Psalm 16: Choosing the Lord First and Finding Rest

Core Theme: For when you’re weary and longing to feel safe, and you want to know where true rest is found

(Related Theme: This psalm also carries a strong note of gratitude, joy, and praise, which comes through in “Carrying this forward” below.)

Background

David wrote Psalm 16, and the heading calls it a Michtam, a word whose exact meaning is uncertain. The psalm is a quiet declaration of where David has placed his life. He isn’t in the middle of a battle or fleeing an enemy here. He is settled, and he tells us why: he has chosen the Lord above everything else.

This psalm also matters far beyond David’s own life. On the day of Pentecost, Peter quoted its closing verses and explained that David “seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption” (Acts 2:31). David’s rest was real, and it also pointed ahead to the One who would secure our rest for good.

The Psalm (KJV)

Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;

3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct 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 rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

The heart of it

Psalm 16 shows what a settled, resting soul looks like and what it is built on. David doesn’t find comfort by arranging his circumstances. He finds it by choosing the Lord. He trusts Him (verse 1), calls Him his Lord (verse 2), counts Him his whole inheritance (verse 5), and keeps Him constantly in view (verse 8). The rest he enjoys follows from those choices.

This psalm answers a question many weary people carry: where does rest actually come from? According to David, it comes from placing everything in God’s hands and putting Him first.

Walking through it

Verse 1: “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”
The whole psalm is built on this opening. David asks for God’s keeping, and his ground for asking is trust. He brings no list of accomplishments. Verse 2 says it plainly: “my goodness extendeth not to thee.” Trust is how a person receives God’s care, not how he earns it.

Verses 5–6: “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.”
In Israel, a person’s portion was the inheritance that provided security and a future. David says the Lord Himself is that portion. When God is your portion, you aren’t left scrambling for security elsewhere, and you can say with David that “the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places.” Notice also that God is the One who “maintainest” his lot. David’s life is held by God, and he doesn’t have to hold it together himself.

Verses 8–9: “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
This is the center of the psalm, and the clearest picture of the choice David is making. He sets the Lord before him and keeps Him there, ahead of every other concern. Because God stands at his right hand, he will not be shaken. The very next verse draws the result: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” Rest follows from where the heart is fixed. That is also a picture of the security of the believer: the One we trust is the One who keeps us.

Verse 11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
David ends by looking beyond the present moment. The rest he enjoys now is a foretaste of fuller joy in God’s presence. This is where the psalm turns toward gratitude and praise, because a heart that has found its rest in God can’t help but be thankful.

Carrying this forward

If the Lord has already brought you through a hard season, keep your eyes on Him now that it has passed. Most of us know how it goes: in the trial we hold tightly to Him, and as things improve we slowly forget and drift. David shows a better pattern: “I have set the LORD always before me…” When you notice you’ve drifted, turn back and set Him in front of you again, and let the memory of what He did become thanks.

If you are weary right now, the psalm gives you something to do. Put your trust in Him, and set Him first, before the worry, the plan, and the fear. You don’t have to feel strong to do it. Even David began with a plea: “Preserve me, O God.” Keep the Lord before you, and keep coming back to Him when your eyes drift. He is at your right hand, and you are held in His hands.