Psalm 16:1-6 - Our Good Inheritance

Yesterday we learned that to enjoy and experience the goodness of God even in the bad times that we must have a “good relationship” with Him through Jesus Christ. But that is only the beginning. We also need to have a good companionship with the Lord (vv. 3-4). We don't live the Christian life alone, because we're part of a great spiritual family and need each other. As in previous psalms, two groups are depicted: the believing remnant, the "saints who are on the earth, who are the excellent ones" and the unbelieving worshipers of idols who “hasten after other gods.” (See also Ps. 10:8-10; 11:2-3; 12; 14:5-6). The saints are those who trust God and obey His covenant, those who are set apart for the Lord. They take seriously God's command, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 19:2; 20:7-8, 26; 21:8). Israel was a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6; Deut. 7:6) and a holy nation, just as the church is today (1 Peter 2:9). David called them "the excellent or majestic ones", a word that carries the meaning of nobility and glory. In spite of our faults and failures, believers are God's elite, His nobility on earth. We must all love one another and use our God-given abilities and resources to minister to the family of God (Gal. 6:1-10). Like David, we must not compromise with those who disobey the Lord and worship idols, but should seek to lead them to Jesus Christ, the source of all that is good and lasting. Even as believers, we must be careful not to “hasten after” the other gods of our day. The gods of success, money, possessions, fame, education, pleasure, relationships, and on the list can be anything that gets between us and our relationship with the Lord. Multiplied gods only bring multiplied sorrows. David didn't even want to speak the names of the false gods of those in Israel who forsook the covenant (Ex. 23:13; Josh. 23:7). We are not to be isolationists, for the Lord has left us in this world to be salt and light; but we must be careful not to be defiled by their sins (James 1:27; 4:4; Rom. 12:2). No church is perfect, because no believer is perfect; but let's still give thanks for the people of God and seek to encourage them all we can. We must also realize we have a good inheritance in the Lord and with it comes a great responsibility (vv. 5-6). After Israel conquered the Promised Land, each tribe except Levi was assigned a special inheritance (Josh. 13-21). Because they served in the sanctuary and ate of the holy sacrifices, the priests and Levites had the Lord as their special inheritance (Num. 18:20-32; Deut. 10:8-9; 14:27-29; Josh. 13:14, 23), and David saw himself in that privileged position. "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup" (v. 5). To possess great wealth but not have the Lord is poverty indeed (Luke 12:13-21), and to enjoy the gifts but ignore the Giver is wickedness indeed. If Jesus is the Lord of our lives, then the possessions we have and the circumstances we are in represent the inheritance He gives us. The measuring lines marked off the inheritance of the tribes, clans and families in Israel, and then each individual lot was marked with a "landmark" that was not to be moved (Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 15:25; 22:28; 23:10-11). David rejoiced that God had caused the lines of his inheritance to fall in pleasant places, and that he had a "delightful inheritance". He wanted to be a good steward of all that the Lord had given him. Like Peter, we should be able to say, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT). Amen! God bless!