Jehovah Study Project: Part 2

Psalm 16 v. 1-3 "Preserve me, O God, for I take reguge in You. I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.' As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight."

v. 10-11 "For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

This Psalm to me has been full of God revealing Himself as Life in many different ways. The very first verse David asks God to preserve his life and he asks God because God is the giver and sustainer of life because He is Life. In v. 2, David says to God that he has no good besides God. He has no good and he is no good apart from God. This is because God is Life and as we see in John 15:5, apart from God we can do nothing. Then in v. 3, David refers to the saints, which are us who believe in Him. And our God who is Life, we are His majestic ones and He delights in us because He is Life in us when we allow Him. It makes Him overjoyed when we allow Him to give us Life to the fullest (John 10:10). In v.4 it says that people who seek out other gods will have many sorrows and God will not take their names on His lips. I think this just solidifies that when we look to God, we can be satisfied because He gives us and is real, fulfilling life in us. So it makes sense that if we look anywhere else we will not find what we are looking for. This is becuase Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

In v. 6, David says his heritage is beautiful and because God is Life, He can make beautiful any situation. We know that David was chased by Saul, was in many battles, he killed his 10 000s and he was called a man after God's own heart. We see that in every way David was open to God, God was Life through him by all his victories.

In v. 7, it is God's Life that instructs David in the day and it says his mind instructs him by night. I imagine God being the life-giving fluid that is going through David's brain even at night. I remember a night this year that afterwards when I woke up, I just somehow felt like God made it make more sense why Jesus died for us. This was a really awesome feeling and it came at a time that I really needed to see God tangibly work in my life.

In v. 8-9, we see because God is life in us, we never need to be shaken and we are always secure and we can rejoice and be glad in this (Php. 4:11-13). In any and every circumstance, Christ is our life; the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

I love v.10 when David says God does not abandon our souls to Sheol and we won't undergo decay. This so clearly shows His Life with that eternal quality in us; our souls are not in jeopardy. As 1 Thess. 5:9-10 says that whether we live or die physically, we are always alive in Jesus. 1 Cor. 15:22 says that we all die in Adam (our sinful nature and flesh) but we are made alive in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:4 talks about Jesus' life completely covering us; what is mortal will be swallowed up by His life.

And v. 11 is also great. God is Life and makes known the choices He wants for su. Because of who He is, in His presence is fullness of joy. He is life abundant and He's holding onto us. This verse really helps me a lot for thinking about the future and plans. He makes known the path of life and He lives in me. So I believe if I keep seeking Him and being completely open to Him, I don't have to worry because He will guide my decisions. And as we heard in Nehemiah classes this week; God puts ideas in our minds and hearts and He is perfectly able to affirm His plans for us in our hearts. Praise Jehovah!