The Righteous Person

Psalm 16

The attitude and lifestyle of the righteous person is described in (vv. 1–8)

 Psalms 16:1 (NKJV) Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

The righteous persons attitude is one of trust. Everyone trusts in something or someone.King David put complete trust in God to preserve  him (to keep safe from harm or injury; to protect or spare) through all he had to face in life. Who do you trust to save and keep you?    Psalms 16:2 (NKJV)  O my soul, you have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You." Have you said that?

His attitude is one of Gratefulness for God’s goodness as Master and Provider.

James 1:17 (NKJV)  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Psalms 16:3 (NKJV)  As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight."

Righteous person Delight’s in God’s people. Their God is their glory. They are the true heroes, our missionaries and Christian people. Imagine a world without Christians or churches. God spares America because of His missionaries and His godly people spreading the gospel. 

Psalms 16:4 (NKJV)  Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.

cf. Ex. 23:13; Deut. 12:3 prohibited mentioning false gods. Righteous people Separate themselves from idolatrous worship. Those with other gods would drink the blood offerings to their god. Righteous people Love God alone! They know where their blessings come from.

Psalms 16:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. ⁶ The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

Righteous have Satisfaction in God’s gracious provisions. God has given the righteous a Heavenly inheritance that is “incorruptible and undefiled and does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:4 6a(NKJV) In this we greatly rejoice.”

God is the righteous persons inheritance. He is better than anything we have on this earth.

Psalms 16:7 (NKJV)  I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Righteous Praise the Lord for His counsel to guide us through life and trust Him and His promises. The communion of our soul with God brings us an inner spiritual wisdom which in still seasons is revealed to us as we meditate on His word.

The attitude of the righteous person in death is described in (vv. 8–11).

Verses 10-11 Refer to Jesus and His resurrection. Peter in Acts 2:25-35 said Jesus was the fulfillment of these scriptures. Jesus’ resurrection is that which gives us our hope and joy. 

Psalms 16:8 (NKJV)  I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Jesus set the Father God before Him as He went to the cross for us. Because He knew the Father was at His right hand, He would not be moved from His purpose.

Righteous also know the Lord is with them even as they face death as Jesus did. 

Psalms 23:4 (NKJV)  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 1:2 (NKJV) The righteous person’s delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law (word) he meditates day and night. When we read God’s word, study it and meditate on it, we are keeping the Lord always before us; we experience His Presence and are ready to meet Him in death.

Psalms 16:9 (NKJV)  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. Jesus would have to die. His flesh would rest in the tomb in hope for three days. But His heart was glad and His soul rejoiced because He knew the outcome, mankind’s salvation. Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)  Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. His joy was based on what would happen on the other side of death.

In facing death, the righteous person also is glad, he rejoices and is hopeful. How can this be? As we understand the future God has for us, and what is on the other side we will experience joy. We don’t base our life or death on circumstances, but on God and His promises to us.

Our Faith in Jesus Christ gives us a living joy, and bestows dying rest.

Psalms 16:10 (NKJV)  For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Jesus’ soul was not left in hell and His body was saved from the decay of death and did not see corruption. In three days He arose from the tomb to eternal life.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, the righteous are confident that God will also preserve their soul from hell.  Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV) ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  2 Cor. 5:8 ‘Absent from the body, present.”

Although our bodies will decay, they will be resurrected perfect in every way. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NKJV)  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead (bodies) will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.

  Psalms 16:11 (NKJV) You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. David’s confidence in his ultimate destiny is valid for him (and for all believers) only because Christ has traveled down that path and paved the way for all who believe in Him. David looked forward to Jesus’ resurrection; we look back to Jesus’ resurrection from the grave as the fulfillment of David’s prophecy given here. Jesus said He would show us the way to life. John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. The righteous will travel down the path of life shown to them by Jesus Christ, that is, the path leading to life, which will terminate in God’s joyful presence and the pleasures of Heaven forevermore.                                                                                                           

Invitation: Think seriously about the path you are traveling! Are you traveling the path of life set before you by Jesus who leads to heaven and all the joys and pleasures of God?

None of us know how long we have on this earth, so we should put our trust in God before it’s too late. Have you confessed your sins to Jesus and asked Him to forgive and save you?

If you have not, then you should do that right now so you too can know the joys and pleasures of Heaven.