The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.
~ Psalm 16:5
This text is fascinating. David had lived a life of wide variation. At the time of the writing of the Psalm, he was likely king in Jerusalem. And yet, he had lived in the desert in caves, fleeing for his life.
Nevertheless, whether in the wilderness or on the throne, David states that the Lord is his portion of inheritance and his cup. These two refer to God as his sustainer and his true possession. David was now the sole monarch over Israel, but his true possession was still only God alone.
That God protected this inheritance gave David great peace. His ‘support’ of David, and His promise to protect their relationship was his hope.
But of course, this begs the question—if David was now king, wouldn’t that be David’s source of joy? After all, God had promised him this blessing! And yet, David acknowledges that no matter what he owns or where he is, God remains his true portion.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
~ Psalm 16:6
Interestingly, the next verse expresses David’s feeling about having God as his only inheritance.
The lines were boundary markers for land, and David’s reference to them is a comment on God as his portion. He says that the lines are pleasant to him, and that his inheritance is beautiful.
When David considered that God alone was his inheritance, he didn’t have to resign himself to that. Instead, he saw it as a pleasant and beautiful blessing! God was enough for him!
David isn’t unique. The author of Psalm 73 felt the same (see vv. 25-26), as did the Apostle Paul (Phil. 3:7). In fact, when we ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’, we discover that He is enough for us. When we discover that we are loved by Him, our inheritance is beautiful.
