Psalms 16:7

Psalms 16:7

Psalms 16:7 says, “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” The first half of Psalms chapter 16 talked about preservation, the inheritance, and also gave a warning about hasting after other gods. This information is counsel. Council is advice. Either Jesus is going to be your primary advisor in life, or someone else. But it is a mistake to have anything or anyone as the primary influence in your life other than Christ Himself. The wisest man (other than Christ) who ever lived, king Solomon said, “wisdom crieth in the streets.” But the truth is that n His grace has made it even easier than this to get council. Verse 7 says the LORD has given counsel. God has given counsel it is His word. What if there was a book that gave every bit of advice and wisdom you could need for everything in this life? Oh wait, there is, it’s the Bible.

In some places, in some countries, and during some time periods, millions of men women and children have lived and still do live in situations where to even touch a Bible means a death sentence. Yet in other places such as America millions of people can find the counsel of God everywhere there go: on signs, on the internet, on the shelves in book stores, in the libraries. Yet there are some men who take God’s counsel and some men who do not. In the end it has nothing to do with the external spiritual opposition but the internal. It might seem a strange thing indeed that some men will die just for a chance to read one verse out of the Bible, and other men will live all their lives surrounded by such opportunity with no opposition to the same and yet never take the counsel of God.

This should be a warning. Verse 7 mentions the night season. We live in a world of darkness and there are going to be times when the forces of evil will launch greater attacks upon you. Take the opportunity to take the counsel of God when you can because you never know when the night season is going to come. Perhaps the key word in verse 7 is the word “reins.” This word actually means kidneys. Of course we know that the kidneys serve the function of filtering. The word can also mean the inmost mind. Whether you like it or not you are going to be bombarded with ideas, and philosophies, and counsel. Much of it is going to be bad, much of it is going to be lies, much of it is going to be directed towards getting you to hasten after other gods. But if you use your reins, that is your mind, to filter out all the bad and take in only the counsel of God, then you will be prepared for the night season.

Psalms 16:8 says, “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Once you understand preservation and inheritance and you keep your mind focused on these truths, the next thing you need to do is to set the LORD always before you. Another way of explaining this phrase is Exodus 13:21, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and by night.” Day and night, good times and bad times, we need to make sure that we are letting Jesus lead us in our decisions in life: where we go, who we talk to, what we say, what we spend our time doing, how we use the abilities God has given us, in everything. This is what it means, “to set the LORD always before me.” Because it is possible to think the right things and yet still not do the right things. It is important to do both, and to accomplish this you must let Jesus lead you.

One very good reason to let Jesus lead you is just as it says in Psalms 16:8, “He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” The phrase the “right hand” refers to strength. This idiom comes from the idea that most people are right handed not left handed, and therefore their right hand is stronger than their left hand. In battle a right handed person would wield a sword with their right hand not their left. The idea is one of strength. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me.” You should let the LORD lead you, because with Jesus you will be stronger, much stronger, and much more capable, than you could possibly be without him no matter what your abilities are. There is nothing worse than to be in the wrong situation at the wrong time. If you go where Jesus wants you to go then you will always be in the right situation at the right time with the LORD at your right hand and the result will always be that you shall not be moved. The word “moved” can mean to be shaken or to slip. One reason people often fail or fall into temptation is because they do not led the LORD lead them.

Psalms 16:9 says, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” The results and the consequences of getting your wisdom from God, of trusting in His promises, of relying upon Jesus to be your strength, and of not doing your own will but of doing God’s will, are always good consequences. One thing you can be certain of is that your heart will be glad. Some people as they get older become bitter and unhappy. They become like dried prunes with no joy inside of them. Despite the disappointments of life and all the possible things that you can suffer or that can happen to a person you can be certain there is always gladness for the heart that has Jesus at their right hand. The Bible talks a lot about joy and gladness as a result of trusting in Jesus. This is very important. After all, it is not God’s intention that people be unhappy but that they have joy. It is impossible to become all you can as a person and to accomplish all you should as a person without such gladness in your heart. A person who rejoices in what they do will always be more motivated than someone who does not. If you want to reach your full potential in life, then you must set Jesus at your right hand and rely upon Him to put gladness into your heart.

