Day 849: A beautiful inheritance! - Psalm 16

A Miktam of David. 1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those who run after (or acquire) another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8-9 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 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. Psalm 16 English Standard Version

What King David said in vs 6 is something everyone who has believed on Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin and eternal life can say as well. He said: “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The New Testament echoes that thought in quite a few places. The apostle Peter put it this way: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5

What was it that made David believe his inheritance was so special? (vs 10)

Even thousands of years ago, long before Jesus Christ came into the world, David knew that for those who have set the Lord first in their lives (vs 8-9), death would not be their final chapter. Yet we know that David did die, and was buried. So how can this Psalm be true?

The answer of course is found in what happened to Jesus Christ when He came into the world. He was crucified, but rose again and interacted on many occasions with His disciples. And some weeks after He ascended into heaven, the apostle Peter quoted this very Psalm to the people in Jerusalem, and said: “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:29-31)

It's the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and His promise that death won’t be the end for those who believe on Him, that enables Christians to say “the lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, and we have a beautiful inheritance.” God won't abandon us to the grave. But what did entering into this great hope involve on David's part? (vs 1-5)

He consciously sought the refuge to be found in God. He confessed God as his chief delight and said that nothing in the world can compare with God, and with His love. He chose to throw his lot in with others who love God. He wanted nothing to do with people who worshiped false gods. In those days idol worship could be extremely sensual and very popular with the crowd. Today it would mean choosing God rather than following the crowd running after worldly pleasures and acclaim. David recognized that God has make known the path of true life; and that it is only in God that we will find fullness of joy. It's in His presence that we find true pleasures that will endure forever. (vs 11)

No wonder the apostle Paul's prayer for Christians was that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of our hearts enlightened, that we may know what is the hope to which He has called us, and what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints.” (Ephesians 1:17-18) May He do that in our lives.