The Path of Life (Psalm 16)
When I was living in Alabama and between jobs, I was asked to preach on a Sunday evening for a congregation without a preacher, and I was told that if all went well, they might want to hire me as their full-time minister. A friend, who was a member at that congregation, gave me the street address, and I put it in my phone’s GPS. Well, the GPS sent me to the parking lot of a denominational church. I looked at Tammy and said, “I think we’re at the wrong place.”
I called my friend Travis who said that happened all the time, and he told me how to get to the right place. We walked in right as they were singing the song before the sermon, and I walked straight to the pulpit and preached.
Well, Travis was right. After I preached that Sunday evening, the elders were very interested in hiring me and asked me to come back the following week. Well, we got lost again! Once more I stepped from the car to the pulpit and preached. I think my sermon was outstanding that night, but we never heard from that congregation again!
How many of you have gotten lost? Has your GPS ever sent you to the wrong place? When you navigated by paper maps, how many of you got lost? Perhaps you’ve gotten lost in a not-so-good part of town, and you’ve been frightened. Or maybe you’ve hiked a trail at a state park and then realized you had no earthly idea where you were.
David didn’t need to worry about getting lost, for God had made known to him “the path of life.” David needed God’s path of life, for his enemies were closing in on him. We don’t know which enemy was troubling David—perhaps it was Goliath or Saul or Absalom or some other enemy. Regardless of the specific enemy, David taught: “God’s path of life leads to victory.”
You certainly have an enemy. Maybe your enemy is human—a neighbor who will not leave you alone or an in-law who despises the ground upon which you walk. Or you might be dealing with a secret sin or a relentless temptation. Perhaps you’re depressed or dealing with soul-crushing grief. Maybe you’re having trouble keeping yourself afloat financially or you struggle to be close to your children. Whatever your enemy, know that “God’s path of life leads to victory.”
Scripture (Psalm 16)
verses 1-2:
David asked to find preservation and refuge in God. How could David make such a request? Because he said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.” David regarded God as his master and did what God commanded.
verses 3-4:
David delighted in the saints of the land, those who did what was right. However, those who sought other gods would have multiplied sorrows. David would not pour out drink offerings to these pagan deities, nor would he take their names to his lips. David refused to worship foreign gods.
verses 5-6:
The LORD held David’s lot, and the lines had fallen for him “in pleasant places.” God allocated the Promised Land to tribes and families by lot. And one’s allotted land was an important part of his inheritance; in fact, family land couldn’t be sold.
God had given David “pleasant places,” an excellent allotment of land.
verses 7-8:
The LORD was at David’s right hand; therefore, David would not be shaken. In combat, a warrior held his weapon in his right hand and his shield in his left. Whoever stood at the king’s right hand had a position of honor and trust, for he defended the king with his shield. To have God at your right hand means that the Creator of all is defending you.
verses 9-10:
David rejoiced, and his flesh dwelt secure. God would not allow him to go to Sheol—the place of the dead—nor would God allow David to see corruption. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter used these words to establish Jesus’s resurrection as a previously prophesied fact (Acts 2:25-28). However, the words mean something slightly different in this context.
In the context of this psalm, David said his enemies wouldn’t kill him. Sure, David, like all men, would die; however, God would not permit David’s enemies to triumph over him.
verse 11:
God made known to David “the path of life.” The path of life could mean a couple different things here. One: This could mean that because David followed God, he wouldn’t die at the hands of his enemies; instead he would live. That idea fits the context of this psalm. Two: This could mean that God made known to David the way to heaven. That idea fits the context of verse 11. I think it’s best that we see “the path of life” in two ways: the path of life leads to triumph over our enemies and the path of life leads to eternity with God.
Application
“God’s path of life leads to victory.” If you follow God’s path of life, you will triumph over your enemies. No, I cannot guarantee that you will triumph over every enemy in this life. Yet, when you stand in God’s presence you shall have overcome every enemy you have ever faced. “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 Jn 5:4).
How can you find that victory on the path of life?
One: Protection
“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” David found his Protection in God. How did David find Protection in God?
First: He Prayed.
“I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord.’” When you face enemies, how often do you use Prayer? You are to be “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). How many of your burdens do you take to the Father? Are you taking them all?
Second: He Performed.
“I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord.’” David Performed God’s will; Yahweh was his Lord. David obeyed in spite of the obstacles he faced. “We must obey God” (Acts 5:29). When you’re facing your enemies, do you obey your Father?
Two: Praise
“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. . . . I bless the LORD who gives me counsel.” David would only Praise the living God, and he would engage in that Praise appropriately.
How is your praise to God in the midst of your struggles? After Job had lost his fortune and his family, “he fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD’” (Job 1:20-21). Paul and Silas had been cast into prison, yet at midnight they “were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25).
Why should you praise God as you face your enemies?
- God has the power to help you;
- God loves you and wants to help you;
- God didn’t bring your troubles upon you; and
- God has a prepared a place for you that trouble shall never enter.
Do you Praise God as you face your enemies?
Three: Pledge
“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” In the context of this psalm, David would not die as he faced his enemies. God had given David a Pledge of safety.
God hasn’t made quite that same Pledge to you; after all, unless Jesus comes first, you are going to die. However, you will be raised from the dead: “The dead in Christ will rise” (1 Thess 4:16). After you are raised, you shall have a dwelling place with God: Revelation 21:3-4.
What a Pledge that is! No matter what this life throws at you, you have a home in heaven. If that doesn’t get you through your struggles and keep you on the Path of Life, nothing will.
Notice, however, God would not allow his “holy one” to see corruption. God preserved David’s life because of his holiness. God will preserve you in heaven if you are holy. How holy are you?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.