The Joy of Jesus
On this Easter Sunday morning, church, it is my deep joy to show you Jesus in this psalm.
Psalm 16 is about Jesus, and before we get into the details, I think it would be helpful for us to back up and remember what the Book of Psalms are doing in the Bible. We talked about this last summer in Psalm 1, that in the Bible’s storyline, when we get to the Book of Psalms the big question in the air is what will happen to the house of David. And that’s a big question because of the promise that God had made to David in 2 Samuel 7. Second Samuel Chapter 7 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament.
Remember that God made David king over Israel by absolute grace. David was a little shepherd boy, but God sends Samuel to anoint him as king, and then later David brings the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem, and he wants to build God a house. But God comes to David and he says, No, David. I’m going to build you “house.” And God makes these promises. God says: I’m going to be with you; I’m going to give you victory over your enemies; I’m going to make you a great name; and I’m going to plant my people in their place for good.
And when God says this in 2 Samuel 7, it reminds us of the promise God made to Abraham back in Genesis 12. The promise kind of sounds the same, but remember the big part of the promise to Abraham was about offspring. God told Abraham that he would have a son through whom the whole world would be blessed (see Genesis 12:1–3). Well, guess what the high point of God’s promise David is?
God says: I’m going to raise up one of your sons, David, who will be king forever. After you die and you’re buried, I’m going to raise up one of your sons and he’s going to have an eternal throne. There will be a son of Abraham, who is a son of David, who will be king forever. That’s God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7.
But here’s the problem: in Israel’s history, things start falling apart. Within just a few decades of this promise Israel forsakes Yahweh and they worship idols; the kingdom gets divided; eventually pagan nations come in, destroy Jerusalem, and take the people into exile. It’s a huge mess. And so the big question is: Hey, what about God’s promise? Are God’s people always going to be in exile? What about this son of David who is supposed to be king forever?
And well, the Book of Psalms steps in to answer that question.
“The future of God’s people is bound up in God’s promise to David, and even when it doesn’t seem like it, against all odds, God is going to fulfill that promise.”
And the answer, in short, is that there is still hope for the house of David because the house of David is still the hope. The future of God’s people is bound up in God’s promise to David, and even when it doesn’t seem like it, against all odds, God is going to fulfill that promise. There will be a son in David’s line, called the Messiah, who will reign as king forever. That’s going to happen. And that is what the Book of Psalms is mainly about.
Now We Come to Psalm 16
And so now we come to Psalm 16, a psalm of David, and we see this beautiful model of faith. David is showing us here what looks like to trust God in the middle of adversity, and there are two main parts.
First, there is his Declaration of Faith in verses 1–8.
Second, there is his Assurance for Faith in verses 9–11.
There’s the what of faith, and the why of faith, and we need both — okay! And I’m going to go ahead and tell you that this teaching will not make sense without the second part. In fact, I’m going to go quickly through this first part so that we can spend most of our time on the second part. Because the wonder of this passage is really in the why behind David’s faith. I’m excited for us to get there.
And before we take another step, I want us to pray. Really, I want you to pray, and ask God that he would open your eyes to see his wonder. Would you pray that? It’s a simple prayer. It’ll just take a second. It can go something like this: Father, open my eyes to behold wondrous things from your Word. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Thank you for praying that.
Okay, here is David’s declaration of faith in verses 1–8.
The Declaration of Faith (vv. 1–8)
And again, David’s faith here is meant to be an example for us. We’re supposed to read this and think: this is the kind of faith God wants me to have. And when we look closer we see that this faith includes certain ingredients, but for the sake of time, we’re just going to look at three quickly: Petition, Blessing, and Resolve.
Look first at petition.
Petition
This is what David is asking God to do. He says: “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” And I love this prayer. Think about what he’s saying. He says: Preserve me, which means keep me, because I go to you as a refuge. He’s saying: Keep me, God, because I look to you as my keeper.
See, David, in essence, is praying: God, be who you are to me. It’s a simple prayer, but what a picture of humble faith. We’re not bringing to God our own agendas and asking him to get on board, instead we’re coming to him because of who he is and we’re saying YES. Do that, God! Be who you are for me! And most petitions in the Psalms don’t actually get more complicated than that. We just want God to be God.
Now skip to verse 5. I’m going to write you something about verses 3–4 (like Pastor Joe did last week), but for now, look at David’s blessing in verse 5.
Blessing
This is the clearest declaration of his faith, and I’m calling this his blessing because that’s the language he uses. The words “chosen portion,” “cup,” “lot,” “lines (or boundaries)”, “inheritance” — these are all things that communicate blessing. They show what you’ve got. We might call these things assets, and when you put them all together and crunch some numbers, this is how you can figure out your “net worth.” That’s what David is talking about here.
