. Hear, Lord, my truth.

These words are filled with great confidence. The Psalmist here mentions truth not to praise himself, and not because he pretends to be a righteous man, but as if he were saying: since I rightly ask for Your help, and I want to get rid of what I suffer unjustly, persecuted by Saul for no reason, then hear and fulfill my request.

Instill my prayer not in flattering lips,

- because God listens to the prayer not of flattering lips, but of a pure tongue and accustomed to learn from the words of God.

. From Your presence my destiny will come.

He clearly prays that the Only Begotten will be his judge.

My eyes see what is right.

To ask the Son for righteous judgment, as He judged us.

. Thou hast tempted my heart, thou hast visited me at night: thou hast tempted me, and iniquity is not found in me.

It is common to call blasphemy against God an untruth to the Divine Scripture. For it is said: “a lie as tall as a verb” ().

. For let not my mouth speak of the deeds of men.

He also teaches us to be careful not to say anything mortal or human.

For the words of Your lips I have preserved the cruel ways.

According to Your commandments I entered into the narrow and straitened gates.

. Make my steps in Your paths.

This word teaches us not to rely on ourselves, but to establish ourselves in God. “The path and” of the Lord are the observance of the commandments.

. I cried out, because you heard me, O God.

It is said: “thou hast heard” - instead of: “thou shalt hear.” It was not in vain that I appealed to You, but having experienced Your love for mankind through experience; because I was often heard by You, calling You. “Appeal” is a thought directed towards God.

Incline Your ear to me.

God is all ears, because He hears everything.

. Close your shutter here.

The word "fat" ( Church) – fat. Editorial office of "ABC of Faith" means very great prosperity for the enemies.

. Turn your eyes to the ground.

They, he says, had one goal: to attract, no matter how it is, to the earth and incline to carnal wisdom.

. Your weapon is from the enemy of Your hands.

The soul of a righteous person, especially one who attracts sinners from wickedness to godliness, is like a sword sharpened against the spirits of evil. This sword, which You, the Lord, sharpened against Your enemies, “Deliver... from your enemy’s hand” (). Who are the enemies of the hand of God if not those who resist faith in the Only Begotten of God, Who is also the hand of God?

. Lord, I have divided the earth from the little ones.

He prays that the wicked will be excommunicated and, as it were, separated from the little ones. Who are these “little ones” if not those about whom it is said: “many... the essence of the title, few are chosen” ()?

And their belly is filled with Your hidden ones.

They, he says, enjoyed everything honorable; and therefore, they have reached such contempt that they are lawless. The words are: "Thy hidden ones"- mean: with those secret punishments about which You have knowledge and which I do not know, fill their bellies or, to be precise, fill them themselves.

Having had enough of her sons, she left the remains of her child.

They were filled with all kinds of iniquity and passed it on to their children, even leaving their sons to their babies, that is, to their grandchildren.

. I will appear before Your face in righteousness.

I will not be like them, and I will not be satisfied with what they are satisfied with, but I will be filled with Your glory through righteous deeds.

16:1,2 David's prayer. Hear, O Lord, the truth, listen to my cry, accept the prayer from the lips of the truthful.
2 Let judgment come to me from Your presence; let Thy eyes look upon righteousness.
David understands that God does not accept prayer from lying lips, so he tries to live righteously. David approached God with a pure heart, did not lie and did not try to justify himself, but was honest in his approach. And if they showed him that he was wrong, he admitted it and tried to fix it because for him the desire to become like his Father and God’s opinion of him was most important.

16:3 You tested my heart, visited me at night, tempted me and found nothing; My lips do not depart from my thoughts.
David is confident that God, even at night, will not find anything criminal behind him, if he wants to check: David’s thoughts are pure, and on his bed of sleep he mentally fights against atrocities, and when he sleeps, he stays awake with his mind. As his thoughts about righteousness are, so do David’s lips speak about it.

