Psalms 16: The Path of Life
A psalm of trust in which David finds his whole portion and inheritance in the LORD, and rejoices that God will not abandon his soul to the grave.
Psalms 16 (WEB)
1 Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.
2 My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.
5 Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
Psalms 16 (KJV)
1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalms 16 (ASV)
1 Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I take refuge.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto Jehovah, Thou art my Lord: I have no good beyond thee.
3 As for the saints that are in the earth, They are the excellent in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give gifts for another god: Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, Nor take their names upon my lips.
5 Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; Yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel; Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.
8 I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: My flesh also shall dwell in safety.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Summary
This psalm is a song of confident trust (a “miktam” of David) in which the singer pours out his settled delight in God. He begins with a simple cry for protection, then confesses that apart from the LORD he has no good thing. David rejoices in the company of the saints and turns away from the empty sorrows of those who chase after other gods. He names the LORD himself as his portion, his cup, and his secure lot, declaring that the boundary lines have fallen for him in pleasant places. Because he has set the LORD always before him and senses God at his right hand, his heart is glad and his body rests in safety. The climax is a startling hope: God will not leave his soul in Sheol nor let his holy one see corruption. The apostles Peter and Paul both quote these words as a prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus, the truly Holy One whom death could not hold. The psalm ends in joy, gazing on the path of life and the fullness of pleasures at God's right hand. For the believer it is an invitation to find everything in God, in this life and beyond the grave.
Voices
- David — The trusting singer who takes refuge in God, names the LORD as his only good and inheritance, and rests his very life in God's keeping.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — David's portion, cup, and counselor, the one at his right hand who will not abandon his soul to the grave.
- The Holy One — The one God will not allow to see corruption; the New Testament reads this as a prophecy fulfilled in the risen Christ.
Key Verse
Psalm 16:10 (WEB)
For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
Lessons Learned
- Our truest good is not God's gifts but God himself, our portion and our cup.
- Setting the Lord always before us steadies the heart so that we shall not be moved.
- The chase after other gods only multiplies sorrow; the LORD secures our lot in pleasant places.
- This psalm looks beyond the grave to resurrection, fulfilled in Jesus, the Holy One who did not see corruption.
- In God's presence is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forever more.
- God himself is our only good. David tells the LORD, “Apart from you I have no good thing” (Psalm 16:2, WEB). Everything else is gift; God alone is the treasure.
- A secured life is a contented life. “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance” (Psalm 16:6, WEB). Knowing the LORD assigns our portion frees us from envy and grasping.
- Keep God before you and stand firm. “I have set Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8, WEB). Steady faith comes from a steady gaze.
- Hope reaches past the grave. “For you will not leave my soul in Sheol” (Psalm 16:10, WEB). Peter and Paul apply this to Jesus' resurrection, the firstfruits of our own.
- Joy is found in God's presence. “In your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11, WEB). The path of life leads not to mere survival but to everlasting gladness with God.
- What does David mean when he says to the LORD, “Apart from you I have no good thing” (16:2)?
- How do verses 5-6 reshape the way we think about contentment and our circumstances?
- Why do the apostles see Jesus' resurrection in verse 10, and what does that hope mean for us?
- What does it look like, day to day, to “set Yahweh always before me” (16:8)?
- Where are you tempted to seek your “good” in something other than God, and how might this psalm reorder your heart?
- David confesses that God is not merely the source of good things but is himself the good he most needs. The phrase strips away every rival treasure and locates joy in God alone, a confession that anchors the whole psalm.
- David pictures God assigning his portion, cup, and lot, so that the boundary lines fall in pleasant places (16:5-6). Contentment flows not from better circumstances but from trusting the hand that measures them out, freeing us from comparison.
- Peter (Acts 2) and Paul (Acts 13) note that David died and saw decay, so the words point beyond him to the Holy One, Jesus, whom death could not hold. His resurrection is the firstfruits and pledge of ours.
- Help the group think concretely: remembering God in ordinary decisions, praying through the day, letting Scripture frame circumstances. Setting the Lord before us is less a feeling than a practiced, deliberate attention.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name, gently, the place they look for security or delight apart from God, and to receive afresh the invitation that he himself is their good. Keep the tone warm and unhurried.