Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 16:3
[But] to the saints that [are] in the earth, and [to] the excellent, in whom [is] all my delight.
3. A difficult verse, the text of which appears to be corrupt.
(1) The best rendering is that of R.V. It is true that it can only be wrung from the Massoretic text by some violence, but an easy emendation removes the grammatical difficulty.
As for the saints [lit. holy ones ] that are in the earth [or, land ]
They are the excellent [ nobles ] in whom is all my delight.
From God in heaven the Psalmist turns to men on earth. The true ‘nobles’ (Jdg 5:13) in whose society he delights, are not the wealthy or powerful in the world’s estimation, but ‘the holy’; those in whom Israel’s calling to be ‘a holy nation’ (Exo 19:6) has been actually realised. Cp. Psa 15:4. These he proceeds to contrast with apostates ( Psa 16:4). For them nothing but calamity is in store: with them and their worship he will have nothing to do.
(2) We may however (with R.V. marg.) connect Psa 16:3 with Psa 16:2, thus: (I have said) unto [or, of ] the saints &c., they are the excellent &c. The general sense will remain the same as in (1).
(3) Combining the two alternatives in R.V. marg., we may connect Psa 16:3 both with Psa 16:2 and with Psa 16:4 thus: (I have said) unto the saints &c., and the excellent in whom is all my delight: their sorrows &c. Secure in his own choice of Jehovah he warns others against the fatal consequences of apostasy, and repudiates the idea of it for himself. In this case it is possible that saints may mean holy by calling, though not necessarily in character; and excellent may mean nobles in rank only.
(4) Taking the second alternative of R.V. marg. only, we may render: As for the saints and the excellent in whom is all my delight: their sorrows &c. So Ewald, who explains, “ This seems most profoundly to distress him, that the very Israelites, who ought to be the saints and pass for such the noble, princely men, whom he especially so intensely loves, even these begin to betake themselves increasingly to heathenism.” But it is difficult to suppose that he would speak of men who were falling into idolatry in language such as this. (4) may safely be rejected; and (1) is simpler than (2) and (3), and deserves the preference.
(5) Of the host of conjectural emendations it will suffice to mention that of Baethgen, which is based on the LXX: ‘ Unto the saints which are in his land doth Jehovah shew honour: all his delight is in them.’ It gives a good contrast to Psa 16:4, but is not convincing.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
3, 4. The Psalmist’s society.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But to the saints that are in the earth – This verse also has been very variously rendered. Our translators seem to have understood it, in connection with the previous verse, as meaning that his goodness, or piety, was not of so pure and elevated a character that it could in any way extend to God so as to benefit him, but that it might be of service to the saints on earth, and that so, by benefiting them, he might show his attachment to God himself. But if the interpretation of the previous verse above proposed be the correct one, then this interpretation cannot be admitted here. This verse is probably to be regarded as a further statement of the evidence of the attachment of the psalmist to God. In the previous verse, according to the interpretation proposed, he states that his happiness – his all was centered in God. He had no hope of anything except in him; none beyond him; none besides him.
In this verse he states, as a further proof of his attachment to him, that he regarded with deep affection the saints of God; that he found his happiness, not in the society of the wicked, but in the friendship of the excellent of the earth. The verse may be thus rendered: As to the saints in the earth (or in respect to the saints in the earth), and to the excellent, all my delight is in them. In the former verse he had stated that, as to God, or in respect to God, he had no source of blessing, no hope, no joy, beyond him, or independent of him; in this verse he says that in respect to the saints – the excellent of the earth – all his delight was in them. Thus he was conscious of true attachment to God and to his people. Thus he had what must ever be essentially the evidence of true piety – a feeling that God is all in all, and real love for those who are his; a feeling that there is nothing beyond God, or without God, that can meet the wants of the soul, and a sincere affection for all who are his friends on earth. DeWette has well expressed the sense of the passage, The holy, who are in the land, and the noble – I have all my pleasure in them.
