This is really the only request of the psalm. The rest of the psalm assumes the comfort and protection of the Lord, really.
vs 2
This verse could mean two things. Either that because of God, all the good things David has are his, or the only good thing at the end of the day is God, because everything else is ephemeral.
It's true, and worthy of remembering, that everything we have now - not just material possessions either, but marriage relationships, children, friendships, ideas, insight - all of that stuff that is good is only as good as long as we live. None of them are represented in heaven to my understanding. So at the end of the day, we really should see Jesus as the most valuable thing we have, far more valuable than family which, while important, is fleeting in the scope of eternity.
vs 3
As a ruler who is trying to do God's will in the first place, having a population of people who seek to serve God and live holy lives must be a delight. Yes, at the end of the day they too are sinful. But overall, they will respect your laws. They will work for justice. They will even keep you accountable (which might not always be fun, but it is still good).
I wonder, today, how often Christian civil leaders are able to say this of their Christian electorate? I wonder how hard we try to be a delight, to be noble people in the sight of our leaders.
vs 4
Unfortunately, not all of David's citizens were noble and delightful followers of God. Some of them probably weren't any more rowdy or destructive (although some of them could have been). But because of the covenant that God had made with Israel, their very existence jeopardised the land's blessings. Now David talks about pouring out the libation of blood. As far as I know, there weren't any blood libations used in worship of God (a libation is when you pour out the liquid as a sacrifice - drink offerings were made to God this way). Furthermore, if blood was poured out (again, I have a feeling it was sprinkled?) then you would think a priest would do it and not David. Perhaps David, as king, felt the need to offer sacrifices for his country as they were his responsibility, but here he is saying that he wouldn't offer sacrifices for those who didn't worship God alone.
And then the next sentence seems to say that he also won't pray for them. Ouch! I want to say that we have a much different understanding of prayer, but I don't think it's true. I think, in reality, while they did have lots of sanctioned prayers and pre-written prayers and structured prayers, they also prayed off their own bat. David certainly does in recorded history, so no reason not to believe that he is talking about cutting off ALL prayers for these people.
vs 5
That would seem to indicate to me that this is an early psalm, because David's lot gets a whole lot less secure post-Bathsheeba.
But more generally, security is something that we seek from God, and we will find in God. But it is not security necessarily from our enemies, or from his enemies! It's not immediate, at any rate. Rather, it is an eternal security. Our portions are secure - perhaps not our temporal portions, which could dry up tomorrow - but rather our eternal portion and inheritance. And we'll see inheritance come in further down I think.
vs 6
Ok, I'm not 100% sure how boundary lines were drawn back then, especially when it comes to dividing existing land. But however they fall, David is saying that the inheritance he sees that God has given him is delightful. Utterly pleasant. Now sure, he might be talking about his family's historic land, the portion he would inherit from Jesse. But remember, he's the youngest son, so he'd be getting the smallest portion. He might be talking about the city of Jerusalem, which he conquered with his own forces, and therefore also belongs to him and his line. But I think most probably he is again looking forward to something in the future.
Questions about eternity in the Old Testament are always hard to fathom. They didn't write an awful lot about eschatology. The Day of the Lord was about it. But there are several things David says in this psalm that certainly we read as having an eternal focus. Whether they did to him or not, well, I can't bet the farm on it.
vs 7
I think this beautiful verse serves to enlighten us as to exactly what sort of language people used back then when they were talking about God. We tend to thank God for giving us
vs 8
Now some cynical people might ask how you won't be shaken if you keep your eyes on the Lord when he's at your right hand, unless you're going around in circles. Well, they're cynics. But it is true that there is a confusing paradox here. David keeps his eyes on God, that is, he looks up to God. God is in the position of authority. And yet, then David says that God is at his right hand, which while that is a position of power, it is also a position of power under David!
It might well be that the person who sits at the right hand of the king (the position of second in command) is the one who acts on the king's behalf in a lot of things, and David is saying that God acts on David's behalf. Or a similar idea with a different action or focus. Regardless, after everything David has said so far, it would be hard to believe that he is putting himself in a position of authority over God. The fact is, though, that God serves our needs and provides for us, and very often does act on our behalf. Especially when we pray.
Whatever David meant by it, it is part of his security that God is beside him.
vs 9
Now these next three verses, in my opinion, get about as close as anyone in the OT does to discussing death and faith and what happens after.
David praises God with his mouth, and he is living a happy life because of God. But even when his body goes to rest (dies), he still feels that he will have security. Why?
vs 10
Ok, what's the realm of the dead? Well, we don't exactly know, really. It would seem, if you add this stuff up over the OT, that early on they believed that when you died you went to be with your ancestors. Now, of course, all your ancestors have also been buried in that cave, so that could just be a nice way of saying "we stuck him in the family grave". And it's hard to say either way, because they don't really talk about any hope after death. God's covenant with Israel doesn't talk about anything after death. Neither does his covenant with Abraham.
But David here is saying that he feels God won't let him stay dead. He says he will die, yes! He said that in the last verse. But he feels that God won't abandon him there, that it won't be the end. He won't see decay. Yes, I know that this line is used to describe Christ. And yes, prophecy is awesome. And yes, David may have seen this as a prophetic statement at the time too! But Surely this is David also talking about a hope that exceeds his lifetime.
vs 11
This verse is all about that time after death. The path of life will be known - probably so that he can continue to be alive. David will be in the presence of God! What an accurate presentation of heaven in a single sentence! And there will be eternal pleasures. Eternity is mentioned. I can't get past the importance of these last three verses. I'm not sure what commentators say, and to be honest, I already know that if I looked them up, they would have very different opinions about it. But just reading it, I get the feeling that David felt a security that expanded past his living time on this earth.
What does it mean for us? I mean, the NT makes it bold as brass that we've got an eternal faith and hope. But It's comforting to know that God's great man David also had that comfort.
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