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Psalm 16:7-8 – “I will praise the LORD who guides me; yes, during the night I reflect and learn. I constantly trust in the LORD; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (NET)_¹
Psalm 16:7-8 – “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” (ESV)
Psalm 16:7-8 – “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (KJV)

The first words of Psalm 16 (after the title) are: “Protect me, O God….” But after that appeal, the rest of the Psalm is absent of any more requests for help. Rather, the rest of the Psalm emphasizes that God has been and is the help of his people. Here’s a brief outline of the Psalm:

• Request: Help (1-2)
• Reality: Trouble and Security (3-6)
  • Trouble for Others: Idolatry (3-4)
  • Security for Me: Trust (5-6)
• Response: Worship (7-10)
• Recap: Joy (11)

Aside from the lament about some of God’s people (including leaders!) pursuing idolatry (vv.3-4), the Psalm is filled with affirmations of God’s help for his people.

• “You are the LORD, my only source of well-being” (v.2)
• “LORD, you give me stability and prosperity” (v.5)
• “You make my future secure” (v.5)
• “I will praise the Lord who guides me” (v.7)
• “Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (v.8)
• “You will not abandon me to Sheol” (v.10)
• “You will not allow your faithful follower to see the Pit” (v.10)
• “You lead me in the path of life” (v.11)
• “You always give me sheer delight” (v.11)

In the middle of the Psalm, while responding with worship to God’s help, David uses quite a unique phrase: “yes, during the night I reflect and learn” (v.7b). Now, this phrase might not seem unique at first, but that is because it is a translation that has been smoothed out a bit. Literally this phrase reads: “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct me.” Yes, you read that right. What is fueling David’s worship is the instruction of his…kidneys. What a thought picture!

While this kind of language is foreign to us, it was not when this was written. Take Psalm 26:2 as another example, which reads literally, “Examine me, O LORD, and test me! Evaluate my kidneys and my heart!” (See also Psalm 7:9, 73:21, and Proverbs 23:16.) The kidneys pictured something for the followers of Yahweh. It pictured the place of their deepest emotions and affections. The talk of kidneys acknowledged that the truest part of them, their deepest reality, their motivator, was inside of them (not external to them). It doesn't get much deeper than the kidneys.

So, what was David saying when he wrote/sung (remember, this is a Psalm!) this phrase: “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct me”? I believe the talk of kidneys is an acknowledgment that trust in God is not driven by things external to us. I ought not choose to trust in God based on my external circumstances: however the day went today, whether my interactions were difficult or not, whether my plans went the way I hoped that they would. I ought not sit at the foot of my circumstances to learn whether or not God is trustworthy. “How comfortable I am” ought not be my teacher on whether or not God is worthy of being my refuge.

So, what then should instruct me? David’s answer is this: look to the kidneys. I look inside of me for instruction. I look inside of me for guidance. I look deep inside of me to remember what I know to be true. I remember the truth that I’ve learned over and over again: God is faithful. When people around me are rejecting God or falling into idolatry (vv.3-4), I don’t assume this means God is not real or that I’m backwards/unintelligent for continuing to believe. Rather, I look to my kidneys (v.7). I sit at night in the presence of my God and rehearse the truths that I know, the truths that rise from within me, the truths I have affirmed over and over again. I remind myself of the faithfulness of God that I’ve experienced all through my life.

And what’s the result of all of this? Verse 8 – “I constantly trust in the Lord; because he is at my right hand [a good kidney truth], I will not be shaken.”

 

^{[1] Scripture references in this article, unless marked otherwise are coming from the NET Bible Translation.}