In the earth – In the land; or, perhaps, more generally, on earth. God was in heaven, and all his hopes there were in him. In respect to those who dwelt on the earth, his delight was with the saints alone.
And to the excellent – The word used here means properly large, great, mighty; then it is applied to nobles, princes, chiefs; and then to those who excel in moral qualities, in piety, and virtue. This is the idea here, and thus it corresponds with the word saints in the former member of the verse. The idea is that he found his pleasure, not in the rich and the great, not in princes and nobles, but in those who were distinguished for virtue and piety. In heaven he had none but God; on earth he found his happiness only in those who were the friends of God.
In whom is all my delight – I find all my happiness in their society and friendship. The true state of my heart is indicated by my love for them. Everywhere, and at all times, love for those who love God, and a disposition to find our happiness in their friendship, will be a characteristic of true piety.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 16:3
All my delight is upon the saints that are in the earth, and upon such as excel in virtue (P..V.).
Divine love for the saints of God
On All Saints Day our mind seems almost to sink beneath the great and holy thoughts which come crowding in upon it, when we think of that vast multitude which no man can number, of all ages, of all nations, of all ranks of life, of all mental and bodily endowments, who, having come out of great tribulation, now rejoice in the presence of Him whom on earth they loved. The Church today is proclaiming the truth of the words of our text. But it is not the Church alone, our Lord Himself shares in this delight. He beholds the beautiful things that He has made; but the King of the heavenly Jerusalem has fairer prospects than these. There is something on earth which He sees and values. The saints for the most part live a hidden life; the world despises their aims, perhaps laughs at their frailties. They pass away, and their names are forgotten, or live only in the memory of the Church, but the Lord makes them the sum and centre of His care and love. He greatly rejoices in the work of His grace, as it displays itself in His elect. Their shortest prayer, their slightest act of self-denial He notices. He gathers them, one by one, out of the ruined mass of humanity, to be jewels in His heavenly diadem. (S. W. Skeffington, M. A.)
The saints ministry to his brethren
Gods goodness should make us merciful to others. It were strange indeed a soul should come out of His tender bosom with a hard uncharitable heart. Some children do not, indeed, take after their earthly parents, as Ciceros son, who had nothing of his father but his name; but Gods children all partake of their heavenly Fathers nature. Philosophy tells us that there is no reaction from the earth to the heavens; they, indeed, shed their influences upon the lower world, which quicken and fructify it, but the earth returns none back to make the sun shine the better. David knew that his goodness extended not unto God, but this made him reach it forth to his brethren. Indeed, God has left His poor saints to receive the rents we owe unto Him for His mercies. An ingenuous guest, though his friend will take nothing for his entertainment, yet, to show his thankfulness, will give something to his servants. (William Gurnall.)
Moral distinctions
Is this an arbitrary and invidious distinction? We read of the saints, and the excellent. Are there, then, some people who are not saints, and some saints who are not excellent? The Bible does not create distinctions. If there were no Bible the earth would still be distributed into qualities, orders, classes, and the like. The Bible proceeds to a finer discrimination. It analyses honesty, it puts wisdom to the test, it searches into the credentials of faithfulness. The Bible asks, What is the motive underlying character? By saints understand separated men. The word saint is simply a moral or spiritual distinction. It involves more than is commonly understood by an honest man, or a good man, or a well-living man. It indicates of necessity a connection with the ineffably holy, the perfect, the Divine. It means, at least, an inspiration eternal, rising towards the eternity inaccessible–that is, the supreme life–that is, the life Divine. The terms saints, excellent are of a universal quality. The reference is to character, not to opinion, nor to varied ways of looking at things which cannot be positively settled. The Psalmist dwells upon the eternal quantity–character, holiness, excellence, pureness; these speak all languages, assume the hues of all climes, and under manifold outward diversity conceal an agreement subtle and indefinable as life itself. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
The saints of God