16:4 In human affairs, according to the word of Your mouth, I have guarded myself from the ways of the oppressor.
And during the daytime David had no common dealings with the wicked, for he obeys the instructions of his God. David did not draw wisdom from human sources, but from the mouth of God. He tried not to oppress anyone because he understood God's attitude towards oppressors.

16:5-9 Establish my steps in Your ways, so that my feet do not falter.
6 I cry to You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Show Your wondrous mercy, O Savior of those who trust [in You] from those who resist Your right hand.
8 Guard me like the apple of your eye; shelter me in the shadow of your wings
9 From the presence of the wicked who attack me, from the enemies of my soul who surround me:
David’s main desire is not to turn away from God’s path - “to the left” at a time when it is necessary to go straight, for the eyes of the Lord look out, and the shadows of the wings cover - only those walking along His path, in order to help them if necessary.

But if you turn, you will find yourself OUTSIDE of God’s observation zone, and God will not help, and the wicked will take over. David understood this state of affairs.

16:10,11 they are shut up in their fat, they speak arrogantly with their lips.
11 They surround us now at every step we take; they fixed their eyes to cast [me] to the ground;
The wicked are covered with a layer of spiritual fat, which is why it is so difficult for God and God's servants to reach their hearts and minds. That is why they are not afraid of the blows of life - they will not feel it, like seals.

16:12 they are like a lion thirsting for prey, like a skinn sitting in hidden places.
Hunting the righteous and eating them is the interest in the life of the wicked

16:13 Arise, Lord, warn them, bring them down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by Your sword,
It is clear that David cannot like this state of affairs, but he understands that only God can solve this problem of obesity for everyone, and therefore asks Him to protect him from worldly people.

16:14 from people - by Thy hand, O Lord, from the people of the world, whose portion is in [this] life, whose belly Thou fillest from Thy treasuries; their sons are satisfied and will leave the remainder to their children.
Here it is interestingly said about the people of this world, about the worldly: THEIR PLACE IS take care of their well-being in this life, no matter in what way they do it. In the system of this wicked age - they reign, rule (to reign is not in the literal sense to be kings, but to live like a king on earth, good, that is )
Well, let them live comfortably at least in this century, from the hands of God’s works for the earth - they will be satisfied, but do not take away the benefits of the earth from them. Don't mind, let them use it. So, as a rule, they have abundance in everything, and their children are well-fed, and there are no problems: the protective fatty membrane protects them. It just so happens that whose age, they prosper in it: in the age of wickedness - the wicked are on high, in the age of God's righteousness - the righteous will be exalted. Only the age of reign and prosperity of the wicked is short. The righteous person has eternity ahead, and more than one “throne” reigning in eternity will have to be replaced.

16:15 And I will look upon Your face in righteousness; Having awakened, I will be saturated with Your image.
Who - what, but David chose for himself to walk in purity of heart and integrity before the face of God and to walk the righteous path through life. And what it will turn out for him is not important, he is ready to endure the length of life of a mortal man in this century, so that later - in eternity, he can be a happy son of God.

This psalm, as its inscription shows, Prayer to David, i.e. , inspired to David by the Holy Spirit, contains the complaint of a man persecuted by enemies and therefore in great sorrow and praying for deliverance from enemies. Some of the ancient church interpreters (Blessed Jerome, Augustine) see in this psalm a prayer of Jesus Christ and His Holy Church for help in the midst of persecution; Due to the nature of this psalm, it is, without a doubt, included in the church service; we hear it as the first of three psalms at the 3rd hour, read daily before the liturgy. Persecuted by enemies, especially persecuted by Saul, enduring all kinds of intrigues, David calls on the just and all-powerful God for help, and begins his prayer to Him like this:

Hear, O Lord, my truth, attend to my prayer, inspire my prayer not in flattering lips.

