the fullness of joy is in the Lord

“A  Miktam of David.
 1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.
 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
 I have no good apart from You.”

 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.

 4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

 5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
You hold my lot.
 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

 7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
 8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
 or let Your a holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” - Psalm 16

David is writing about the joy that is found in dwelling with the Lord and fellowship with His saints. He makes it clear that because there is “no good” apart from the Lord, his delight is found in fellowship with the saints that are in the land and not the idolaters.  He shows us his satisfaction in the Lord, the delight of walking in the counsel of the Lord, and the hope of everlasting joy in the Lord’s presence.

satisfaction in the Lord

The psalms are full of proclamations of satisfaction in the Lord.  David understands that there is “no good” and no satisfaction apart from the Lord.  Therefore, he will not engage in any practices of idolaters because they only bring sorrows.  He will not even allow the names of the false gods to touch his lips. This is because the Lord is his chosen portion.  He find satisfaction in the way the Lord has established his life and longs for Him alone to satisfy.  Do you find satisfaction in the Lord as your refuge?

delight of walking in the counsel of the Lord

David writes that his “heart is glad” and “his whole being rejoices” because he walks in the counsel of the Lord (notice the “Therefore” in verse 9). His heart is glad and he rejoices, because the Lord instructs him in the ways he should go.  The psalms scream of the delight that is found in walking in the counsel of the Lord.  The world is constantly tugging at our hearts to see if we will seek happiness in other things but true delight is found only in the counsel of the Lord. 

the hope of everlasting joy in the presence of the Lord

And finally the joy and happiness we experience of walking in the counsel of the Lord on this earth is only a measure of the fullness of joy that is found in the presense of the Lord.  This psalm closes with the hope that God’s children should always have, that one day they will experience the fullness of joy that is found in the presence of the Lord. When the Lord reveals to us the path of life, our hope is set towards the day when we will experience pleasures forevermore in the presence of Jesus Christ. For the faithful who are called by God there is no corruption because Christ has risen and through Him we will be able to experience the joy of presence of the Almighty God.  What a wonderful promise! What hope we have in Christ!

- one who has seen that there truly is no good apart from the Lord