Psalms 17:6-7
6 I call to you, God, because you will answer me; point your ear towards me; hear what I say. 7 Display the wonders of your faithful love, Savior of all who seek refuge from those who rebel against your right hand.
The psalmist knows that God does not have ears or hands. But he knows that God listens, and God provides safe refuge. That is what he wants. He uses the best words he can to pray. They are inadequate. But God listens like a parent, hanging on our every babble.
Psalms 17:4-5
4 when it comes to what people do: because of the words from your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5 My steps are on your paths; my feet have not slipped.
These words express the appreciation of a person who has paid attention to what God has instructed, and that discipline has kept him from becoming a violent person. He talks about not having strayed from the path. As a hiker, I know that if I don’t pay attention to the white blazes, I can get seriously lost very quickly. The blazes are there to mark the trail. God’s word marks the path we Christians should take. We only harm ourselves if we choose to deviate from what it teaches.
Psalms 17:1-3
1 Yahveh, listen to a just cause; pay attention to my cry; hear my prayer –from lips free of falsehood. 2 Let my vindication come from you, because you see what is right. 3 You have tested my heart; you have examined me at night. You have tried me and found nothing evil; I have determined that my mouth will make no mistake.
The psalmist comes from a culture where prayers were designed to manipulate the gods. He rejects that kind of religion. He opens his life for inspection by his Lord. He is not introducing himself to the Lord. So he just asks for fairness. He knows God will do the right thing.
Psalms 16:10-11
10 Because you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. 11 You will reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are permanent pleasures.
The psalmist expresses confidence that his life of faithfulness will not end in Sheol. There is a way out of the prison that everyone goes to. The way out had not yet been revealed when the psalmist wrote. It has now been revealed. The way out is the resurrection when Christ returns. God loves us too much for the darkness and death of Sheol to be the last stanza of our song.
Psalms 16:7-9
7 I will bless Yahveh who counsels me –even at night when my thoughts trouble me. 8 I always let Yahveh guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being celebrates; my body also rests securely.
The psalmist turns from declaring his faith in the future to explaining why he can trust the Lord today. His God is not distant and unapproachable. He is as close as his right hand. When his thoughts disturb him at night, God is there to counsel him. The results are gladness, celebration and rest.
Psalms 16:5-6
5 Yahveh, you are my portion and my blessing cup; you hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in nice places; yes, I have a beautiful inheritance.
No matter what our circumstances are now, we can pray this prayer. The devil and bad fortune may plague us for a while, but neither is forever. Our Lord is forever, and he holds our future. He has marked out the boundaries of our permanent inheritance. Faith worships the Lord, not just for what he has done, but for what he will do.
Psalms 16:3-4
3 As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the majestic ones. All my delight is in them. 4 The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will increase; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips.
The psalmist makes a decision not to promote those who abandon Yahveh. He will not honor their false religious practices. He will not even speak their names. He is identifying himself as a worshiper of Yahveh. His prayer for protection will have to be based on the power of Yahveh.
Psalms 16:1-2
1 Protect me, God, for I am taking refuge in you. 2 I said to Yahveh, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good apart from you.”
This prayer for protection is based on the rawest reality: none of us have anything good in ourselves. All the goodness and purity and life flows downstream from the sky.
Psalms 15:3-5
3 the one who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his associate or discredit his neighbor, 4 who despises the one rejected by Yahveh but honors those who fear Yahveh, who keeps his word whatever the cost, 5 who does not lend his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent –the one who does these things will never be shaken.
The psalmist starts out talking about the person who can live in God’s holy tent. What does it mean to be that kind of person? It means never being shaken. That is what I want.
Psalms 15:1-2
1 Yahveh, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain? 2 The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart —
That is a big ideal to live up to. It is true godliness. It is a life of both internalized and externalized truth. My prayer for you today is that you take one step closer to this ideal. I would appreciate your praying the same for me.
Devotions 