Under the name truth According to interpreters, the prophet here does not mean his own righteousness or virtue, but the justice of the matter for which he asks. You, Lord, see, as if he were saying this, for what guilt my enemy is persecuting me; You can see whose side is right; therefore, pay attention to my just request and listen to my prayer, which I bring to You from truthful lips, not false, not in flattering lips.

From Your presence my destiny will come: let my eyes see righteousness.

Fate means “court, judicial decision”, or “legal decree”. Rightness the same as straightness, direct direction, or “justice, honesty, fair decision.” Continuing his prayer to the Lord, the prophet says: from nowhere can I receive a fair judgment regarding the oppression of me by my enemies, except from You, Lord; from Your presence Yes will come out judgment is upon me: You yourself judge me, and my eyes may they see the justice of Your judgment.

You have tempted my heart, you have visited me at night, you have tempted me, and iniquity is not found in me.

You tempted me- means: You, Lord, have tested my heart, found out what it is like; who should know him if not the Omniscient ()? Visited here last night- according to interpreters, David in these words refers to the night on which he, running and hiding from the persecutions of Saul, found him sleeping in his tent among the soldiers close to him, and not only did not kill him himself, but also forbade others to do so do (). After such a test of him by the righteous judgment of God, David could boldly say to God: You, Lord, tempted my heart; You allowed me to be subjected to such a difficult test in one night, in which it was difficult to resist and refrain from the sin of vengeance on the enemy for the insults caused through murder, to which my companions persuaded me; and after all the temptations You allowed, I can say, no unrighteousness was found in me against Saul; there will be no untruth in me.

For let not my mouth speak of the deeds of men; for the words of Thy lips I have preserved the ways of cruelty.

By human deeds, which he does not even want to talk about, David means, without a doubt, insults inflicted on him by his enemies, all kinds of evil and, in general, sinful deeds. The ways are cruel, i.e. difficult paths, harsh paths of self-sacrifice, David preserved virtues because they were spoken or commanded lips God's: God's commandments about not judging your neighbor, not slandering or blaspheming him, were well known to David, and he holyly fulfilled them; and therefore he speaks so boldly about this in prayer to God: out of reverence for Your law, I avoided the gossip of the evil ones human affairs; For the sake of the word of Your mouth, for the sake of Your commandments, I adhere to the strict paths of virtue.

Make my steps in Your paths, so that my steps may not move.

My feet, i.e. the movements of my legs, my steps; in the spiritual and moral sense, feet should be understood as thoughts or intentions regarding one or another way of life. In Your paths- by paths, or paths, the prophet means God the ways are cruel, which I spoke about before, i.e. the paths of virtue, which can be as slippery and difficult to pass, are like a path on mountains or in difficult places. Thus, having said earlier that he preserved, for the sake of fulfilling the commandments of God, the difficult paths of virtue, now with the words: make my steps in Your paths- asks the Lord God to confirm and improve his walk along the path of temptation; let my feet not move- May I not waver in my walks, that is. in my thoughts, desires and deeds.

I cried out, for Thou hast heard me, O God: incline Thy ear to me and hear my words.

By faith in the living God, David, like other psalmists, was imbued with a living and unceasing consciousness that in prayer there is a personal interaction between those praying and God, and the Lord’s hearing and response correspond to the human call and request. In order for a prayer to be heard, it is necessary further to have an attraction of the heart to God and a desire for what is right in His eyes. The psalmist David expressed all this in the first five verses of the psalm, and in this verse he seems to confirm the effect of prayer that he experienced. Repeating my request with the words: incline Your ear to me and hear my words, says David, as before: “I called on You and was heard by You” - I cried out because you heard me, O God. Thus, the more earnestly David prayed, the more willingly he wanted to pray again, confident by experience in God’s mercy towards him, and at the same time seeing new temptations and difficulties for himself amid the persecution of his enemies. his was based on firm faith and deep trust in God, and this hope and this faith were nourished by sincere and unrelenting prayer.

