116:3 Evidently the writer had been very close to death. He pictured it as reaching out to him with cords and almost trapping him as a hunter snares an animal.
Imaging how the Lord Jesus must have felt as He sang these words during His last Passover in the Upper Room. He knew He was facing death.
116:4-6 The psalmist cried out in prayer for physical deliverance from death, and the Lord granted his request. This led him to magnify God's graciousness, righteousness, and compassion. Verse 6 suggests that he may have been in danger of dying because he had been foolish or ignorant.
"The simpleis a revealing description to use, for in the Old Testament it has no trace of merit. The silly' would hardly be too strong a term for these gullible, feckless people who roam the pages of Proverbs drifting into trouble. It is humble of the psalmist to identify with them; it is humble of God to have time for them (if them' is the right pronoun for us to use)."190
116:7-11 There are lessons people should learn from this deliverance. First, believers can rest because God delivers from death (vv. 7-8). Second, people to whom God extends His grace should obey him the rest of their lives (v. 9). Third, only God is completely trustworthy (vv. 10-11). The writer said he believed he would live having requested this of God (cf. v. 9). This was his confidence even though other people told him he would die. They were lying to him.
Read verses 8 and 9 again from the viewpoint of the Savior in the Upper Room. He not only knew He was facing death, but He also knew He would live again. The Apostle Paul quoted verse 10 in 2 Corinthians 4:13-15. He used it to assure believers that we will live again too.
