Pleasures for Evermore

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 13, 2023

Pleasures for Evermore

 “In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11 NRSV

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter faced a daunting challenge. Together with the other one hundred-nineteen disciples, Peter had been in hiding since the crucifixion of Jesus. When the promised Holy Spirit came upon Peter and the others, it was kairos, God’s Time, to come out of hiding and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus to all people, everywhere. Where do you start; how do you explain Christ’s resurrection? Peter began with Psalm 16.

Peter preached that David’s claim that God would not allow His holy one to rot in the grave was fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection (Psalm 16: 8-11 & Acts 2:25-32). The Apostle Paul also relied on Psalm 16 when he preached Jesus’ resurrection to the people in Antioch (Acts 13:35-37).

While David’s psalm is an Old Testament prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah, it also held great comfort and power for David. We too, can feed upon the truth of God in David’s great psalm of hope. In this psalm, David affirms his faith: in God who preserves him, in God’s goodness, in God’s presence before him, in God giving him hope, and in God’s victory over death as the Giver of life.

Because of these truths of God, we, like David, can experience in our present circumstances the peace of God that passes all understanding. (See Philippians 4:7) Because Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, the Apostle Paul proclaimed that we could rest in the sure hope of our eternal life in Jesus. (See Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:14)

My Takeaway: What else is there for the psalmist, and us, to say but,

“In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11 NRSV

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.