Surprise Your mercy, save those who trust in You from those who resist Your right hand: save me, O Lord, like the apple of your eye: in the blood of Your wing you have covered me from the face of the wicked who have grown jealous of me.

Surprise, clearly showing to everyone Your wondrous mercy towards me through salvation from those who resist Your right hand, i.e. save me from Saul and from my other enemies who oppose Your decree for me - to be a king; show this mercy to me, because You save all those who trust in You. Like the apple of my eye- like the pupil of an eye; in the shelter of Your wing– under the shelter of Your wings, i.e. under Your all-powerful protection; on behalf of the wicked who have become infuriated with me, i.e. save or protect me from people who offend me and subject me to suffering. Thus, all the above sayings of the psalm can be expressed in the following speech: Lord my God! You, Who save all those who truly trust in You, show Your wondrous mercy to me and save me from everyone who dares to resist Your determination about me; save me, as they guard the pupil of the eye, and shelter, protect me under Your roof, as a bird covers its chicks with its wings and protects them from birds of prey and bad weather - save and preserve me from my wicked enemies, who cause me terrible offenses.

You have conquered my soul and shut up your fat; their lips spoke of pride.

Possessed my soul, i.e. I was surrounded and oppressed by my enemies; here means “fat, thickness” - hence the word “fat, fatty” that is commonly used in Russian; in the language of Holy Scripture, fatness means insensibility, coarseness, and also wealth, abundance, among which people are forgotten. Here's your shutter- means: in the midst of abundance and prosperity, my enemies were forgotten, they blocked their hearts from feelings of brotherly love and pity, they became insensitive and cruel; with their lips they utter words of pride: their lips spoke of pride. Thus, depicting the malice and cruelty of his enemies, the psalmist says: my enemies have oppressed me, they have closed their hearts from thoughts and feelings of pity and mercy, they speak proudly and arrogantly; They are not only inhumane and unmerciful, but they also proudly mock me.

Those who cast me out have now passed me by, casting their eyes upon the earth. Having embraced me like a lion ready to catch and like a skimen who dwells in secret.

Continuing his speech about the malice and deceit of his enemies, David first says that they, not content with expelling him from his home and fatherland, surrounded him on all sides, like hunters surround their prey: those who cast me out have now devoured me; and then compares them with wild beasts, with a hungry lion and with a skim, i.e. with a lion cub. Turn your eyes to the ground, i.e. They directed all their thoughts and intentions to the earth, in order to insidiously destroy me. Like a hungry man lion ready to catch prey, or to a young lion cub hiding in secret place, they surrounded me as if they were their prey and prepared to destroy me.

Arise, O Lord, I will advance and sing to them: deliver my soul from the wicked, Thy weapon from the enemy of Thy hand.

Having described the malice of the persecutors, the prophet asks God to come to the rescue and save his life from the malicious intent of his enemies. Resurrect means: rise up, help; I'll preface- the same as “warn them, prevent their intrigues and plans”; tell them- means “obstruct, overthrow them, do not allow them to fulfill their evil intent.” Your weapon(you need to mean the word “izmi” here) from Thy enemy hand, - take away strength and power from your enemies. The enemies of David also became enemies of God, as those who disobeyed His authority. Thus, the whole speech of this verse can be expressed like this - arise, O Almighty Lord, and do not delay with Your help; prevent my misfortune and overthrow my enemies, prevent their evil intentions; save my life from my main enemy Saul and take away weapons from the hands of other enemies who dare not submit to Your power; take away from them the power and strength they abuse.

Lord, from the little ones of the earth: I divided them in their bellies, and filled their bellies with Thy hidden ones: I was satisfied with the sons, and left the remains as my own child.