Since the seventh century the first day of November has always been dedicated to the memory of All Saints. Such a day suggests thoughts as solemn and as needful as any which could be presented to us. We watch the procession of mankind as it winds through the long centuries of history, and we note its most striking figures. The vast mass consists of a nameless throng. To our eyes mankind is mainly divided into the eminent and the obscure, the known and the unknown. But to the eye of God, to the eyes of all spirits, it may be, the aspect of that procession is very different. To them the inch-high differences of human rank have simply no existence; for them the thistles of human loftiness have no elevation, and the paltry mole hills cast no shadow. For they know but one distinction, that of the evil and the good. We can see, on the whole, that some men have dared to be eminently good, and that others have been conspicuously, infamously bad. With unspeakable relief we turn from them to the saints of God. In them is the healing of the world. Do not think of the mere title saints; it has been given to some, at least, who have no claim to it, and it has been denied to many more who have been consummately worthy of it. On All Souls Day we may think not only of those whom the Church has called saints, but also of the long line of heroes of the faith in olden times who are not called saints–of the patriarchs, of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and many more; of brave judges, glorious prophets, patriot warriors, toiling apostles; of the many martyrs who would rather die than live; of hermits who fled from the guilt and turmoil of life; of the missionaries, Paul, Columba, Benedict, Xavier, Schwartz, and a long roll call of others. Of reformers, of wise rulers, of the writers of holy and who walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. If we would comfort our hearts, strengthen good resolutions, and retain that high estimate of human nature which it is such a misfortune to lose, and which so often threatens to succumb, let us in days like these make ourselves acquainted with Christian history and biography as the antidote to the degeneracy of these worldly and evil days. From earths mire and darkness lift up your eyes to this galaxy of great examples. We need something to keep alive our faith in the dignity of man. I, for one, find that something, most of all, in dwelling in the life and sufferings of Christ, and next, in considering the blessed example of those who have followed Him, each bearing his own cross. They will help us by furnishing gleaming instances of pure and possible human goodness; they show us how, by true faith in Christ, men just as weak as we are, tempted as we are, yet did gloriously and conspicuously triumph over sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and thereby proved to us that we can do the same. See how the universal idol, selfishness, has been gloriously overcome. Pride, too, has been subdued. St. Thomas, of Aquino, was by far the greatest man of his age. One day at Bologna, a stranger arriving at his monastery asked the prior for someone to help him to get provisions and carry his basket. Tell the first brother you meet, said the prior. St. Thomas was walking in meditation in the cloister, and, not knowing him by sight, the stranger said to him, Your prior bids you to follow me. Without a word the greatest teacher of his age, the Doctor Angelicus–the angel of the schools, as he was called by the affection of his admirers–bowed his head, took the basket, and followed. But he was suffering from lameness, and since he was unable to keep up with the pace, the stranger rebuked him soundly as a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow, who ought to show more zeal in religious obedience. The saint meekly bore the unjust reproaches, and answered never a word. Do you know to whom you are speaking, who you are treating in this rude way? said the indignant citizens of Bologna, who had witnessed the scene. That is Brother Thomas, of Aquino. Brother Thomas, of Aquino? said the stranger, and, immediately throwing., himself upon his knees, he begged to be forgiven. Nay, said St. Thomas, it is I who should ask forgiveness, since I have not been so active as I should have been. And this humility, so rare in little men, was the chief characteristic of this great man. From that disciplined and noble spirit of the first man of his age all pride had been expelled. Give me, O Lord,–this was his daily prayer,–a noble heart which no earthly affection may drag down. What more would we have if, even through so deep a valley of humiliation, there still lies the path to heaven? You see a life spent in brushing clothes, and washing crockery, and sweeping floors, a life which the proud of the earth would have regarded as the very dust beneath their feet, a life spent at a clerks desk, a life spent at a tradesmans counter, a life spent in a labourers hut, may yet be so ennobled by Gods mercy that for the sake of it a king may gladly yield his crown. Thank God there have been and are tens of thousands of holy and faithful, and therefore happy, souls, full of inward peace. Will you be one of their number? (Dean Farrar.)
