Psalm Sixteen: The death and resurrection of Jesus after three days in hell.
The Death and resurrection of Jesus is a fact of history. If it didn’t happen, the Word of God would have failed in a key prophecy from David’s Psalms. The Bible predicted it so it had to happen. Peter, the one who denied the Messiah during Jesus’ trial, saw the risen Lord. a short time after the Lord’s death and resurrection, Peter preached about that very death and resurrection. In the middle of the sermon, he challenged his audience with the obvious truth. They all knew it was true because they witnessed it just as he did. Noone denied the truth of his message.
He used this Psalm as a key text in his sermon. After his death and resurrection, Jesus instructed his disciples concerning all the Old Testament passages that referred to him. This obviously was one of the main passages discussed.
https://thewritelife.tech/2019/08/18/a-video-overview-of-the-book-of-psalms/
Learning to live where God lives
Below are two very good articles that add important insights into this subject.
Does the Old Testament Predict Jesus’ Death and Resurrection?
An excerpt from the article.
In Psalm 16, David was acting as a prophet, predicting that Jesus would rise from the dead. David foresaw that when Jesus died, God wouldn’t abandon Him to Hades. David also foresaw that Jesus’ body would never experience corruption because God would raise Him from the dead!
Where do the Hebrew Scriptures prophesy the death and resurrection of the Messiah?
An excerpt from the article.
In addition to the death of the Jewish Messiah, His resurrection from the dead is also foretold. The clearest and best known of the resurrection prophecies is the one penned by Israel’s King David in Psalm 16:10, also written a millennium before the birth of Jesus: “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”
Psalm16:1 Taking refuge in God (Through Death and Resurrection)
“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.”
David trusted in God. Jesus, who is prophetically pictured in this Psalm trusted his Heavenly Father to protect him during the agony of his trial and crucifixion.
Psalm 7:1
O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,
Psalm16:2 The Lord is my God
“I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
David was a sinner, but Jesus was not. Jesus, the eternal Son, lived thirty-three years in human form. This prayer of David models the attitude of Christ who laid aside his deity in order to live as a man.
Psalm 73:25
Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth, I desire no one besides You.
Psalm16:3 The saints of God are excellent
“As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”
The excellent ones are those people who are willing to stand apart from the crowds of mockers. Standing for God is hard work, often it costs one’s life.
The crowds cheered Jesus when he healed them and fed them with bread and fish. But when it came time to support him, they cried in unison, “Crucify him!”
Psalm 119:63
I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
Psalm16:4 Foolishly following false gods
“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.”
During the trial of Jesus, the Jewish leaders gave their allegiance to Ceasar, the god of Rome. They rejected their Messiah and chose a false god.
Exodus 23:13
Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.
Psalm16:5 The Lord is my portion (Though he gives me death and resurrection)
“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup, you hold my lot.”
David was satisfied with God and nothing else. When he became king, his eyes began to wander as he sought other things. Jesus, the prophetic focus of this Psalm, never failed in his satisfaction in God alone. His Father was always his greatest and only desire. Jesus is the model we need to follow. God should be all we need or desire. How are we doing, what desires are placed ahead of God?
Psalm 119:57
The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.
The Lord gives us an abundance and a new life after our death and resurrection
Psalm16:6 A beautiful inheritance
“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
The lines in this verse refer to the property lines that a person or family-owned. David expressed his satisfaction with what he owned, what God provided. Jesus was satisfied also, but he didn’t own a house, property, or even a donkey to ride on. Yet, he was satisfied.
Psalm 78:55
He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
Psalm16:7 The Lord is my counselor
“I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.”
We too often trust in unwise counsel to make our decisions. Jesus trusted in His Father’s advice. Do we?
Psalm 73:24
You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.
Psalm16:8 The Lord is always with me
“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
We need to keep the setting of this Psalm in focus to understand the strength of the trust that’s expressed. David wrote it, and he had many trials that challenged his trust. But the focus of the Psalm, prophetically, was the Messiah. While on the cross, Jesus kept his focus on fulfilling his Father’s will. Before he went to the cross, he prayed, “Not my will but thine.” While on the cross he comforted others, his mother, the Apostle John, and a thief. With the Lord, his focus was on his Father and that allowed him to endure the shame and pain of the cross.
Acts 2:25
David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Psalm16:9 Secure in God
“Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”
Security outside of God’s provision is only false security. Through God, we have genuine security that stretches into the limitless future. Jesus knew his pain was but a fleeting moment.
Psalm 4:8
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
How long will this trial last?
Psalm16:10 Death and resurrection predicted
“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”
This is the key verse that Peter and Paul used in their sermons and letters when they taught the resurrection and death of the Messiah. The Old Testament taught that the Jewish Messiah would suffer and die, then rise from the dead to fulfill the plan of God. This verse is a cornerstone passage in that doctrine.
John 2:22
After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Psalm16:11 Fullness of joy
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The ways of God are life, joy, and eternal pleasures, but too many choose momentary pleasures and fleeting moments that they will regret — forever…
Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Let me know what you think.