Dennis Edwards
The following Psalm of
David seems more applicable to the Messiah than to David who received it.
Apostle Peter in his epistle mentions that many times the prophets didn’t
understand the full depth of what they were receiving from the Lord.
1 Peter 1:10-13 “Of which
salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of
the grace that should come unto you:11 Searching what,
or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when
it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow.
12 “Unto
whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister
the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the
angels desire to look into. 13 Wherefore gird up the
loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be
brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Both Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul use parts of the following
Psalm in their witnessing and defence of the Gospel that Jesus is Lord and the
Messiah to which the Jewish people had longed for. The Jewish people believed
the Old Testament was the word of God, therefore, it was an acceptable
authority to use when sharing the Gospel.
Acts 2:22-36 “Ye men of Israel, hear
these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves
also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden
of it.
25”For David speaks
concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my
right hand, that I should not be moved:26 Therefore did
my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in
hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou
hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance. (Psalm 16:8-11 Septuagint)
29 “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 “This
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 “For
David is not ascended into the heavens: but he said himself, The Lord said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make
thy foes thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1) 36 Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Apostle Peter quotes from both Psalm 16 and Psalm 110
in making his claim that Jesus is the fulfilment of David’s prophetic words
which David could not have been speaking about himself.
Apostle Paul makes a similar defence quoting from Psalm 2
and Psalm 16.
Acts 13:26-41 “Men and brethren,
children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fears God, to you is
the word of this salvation sent. 27 For they that dwell
at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices
of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in
condemning him.
28 “And
though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he
should be slain.29 And when they had fulfilled all that
was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a
sepulchre.
30 “But God
raised him from the dead: 31 And he was seen many days
of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses
unto the people.32 And we declare unto you glad tidings,
how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33 God
hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus
again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day
have I begotten thee. (Psalm 2:7)
34 “And as
concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to
corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. (Isaiah
55:3) 35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou
shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10)
36 “For
David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on
sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37 But
he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 38 Be it
known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that
believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by
the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest that come
upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41 “Behold,
ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work
which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declares it unto you.”
As we read the Psalm, we can read it as though the Holy Spirit is
speaking through David, and the words are a prayer of David, or, we can read it
as a prayer of the Son of Man.
Psalm 16:1 “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”
Both David and Jesus put
their trust in God, and we must, too.
Psalm 16:2 “O my
soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou
art my Lord: my goodness extends not to thee.”
In the above prayer, if we look at it as if Jesus is praying it,
He is saying, “God the Father, nothing can be added to Your goodness.” Jesus
Himself emptied Himself of His Divinity to suffer the death of a sinner as we
read in the New Testament.
Philippians 2:6-8 “Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross.”
Psalm 16:3 “But to the saints that
are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.”
Jesus extends His righteousness to those that believe and obey
Him, “the saints and the excellent,” in other words, the true believers.
John 1:12 “But as many as receive Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His word.”
Psalm 16:4 “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.”
Those seeking other gods only end with sorrows as Apostle Paul
writes to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:9-11 “But they that will be
rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts,
which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the
love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they
have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But
thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
Psalm 16:5 “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: You maintain my lot.”
For those who follow Christ closely, our inheritance is not
earthly, but heavenly. Jesus Himself being an example of one who followed hard
after God and kept the Heavenly vision.
Matthew 26:39 “And he
went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but
as thou wilt.”
Hebrews 12:2-3 “Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of
sinner against Himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds.”
Psalm 16:6 “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
God even blesses his servants here on earth and promises them
houses, and lands, and brothers, and sisters.
Mark 10:29-30 “And Jesus answered and
said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren,
or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake,
and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold
now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children,
and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as
it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
Psalm 16:7 “I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.”
God instructs us in our sleep if we are seeking Him and His will
in our lives. We see that Jesus got up early to spend time with His father.
Before major decisions and events, he spent the night in desperate prayer.
Mark 1:35 “And in
the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into
a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Luke 6:12-13 “And it came to pass in
those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night
in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called unto
him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.”
Matthew 26:36 “Then
comes Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and says unto the
disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.”
The following verses are the ones used by both Peter and Paul in
their defence of Jesus being the Messiah, and spoken of by the prophets and by
David.
Psalm 16:8-10 “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 shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
David did see corruption; therefore, he is not speaking of
himself, but of the Messiah who was to come, prophesized by the “voice of the
Lord,” who walked with Adam and Eve in the garden.
Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel.”
Job, the oldest book in the Bible, written around the time of
Abraham or around 2,000 BC, talks of the promised Messiah or Redeemer.
Job 19:25-27 “For I know that my Redeemer
lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom
I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my
reins be consumed within me.”
Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the
path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore.”
Jesus, seeing the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross,
and so should we.
Hebrews 5:7-9 “Who in the days of his
flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and
tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he
feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made
perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
him.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, (be encouraged); I have overcome the world.”
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