Another wonderful consequence to trusting in Jesus is that your flesh shall rest in hope. This is an interesting phrase to consider because it mentions the flesh or in other words the physical. Trusting in Jesus, letting him guide you in life, relying upon him for wisdom, these things are important not just because of eternity, but also because this is the way it should be in the physical world. If you do this, then in the flesh you also will rest in hope. The word “rest” here means to abide or to dwell. The word “hope” that is used here is a word that means without fear, or boldly. One of the main reasons that people do not find rest in the flesh is because of all the things in life that there are to fear and to worry about. But to be free of fear and free of worry no matter what bad might happen to you is to find rest in the flesh. This is only possible if you trust in Jesus. Think of all the bad things people do, all the foolish things, all the impatient and selfish things, all the bad decisions that people make because of fear and worry. It is no wonder only those who have Jesus at their right hand find that their flesh also rests in hope. Even when the flesh is weak, tired, and beset by the possibility of fear there is rest in Christ.

Psalms 16:10 says, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” This next verse is a very important verse because it is a Messianic Psalm which is referring to the resurrection of Jesus. Think now again about all that Psalms 16 has previously mentioned: preservation, inheritance, counsel and instruction, and the LORD God to be at your right hand in all that you do and in everywhere you go. All of these are possible because Christ died on the cross and paid the penalty for your sins.

These verses in Psalms chapter 16 are quoted by Peter in the book of acts on the Sermon which He gave at the day of Pentecost. It says in Acts 2:25-28, “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreoever also my flesh shall rest in hope Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” What an appropriate passage of scripture to be used in a sermon on the day of Pentecost. It is because of Christ’s death on the cross and His conquering of death, and his resurrection that those who trust in him receive the same hope and also the earnest of the Spirit which is part of the inheritance mentioned here in Psalms 16. Now notice that the words “Holy One” used here which refer to Christ are words that can mean merciful. There is indeed no greater act of mercy ever done in this world than Christ giving his own life for the lives of sinful men that we might have forgiveness for our sins.

Psalms 16:10 pretty much sums up the benefits of preservation and inheritance. To be preserved is to not see corruption. And to receive an inheritance one must have life. It is because of Jesus that these things are possible. The word corruption here actually is a word that is used in reference to the grave or to a pit in which lions are kept. Think of Daniel in the lions den and how God stopped the mouths of the lions so that they would not harm Daniel. In the same sense Jesus has silenced the mouth of death from ever harming those that trust in Him. Perhaps this is one reason that one day as part of the return of Christ there is going to be a rapture, another act of God’s mercy showing the world Christ’s victory over death, the grave, and corruption. How appropriate indeed such an act will be in the last days as the great tribulation begins because it will be an event that all the people in the world will notice and it will be an opportunity for them to realize the preservation, the inheritance, the salvation, and the escape from the jaws of death that is offered by the mercy of God through Christ.

Death and the grave have always been here to plague men and to ultimately defeat them, no matter how strong, how healthy and how much ability or strength of will men have in the flesh. Death is one of man’s greatest fears, and the appetite of the grave brings great suffering upon men. When you think about preservation and inheritance, you should think about this verse in Psalms.

Psalms 16:11 says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” There are 2 words that stand out in this passage of scripture: joy and pleasures. Verse 10 spoke of hell and corruption. These two words certainly are connected with the opposite of those. It is natural for humans to seek after pleasure. There is an innate need inside man to experience joy and pleasure, a strong desire. But this need and this desire can only be satisfied through Jesus. The truth is that pleasure and joy comes from God. That is why when He created the world he said, “it is good.” And that is why Christ suffered through hell and corruption so that we might have fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore.

This word joy is used in Jeremiah 15:16, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” And the word pleasure is also used in this very same chapter of Psalms in verse 6, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

The world is filled with things that can bring joy and bring pleasure. God made it this way. The danger is that the devil will use this to mislead people astray from the truth and from the path of life. Do not be deceived. First John 2:15-16 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Perhaps the best way to surmise the inheritance that awaits the children of God is with this verse and these phrases which say, “fullness of joy, and pleasures for ever more.” Christ suffered and Christ died for our sins that this might be possible. If you want pleasure and if you want fullness of joy, you will only find it at the right hand of God the Father. And at the right hand of God the Father you will only find Jesus Christ standing there.

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