In whom is all my delight.
The moral force in the world of Gods elect
The history of mankind, whether secular or religious, resolves itself ultimately into the history of a few individuals. For though the masses live, yet it is these few who determine the direction and shape the spirit of the age. The rest die and are forgotten; one epitaph would do for them all, except for two or three out of the million. Another fact, and a sadder one, is that the human race seems to tend downwards. The old Greek proverb says, and truly, the majority are evil. The few only are saints, the few only are heroes. There is bitter truth in Davids saying, All men are liars; and in Carlyles, that the world is peopled by a thousand millions, mostly fools How dreadful then would the condition of the world be were it not for Gods elect few. The deliverance of man has never been wrought by the multitude, but by the individual. See this illustrated in poetry, in philosophy, in art, in science; the leaders are a few, all the rest follow. But art and the rest will not alone save a people. History shows how along with them nations have sunk into the abyss of degradation. So will England, so will every nation, if she refuse the message of God. Of what use would the spangles of art and science be upon the funeral pall of the dying race if death were the end of all? The hope of the world lies in the recognition of, and in obedience to, the Word of God as uttered by His special messengers; and by so listening as to reflect in myriads of gleams, and to reverberate in millions of echoes, the light and the voice of inspiration. In illustration of all this glance at the moral history of the world. What drear darkness in the main prevailed from Adam to Abraham, that great hero of the faith. After him darkness again until Moses. After him till Samuel and the prophetic order. After them till Christ and the apostles. After Him and them the world gradually grew worse; Christianity itself became corrupted till St. Anthony, forsaking all, made his home in the lonely desert, to convince his generation of the infinite value of every human soul. And from his day, now and again, great saints were inspired of God from time to time,–such as Benedict I, Gregory VII, Francis of Assisi, until in the midst of another dark period the lion-hearted Luther shook the world. It is by such men the world has been kept from moral death; such seems to be the method of Gods working. Now let us note some of the lessons of this Divine method.
I. What is the secret, the sole secret of moral power? Who that reads the signs of these times can fail to see how much this age needs that secret? What was it that again and again overcame the world? Was it not faith showing itself by self-sacrifice? See it in Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and all else.
II. That the work of these saints is never permanent. There is infinite pathos in the failures of men and of institutions. Their work has perpetually to be renewed. Abraham died, and ere a century had elapsed his children were slaves. And so with all the rest.
III. Apparent failures were never absolute failures. No good man ever lives in vain. Each saint has his own Calvary. St. Telemachus was butchered in the arena, but because of his death an end was put to gladiatorial games. What a candle did Latimer and Ridley light in England through their martyrdom, and its light glows still. Then let man think, however discouraged he may be at the moral aspect of men, that a holy Christian life can never be in vain. (Dean Farrar.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
But, i.e. but my goodness extendeth, which is easily understood out of the former verse; from which also there may be fetched another supplement; O my soul, thou hast said, to the saints, &c.
To the saints that are in the earth, i.e. to those holy and righteous persons that live upon earth with me; to these only or principally my goodness is extended. Because I cannot reach thee, I endeavour to pay a singular respect, and love, and kindness to all saints for thy sake, whose friends and servants they are, and whose image they bear. This may seem more properly to agree to David than to Christ, whose goodness was principally designed for and imparted to sinners, and did not find men saints, but make them so; nor was it confined to them that lived with him upon the earth, but extended to all the believers of all ages before and after him.
To the excellent, or, the magnificent, or mighty, or honourable, to wit, the saints, as he now called them, whom, because they were mean and despicable in the eyes of the world, he honours with their just titles; and by appropriating them to the saints, he sufficiently intimates that all other men, how great soever, are but ignoble and vile persons, as he had called them, Psa 15:4.