In the new edition of the Psalter (“Teaching Psalter” 1897) to the words: divide from the little ones from the earth– a note has been made that allows for the replacement of these words with words printed on the margin: separate from the little ones on earth; This replacement partly explains the incomprehensibility of the Slavic reading of this verse. It is also clarified by the context of speech, i.e. comparison of previous reading with subsequent reading. Asking the Lord to deprive the power and authority of his wicked enemies, of whom there are many, the prophet at the same time begs Him to let the Lord separate this multitude of wicked ones. from the little ones to the earth, from the small flock of His chosen ones, so that they do not corrupt the good morals of the gentle with their lawless lives. And the Lord Jesus Christ calls the pious chosen ones little ones, also small herd, and for corruption, for temptation one of these little ones, threatens with grief and destruction (), and promises the small flock of the chosen ones bliss in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father (). And their belly is filled with Your hidden ones. Secret from the word: hidden - the same as the treasures or blessings of this world, earthly blessings hidden in the generous hand of God, which opens to feed every animal (; ). The wicked have no concept of spiritual life, but live only for earthly life and care only about the blessings or treasures of this corruptible world, which, by the goodness of God, their belly is filled with, i.e. they fully enjoy the treasures of the earth. Having had enough of the sons(in the above-mentioned edition of the “Teaching Psalter” against the word sons on the field is: Son and left the remains as a baby). This means that the wicked, or the people of this age, enjoy material goods in such abundance ( Your hidden ones) of this world, that after the fathers these benefits, their wealth, by succession and inheritance, pass to their sons and grandsons ( leaving the remains as your baby).

But I will appear before Your face in righteousness, I will be satisfied, and will always appear before Your glory.

That is, let my enemies boast of their wealth, let them be satiated with the blessings of this world, forgetting about the Giver of all blessings, but as for me, I will adhere to only the truth: I will appear before Your face in righteousness; In this alone I desire to have my satisfaction and pleasure, to live righteously and blamelessly. At least in this temporary life I had to endure hunger and thirst and various material needs, but I am sure that I will not need anything, completely I'll get my fill Then, never appear before Thy glory, Lord, Only Begotten Son, in her you reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever, amen.

Orthodox Psalm 16, like several psalms preceding it, was written by David during a period of serious trials associated with the persecution of King Saul. This is evidenced by both the estimated time of writing the psalm and the general mood of this ancient song.

The text of the Christian Psalm 16 is David’s appeal to God, in which he laments his difficult situation and calls on the Lord to heed his prayer, protecting him from deceitful and evil people. The psalmist places special emphasis on his own sincerity, purity and infallibility - such self-determination is characteristic of the period of Saul’s persecution, which once again confirms the time of writing Psalm 16.

The text of the song of Psalm 16 contains a complaint about the malice and wickedness of his persecutor, who does not want to come to terms with God's will and give up his throne to David, as God's designated successor. The author of the psalm considers humility to be his special merit, thanks to which he did not gather an army to remove Saul from the throne, but patiently waited for the Lord Himself to resolve the situation in the best possible way. You should listen and read Psalm 16 three times a day for three days to get rid of slander.

Listen to the video of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 16 in Russian

Read the text of David's prayer Psalm 16 in Russian

Hear, O Lord, my truth, listen to my cry, accept the prayer from the lips of the undeceitful. May judgment come to me from Your face; let Thy eyes look upon righteousness. You tested my heart, visited me at night, tempted me and found nothing; My lips do not depart from my thoughts. In human affairs, according to the word, I protected myself from the ways of the oppressor. Establish my steps in Your ways, so that my feet do not falter. I cry to You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, hear my words. Show Your wondrous mercy, O Savior of those who trust in You from those who resist Your right hand. Guard me like the apple of your eye; in the shadow of Your wings, hide me from the face of the wicked who attack me, from the enemies of my soul who surround me: they are shut up in their fatness, they speak arrogantly with their lips. At every step we now surround us; they fixed their eyes to cast me down to the ground; they are like a lion thirsting for prey, like a skinn sitting in hidden places. Arise, Lord, warn them, bring them down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by Thy sword, from men by Thy hand, O Lord, from the people of the world, whose lot is in this life, whose bellies Thou fillest from Thy treasuries; their sons are satisfied and will leave the remainder to their children. And I will look upon Your face in righteousness; Having awakened, I will be saturated with Your image.

