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 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. (ESV)
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Psalm 16:1-11
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How Does the Son Feel about His People?
The following Devotional study came from a student project submitted for The Theology of Biblical Poetry: Advanced Arcing/Bracketing online course.
The Son has enjoyed the Father from eternity. How does he feel about his people for whom he has suffered and died; those whose sin and rebellion required him to become a man and suffer and ultimately be crucified?
Jesus Christ has now been raised to God’s right hand. There he waits while those for whom he died come to understand and trust and in his redemptive work, and come to know the God who created them and provided for their redemption. He intercedes for them. There is nothing at all in them that makes them worthy, indeed it was their sin and rebellion that required the Son to be crucified. But God shows his sovereign goodness and grace through them and they come to recognize that God is the source of all good. So they, with the Son, delight in God.
These people are thus being brought to glory. They belong to Jesus, they are his bride and his inheritance. How does the Son feel about his people? “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” and “Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance”.
(This was originally posted on the Biblearc blog by Robert Elphick on August 27, 2015.)