“I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN”

Passage: Psalm 16:1-11

Key verse: 8

NIV

Psalm 16
A miktam[a] of David.

1 Keep me safe,(A) my God,
    for in you I take refuge.(B)

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;(C)
    apart from you I have no good thing.”(D)
3 I say of the holy people(E) who are in the land,(F)
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods(G) will suffer(H) more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names(I) on my lips.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion(J) and my cup;(K)
    you make my lot(L) secure.
6 The boundary lines(M) have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.(N)
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;(O)
    even at night(P) my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand,(Q) I will not be shaken.(R)

9 Therefore my heart is glad(S) and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,(T)
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,(U)
    nor will you let your faithful[b] one(V) see decay.(W)
11 You make known to me the path of life;(X)
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,(Y)
    with eternal pleasures(Z) at your right hand.(AA)

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 16:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  2. Psalm 16:10 Or holy
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

A (A)Miktam[a] of David.

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

3 As for (D)the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.[b]

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

5 The Lord is (F)my chosen portion and my (G)cup;
    you hold my (H)lot.
6 (I)The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who (J)gives me counsel;
    in (K)the night also my (L)heart instructs me.[d]
8 (M)I have (N)set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my (O)right hand, I shall not be (P)shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my (Q)whole being[e] rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to (R)Sheol,
    (S)or let your (T)holy one see (U)corruption.[f]

11 You make known to me (V)the path of life;
    in your presence there is (W)fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are (X)pleasures forevermore.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 16:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 16:3 Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say:
  3. Psalm 16:4 Or who acquire
  4. Psalm 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me
  5. Psalm 16:9 Hebrew my glory
  6. Psalm 16:10 Or see the pit
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

This psalm is David’s prayer for safekeeping, pleading for the Lord’s protection against the threat of death. The petition element in his psalms is often relatively short because he trusts that God knows his need even before he asks Him (cf. Matt. 6:8). In this sense, this psalm can also be called a psalm of trust. This psalm has the superscription of “A miktam of David.” The term remains unexplained, though it always comes with Davidic prayers occasioned by great dangers (see Ps. 56-60).

David’s trust in God for his protection is built on his love for Him. His obedience also flows from his love and affection for Him; “apart from you I have no good thing” (v.2). Because he loves God, he also loves His people (v.3). He loves God as his shepherd (vv.5-7; Ps 23); He counsels him even at night. He keeps His words in his heart (v.7b).

In verses 9-11, David describes his joy of total security. The Lord, in whom he takes refuge, wills life for him and will not abandon him to the grave even though “flesh and…heart…fail” (Ps. 73:26). Implicit in these words of assurance is the confidence that even the grave cannot rob him of life. If this could be said of David, how much more of David’s promised Son! (Acts 2:25-28).

Prayer: Father, thank you for giving me the words of trust and confidence in you. Help me trust in you always. Amen.

One Word: “I take refuge in you”