Psalms 16:8

8 I always keep the LORD in front of me. When he is by my side, I cannot be moved.

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Psalms 16:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 16:8

I have set the Lord always before me,
Not his fear only, or the book of the law, as Jarchi interprets it, but the Lord himself; or, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face", ( Acts 2:26 ) ; as Christ is set before men in the Gospel, to look unto as the object of faith and hope, to trust in and depend upon for life and salvation; so Jehovah the Father is the object which Christ set before him, and looked unto in the whole course of his life here on earth; he had always an eye to his glory, as the ultimate end of all his actions; and to his will, his orders, and commands, as the rule of them; and to his purposes, and counsel, and covenant, to accomplish them; and to his power, truth, and faithfulness, to assist, support, and encourage him in all his difficulties and most distressed circumstances;

because [he is] at my right hand:
to counsel and instruct, to help, protect, and defend: the phrase is expressive of the nearness of God to Christ, his presence with him, and readiness to assist and stand by him against all his enemies; see ( Psalms 109:31 ) ( 110:5 ) ( 121:5 ) ; so the Targum paraphrases it, "because his Shechinah rests upon me";

I shall not be moved:
as he was not from his place and nation, from the duty of his office, and the execution of it, by all the threats and menaces of men; nor from the fear, worship, and service of God, by all the temptations of Satan; nor from the cause of his people he had espoused, by all the terrors of death, the flaming sword of justice, and the wrath of God; but, in the midst and view of all, stood unshaken and unmoved; see ( Isaiah 42:4 ) ( 50:5-9 ) .

Psalms 16:8 In-Context

6 Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful.
7 I will praise the LORD, who advises me. My conscience warns me at night.
8 I always keep the LORD in front of me. When he is by my side, I cannot be moved.
9 That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices. My body rests securely
10 because you do not abandon my soul to the grave or allow your holy one to decay.

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