Psalm 16 And 17

September 15, 2016

Psalm 16 is called a "Michtam of David". The exact meaning is unknown. Martin Luther translated it to mean " A Golden Jewel". We will call this Psalm A Golden Jewel of David !  This Psalm is known as a prophetic Psalm ( as are the next few ). In this Psalm we shall see the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. David uses the difference between believers and non believers to show how great God is. When he talks about being saved, this refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus which is how we are saved today.... by grace !  The last line in the Psalm shows the ascension of Jesus when it says, " ...at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore."

This Psalm, 17, is called a Prayer of David. It was written during the time when Saul was chasing David in the wilderness. The structure of this psalm is a great example of how we should pray. He starts with praise of God, then a recount of the great things God has done for him, then with the prayer request, and closing with thanks and prayer. There is one thing that we as Christians should be very careful of. We should NOT ask for harm to come to anyone. In Davids time, they were guided by the Law. Under the Law it was good to ask for justice. However, under Grace, we give ALL of our lives to Jesus. When we do this it is up to Jesus to know and to take care of His Spirit filled children. It is OK to pray for help, or relief, or healing etc., but payback belongs to God...alone!