A Beautiful Inheritance

Recently I had the wonderful experience of attending the Reformed Presbyterian International Conference. I suspect that many of the people reading this will have attended as well, but if you don’t know what I am talking about, take a look here. Several times during the conference we had the opportunity to worship God in a corporate setting, and it was during one of those worship services that I realized what we were doing was really beautiful. At a point in one of the worship services I was overcome by a sense of tremendous joy, that at first I could not explain. Why was this so wonderful? And then we sang Psalm 16.

Psalm 16 explores the blessings of being part of the people of God by explaining the two-part inheritance God gives to his saints. In the first part of the psalm, David (the author)  focuses on the many benefits of living on earth as a child of God, before ending by explaining his hope for eternity.

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the LORD, ‘’You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you.” (Ps. 16:1-2)

The beginning of David’s Mikhtam (Psalm 16's title) is a cry to God for refuge. However, it is not a cry of despair, but rather of great hope, as seen in the rest of the psalm. Acknowledging he has no good apart from the Lord, David begins to outline what he calls his “beautiful inheritance” (v. 6). He opens with a discussion of two kinds of people.

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

or take their names on my lips. (vv. 3-4)

There are two camps here. There are those who worship other gods, and those who worship the true God. David makes a clear distinction between the two, saying that excellence is only to be found in those who have been set apart to serve the Lord. On the other hand, he refuses to even speak of idolaters.

Do we think this way? Do we make our closest friends those whom Christ has redeemed? In whom do we find delight? One of the most magnificent parts of the inheritance that we have as believers is being put into a Church. If redeemed by Christ, we are made members of his body, and in that context we have a group of unique individuals, all with different gifts to contribute, all working toward the same end goal.

I think again of the RP International Conference. Here was a group of 2000+ people from all different backgrounds. One might assume that when stuck in the same place for a week these people might have trouble getting along. But I was actually amazed at how well everyone meshed. It was evident that Christ was the uniting factor.

So fellowship with the saints is part of the our earthly inheritance, but David doesn’t stop there.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.

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. (vv. 5-9)

Among the blessings mentioned here are security, counsel, instruction, beauty, leadership, foundation, and joy. If no good is to be found outside of God then all good is the Lord’s to give! While the world promises things that will be pleasurable for a short while, real gladness, wisdom, and pleasure come from God alone. God makes this point in Jeremiah by using a metaphor: “for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jer. 2:13) All good comes from God. Apart from him are only cheap imitations that can “hold no water”.

Again I ask, do we think this way? Have we set the Lord ever before us? Do we view wisdom, pleasure, and safety as gifts from God? If we do it should fill us with gladness. David says, “Therefore… my whole being rejoices.”

After singing verse 9 I was beginning to realize why worship with all those believers was so amazing. We are a blessed people! But then we sang the rest…

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalms 16:10-11)

At the end of the psalm, David gives the second part of our beautiful inheritance. Not only does God give us good things while we live on earth, but he extends our inheritance into eternity! You see, for the believer, death is not the end of the story. If we are God’s children we have great hope, and that hope is outlined in verse 10. Not only is the psalm speaking of our eternal life, it is speaking of Christ’s resurrection! Romans 6:5 gives us that wonderful truth, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Because Jesus was not abandoned to Sheol (the grave, or Hell), neither will we be!

The reason I found worship with a large group of believers so wonderful was that we were corporately praising the God who has given and is giving us good things on this earth and who has promised to provide for us forever! There we were as his saints, thanking him for what he has done across the globe. And to think; we get to spend eternity doing just that!

Psalm 16 tells us that if God is our refuge we have a beautiful inheritance that we receive both in this life and eternally. It is a wonderful psalm to sing when thankful, or to express our dependence on God. It is all the more joyful when sung with a group of close friends who have all been redeemed by Christ. What a beautiful inheritance God has given us!