I like this Psalm. At first glance it feels common; giving God the glory as David often does, but when one pauses to take the scenic route, one notices the beautiful shape of the leaves or the colorful birds nesting in the trees. What I see is David makes a declaration against what he sees and feels. When you come to learn the course of his life, most days seemed hard for him. The psalms he writes corroborate this. Oftentimes, he is sifting his soul, searching for the meaning of all that is going on and then true to his practice, he lays his troubles down, with honor, at Our Father's feet. This psalm is a bit different from those (and there are others) because David's confidence is seen from very the beginning. He prays first, asking and requesting, and then says why:
I am asking for my safety to be in you, because I claim you as mine and I choose you as the safe place. (See Psalm 16:1 NIV) Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.- Psalm 16:1 NIV
Then he says, "I say to YHWH, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'" In my interpretation, David is not talking about experience when He says this. He is declaring a big declaration: I will consider nothing as good unless it comes from you. That is deep allegiance. I think we oftentimes switch it around. If it felt good, looked good, tasted good, seemed good, then we thank Him for it and say, "look at God." What David is doing is closer to what the 3 Hebrew boys did. Why do I say that?
In the next verses, he is juxtaposing what he sees people doing with what he refuses to do and -also- what he would commit and do, regardless of the circumstance. Maybe those who are pouring out libations of blood to gods and take their name on their lips are prospering in some way. He says they will get theirs, he doesn't indicate that he's yet seen their trouble multiply. Yet, David doubles down and says, "YHWH, you alone are my portion and my cup," if someone is your food and your drink, that's the most basic need of life. He doesn't say just sometimes, he says you alone. I will take no blessing from anywhere else. I -only- consider you for even the basic of needs, or I should say the most important of needs. If it doesn't come from you, it doesn't come to me. I refuse to even utter the names of other gods (sources), even if I were to see a waterfall of blessings come down on those who do. This is David's disposition in this psalm to me. It is awe-inspiring.
I have not attained to this level of allegiance. It is baffling to grab hold of in its entirety. It's like catching a fish the size of my own body and trying to wrestle it down into my small canoe–but so is His mercy, so is His grace, so is His love. I think those things are why David is even able to declare what he does with such confidence, such assurance. He has tasted His mercy, grace and love and seen that the Lord is good. So in his bad times, he gives a credit to God as an investment for a good turn around, just like God gave a credit to Abraham as being righteous, because Abraham believed Him without having to see the proof.
May YHWH our God, ours that we claim, give us the strength to wrestle the big catches of the kingdom, into our small canoes because we know He loves us and He's watching ready to steady the boat if it threatens to capsize, in Yeshua's name, Amen.
I was encouraged by an old note and yesterday's gathering, to initiate affection with YHWH. Not to always wait for Him to prompt, prod, speak or reveal His presence to embrace Him. Take, find and make opportunities sometimes. We love when people love us like that.
signed,
Aleeza A Chery