In utter confidence

As we move on to another weekend we anticipate rest and recreation to enhance our well-being as persons. There are many people and I for one would have preferred to work five days a week that is from Monday to Friday and rest on Saturday and Sunday. For some people spending weekends at home is a kind of respite and taking refuge in the shelter of their home. It seems that our work places have become too crowded and very demanding and we lost ourselves in what we do--just like having no identity inside an assembly plant, and what is more important is the product.

Psalm 16 is a prayer of one who is in grave threat from external forces. This is also considered as a resurrection psalm because of its theological significance with the risen Christ. There is no other Psalm that mentions about the rest of body, but this one has given it a special attention: "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay" (16:9-10). Here we can understand that the Psalmist believes in immortality as characteristic of Ancient Near East religions. In Christianity the resurrection of Jesus has given us the assurance of eternal life.

Another interesting statement the Psalmist mentions is that "The sorrow of those will increase who run after other gods"(16:4a). Running after other gods means replacing Yahweh with somebody or something else in one's life. The Psalmist must have known what it is to run after other gods, such as those that gives momentary pleasures or things that assume important functions and roles in life. Being lured and hooked with these gods increases sorrow. They cannot give security and peace.

Howard Wallace has this thought on the Psalm:

These statements of confidence could easily be taken out of context and read as a kind of prosperity theology, where faith and well-being or security go hand in hand, where faithfulness is the key to pleasant places, a goodly heritage, and pleasures forevermore. But the psalmist is talking about a deeper security than that. Note the context of the psalm. The psalmist seeks protection (v. 1). They speak out of the context of some kind of threat or insecurity. For the psalmist, trust in the Lord is neither an easy thing entertained only in times of relative ease, nor a general statement covering all of life. It is an attitude or position that is truly tested and refined in times of darkness. So if we do read Ps 16:10 in the light of Jesus’ resurrection, as many will this day, it is never out of the shadows of the cross. The psalmist knows fear and insecurity, even possibly the fear of death, and in that context recognizes that their ‘welfare indeed rests on (the Lord)’ (v. 2b as one commentator translates this difficult clause).

In utter confidence we ask God to keep us safe.