The Song Of Resurrection

Saints;

If we want to be effective for the cause of Christ we need a song in our hearts.

If we want to assure people that our God provides eternal peace and hope we will need a smile on our face.

If we want people to hear the joy of our salvation that comes from knowing Jesus as our Saviour they will need to hear the lyrics of God’s word rolling off our tongues as unbridled praise.

Music is a big part of worship and ministry and God likes it when we sing of our love for Him.

Today we look at just such a song written by a shepherd boy who became a king.

Psalm 16 is just one of several special Psalms that is recognized as prophetic – that is it tells of some future event that is later revealed in real time.

Not only is it prophetic it is also Messianic pointing to Jesus as King of Kings even though it was written about 1000 years before Christ was born.

Like our hymn books of today these songs or hymns have a collective theme or feature which Psalm 16 to 24 repeat.

The theme is that God will provide a Messiah whom death cannot even stop and who will be the eternal King of Israel and who will save His chosen people.

This prophecy become reality when Jesus rose from the dead and showed Himself to be alive after being crucified. The message became the Gospel and was shared with the world at Pentecost.

St. Peter used this very Psalm on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:25-28

Peter told a huge crowd of Jews that this Psalm predicted the resurrection of the Messiah and connected the dots from the Old Testament of King David to the New Testament King Jesus. 3000 people were convinced by the words of Peter as he used this Psalm to prove the prophecy had been fulfilled in Jesus.

So powerfully convincing was Peter’s explanation that the people were cut to the heart.

How wonderful that God’s word cut to the heart of people then and still does today.

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Think what would happen if we let God’s word sing to the hearts of people today – it could change their lives forever. It could change their eternal destiny.

The Angel Gabriel also mentions the prophecy of Psalm 16 telling Mary how her son Jesus will reign on David’s throne in Luke 1:32-33

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

St. Paul speaking in Antioch mentions Psalm 16 as well in Acts 13:37 how Jesus rose from the dead to a new body an everlasting body.

Psalm 16 is set apart from all the other Psalms of David and is regarded as the jewel of David’s Psalms for it crowns Jesus the Messiah as the coming King of Israel and the world. It is called a “Miktam” or deliverance.

This Psalm is a tender prayer of promise and hope as David reveals to us his personal relationship with God the Father and how David realizes that someday the Messiah will come from his bloodline just as God had promised

In 2 Samuel 7:16 “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

But there is so much more to this Psalm that speaks to the reader as each verse expounds the truth therein.

We see that David like us needs and wants God’s protection in verse 1.

We too need to cry out for that protection and we need to learn to rest in it.

David realizes that God is the most valuable thing in his life. Verse 2.

Here is a king who has every material thing you could imagine but for him it is his relationship with God that is of greatest value. We need to prioritize our relationship with God on the same scale.

David delights in everyone who calls on the name of the Lord and sees them as God’s Holy people. Verse 3.

We need to treasure our brothers and sisters in Christ and delight in knowing them as a special part of our lives.

David understands that there are great consequences and suffering for those who do not follow after the God of Israel. Verse 4.

Sadly we see today the calamities and devastation that fall on nations who have turned from the Living God of Israel. They have refused to accept the salvation held out to them through Jesus Christ. Pray we stay faithful or else we too will suffer those consequences should our nation collectively turn from God.