The One at My Right Hand

Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalms 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21

When things begin to shake, what do you reach for?

This question runs through all nine psalms we have read today. Psalm 12 describes a world drowning in lies. Psalm 13 cries out: "How long will you be silent, God?" Psalm 14 indicts those who have erased God from their thinking. Psalm 17 is David's prayer from the middle of a siege. Psalm 20 is Israel's plea on the eve of battle. All of these psalms are written against the same backdrop — the world is shaking. And from within that shaking, the psalmist asks: what are you holding onto right now?

1 — There Is a Person Who Cannot Be Shaken

Listen to Psalm 20:7.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."

Chariots and horses — the cutting-edge military technology of the ancient world. In today's terms: the latest defence systems, economic power, social status, connections, bank balances. The things people instinctively reach for when the shaking begins. Things that can be seen, touched, and measured.

Yet Psalm 14:1 says: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Notice: the Hebrew word for "fool" is נָבָל (naval) — not an intellectual atheist, but a person who has practically removed God from his daily life. Someone who acts as though God is not necessary. And fills that space with something else. With chariots. With horses.

And Psalm 12:2 shows the consequence: "Everyone utters lies to his neighbour; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak." When God is displaced, human words fill the space. They sound sweet — but they have not been refined like silver. When the shaking comes, they crumble.

2 — David's Secret: Shivviti

But in Psalm 16, David makes an entirely different choice.

"I have set the LORD always before me."

Look at the Hebrew: שִׁוִּיתִי (shivviti) — describing a deliberate, continuous action. "I have set" is not passive waiting for God to appear. It is David actively placing God at the centre of his field of vision. Every day. Intentionally. Repeatedly.

This single word gave rise to a beautiful tradition in Jewish history. In synagogues and homes, Jewish communities would hang what is called a "Shiviti plaque" — a decorative board displaying this verse in large letters: "I have set the LORD always before me." David's inner spiritual act became a physical discipline for an entire community. So that God would never leave their field of vision — so that when they opened their eyes each morning, this word would be the first thing they saw.

And the result is in the second half of verse 8.

"Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."

In the ancient Near East, the right hand was the place of battle — the most vulnerable side, exposed when the shield arm was raised on the left. And God stands precisely there. At the point where David is most likely to fall.

3 — But There Is One Question

Psalm 15:1 asks: "LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?"

The answer: those who walk blamelessly, do what is right, speak truth from their hearts. But the very previous psalm — Psalm 14 — declares: "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." Not a single person. We all fall between the diagnosis of Psalm 14 and the standard of Psalm 15.

Here is where the Gospel enters.

Look at Psalm 16:10: "You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption." In Acts 2, Peter quotes this verse and declares: the "holy one" David wrote about is not David himself. It is a prophecy pointing to Christ.

The entire Psalm 16 is simultaneously David's confession and a portrait of Jesus Christ. "I have set the LORD always before me" — Jesus is the only one who ever lived this confession without exception. Not for a single moment did he lose sight of the Father. Not in the wilderness, not in Gethsemane, not even on the cross.

But on the cross, Jesus lost something. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" — the cry of Psalm 22. In that moment, the Father was not at his right hand. The one who had set the LORD always before him — was forsaken for the very first time. So that we would never be forsaken. So that God could stand at our right hand. So that we would not be shaken.

I close with Psalm 16:11.

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures for evermore."

I ask you today.

What are you holding onto right now? Chariots? Horses? A bank balance? Human recognition? Is the folly the psalmist describes — living as though God is not necessary — quietly at work in you?

David's secret was not exceptional ability. It was the daily, deliberate act of placing God at the centre of his vision. Shivviti — "I have set the LORD always before me."

And Jesus Christ — by being forsaken on the cross — made a place for us. So that God could stand at our right hand. So that we would not be shaken.

Today, set him before you. And you will not be shaken.