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"Preserve me, O God..."

Day 106 – Psalm 16

“Preserve me, O God…” Psalm 16:1a

THE MICHTAMS OF DAVID

Psalm 16 was not the only one that had this superscription. There were others. Psalm 56-60 all had this superscription.

A VERY PERSONAL PRAYER

Psalm 16 is essentially a prayer. The opening lines of the psalm indicate that the psalmist was going through a crisis.

“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
‘My goodness is nothing apart from You.'”

Psalm 16:1-2

1. “Preserve me, O God”

a) The tone of this plea suggests that the author’s life is in jeopardy.

b) He expresses dependence on the Lord for his very survival.

c) He pleads for “preservation” (plain and simple).

2. “In You I put my trust”

a) This is a confession of faith in God.

b) He had once upon a time learned to trust in God (faith).

c) He now leaned on this trust in God.

3. “O my soul”

a) This phrase is in italics suggesting that it is not part of the original script.

b) It is added to help readers understand the text better.

4. “You have said to the LORD, my goodness is nothing apart from You”

a) The italicised phrase enhances the meaning of this phrase.

b) David had once said to God “You are my Lord”.

c) He had also acknowledged personal unworthiness. If there was any righteousness in him at all, it is from the Lord (incipient idea of “imputed righteousness”).