Psalm 16: Christ’s Obedience on the Earth
A Michtam of David. 1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. 2 O my soul, You have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” 3 As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” 4 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.
“The title of this Psalm in the Hebrew is... michtam ledavid, which the Chaldee translates, ‘A straight sculpture of David.’ The Septuagint,... ‘The inscription on a pillar to David;’ as if the Psalm had been inscribed on a pillar, to keep it in remembrance. As כתם catham signifies to engrave or stamp, this has given rise to the above inscription. מכתם michtam also means pure or stamped gold; and hence it has been supposed that this title was given to it on account of its excellence: a golden Psalm.” (Adam Clarke) “In the Sixteenth Psalm we behold Christ in His obedience on earth.” (Arno Gaebelein) The psalm “expresses a confident expectation of eternal life and happiness, founded on the evidence of true attachment to God. It expresses the deep conviction that one who loves God"—even His Messiah— "will not be left in the grave, and will not be suffered to see permanent ‘corruption,’ or to perish in the grave, forever.” (Albert Barnes)
David wrote it, as it is "attributed to him by St. Peter, Acts 2:25-31. That its principal parts might have some relation to his circumstances is also probable. But that Jesus Christ is its main scope, not only appears from quotations made by the apostle as above, but from the circumstance that some parts of it never did and never could apply to David... I am convinced that every verse of it belongs to Jesus Christ…” (Adam Clarke)
Thus Messiah prays: “‘Preserve me, O God’- Keep me; guard me; save me... ‘For in Thee do I put My trust’ - That is, my hope is in thee.” (Albert Barnes)— “O My soul, You have said to Yahweh, ‘You are My Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.’ As for the Messiah, He is the Holy One of Israel, completely consecrated to God, set apart to die. He is the excellent One or Noble, distinguished for moral excellence, in Whom the Father delights. Says He, “As for the saints who are on the earth, ‘They are the excellent ones, in whom is all My delight.’” (Psalm 16:3)
Jesus was offered as the once and for all Sacrifice. And He is the One, being at the right hand of God, who accepts or rejects our person, as taught by the type of the Old Testament drink offering, which are various measures of wine poured out, accompanied the the daily and various burnt offerings at the Tabernacle. When the offering is accepted, it was called a “pleasing odor” (Numbers 15:7). It represents the consecration of the offerer of the sacrifice. Jesus was completely consecrated and His offering was accepted for His saints—the noble ones of the earth.
In Philippians 2:17, Paul likewise testified: “‘Yea, and if I be offered’ - Margin, ‘poured forth— upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all." “The mention of his labors in their behalf, in the previous verse, seems to have suggested to him the sufferings which he was likely yet to endure on their account. He had labored for their salvation. He had exposed himself to peril that they and others might have the gospel. On their account he had suffered much; he had been made a prisoner at Rome; and there was a possibility, if not a probability, that his life might be a forfeit for his labors in their behalf. Yet he says that, even if this should happen, he would not regret it, but it would be a source of joy.... It is used to denote the fact that, when an animal was about to be slain in sacrifice, wine was poured on it as a solemn act of devoting it to God (cp Num 15:5; 28:7, 14).” (Albert Barnes)
Jesus declares here, as in the case of the ceremonially unclean leper, “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.” (Psalm 16:4) According to the law or Torah: “As with the burnt offering, the entire drink offering was expended; nothing was given to the priest (28:7). Drink offerings accompanied the daily offering (Ex 29:40-41; Nm 28:7) and the Sabbath offering (Nm 28:9), as well as the New Moon festival. Reference is also made to them in connection with the second and following days of the Feast of Tabernacles (29:18, 21... A libation was required for the rites concluding a Nazirite vow (Nm 6:17) but not for cleansing a leper (Lv 14:10-20).” (Tyndale Bible Dictionary)
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. 7 I will bless Yahweh who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
“‘O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.’ Jesus “uniformly made Jehovah His portion, and looked unto Him to maintain His cause, and carry Him safely through His vast undertaking. He not only considered it His meat and His drink to do His Father's will, but His redeemed He considered a goodly heritage. And what is it to His people but the same? They who have chosen God for their portion, find that portion to be a goodly one, and are fully satisfied with Jesus, for they need no other.” (Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary)
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 glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. 10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor 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; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Jesus set the Father ever before Himself. And the Father saved Jesus from the grave. He will also save us- Christ the first fruits and those who are Christ’s at His Coming. Meditate on Acts 2:22-33 here: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’( Ps 16:8-11) Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this [post-ressurection] day [for the Judea-Christian hope is the resurrection at His Coming.] Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades [the grave], nor did His flesh see corruption [decay]. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear."