God's Glory Our Good

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Where Our Good Is Found

Psalm 16 makes incredible claims that might be hard to believe, especially for skeptics who question God's protection amid suffering. This psalm answers both external and internal doubts, offering ultimate hope in Jesus Christ.

David begins by demanding preservation from God because he has taken refuge in him. He declares, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As king with every luxury, David recognizes that without the Lord, he has nothing truly good.

David delights in God's actions and attributes. He knows God is powerful to preserve those who take refuge in him. The emphasis falls on “my Lord”—God’s sovereign lordship informs everything. Even in suffering, acknowledging God as Lord provides strength.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

God is David’s portion, cup, and lot—his satisfying inheritance and sovereign determiner of destiny. As Job endured unimaginable loss, he accepted both good and evil from the Lord, recognizing God’s actions as satisfying.

Valuing God as our only good changes what we value. David’s litmus test: delight in the saints, the excellent ones bearing God’s name.

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

Delight in God’s people demonstrates love for God. Jesus embodies this as the ultimate singer of the psalm, delighting in those given to him by the Father, even enduring the cross for joy set before him.

Where Our Good Is Lost

Running after another god multiplies sorrows.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

Idolatry—chasing anything but God for comfort—leads to multiplied disappointment. Adam and Eve sought in the forbidden tree what God freely offered elsewhere, resulting in shame. The Samaritan woman chased fulfillment in broken relationships.

Modern idols like transgenderism or abortion promise joy but deliver irreversible sorrow and depression. The world offers no solution, but Christianity does: refuge in God despite sin. Suffering exposes sin as the real problem; God heals and preserves.

Where Our Good Ultimately Will Be

David rejoices amid expected death, confident in God’s counsel and presence.

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Peter applies this to Jesus in Acts 2: the Holy One died but did not see corruption, rising as firstfruits. God preserves not by avoiding suffering, but by conquering sin through Christ, making us valuable for eternity.

Suffering tests and refines faith, producing praise and glory. God ties his glory to our pleasure—fullness of joy awaits in his presence. Christ earned these pleasures and shares them with us.