In whom is all my delight, i.e. whose company and conversation is most pleasant and desirable to me. Compare Psa 119:63.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. saintsor, personsconsecrated to God, set apart from others to His service.
in the earththat is,land of Palestine, the residence of God’s chosen peoplefigurativelyfor the Church.
excellentor, “nobles,”distinguished for moral excellence.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
[But] to the saints that [are] in the earth,…. Who are sanctified or set apart by God the Father in election; whose sins are expiated by the blood of Christ in redemption, and who are sanctified or made holy by the Spirit of God in the effectual calling; and who live a holy life and conversation: these are said to be “in the earth”, not to distinguish them from the saints in heaven, to whom the goodness of Christ extends as to them, unless it be to distinguish them from the angels in heaven, who are called saints, De 33:2; as Aben Ezra observes; but to point out the place of their abode, scattered up and down in the earth; and to show that love, grace, goodness, and kindness of Christ reaches to them in the present state of things, notwithstanding all their meanness and imperfection in themselves, and their despicableness in the eyes of others; see Joh 13:1;
and [to] the excellent; the same with the saints, who though reckoned by men the faith of the world, and the offscouring of all things, are in high esteem with Christ; they are “nobles” o in his account, as the word is rendered in Jer 30:21; they are princes in all the earth, and these princes are kings; they are made kings and priests unto God by Christ; they wear and live like kings, and have the attendance, power, riches, and glory of kings; they are guarded by angels, they have power with God, they are rich in faith, and heirs of a kingdom;
in whom [is] all my delight; Christ’s delights were with these sons of men before the world was, and have always continued with them; they are his “Hepbzibah” and “Beulah”, as in Isa 62:4; hence he became incarnate, and suffered and died for them, and makes application of all the blessings of his grace and goodness to them.
o “magnificis”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Rivetus “nobilibus delectationis meae”, Gejerus; “ducibus eorum”, Cocceius; so Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Unto the saints who are on the earth. Almost all are agreed in understanding this place, as if David, after the sentence which we have just now been considering, had added, The only way of serving God aright is to endeavor to do good to his holy servants. And the truth is, that God, as our good deeds cannot extend to him, substitutes the saints in his place, towards whom we are to exercise our charity. When men, therefore, mutually exert themselves in doing good to one another, this is to yield to God right and acceptable service. We ought, doubtless, to extend our charity even to those who are unworthy of it, as our heavenly Father
“
maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,” (Mat 5:45😉
but David justly prefers the saints to others, and places them in a higher rank. This, then, as I have said in the commencement, is the common opinion of almost all interpreters. (307) But although I do not deny that this doctrine is comprehended under the words of David, I think he goes somewhat farther, and intimates that he will unite himself with the devout worshippers of God, and be their associate or companion; even as all the children of God ought to be joined together by the bond of fraternal unity, that they may all serve and call upon their common Father with the same affection and zeal. (308) We thus see that David, after having confessed that he can find nothing in himself to bring to God, seeing he is indebted to him for every thing which he has, sets his affections upon the saints, because it is the will of God that, in this world, he should be magnified and exalted in the assembly of the just, whom he has adopted into his family for this end, that they may live together with one accord under his authority, and under the guidance of his Holy Spirit. This passage, therefore, teaches us that there is no sacrifice more acceptable to God than when we sincerely and heartily connect ourselves with the society of the righteous, and being knit together by the sacred bond of godliness, cultivate and maintain with them brotherly good-will. In this consists the communion of saints which separates them from the degrading pollutions of the world, that they may be the holy and peculiar people of God. He expressly speaks of the saints who are on the earth, because it is the will of God that, even in this world, there should be conspicuous marks, and as it were visible escutcheons, (309) of his glory, which may serve to conduct us to himself. The faithful, therefore, bear his image, that, by their example, we may be stirred up to meditation upon the heavenly life. For the same reason, the Psalmist calls them excellent, or honorable, because there is nothing which ought to be more precious to us than righteousness and holiness, in which the brightness of God’s Spirit shines forth; just as we are commanded in the preceding psalm to prize and honor those who fear God. We ought, therefore, highly to value and esteem the true and devoted servants of God, and to regard nothing as of greater importance than to connect ourselves with their society; and this we will actually do if we wisely reflect in what true excellence and dignity consist, and do not allow the vain splendor of the world and its deceitful pomps to dazzle our eyes.
