Ps. 16: Toward Pleasant Places

Psalm 16:6 "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

"Keep me safe," the 16th Psalm begins, a la David, the sentient robot in Kubrick's sci-fi epic A.I. Artificial Intelligence. And I think it is an apt illustration of how I imagine King David saying it. In the film, mecha David desperately clings to his flesh and blood brother hoping for protection from those who would bully him. I assume this behavior was programmed into him to preserve him. How that fits into Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics remains to be debated. King David knows that preservation comes truly only in the arms of God.

No good thing? In verse two, David claims that apart from God, he has no good thing. That is pretty astounding to think about. Consider these things that we have and own and enjoy like video games and coffee and V8 Engines and HDTV. These are neat, but not "good." They may in fact pull us apart from God. That's not a good thing. These things we love...can they be distractions? Are they only if we let them? I guess that's personal...subjective. David wouldn't consider them good though. To follow another God...another distraction...would only lead to sorrow. I suspect the "good things" David refers to are less...tangible?

Re: v. 5. What is assigned by God is secure. No more, no less.

The LORD counsels David. Teaches and instructs David. Can you imagine having that? I just wonder how my life would change, how different my life and my worldview and my time management would change if I received direct verbal counsel from God himself. Chilling. I realize I have the Bible. But to be in a position like King David...

Gladness, rejoicing and security are the things David celebrates having because of this close relationship with God. And those three things lead to one over-arching sort of gift, and that is peace. Even in David's unsettled situations with surrounding nations, Saul, Jonathan, Absalom, Bathsheba...all these things...he was still able to make it through because of gladness, joy and security that came from God.

Verse ten mentions that David will not be abandoned to the grave. Of course we know David died, but it wasn't because God left him. And even in death, does God abandon him? David didn't come back to life...