Psalter, text of Psalm 16 in Church Slavonic language

Hear, O Lord, my truth, attend to my prayer, inspire my prayer not in flattering lips. My destiny will come from your face; My eyes may see what is right. You tempted my heart, you visited me at night; You tempted me, and iniquity was not found in me. For let not my mouth speak of the deeds of men, for the words of thy lips I have preserved the cruel ways. Make my steps in your paths, so that my steps may not move. I cried out, because you heard me, O God; incline your ear to me and hear my words. Surprise your darkness, save those who trust in you from those who resist your right hand; save me, Lord, like the apple of your eye; in the blood of your wing you have covered me from the face of the wicked who offend me; defeat my soul; you have conquered your fatness, shut up your fat, and their lips speak of pride. Those who cast me out have now passed me by, casting their eyes upon the earth. I am like a lion ready to hunt and like a skiman who dwells in secret places. Rise up, Lord, I will precede them and praise them; deliver my soul from the wicked, your weapon from the enemy of your hand, O Lord, from the little ones from the earth; I divided them in their bellies, and their belly was filled with your hidden things; having had enough of her sons, she left the remains of her children. I will appear before your face with righteousness, I will be satisfied, and at some point I will appear in your glory.

The Psalter is remarkable because in it you can find examples of many life situations. The author of Psalm 16 lifts up during a time of persecution. A characteristic feature of the prayer is that the person saying it is completely confident that he is right. He is in danger, he is threatened by enemies, but still finds reliable refuge - the Lord Himself, whose righteousness is beyond doubt. Therefore, not everyone will dare to talk with the same way as David did.

Circumstances of writing the psalm

King David did not immediately become a rich and famous ruler. At first he was an ordinary shepherd who did not even think of claiming power. The history of his life, including his accession to the throne, can be traced, in particular, through the psalms. Most of them he wrote himself, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And although the texts were compiled in response to very specific life circumstances, Psalm 16 is filled with such deep meaning that it remains relevant in any time.

He was the youngest of eight children and worked as a sheep herder. But even in this traditional occupation he was able to prove himself as an extraordinary person. Seeing a wild beast, he did not run, but boldly entered into battle and won, protecting the cattle. Such devotion gave him an excellent reputation. In those days, livestock was expensive, so people highly valued shepherds who preserved the property entrusted to them.

The young shepherd had a pleasant appearance, he was strong, spoke well and was a skilled musician. After all, the psalter is nothing more than a stringed instrument. Therefore, David is often depicted precisely while chanting prayers, which he himself composed. The first king of Israel, Saul, provoked the wrath of God by being disobedient, stubborn, and harsh. The Lord made young David his chosen one, which he announced to him through the prophet Samuel.

Saul, who at first became very attached to the young man, soon became a sworn enemy, since he saw him as a rival.

• Twice Saul tried to kill David, after which he was forced to flee.
• guided the actions of His chosen one, sending him revelations.
• Together with his followers, the young man found refuge with his former enemies. The king of the Philistines donated an entire city to the disgraced young man.

Saul was stubborn, so he pursued his opponent for a long time, although he repeatedly tried to make it clear that he did not want to take power from him by force. It was during this period that David turned to prayer.

