God is Good

I have a statement for you to ponder as we come to God’s Word today: What you think about God may be the most important thing about you.  For how you think about God will determine how you live, what you do and how you respond to whatever happens in front of you.  How you think about God will determine if you go through life content and confident or consumed by worry and fear. For example: If you believe God is all-powerful and reigns in complete control over, you will never worry when bad thingshappen or when the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket.  Or this one: If you trust God is always seeking your best, you won’t have to cave to the lies of our culture that’s always telling you, you need something more to make you happy.  Or this one: If you know God is always with you, you won’t have to struggle with doubts about what your future holds, because you will know who holds your future.

So, yes, what you think about God may be the most important thing about you.  And so, this morning, as we return to God’s Word, we get to hear what David thinks about God. And as we do, my hope is that you will begin to think differently about God.  That you’ll begin to grab hold of the reality that God is always for you, that God is always with you, and that God is truly the source of all goodness that you could ever hope for.  Now, if that sounds intriguing to you, then let me encourage you to open your Bible to one of the best psalms ever written: Psalm 16 where David’s confession of faith in a good God may just help you change how you live.

So where does David begin?  He begins by giving this heartfelt confession about what He believes about God. And the first thing we hear is this:

All Goodness Comes From God: Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Psalm 16:1-2 David begins this psalm with a request,  asking God to protect him. To watch over him. To guard his life.  Now, if you know anything about David’s story, you know that soon after Samuel anointed David to be king, he entered King Saul’s service as a musician.  Not long after that, David stood up to the Philistines and slayed their chief warrior Goliath.  And soon after that he became friends with Saul’s son, Jonathan.  But then things begin to go south for David. King became jealous of David and his popularity. Soon, Saul began plotting to have David killed. But Jonathan warned David and for the next few years David lived as a fugitive from Saul. And it while he was on the run, David learned of God’s protective hand. So, whenever David found himself in a tight spot, or feared for his safety, he turned to God to find refuge in His strength. And that’s what we see here.

He is asking for God’s protection.  But what’s really informative in this prayer is the names of God that he uses in his prayer.  First, he uses the Hebrew name “EL” the most common name of God in the Old Testament, translated as God. This is the name that describes God as the Strong or Mighty One.  So, whenever David is tempted to worry or fear for His life, he calls on the Mighty One who always protects.  David knows there is no one greater or more powerful than El.

But then, his prayer takes a turn, and he speaks to God using His personal name, translated here as LORD. This is the name God used to reveal Himself to Moses at the burning bush, “I am who I am.” This is the convent name of God, Yahweh. So, whenever we see the name LORD in all capital letters, it is speaking of the God who is always committed to seeking the best for His people.  He is Yahweh who is always for you.  David had a personal faith relationship with Yahweh. He trusted that Yahweh was committed to Him, and was always seeking what was best for Him. So, by calling on Yahweh, David reminded himself that God would always protect Him.

Then, he says to Yahweh, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  Here, he uses a third name for God, using the Hebrew term Adonai, expressing his trust in Yahweh as His Master who lovingly leads him. So by calling Him, Adonai, we see that David trusts that Yahweh orders his life and directs his steps. He follows Yahweh as his Lord.

And now out of this trusting relationship, comes David’s confession: “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  In other words, in David’s relationship with Yahweh, he could confidently say that Yahweh is the source of all that is good. And this very same thing James confesses in the NT; “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change with shifting shadows.” James 1:17

So now, through the remainder of this psalm David testifies to all the goodness that comes from God.  And he begins with this:  From His goodness comes family As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. Psalm 16:3

The first good thing God gives us is a relationship with Him is family. He gives us brothers and sisters, “holy ones” who share the same love and faith for Yahweh.  Sound familiar?  David calls these people who love God, “the excellent ones.” Literally “the mighty ones.”  And David expresses his delight in them.  He’s thrilled he has brothers and sisters who trust in Yahweh. He understands that there’s a shelter, a refuge in God’s people and he takes delight in what God has given.  He wasn’t alone. God has given him a family to belong to. And what’s so great about this truth is that this always been God’s plan for His people. When God calls you, when you put your trust in Jesus, you also become part of His family.

What was true then is true today. Without God’s people, we go through life on our own, we stumble and falter, we lack courage and strength.  But when we operate as God’s family, then no one goes it alone – everyone receives the love and support we need. David recognized this. He understood that the goodness he received from God’s people, had its source in God Himself.

This is one area I really believe God wants to change in our thinking about Him.  God put us together so we might be a blessing of His goodness to one another.  That’s His plan, His design for His people.  It’s always been His plan. And David recognized this.  So, he delighted in God’s people.

Let me ask you: Do you delight in your brothers and sisters in Christ? Coming to be with God’s family on Sunday mornings should be a delight.  Following Jesus in a Journey Group should be a delight.  Having brothers pray for you – a delight.  Hearing an encouraging word – a delight.  David got this.  But do we?

We live in a day where Church attendance is at an all-time low, where people say they love Jesus, but they don’t love the Church.  Perhaps it’s time we changed that, by changing how we see one another… David understood what he had in God’s people, and it changed how he saw them.  Perhaps God would have us see one another the same way – to see our brothers and sisters not as broken and needy, but as conduits of God’s goodness – as “excellent ones” in whom we can take delight.