And when he takes stock of these things, he says, my chosen portion: God. My cup: God. My lot: God. See, David understands that in reality, everything else is practically loss compared to the surpassing worth of having God. And we know, God has blessed David abundantly; he has all kinds of gifts, but David would say: My real blessing is God himself.
This is our example of faith. It is radically God-centered. Did you know, Christian, that because you have God, you have everything? And, it’s actually God that you’ve always wanted anyway?
God is the blessing.
Now notice his resolve in verse 7.
Resolve
David has resolved to live his life with God always at the center. He orients everything around God. God is the one who guides him. God is the one who is before him. God is the one who is beside him. For those who trust God like David did, there is not a corner in their life — not an angle, not a part — where God is not. God is over it all, and in it all, and this is how we live. To follow David’s example of faith, it means that God is more real to us than anything else. And when we live this way, when God is more real than anything else, than the “anything else” will not shake us. Do you see that? When God is most real to us, we will be the most unshakable.
That the what of faith in verses 1–8. And it’s beautiful and wonderful and we want to have faith like that — but where does it come from? This is the most important part.
There’s David’s declaration of faith; then there’s his assurance for faith in verses 9–11.
The Assurance for Faith (vv. 9–11)
It’s almost like David takes us behind the scenes and shows us both the root and fruit of his faith.
First, since we see it right away in verse 9, let me just comment on the fruit. Straightforward here: it’s joy. David’s heart is glad. His whole being rejoices. Because of his faith in God, because he trusts in the Lord, David has joy. We see it in verse 9, and we’re going to come back to it in verse 11, but sandwiched between those two verses about joy is verse 10, and this is really the root of David’s faith.
Verse 10, specifically, shows us the great why behind David’s faith and his joy.
[Verse 9] Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. [Verse 10:] For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
So what does this mean? Well, just at face-value we see that the assurance, the root, the why of David’s faith is that God will not abandon him to Sheol, which is also called Hades, or in other words, David is talking about the grave. This is where your body goes after you die. And David says that God is not going to leave him there. Which means, David is hoping in the resurrection. At the very least, Psalm 16 is an ancient picture of hope in the resurrection. But, it’s actually more than that because of this second clause that says God will not let his holy one see corruption.
“This is one of those places in the Psalms where the psalmist is not speaking about himself, or not even about Messiah, but he’s speaking as Messiah.”
Which means, David is not talking about a far off, future resurrection, but this is an imminent resurrection. This is so soon that the body will not see decay. There will be no corruption. So then, David isn’t talking about himself here; he’s talking about Messiah. This is one of those places in the Psalms where the psalmist is not speaking about himself, or not even about Messiah, but he’s speaking as Messiah.
Reading like the Apostles
And we know that’s going on here because that’s precisely the way the apostles understand Psalm 16. We see Paul read it this way in Acts 13, and we also see Peter read it this way in Acts Chapter 2, in the very first Christian sermon ever preached. In the crescendo of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he goes to Psalm 16. And Peter tells us what Psalm 16 is about.
So take your Bible and turn to Acts Chapter 2. For context, Peter is proclaiming who Jesus is to an audience of people who were familiar with Jesus. They had been around, and many of them had heard Jesus, and seen his miracles. And Peter says in verse 23, to this audience, that they crucified Jesus. They killed Jesus.
But verse 24, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” God had raised Jesus from the dead. That’s Peter’s point, and they knew it. The grave was empty, and they all knew that. But then Peter makes a connection for them. Death cannot hold God’s Messiah because, verse 25: “David says concerning him—” Okay, so David has said something about Messiah. Where?
Well, Peter quotes directly from Psalm 16, verses 8–11. And Peter read the Greek translation of the Old Testament, so there’s a couple different words, but he quotes the whole passage and then he explains it. And this is where we get to the heart. Peter tells us what David is doing in Psalm 16. Look at this, Acts 2, verse 29.
Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
[This is Peter saying that David can’t possibly be talking about himself in Psalm 16 verse 10 because David died and was buried, and he’s still dead and buried, and they all knew that. So Peter says, verse 30—]
30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
So clear as day, Peter says that David is talking about the resurrection of Jesus in Psalm 16. Psalm 16, verse 10 is about the resurrection of Jesus. And remember that David talks about this is the assurance for his faith. The reason that David trusts God the way he does in Psalm 16 is because he knows that Messiah is going to be raised from the dead. We can see that, but there’s even more. What exactly is the connection between Messiah’s resurrection and David’s faith?
