Verse
5
:
"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure."
There are 3 things that we want to look at in this verse: (1) "my portion"; (2) "my cup" and (3) "my lot." David is praising the Lord for the great things He has done for him. He is thanking the Lord for His purposes, His plan, and His program.
- "My portion"; "I cry to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'" Ps. 142:5 NIV). Psalm 73:26: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (NIV). Verse 5 is the testimony of the blessed man.
- "My cup": "for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17 NASB). H. C. Leupold said: "...he is the satisfying draught that refreshes and invigorates the soul."
George Beverly Shea made famous that great old hymn "
I'd Rather Have Jesus
":
I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
I'd rather be His than have riches untold,
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land,
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be hold in sin's dread sway;
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
Let's meditate for a moment on these 3 things in verse 5.
(1) "Lord, you have assigned me my portion." Lamentations 3:24: "I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion;; therefore I will wait for him'" (NIV).
(2) "Lord, you have assigned me...my cup."
Luke 22:42:
"saying, 'Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but thine be done'"
(NASB).
We should be singing with Jimmy Dean: "I'm drinking from my saucer because my cup overflowed."
(3) "You have made my lot secure."
I am as secure as Your promises! I am as secure as Your faithfulness!
Lord, You really do know what is best for us.
Verse 6:
"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."
There are now 2 observations that He adds to the previous 3. We have 5 observations in these 2 verses: (1) "Lord you have assigned me my portion"; (2) "Lord, you have assigned me...my cup"; (3) "you have made my lot secure"; (4) "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places"; and (5) "surely I have a delightful inheritance."
"Pleasant places" and "a delightful inheritance" sure are attractive.
We need to ask ourselves the question this morning, what about our attitude toward what the Lord has provided for us?
Do we have the same exciting, positive attitudes that David had in this Psalm?
"The boundary lines have fallen for [us] in pleasant places." Can we say with the Psalmist: "I have a delightful inheritance'"?
I am reminded of what the Lord said to David after his sin with Bathsheba:
"...I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more"
(2 Sam. 12:7-8 NIV).
If you have to say this morning that your "boundary lines have...[NOT]...fallen in pleasant places, I would ask you who's been doing the choosing? Choices are always reflected in the consequences. This verse reflects the divine choice NOT the human choices.
