Psalm 16 Continued…
Psalms 16:5-7 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
David was excluded by Saul’s watchdogs from his share of his family’s inheritance. Each family in Israel had its territory assigned to it by line and lot by Joshua in the original distribution of Canaan among the tribes. The inheritance stayed in the family. David’s share was in the farms and fields of Bethlehem but so long as Saul sat on the throne there was no hope he could enjoy his inheritance. His own parents were fugitives in Moab.
“Never mind,” says David. “I have a better inheritance. I have the Lord. I don’t envy the vast riches and glory of idolaters, but I do heartily rejoice in God as my portion, and I desire nothing better. God who has allowed other nations to live in their idolatrous ways, has granted this favor to me, to know and worship Him, the only true God. Other nations have chosen and adhere to their false gods, but as for me, I have chosen God, and I will hold firmly to Him.”
The word portion comes from the time immediately after Israel had conquered the Promised Land, when the land was being allotted among the twelve tribes of Israel (as stated above); each tribe received its portion except Levi was given a special inheritance (Joshua 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 (Numbers 18:20-32; Deuteronomy 10:8-9; 14:27-29; Joshua 13:14, 23), and David saw himself in that privileged position. His cup is just another way to say the same thing. Obviously he can’t help repeating himself with joy. Then he says it for a third time! For one’s lot is the same thing as one’s portion and one’s cup.
David was a fugitive when he wrote this; with no home, with the moss for a mattress and the caves and forests for shelter. But David was not forgetting. This was the language of faith. Years ago the prophet Samuel had visited the farm in Bethlehem, had poured the holy anointing oil of God on David’s head, and had told him that one day he would be Israel’s king. Nothing that Saul could do could prevent that. Not just the Bethlehem farm—but all of Judah, all of Benjamin and Dan, all of Gilead and Goshen—all was his. Present appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the boundary lines had fallen for him in pleasant places. And they have to us too! If we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with Him. We have God’s Word for it.
The “boundary lines” were the measuring lines used to mark 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 (Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17; Proverbs 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.
The godly man has the best of both worlds. There are his prospects in this life (16:7-9), and his prospects in that life (16:9-10).
David’s personal fellowship with the Lord was his greatest joy. This was when God instructed and counseled David and told him what to do and how to do it—night after night learning from God. The word “instruct” carries with it the idea of discipline and chastising, for David learned many things when God’s loving hand chastened him (Hebrews 12:1-12).
PRAY
Eternal Father, we thank You for being in relationship with us. Thank You for drawing us into Your holy family through the meritorious works of Jesus Christ. Thank You for creating us to be kings of The King and lords of The Lord. Thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us on this faith walk. The heavens proclaim Your glory and the skies display Your craftsmanship. Lord, we will praise You with our whole hearts. We will tell of all the marvelous things You have done. We will be filled with joy because of You. We will sing praises to Your Name, O Most High.