You see when David said, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” the first good he recognized was that God gave him a people in whom He could delight.  From God’s goodness comes family…  That’s the first blessing of His goodness. Here’s the next:

 From His goodness comes contentment The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 David now shares two more blessings that come from the goodness of God.  First,

Yahweh is your portion Here David confesses that he finds satisfaction in his relationship with God. All he needs in life is the LORD, not things from the LORD.  God is his food and drink. God is the sustenance for his soul. Sound familiar? When Jesus’ disciples offered him food to eat, Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” John 4:32-34

David is telling us that there’s a source of satisfaction greater than food or drink.  What the world offers us is only temporary satisfaction, but what God offers will satisfy your soul. I like to think of it this way: knowing God and knowing that He loves me is enough – He is the source of contentment. But the world doesn’t want us to find our contentment in God. The world wants you to be discontent.  Always looking for love, always looking for something to satisfy, always looking for something to make you happy.  So, our world works overtime to convince you that you need something more: you need more money, more power, more influence; more applause, more pleasure, more stuff.  But David reminds us here, that what we really need is God.

So David says, “Yahweh is my chosen portion and my cup” In other words, David knew what the world offered him, but he wanted what God offered. So, he chose Yahweh as His portion.

Don’t miss this.  One of the greatest acts of love is when we chose to put one person ahead of everyone else.  It’s what you did when you chose to get married.  For men, you chose one woman above all others.  For you women, you chose one man apart from all others.  And David is telling us, He has chosen Yahweh to be his portion and his cup above all others.  What David is telling us is that Yahweh is worth trusting.

This is what sets Christianity apart. God makes himself known to us through Jesus.  Then He calls us to believe in Him, to follow Him.  And we’re left with a choice.  Then when we chose to follow Him, we’re saying something.  We’re saying we believe He’s worth following.  We’re saying like David, we want God more than anything or anyone else.  We’re saying only God can satisfy our hearts.

So, let me ask you: Have you chosen to follow Jesus? If you have, then you can say with David, “my lot is secure with God.”  You can say, “I’m content.  I don’t need what the world offers, all I need is God.” Because God is good.  And if you can say that, if you can say Yahweh is my portion, then you can also say, Yahweh is your inheritance For the next thing David says is this, The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.  Here David is speaking of his future.  His future is safe and secure with God. For his future isn’t just in the hands of God. His “inheritance” is in God Himself.

This is another blessing of His goodness to you.  Do you ever worry about the future? Are you afraid of death?  If you’ve chosen God – if you’ve put your trust in Jesus, then your future is secure. God has guaranteed it. Listen to God’s guarantee from the New Testament: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

If you’ve trusted in Jesus for your salvation your future is secure. It’s not based on your feelings, but on God’s guarantee. Because Christ lives, you will live. So, like David, you have a beautiful inheritance.  You have something amazing to look forward to.  For your future is secure in God. That’s why David could say, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Oh, there’s so much good that comes from God.  David shares one more blessing of His goodness to us, and that is this: From His goodness comes confidence Again, David points to his relationship with Yahweh citing two reasons why he can now live with an unshakable confidence.  First one comes from verse 7, I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.  Psalm 16:7

Yahweh gives you His counsel   David needed counsel. He needed counsel he could trust.  So do we.  There are so many ideas and choices put before us in a world without God, that we need godly advice to stay on the right path. David knew where he could find it. His counsel came from God. As Proverbs 2 says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.” Proverbs 2:6-7

If you need wisdom, knowledge or understanding, God is the source of it all.  But you’ve got to go to His Word to find it.  We’ve got everything we need for life and godliness in God’s Word.  You want His wisdom, dig for it.  You want to know God better, read His word. You need instruction on what to do next, God will even instruct during the night.  God does not leave us to try to figure out life on our own.  He gives us His word to guide us.  But He also does this:

 Yahweh gives you His presence I have set the LORD always before me, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Psalm 16:7   Sometimes it’s not enough to know the right choice to make.  Sometimes, you need to know that God is with you when you make it. That’s how David’s confession helps us.  He made a conscious decision to set the Lord always before him.  As such, he was always aware that God was with Him.

Imagine doing the same thing in your life. Set the Lord before you before you get out of bed in the morning.  Set the Lord before you prior to that tough conversation.  Set the Lord before you when you’re facing temptation. Every time you set the Lord before you, you’ll be reminded that the One who is for you is with you. This is what makes God so good!  He’s not some deity who distances Himself from you.  He promises too always be right there with you.  But we’re the ones who often forget.  David didn’t. He had a constant companion on the road of life.  And because he did, he could say, “I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”  That’s confidence.  It’s not a confidence in your own abilities, or our own expertise.  It’s a confidence that comes from knowing God is with you.

Are you starting to see why David could say, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  Because if you can, then you will not just have a mindset that believes God is good, you will begin live it.  And you’ll begin to experience God’s goodness in every part of your life:

You’ll experience His goodness in your relationships.

You’ll have a contentment the world cannot alter.

You’ll have a confidence circumstances cannot shatter.

And you’ll have a heart that’s full of joy…

For that’s how David concludes His confession of God’s goodness:

From His goodness comes joy   Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:9-11

This is the God who is mighty to save.  This the God who is always for you.  This is the God who secures your future and guides your path.  This is the God who promises to be with you.  And this is the God who promises you all this good and more, if you believe that God is good.