Big Idea: The unity of our life in God involves both the journey and the destination.

Understanding the Text

In literary form, Psalm 16 is an individual psalm of trust.1 Nowhere in the psalm does God speak, nor do we hear other voices in the psalm—no enemies, no oppressed cries, no accusers. The psalmist is alone with God, and the intimacy of his relationship permeates the poem.

Psalm 16 represents a plateau in progression from the dismissive fool of Psalm 14, who says there is no God, to the searching suppliant of Psalm 15, who asks about requirements for entry into the Lord’s house, to the joyful worshiper of Psalm 16, who knows there is no life apart from God.

The historical allusions in this psalm, discussed below, are of notable value. David was aware of Israel’s past, as a king s…