart!” There are so many references to the heart in Scripture and they have little to do with the physical organ that pumps in our chests.  Many have tried to define the “inner heart” and the definitions can get very complicated.  I like to think of it as the inner spring or fountain through which good and bad flow into our beings. Everything that we are starts with our heart. Thus, it is possible to harden our hearts and shut the pure water of God’s voice and God’s truth out. Conversely, our hearts can be open to receive Him and feel the flow of His emotions and discern His will. Our hearts reveal where our treasure is – open to God with a treasure that accumulates in heaven or closed to God and devoted to a worthless treasure on earth. God looks at our hearts, which can be full of evil intentions and deceitful above all things, OR they can be open and receptive to Him. There

Psalm 16:7   Even at night      Have you experienced the counsel of the Lord in the night? It is a wonderful thing to be awakened in the early hours of the morning and to be conscious that the Lord is present. Our minds are unaffected by the clamour and demands of daily life and free to commune with our God. At such times, when the distractions are removed, the Lord whispers His counsel. It may be a problem that we have encountered and He shines a light upon it. For some of us, it is a talk or sermon that He wants us to give. Sometimes He counsels us on a verse or passage of Scripture that has been playing on our minds. Other times it is a revelation of something completely new and amazing and leaves us in awe. Then again, it can be the still, small voice of calm and reassurance that He is with us and the problems are under control. Whatever it is, give thanks when the Lord counsels you at night! What an encouragement as we face a new day, to know that we have been in the presence

Psalm 16:7    Who to consult?     “I will praise the Lord who counsels me.”  Another simple statement of fact, but how did the Lord counsel David? A brief survey of the Books of Samuel reveal a man who was often making requests to God and receiving direct commands.  This young man who, from the age of 30, ruled Israel and Judah for 40 years, had a direct line to the Lord.  He was able to make astonishing military and political decisions because the Lord told him exactly what to do.  Hence the distressed heart cry, found in some Psalms, when the Lord seems distant and David finds himself alone and rudderless. It is possible to draw close to the living God and to know, by His Spirit, what He asks of us and to hear His voice of guidance and command.  This was so true of the Lord Jesus, of course, but notice that even He spent many early morning hours of contemplation, prayer and resting in the presence of the Father. The better we know someone, the more likely we are to know their wi

Psalm 16:6        Inheritance      The reality of land ownership, of possession and inheritance continues in this verse. Obviously, if land in Israel was designated to tribes, clans, families and individuals there must be boundaries and lines of demarcation. Deuteronomy 19:14 says,  “Do not move your neighbour’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.”  There were clear dividing lines and people knew exactly what belonged to who. A look at a map or a tour of Israel today will reveal, for instance, that some tribes and families occupied better arable land than others. Some lived in semi-desert, others on upland hills, some lived by the sea and some near a prosperous trade route. The allocation of the land was a God ordained business and each tribe and family lived by their strengths. For David, whose lot included the sheep grazing land around Bethlehem, the boundary lines fell in pleasant plac

That's it folks, for a couple of weeks. Will resume on my return from Israel. God bless you!

Psalm 16:5    My Lot       In Number 36:7 we read, “No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.” We use the word “lot” very loosely, to describe good or bad fortune hence phrases like “it must be my lot in life.” In the Old Testament it literally referred to an inheritance, a tract, or area of land that belonged exclusively to a tribe, family or individual. As such it needed to be protected, guarded and maintained under the ownership of its legal heirs. David states here in verse 5,  “You make my lot secure. ” This Shepherd-King knew that the safety and security of all that he owned did not depend on the number of armed men in his defence force or the guards that surrounded the royal palace; it was the Lord who made him secure. His personal safety was guaranteed by God Himself, and His angels and His heavenly Host, and His Holy Spirit were the sources of David’s peace of mind.  It is no different for th

Psalm 16:5   My cup       David goes on in verse 5 to depict the Lord as being “my cup.”  The cup was a metaphor for God’s salvation and blessing OR His wrath and judgement. [More of which in Psalm 116.] A cup of blessing was offered to guests and friends as a sign of welcome, not dissimilar to the toasts that we offer honoured guests today. But David seems to be going a step further here, just as the Lord was his portion, so the Lord is his cup. Jesus, the Messiah, talked of the cup of His suffering and told the disciples to drink in memory of Him;  “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Once again David seems to be prophetically anticipating the Messiah and His suffering. “You Lord are my cup, I will drink of Your blood and eat of Your body in an act of remembrance for this is Your covenant with me.” It is this kind of foresight that leads us to conclude that not only was David a shepherd – king but he was also a prophet, filled with the Holy Sp

Psalm 16:5   My portion        It would be so easy to cast a fleeting glance over this verse and move on. I mean, what is it saying?  Is there any depth of meaning or profound truth to be found in such a simple statement of fact?  “The Lord is my portion, my cup and He makes my lot secure.”  In truth we have here an amazing description of David’s relationship with the Lord and also a pointer to the Messiah whose feet would not tread this planet for another 1,000 years! Let’s explore this triplet of hidden truths further, shall we?   In Leviticus 2 we read of the grain offerings that were presented to the Lord at the altar of the tabernacle. The finest flour was brought with olive oil and incense and a handful of this offering was burnt, by a priest, on the altar; it was referred to as a memorial portion, a food offering with an aroma that was pleasing to the Lord. The rest of this grain offering was kept by the priests for their use.  A grain offering was a voluntary act of wors