Psalm 16:1-11
You Will Not Abandon Me
1A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.
2I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”
3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides.
4Sorrows will multiply to those who chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or speak their names with my lips.
5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
6The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.
7I will bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me.
8I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.
10For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
11You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Berean Standard Bible
David begins by asking God to preserve him because he has taken refuge in Him. He calls the LORD his good and refuses to join those who run after other gods. Their drink offerings of blood and names on his lips show that idolatry is not a harmless preference; it changes worship and eventually changes the worshiper.
The LORD is David's chosen portion and his cup. The language sounds like an inheritance: God Himself is the gift that defines his future. The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places, not because David owns an easy life, but because his deepest security is not held in land, status, or circumstances.
David blesses the LORD for counsel, even at night. He keeps the LORD before him, so he is not shaken. The final hope reaches beyond present preservation: God will not abandon him to the grave or let His Holy One see decay. The psalm ends with fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in God's presence.
Questions
1 Where does David take refuge?
AnswerHe takes refuge in the LORD and asks God to preserve him.
2 What is David's chosen portion?
AnswerThe LORD Himself is David's portion and cup, defining his inheritance and security.
3 What happens when David keeps the LORD before him?
AnswerHe is steadied and not shaken because God's presence remains the fixed point of his life.
4 What does David expect in God's presence?
AnswerHe expects fullness of joy and lasting pleasure, with God as the source of life and hope beyond the grave.
What This Means for Us
Security is often measured by what we can hold. This psalm asks whether God Himself is enough to be called our portion when other supports shift. That does not make possessions or relationships unimportant; it places them in a larger trust.
David's night counsel also reminds us that faith is formed in recurring attention. What we place before us in quiet hours eventually influences what can steady us in public ones.
Prayer
God, preserve us when our usual securities fail. Be our portion and our counsel, keep us from false worship, and teach us to look for lasting joy in Your presence rather than in what we can control. Amen.