Psalm 16:1-5
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips. O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.
Recently, I was meditating on Psalm 16. It is such a beautiful Psalm! I discovered numerous insights.
The psalmist begins by begging the Lord to preserve him, for the Lord is his refuge. He talks about how we are nothing, and we have no goodness in ourselves, apart from the Lord. Then, he contrasts his delight in the saints with his aversion for idolaters. May we also determine to keep ourselves pure from idolatry!
In verses 5a and 6a, we find several beautiful truths. First, the Lord is our inheritance. We as believers have such a glorious inheritance–Christ Himself! 1 Peter 1:4 tells us that this inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, unfading, and reserved in heaven for us. What more could we ask for if Christ Himself is our inheritance? One of the most amazing things is that this inheritance begins now, and we don’t have to wait until heaven to enjoy the inheritance of our precious Savior. Of course, it will be so much more glorious when we see Him face-to-face, but until then, He lives in our hearts, and we can revel in His presence and power in our hearts and lives!
The second insight is that the Lord is our cup. Scripturally, the cup is a symbol of our portion. A cup of water symbolizes life, and a cup of wine symbolizes joy. Christ is our portion–He is our cup! And this precious cup overflows (Psalm 23:5) with all the love, goodness, and fullness of God! This is the cup that will never run dry!
May we rejoice today in the fact that Christ is our inheritance and our portion!