(307) “ Voyla donc (ainsi que j’ay commencement dire) l’opinion commune, quasi de tous.” — Fr.
(308) “ D’un accord, et d’une roesroe affection.” — Fr. “With one accord, and with the same affection.”
(309) “ Et comme armoiries apparentes.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
3. To the saints Taking the preposition “to” in the sense of belonging to, joining to, the meaning would be, “I have no good beyond thee, belonging as I do to the fellowship of the saints, and the noble, in whom is all my delight.” Perowne. Or, taking the same particle in the sense of as to, in respect to, read, In respect to the saints who are in the earth, even the noble, or princely, all my delight is in them. Saints are those dedicated to God by covenant and sacrifice.
In the earth Is purely descriptive and relative. The contrast is with saints “in heaven,” which is often made. See note on Psa 89:6; and compare Eph 3:15; Heb 12:23.
Excellent A title of rank noble, princely synonymous with “saints who are in the earth,” in the previous line. Deu 33:29; Heb 11:25 ; 1Pe 2:9. He discovers and confesses their rank, though being in the earth they are often imperfect and in reproach.
In whom is all my delight I delight in them alone. David’s supreme happiness is in God, and, secondarily, in the “saints” as God’s people.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“… The saints that are in the earth.” Psa 16:3
Take this as indicating the mixed character of human society. Even if we had no Bible it would be impossible to deny that human society is composed of conflicting and irreconcilable elements. We find in the same community honesty and dishonesty, simplicity and duplicity, faithfulness and faithlessness, generosity and selfishness. The Bible does not create these distinctions; it recognises them. We have magnanimous men, and men of little mind: on every side we see men who take large and generous views of life, and men whose views of life are small and suspicious. Why, then, is it impossible that there should be men to whom the word “saint” should be applied? By “saints” understand holy men, separated men, men who live and move and have their being in God, men who test everything by divine standards. Has there ever been a time when the earth has been totally void of saints? By saints we are not to understand men who are perfect, but men whose aim is to discover God and to obey God. A saint is no good in any final sense. He is only good in his purpose, in his relations to other men, and in his aspirations towards God. Beside the holiness of God there is no purity. God chargeth his angels with folly, and the heavens are not clean in his sight. Yet, according to the common use of language, and according to a very high moral standard, there are moral men, honest men, upright men, saints, peculiarly and distinctively men who draw their life and their inspiration from God. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. Say ye to the righteous, It shall be well with him. They shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I number up my jewels. There is no indiscriminateness in the judgment of God. The Lord separateth men as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. Continually the Lord distinguishes between good and evil, light and darkness, and his judgment is directed according to the character of those who are set before him. To the righteous heaven itself is small; to the unrighteous all punishment is eternal. The saints are the salt of the earth. The saints are the light of the world. The saints are the security of the world. For the sake of ten righteous men, who can tell how many cities the Lord is now sparing? Who can tell how much we are indebted even for physical advantages to the praying souls in the neighbourhood in which we live? Life is not the flat and superficial thing which atheism would have us believe; it: is profound, subtle, infinite; the elements and forces which it touches are beyond all reckoning. So long as there are good men upon the earth, the earth will be precious in the sight of God. Let us rejoice when the godly are multiplied, for in their increase is there multiplication of prayer and multiplication of holy service.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Psa 16:3 [But] to the saints that [are] in the earth, and [to] the excellent, in whom [is] all my delight.
Ver. 3. But to the saints ] The family of faith were, by a specialty, the object of David’s bounty. Socrates, seeing a certain man giving alms to all he met, whether they were good or bad, said, male pereas qui ex gratiis cure sint virgines, facias scorta. David, the better to persuade with God to preserve him safe to the kingdom, promiseth two things: first, that he will cherish and countenance the godly party; secondly, that he will cashier and cast out all kinds of idolatry, and maintain to his utmost the sincere service of God, Psa 16:4 .
