Psalm 16: You are my Cup of Blessing

Psalm 16    A psalm of David    (New Living Translation)
 1 Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.
 2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Master!  Every good thing I have comes from you.” 
 3 The godly people in the land are my true heroes!   I take pleasure in them!
 4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
      I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.
 5 LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. 
     You guard all that is mine.
 6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.   What a wonderful inheritance!
 7 I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 8 I know the LORD is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for [God] is right beside me.
 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.  My body rests in safety. 
 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence
      and the pleasures of living with you forever.   Amen

Context:   When we read the psalms, we find people with deeply emotional relationships with God.  They are people who have problems but they fervently trust God against all odds.  We find people of hope who pray and sing about God in many different ways and with many different images.  Psalm 16 is attributed to David, a “man after God’s own heart.”  (See 1 Samuel 13:13-14 and Act 13:13-22)    In this psalm we get a glimpse of a man who knows where his blessings come from … our blessing come from God, who IS our cup of blessing.    

The original translation renders verse 5a simply as “the cup” but there is a much to recommend this translation’s “cup of blessing” as a good way of understanding what the psalmist means as long as we understand what is meant by the term.   The “cup of blessing” has a long history in Judaism as a significant part of the Passover Seder and in Christianity as a reference to the cup we share during Communion.  (See 1 Corinthians 10:16-17) 

During the Passover Seder, the cup of wine was raised and consumed as a blessing, or as thanksgiving was offered to God.  During the last supper, Jesus and the disciples shared the Passover meal together, during which Jesus “took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you …’” (See Matthew 26:26-27)

In my Christian faith tradition (United Methodist) we commonly refer to the sharing of the bread and the cup as The Lord’s Supper in remembrance of the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples. Just as common we may use the word “communion,” a word derived from the Latin word communio, which means sharing in common.  Many sources tell us that the corresponding Greek word is koinonia, which mean fellowship.  In the early church, the two Greek words most commonly used were eucharisteō, translated The Eucharist which means to give thanks … and eulogeō, translated The Eulogia, which means to bless.   

The word translated “bless” in verse 7 is barak {baw-rak'} which means “to bless, to kneel, to salute, to thank.”  When we “bless” God, we recognize who God is, we magnify and glorify God, we respond with gratitude that we can know God intimately and we acknowledge that God is the One who blesses us with Presence through the power of the Holy Spirit.   We “bless” God when our whole focus is on God as our “Blessing.”   When we look at this psalm which was written by a man after God’s own heart, we realize that although we are often moved to praise God abundantly for what God does for us and for what God gives to us, we should remember that in all circumstances, God AS the Source IS the blessing.  This is a fine line!  

Going Deeper:  When the Lord’s Supper is celebrated together in community, those who partake receive great blessings.  However, rather than seeing The Eucharist primarily as a time when we receive blessings, we should see it as a time of blessing, or praise toward God for the deep love and care that God has for us.  This helps us to move away from a self-centered way of seeing praise and worship to a place of God-centeredness.  This God-centeredness is what enables us to weather the storms of life, continuing to trust God in all circumstances and this sense of deep trust in God through all of life’s ups and downs is an enduring feature of the Psalms. 

Look back at Psalm 16.  See how often David praises God for who God is.  He says, “You are my master” and “you are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.”  God is a refuge for David, and David trusts God to keep him safe.  He acknowledges God as the Source of all of his material wealth.  Then David goes deeper as he says “the Lord who guides me,” and “is always with me,” and “is right beside me.”   And deeper … he says, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”  Forever is a long time but somehow as we come to the end of the Psalm our hearts sing together, “Forever!”   Complete this word of praise:  O God You are my Cup of Blessing for You are ___________.

Have you ever thought about God as your Cup of Blessing?   What does this expression mean in common terms that could be easily explain to someone?   Consider your prayers.  Are they self-centered or God-centered … or a little bit of both?   Take some time and create a “blessing bowl,” which is simply a bowl that helps you remember.   You can use a bowl you already have or you can find an interesting bowl at the dollar store … place some rocks, smooth stones, or shiny pebbles in your blessing bowl.  Place your blessing bowl where you can use it easily in a time of prayer, praise, and worship.  Pick up a stone and begin Let God lead you as you create a ritual of “remembrance.”  Here is an idea, but use your imagination and let Spirit lead you!  Place your blessing bowl on your desk at work or at the entrance of your home.  When people ask about it, pick up a stone and share a story of faith.  Ask them about the blessings of their life.  Invite them to take a blessing stone to remember the God who blesses them and challenge to share their story of faith with someone else and pass the blessing stone on ... 

Pondering:   Read Psalm 16 in a contemporary paraphrase called The Message Bible.   Read the pasage aloud again and again as you engage in the art of Lectio Divina, which means divine reading. 

 1-2 Keep me safe, O God, I've run for dear life to you.  I say to GOD, "Be my Lord!"  Without you, nothing makes sense.
 3 And these God-chosen lives all around— what splendid friends they make!
 4 Don't just go shopping for a god.  Gods are not for sale.  I swear I'll never treat god-names like brand-names.
 5-6 My choice is you, GOD, first and only.   And now I find I'm your choice!  You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
 7-8 The wise counsel GOD gives when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart.  Day and night I'll stick with GOD; I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.
 9-10 I'm happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that's not my destination!
 11 Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face.  Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way.

Lectio=Listen to the words. Read the words slowly, repeating them again and again, allowing them to linger on the tongue, savoring their beauty ...

Meditatio=Prayerfully listen as you read until a small portion of the psalm (a word or a thought or a phrase) begins to draw you deep within.  Turn your “portion” over and over in your mind and consider what God may be inviting you to think or feel or do or be … Write down what Spirit has given you so you can remember.  Stay with your “portion” and commit it to memory as your thought for the day …

Praying:   
Oratio=Spend some time in prayer responding to God’s invitation … allow prayers of confession, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, praise, or ... to emerge in this time you are spending with God.

Contemplatio=When you runs out of words to say, simply rest in the presence of God, lingering with God in loving companionship … Amen!

Follow this link to watch Our Blessing Cup which is a Communion Song by the TTK Music Group.