Psalm Devotional
Life and Death
Written by Anthony Selvaggio. This devotional was first published in the February 2004 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
Psalm 16 deals with matters of life and death. The psalmist confronts death, embraces this life, and is assured about the next life.
Coming Face to Face with Death (vv. 1-4)
The psalm opens with a statement of crisis. Clearly, the psalmist is disoriented, but what is the nature of the disorientation? I think it is revealed in the closing verses of the psalm. In those verses the psalmist speaks of his assurance that God will deliver him from death. The psalmist’s crisis is the fact that he has come face to face with death.
Verses 2-4 present a variety of translation challenges. However, it is clear that the psalmist is facing temptation in the midst of his crisis. Reading the Psalms is sometimes like listening to one end of a telephone conversation: You can’t be entirely certain what the other party is saying, but you can piece it together based on the responses of the party you can hear. That’s how we have to read verses 2-4. They are the response of the psalmist to those around him, and, based on his response—particularly verse 4—we can surmise that he was being encouraged to worship other gods.
Pause for a moment and consider the psalmist’s predicament. He is a faithful servant of God, yet he is on the brink of death. Do you see how tempting it would be to have someone suggest, “Perhaps you should cover all your bases and try one of our gods?” It is in times of crisis that the enemy slithers in to challenge our faith. Perhaps you, or someone you know, has had their faith tested by the specter of death.
Notice the psalmist’s reply to the temptation. He adamantly refuses to worship other gods. Instead he offers a death-defying confession of faith in the one true God. He states, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (v. 2). This is a powerful confession of faith. Although his life is at risk, the psalmist will not turn from being faithful to his God.
A Life Well Lived (vv. 5-8)
In these verses, we witness the results of the psalmist’s confession of faith. He now understands the meaning of this earthly life. His words draw on the imagery of the book of Joshua. Note the terms used in verses 5-6: “portion,” “lot,” “boundary lines,” and “inheritance.” All of these are used in Joshua to describe the Promised Land. It is amazing, however, that the psalmist is not talking solely about the physical land of Canaan here. He is spiritualizing the Promised Land by equating it with being in the presence of God. In verses 7-8, the psalmist tells us his inheritance is communion with the Lord. The psalmist’s brush with death has given him a new perspective on life.
From Death to Life (vv. 9-11)
The psalmist has not only gained a new appreciation for this life, but for the next life as well. He understands that death is not the end of his existence. The psalmist is assured that God will deliver him from death and will grant him the blessing of eternal communion with Him.
How can the psalmist be so certain? Here’s where the New Testament is extremely helpful in providing light on the Old. Both Peter and Paul refer to this psalm in their preaching in the book of Acts (Acts 2:24-31; 13:35-37). Peter tells us that David is the author of this psalm, and he also tells us that David’s assurance was prophetic: “Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay” (2:31). David’s hope is the same as our hope. The meaning of life and death must be interpreted in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:14).
