Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

CONTEXT:

Overview of Ps 16

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v.3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
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, Psal. 15:4. In whom is all my delight, i.e. whose company and conversation is most pleasant and desirable to me. Compare Psal. 119:63.

Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, vol. 2 (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1853), 21–22.

DEVOTIONAL:

Ministering to the Saints

But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Psalm 16:3
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Matthew 25:31–46

One way of rightly serving God is to endeavor to do good to his holy servants. Because our good deeds cannot extend to God, it is to the saints in his place that we are to exercise charity. When people mutually exert themselves in doing good to one another, they yield right and acceptable service to God. We doubtless ought to extend 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” (Matt. 5:45), but David justly favors the saints over others and places them in a higher rank.

Though I do not deny that this doctrine is comprehended in the words of David, I think he goes somewhat farther, intimating that he will unite himself with the devout worshipers of God and be their associate or companion. Likewise the children of God ought to be joined together by the bond of fraternal unity, so they may serve and call upon their Father with the same affection and zeal.
After confessing that he can find nothing in himself to bring to God and is indebted to God for everything he has, David sets his affections upon the saints. God wills that he should be magnified and exalted in the assembly of the just, whom he has adopted into his family, that they may live together with one accord under his authority and under the guidance of his Holy Spirit.

FOR MEDITATION: Exercising charity toward saints on behalf of God adds a whole new perspective to holy living. In what ways can our treatment of fellow believers be a reflection of how we esteem God himself?

John Calvin and Joel R. Beeke, 365 Days with Calvin (Leominster; Grand Rapids, MI: Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books, 2008), 53.

RELATED:

Calvin’s full commentary on v.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 endeavour 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,” (Matth. 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. 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.2 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, 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 honourable, 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 honour 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 splendour of the world and its deceitful pomps to dazzle our eyes.

John Calvin and James Anderson, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 218–219.