Text of Psalm 16 in Russian

1 Hear, O Lord, [my] truth, listen to my cry, accept my prayer from the lips of the untruthful.

2 Let judgment come to me from Your presence; let Thy eyes look upon righteousness.

3 You tried my heart, you visited me by night, you tempted me and found nothing; My lips do not depart from my thoughts.

4 In the affairs of men, according to the word of Your mouth, I have kept myself from the ways of the oppressor.

5 Establish my steps in Your ways, so that my feet do not falter.

6 I cry to You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, hear my words.

7 Show Your wondrous mercy, O Savior of those who trust [in You] from those who resist Your right hand.

8 Guard me like the apple of your eye; shelter me in the shadow of your wings

9 From the presence of the wicked who attack me, from the enemies of my soul who surround me:

10 They are wrapped up in their fat, they speak arrogantly with their lips.

11 They surround us now at every step we take; they fixed their eyes to overthrow me to the ground;

12 They are like a lion thirsty for prey, like a skim sitting in hidden places.

13 Arise, O Lord, warn them, bring them down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by Your sword,

14 from people - by your hand, O Lord, from the people of the world, whose inheritance is this the lives whose bellies You fill from Your treasures; their sons are satisfied and will leave the remainder to their children.

15 But I will look upon Your face in righteousness; Having awakened, I will be saturated with Your image.

Interpretation of Psalm 16

For the first acquaintance, it is better to take the Bible in Russian. Church Slavonic can be difficult to understand without special training. It is also better to read one of the explanations of Psalm 16, compiled by the church fathers - Athanasius the Great, etc. Let us consider the meaning of this chapter of the book of Psalms in more detail.

• In form, this is a direct appeal from David to the Lord. In it he complains about his enemies, from whom he asks for protection.
• The psalmist draws special attention to the fact that he did not commit a sin, did not try to “sit on” Saul. After all, the Lord himself chose David; he did not dream about it.
• The first king of the Jews here appears as an evil wicked man who not only innocently persecutes David, but also goes against the will of God.

David is not at all trying to flaunt his righteousness or put pressure on the Creator. He begs Him to listen carefully to His arguments. Here the believers are given an example of how requests should be made. The petitioner talks about how he felt. His words are full of sincerity, free from any pretense and deceit.

The one who prays does not rely on human judgment. No, he resorts to the One who possesses the highest justice - the king of heaven, the Creator of the visible and invisible world. Saul and his followers treated David unfairly. Psalm 16 expresses confidence that the Lord sees everyone for who they really are. The great king appears as a deceiver, the humble shepherd as the future leader of Israel, the ancestor of the family from which Jesus Christ will come.

How to talk to God correctly

The future king in this text gives an excellent example of how to talk with heaven. First, you need to analyze your own life. David, when composing Psalm 16, was fully confident that he had behaved correctly. Even in his thoughts he did not hold anything against his opponent, but only fulfilled the will of God.

• In verse 3, the author says that God tested him and found no sins or unrighteous deeds;
• Verse 4 tells us to watch what comes out of people's lips, because words can be the source of unrighteous deeds;
• In verse 5 he instructs that one should always walk according to the commandments, that is, walk in the ways of God.

Next comes the denunciation of the persecutors. Although they are noble and rich, David hopes that the Lord will hear and be fair. After all, real righteousness does not depend on the opinion of society, worldly fame, awards, etc. God's recognition cannot be bought with money. The author of Psalm 16 is confident that the dispassionate judge will carry out His judgment in ways that are available only to the Lord of heaven.

The future great king shows a wonderful example of humility and faith. Even finding himself in the middle of the desert, surrounded by strong enemies, he does not lose confidence that God will not forget him. In the final verse, David says that he will not follow the example of the wicked, but will fulfill the commandments and do righteous deeds.

In what cases is Psalm 16 used?

The Psalms are used for spiritual instruction of one's own soul. They are used in the services of the Orthodox and Catholic churches; Protestants also sing them under the arches of their churches. The Holy Fathers also explain why you need to read Psalm 16:

• when it is necessary to hide from pursuers;
• during troubles;
• to avoid slander;
• for protection from ill-wishers.

Life is often unfair, that's how this world works. Otherwise, we would not be able to prove our devotion and faith to the Lord. Even the best of people sometimes get into trouble. In such a situation, the main thing is to continue to rely on the Supreme Judge, fair and incorruptible.

Psalm 16 - why they read it, text in Russian, interpretation was last modified: April 29th, 2018 by Bogolub