Reign Through Resurrection
I think Peter shows us. Look back at Acts 2, verse 30. Peter says that beneath David speaking about Messiah’s resurrection is this: It’s verse 30: “knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne.” So God swore something to David. Do you remember? This is 2 Samuel Chapter 7! God promised David that David would have a son in his line who would reign as king forever. And Peter says that’s what David is thinking about when he writes Psalm 16. When David writes Psalm 16 he is reflecting on God’s promise to him in 2 Samuel 7. He is reflecting on God’s promise that he would have a son who reigns as king forever. That’s why he talks about resurrection!
It’s because the only way you have an eternal king is if that king can conquer death. That wasn’t the case for any of the other kings. All the other descendants of David who became king, the one thing they all had in common was that they died and were buried. Go read 1 and 2 Kings. It’s repeated over and over again. They all died and were buried with their fathers. But if God’s promise in 2 Samuel 7 is going to be true, then one of David’s sons must conquer death, and David knows it. And that son who will conquer death is Messiah — and he is the why of David’s faith. It’s not just that Messiah would be resurrected, but it’s that the reign of Messiah would be established through resurrection.
“It’s not just that Messiah would be resurrected, but it’s that the reign of Messiah would be established through resurrection.”
See, the reign of Jesus is always part of the resurrection of Jesus. The good news of the empty grave is not just that Jesus conquered death, but it’s that through conquering death Jesus is the King over all. That’s why the New Testament talks about the resurrection as Jesus’s exaltation. Jesus was raised from the dead and enthroned as the Davidic king who will reign forever.
And that’s actually where Peter ends his sermon in Acts 2. Peter says that God raised Jesus from the dead, and then, verse 33:
33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
Peter tells his audience that the work of God they are experiencing right now is because Jesus reigns. So let everybody know that Jesus is Messiah, and he is the Lord over all.
That is fact that changes everything. It’s that Jesus Christ is the resurrected king.
That is the assurance for David’s faith.
Assurance for Faith and Joy
See, David is saying in Psalm 16, because God has promised to establish the reign of Messiah through resurrection, I’m going to trust him and live in joy. And as for us, the way we follow David’s example, is we say: Because God has raised Messiah — because Jesus is the resurrected king who reigns and will reign — I’m going to trust him, and I’m going to live in joy.
And that’s where Psalm 16 ends in verse 11. We come back to joy. This is the joy of God that Jesus had set before him when he endured the cross (see Hebrews 12:2). It’s the joy of being with God, in his presence and fellowship, and it’s a joy Jesus had known before the foundation of the world (see John 17:24). Jesus came from joy and he was headed back to joy, and he came here to bring us with him (see 1 Peter 3:18).
For all of us who are united to Jesus by faith, joy is our future just like it was for him. And because joy is our future, we can live in that joy now.
“Joy is actually more ultimate than the universe itself, because there has never been a time when joy was not, because there has never been a time when God was not.”
And if there’s anything in us that feels like that sounds cheap, or canned or cliché or just unaware of the real world, I want you to know that’s wrong. Joy is actually more ultimate than the universe itself, because there has never been a time when joy was not, because there has never been a time when God was not. Joy is ultimate, and therefore you cannot flank joy with something deeper or wiser.
Just last week I read an old novel by Frederick Buechner called The Final Beast, published back in 1965, and it’s book about joy. The main character is this pastor who is having a crisis of faith, and he ends up meeting with this older woman who has a reputation for praying very effective prayers. People would travel to see her, to have her pray for them, and maybe do a miracle for them, and well, this pastor is talking to her, and she starts sharing about the joy of the Lord in her life. And as she is talking about this joy, the pastor, who has been burned and is a little cynical, he wants to bust out laughing at her, but he doesn’t because he’s afraid that if he laughs at her she would just laugh too, and she would laugh even louder than him.
See, in the conversation, the pastor came to understand that joy always has the upper hand, and that he was the one on the outside looking in. It’s joy that has the final say. And then later on this pastor, who is waking up, he makes this amazing statement. This is my all-time favorite quote from Fred Buechner. He says, “The worst thing isn’t the last thing about the world. The last thing is the best.” And the last thing is joy.
That’s what Psalm 16 says. The last thing is joy. It is the joy of God that we will know because Jesus is the resurrected king.
In Acts Chapter 2, after Peter preached Jesus from Psalm 16, those who heard him were cut to the heart. And I don’t know where your heart is when you watch this, but in this moment, I want to invite you to trust in Jesus.
When Jesus went to the cross, he took our sins upon himself and the punishment we deserved, and he died in our place, and then on the third day he was raised from the dead and exalted as Lord of all — and that means that right now, if you turn from your sin and trust in Jesus, you will be forgiven and your future will be the joy of God. So I’m inviting you: Repent and believe the gospel.
And church, let us give God thanks.
Happy Easter!
