Psalm
16:8-11 - The antiphon is an ancient Liturgical Text — The
Psalmist describes the joy of total security. David speaks here, as in the rest
of the psalm, for of all of himself and of the life he now enjoys by the
gracious provision and care of God. The Lord, in whom the psalmist takes
refuge, wills life for him and will not abandon him to the grave, even though
flesh and heart may fail. (See Psalm 73:26) When David mentions “your Holy One”
in verse 10 he is speaking of himself but ultimately of Christ. Jesus did not
suffer decay once He died. Once He died on Calvary’s cross death itself began
working backward. The words of this verse have been majestically sung in
Handle’s Messiah. It is a critical verse when discussing the authenticity of
the Shroud of Turin. Did the body wrapped in the shroud experience
decomposition? If so, it cannot be the burial cloth of Christ. If not, it might
very well be Christ’s shroud.
“The Blessed Trinity Blesses” is the theme for
this coming week. In the Old Testament lesson, [Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31] God the
Father creates the universe. The Epistle, [Acts 2:22-36] is a continuation with
Peter’s Pentecost sermon. The object is on God the Son who alone justifies and
saves us. In the Gospel [John 8:48-59] Jesus identifies His true identity. God
the Spirit reveals this truth to us in the clear words of the Gospel.
Trinity Sunday calls for us to consider the doctrine
that sets us apart from all other pagan religions. As the Athanasian Creed
reminds us, “Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic
[i.e. Christian] faith. Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will
without doubt perish eternally…whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly
cannot be saved.” The Bible does not specifically mention the term
“Trinity” yet, its teaching can be found on literally every page.
Psalm 16 – the Benefits of a life committed to God
This psalm is titled A Michtam of David. The title
Michtam is commonly understood as golden; others think it is related to a word
meaning to cover. Since the psalms with this title (16, 56-60) are written from
times of peril, some think the idea is of covering the lips in the sense of
secrecy, as if this were a secret or silent psalm given in a time of crisis.
This is a wonderful song relating how David found the secret of contentment and
great gladness even in pressing times; it also powerfully predicts Jesus and
His work for us.[2]
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