And to the excellent
In whom is all my delight
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
But to = As for.
saints = holy (or separated) ones. See note on Exo 3:5.
in the earth = in His own Land.
to. Omit “to”.
in whom = in them.
my: or, His: i.e. Jehovah’s. So the Septuagint.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
But: Gal 6:10, Tit 3:8, Heb 6:10
the saints: Psa 30:4, Psa 116:15, 2Ch 6:41, Act 9:13, Eph 1:1
the excellent: Pro 12:26, Son 4:1 – Son 7:13, Mal 3:17
in whom: Psa 119:63, Pro 8:31, Pro 13:20, Son 7:10, Isa 62:4, Eph 5:25-27, 1Jo 3:14-17
Reciprocal: Gen 13:11 – they Num 7:5 – Take it Rth 1:10 – Surely 1Sa 19:2 – delighted Job 5:1 – the saints Psa 15:4 – but Psa 47:4 – excellency Psa 122:8 – General Son 1:8 – O thou Son 5:1 – eat Dan 5:12 – an excellent Mal 3:16 – spake Luk 17:10 – General Joh 11:3 – he Joh 13:34 – That ye love Act 4:23 – they Act 9:32 – the saints Act 26:10 – the saints 2Co 6:14 – for Eph 1:15 – love Eph 5:9 – goodness Col 1:2 – the saints Tit 1:8 – a lover of good Phm 1:5 – toward the Lord
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
HIS DELIGHTS ARE WITH THE SONS OF MEN
All my delight is upon the saints, that are in the earth: and upon such as ercel in virtue.
Psa 16:3 (Prayer Book Version)
The history of mankind, whether secular or religious, resolves itself ultimately into the history of a few individuals. God carries out His work of continuous redemption by the energy of the chosen few. Into their hearts He pours the power of His Spirit; upon their heads He lays the hands of His consecration. The deliverance of men has never been wrought by the multitude, always by the individual.
From this method of Gods working we may learn:
I. The secret, and the sole secret, of moral power.What was it which again and again overcame the world? Was it not faith, showing itself by self-sacrifice? Is not that secret open to the knowledge, feasible to the practice, of every one of us?
II. We may notice, secondly, that the work of these saints of God, being always and necessarily human, is never permanent in its results.Christianity is no stereotyped system; it is no human theology; as such it is nothing; only as a Divine effort, only as an eternal progress, only as a living force, only as an inspiring, continuous effort, can Christianity regenerate the world.
III. Notice that the apparent failures were never absolute.No good man, no saint of God, has ever lived or died in vain. The seed is not quickened except it die: even in its death, but only by its death, comes the promise of the golden grain. Heaven is for those who have failed on earth.
Dean Farrar.
Illustration
(1) We may well regret that this psalm does not form one of our Proper Psalms for Easter Day, and is not referred to in any of the Proper Lessons for that great festival in the Lectionary. The psalm is Messianic, and predicts resurrection.
(2) There are times when our hearts are glad and we need for the expression of our gladness a Michtam or golden song. This psalm was written for those hours, alas! too rare, when we exult in a jubilant faith, and know it is well with us for time and well for eternity. A psalm for such an experience well begins: Keep me, O God, for I trust in Thee. True peace is of grace, the fruit, indeed, of faith, but, nevertheless, ripened only by the sunshine of Divine favour. When the soul is released from affliction it longs for service. Here comes the recognition of the truth that the service of man is the service of God, which is not a modern discovery: What good I can do, cannot reach Thee in Thy greatness, but it may help Thy people on earth, and this is what I enjoy. In the exercises of true religion there is joy, and in those of false religion there is multiplication of sorrow. It is faith in the true God, Jehovah, that sweetens the cup of life.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
An evidence of David’s confidence in the Lord was his choice to keep company with others who trusted in and walked with God. He respected them because they shared the majestic quality of their God.