Hope in the Messiah's Victory

Psalms 16:1-11 

A Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
"You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You."

3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
"They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight."

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.

5 O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Because David trusted God, had faith in Him and His working all things for good (Romans 8:28), he could pray confidently for the LORD to watch over and keep him in the face of his enemies and his own sin.  We have that same hope for victory in the Messiah, the Christ who is Jesus our Lord!  He acknowledged that his goodness or uprightness was only in the LORD, not in or of himself; there was nothing in his own good works or thoughts of his heart, as we know from Job 35:7, Philippians 3:9, Titus 3:5, and Romans 3:5, 22-23, along with many other passages of scripture.  Our goodness and righteousness is absolutely nothing apart from Christ.  Then he acknowledged that the ones God calls holy set apart ones, saints, are the ones He delights in.  God sees us in Christ and His righteousness as excellent, as ones lifted out of the ash heap to sit as if with royalty (Psalm 113:7-8, 1 Peter 2:9-10).  Those who do not know this joy in the Messiah but in a false god in their own imaginations only, these find sorrow alone and no lasting joy.  That is the difference between the righteous in Christ and the ungodly outside of Him which David alluded to here as he looked forward to the Messiah’s arrival on earth.  We therefore do not participate in the things those do who follow false gods.  God alone is our inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5) and portion to live by and to worship.  We share the cup of Christ’s suffering and death in our stead to give us the hope that never fades away.  Our inheritance is good, as David sang about joyfully here.  Because God gives counsel and guides us, we can agree with the psalmist that He will continue to lead and guide us by His word and Spirit (Isaiah 30:21, Proverbs 4:26-27, Romans 8:14).  We follow the example to put Christ first in our vision and in the paths of our feet, keeping us from being moved away and giving joyful hope to rely on as He leads us.  The reference to God’s Messiah not remaining in the grave or rotting in death points us, as it did David, to the work of Christ in His atoning death, seemingly sad burial, and joyous resurrection to give certainty to our faith and hope (Acts 2:31-33).  He has shown us the path to life (Matthew 7:14)!  There is joy unspeakable in following Christ to eternal life, full of pleasure to the soul beyond all else.  That was David’s song of triumph in the Anointed One to come, and our joy fulfilled since the cross and resurrection.  We will all stand before the Lamb of God and our Father in eternity by His righteousness, giving true and lasting hope by the God-given faith in which we stand (Romans 5:2, 1 Corinthians 15:1).  Our hope is in the Messiah’s victory!