Dr. Michael P.V. Barrett
The New Testament confirms the messianic significance of Psalm 16. On the day of Pentecost, Peter appealed to Psalm 16:8–11 as his proof text for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In so doing, he made it clear that David was a prophet who knew full well that he was writing about Christ (Acts 2:25–31). Similarly, Paul appealed to Psalm 16:10 as proof of Christ’s resurrection, making it clear that the statement had no reference at all to David, whose dead body stayed buried and saw corruption (Acts 13:35–36). In the light of that inspired authority and confirmation, there can be no doubt that at least verses 8–11 have direct and unique reference to Jesus Christ. The question is whether the first seven verses are also messianic or whether there is a jump from David to his greater Son between verse 7 and 8.
I would suggest that the entirety of Psalm 16 refers to Christ. I do not see anything in the psalm that requires a transition from David to Christ or that does not have legitimate messianic relevance. I am happy to admit that there are statements in the psalm that can in some circumstances apply to all believers; that should not surprise us in view of the fact that Christ’s humanity was a real humanity and that He endured and experienced the stuff of life. It is always good for us to see our union with Christ and His identification with us.
Although the term “Servant” does not occur in the song, the thing that impresses me most about the song as a whole is the absolute resolve and determination of Christ to fulfill His mission in submission to the Lord. Although it was the prophet David who wrote down the words, this psalm records for us the mind of Christ Himself: how He viewed His God, His people, and His mission.
Christ and His God
The first lesson concerns Christ’s view of God. As the Messiah, He trusted the Lord, depending on Him and delighting in His will. The opening petition for preservation was a prayer that God might watch over Him, guarding and keeping Him as a shepherd would his sheep (v. 1). How often from the manger to Gethsemane did the Father answer that prayer as the Lord Jesus was delivered over and over again from the plots of rulers, anger of crowds, and onslaughts from the devil himself? The analogy of Scripture not only parallels this theme of divine preservation of the Messiah but also warrants our seeing Christ in this psalm as God’s Servant. According to Isaiah, the Lord said to the Servant, “In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages” (Isa. 49:8; see also 42:6). That Christ regarded the Lord as His portion and the One who maintained His lot in life is also expressed in His conscious sense of dependence on God (v. 5). This language links Christ with the priesthood, whose only inheritance was the Lord (Deut. 18:2). What the Levites imperfectly typified, Christ fulfilled perfectly. Ironically, He who created the world had no place even to lay His head while in the world, but daily He knew the fellowship and communion of His Father.
Most outstanding is Christ’s determination to do the will of God. Although somewhat difficult to translate, the closing line of Psalm 16:2 is a synopsis testimony of Christ’s total commitment to God. Let me offer this translation: “Thou art the Lord, my happiness is not in addition to Thee.” The sense is simply that Christ found His contentment in and directed His goodness to the Lord only. With unrelenting resolve, Christ set Himself to accomplish the purpose for which He came into the world. As the Ideal Prophet, daily He received His instructions from the Lord: “I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons” (Ps. 16:7). Compare this verse with another of Isaiah’s Servant Songs (Isa. 50:4–5) for this same focus. In both texts, God’s instruction to the Servant was followed with perfect and resolute obedience and with the inflexible determination to keep the Lord’s presence and purpose foremost in His thoughts and life (v. 8).
Christ and His People
The second lesson concerns Christ’s view of His people. Two statements in particular stand out: verse 3 and verse 6. From verse 3 we learn that what Christ did in fulfilling the will of God (v. 2), He did with respect to or in reference to His people: “To the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” The saints are the holy ones, those who are set apart as the beneficiaries of the mediatorial work of Christ: those who are saved. The term “excellent” further defines the saints as those who enjoy special rank and privilege of position. The point is very simply that Christ’s people are special to Him.
From verse 6 we learn that Christ was confident that a people had been given to Him and that therefore His mission would not be in vain: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Notwithstanding the frequent use of this verse in testimony meetings, expressing thanks to God for station in life, the messianic significance of this verse takes us right back to the eternal promise to Christ that He would see His seed (Isa. 53:10) and have His own house, “whose house are we” (Heb. 3:6). The word “line” designates a rope or a cord and refers to an allotment that would be marked off by the measuring cord. According to Deuteronomy 32:9, “the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” Similarly, in Psalm 2, the Lord offered the heathen and the uttermost part of the earth to Messiah as His inheritance and possession. That is precisely the idea in this context. His saints and excellent ones are His inheritance who will populate His glorious kingdom. Believers have a part in verse 6 after all; they are the goodly heritage. That is a blessing that far exceeds any temporal placement in this life.
Christ and His Mission
The third lesson concerns Christ’s view of His mission. This brings us specifically to the portions used in the New Testament. Christ knew from before His incarnation the direction and the end of His mission. He knew that glory would certainly follow His obedient humiliation and atoning death. According to verse 9, He rejoiced and confidently rested in that certain hope. Verses 10 and 11 fix on two essential elements in Christ’s exaltation: the resurrection and the session at God’s right hand. Although this psalm does not explicitly refer to Messiah’s death, the simple fact that Christ expresses His confidence in a sure resurrection presupposes His knowledge of an antecedent death. The New Testament’s interpretation and use of this verse require it to be an explicit declaration of the bodily resurrection of the Messiah from the grave. It has unique reference to Jesus. The Hebrew says exactly the same thing and this is clear when we remember that the word “soul” designates the person, not just the immaterial spirit, and that the word “hell” can refer to the grave (as it is so translated in about half of its occurrences by the KJV). Christ knew that the Lord would not abandon Him in the grave nor allow Him to experience any corruption (as dead bodies typically do). The Hebrew terms and parallel structure of the lines (the lines saying the same thing in a different way) make a clear, direct declaration of the real, bodily resurrection of Christ.
Verse 11 ends this prophetic prayer of Christ with His glorious presence at the right hand of God. We refer to this as the Session of Christ. This is the place of the present mediatorial work of Christ as He represents His people, having guaranteed for them an entrance to where He is. The reference to the path of life that the Lord showed Him from death to glory is the way that will be followed by all His believing people. As the Firstfruit of the resurrection, He is the surety of our resurrection. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Every believer will share in the earned pleasures and glory of Christ, the Savior. But sorrow awaits those who reject Christ for some other god. With sobering words, Christ declares that He will provide neither a sacrifice nor a prayer for those who reject Him (v. 4). This is not a happy note in this song, but it is one that must be sounded loudly.
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Dr. Michael P. V. Barrett is Academic Dean and professor of Old Testament at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Published by The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, used with permission.