A Beautiful Inheritance

Discussion Questions

1. What does David mean when he asks God to "preserve" Him? How might preservation be different than deliverance?
2. What does it mean to say to God, "I have no good apart from you?" Why is it difficult for us to actually believe this? 
3. What are some things that might prevent us from delighting in the people of God?
4. How can we grow in our delighting in the people of God?
5. Would it be hard right now for you to say, like David, that "the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places?" Describe.
6. How does Jesus fulfill Psalm 16? 
7. The Bible wants us to take hope in the future inheritance that will be one day be ours in Christ. How should this help us amidst life's pain and sorrows right now?

Sermon Manuscript

From birth, Betsie Ten Boom suffered with pernicious anemia, a disease where the body is not able to produce a sufficient amount of red blood cells, leading to to chronic tiredness, weakness, numbness, and pain. In Betsie’s case, her disease also prevented her from bearing children, so from a young age, Betsie made the decision not to marry, but to stay home and help her father run the family’s watch shop. The Ten Booms were Dutch Christians who lived in Amsterdam during the time of the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1940s. In only two short years’ time, the Jewish population who at first were largely left alone by the Germans, were in 1942 forced to identify themselves by donning “Star of David” badges on their clothing. Shortly after, the the mass deportation of the Jews began.

The Ten Boom family, fueled by their Christian faith, built a secret room into their home to to help local Jews flee the Nazi persecution. For 2 years, Betsie, despite her disease and frailty, poured herself out to care for these persecuted families hidden in her home. On one fateful day in 1944, a neighbor and Nazi informant reported the family’s activities to the Nazis, leading to the arrest and deportation not only of the Jews in hiding, but the entire Ten Boom family to the concentration camps.

You are likely familiar with this story thanks to the book, The Hiding Place, written years later by Corrie Ten Boom, Betsie’s little sister (a book we have in our church library, by the way). Corrie recounts how their family was then separated and sent to different concentration camps—her father, Casper Ten Boom, to [Ska-ven-nin-gin] Prison where he would die just 10 days after his arrest from his poor health, and Corrie and her sister to Ravensbrück, a women’s concentration camp in Germany. But if you read The Hiding Place, you’ll soon realize that it is not Corrie that is the hero of the story, but Betsie. Upon their arrival to Ravensbrück, the sisters discover that their straw bedding is completely infested by fleas. Corrie, (understandably) is horrified by this revelation and sees it as another reason for despair. But not Betsie. Betsie reminds her sister of the passage they read earlier that morning out of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which reads, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

She tells Corrie that giving thanks in all circumstances really means all circumstances, and that they should thank God even for the fleas. This felt like a bridge too far for Corrie—”thank God for the fleas?!” But they also had another reason to thank God—somehow, amazingly, Corrie was able to sneak a Bible into the women’s camp which allowed the sisters to begin a Bible study with the other women crammed into their barracks, and even see many of them come to Christ. During those early weeks, Corrie and Betsie lived with a gnawing fear that the Nazis would soon discover and confiscate this one Bible they had managed to smuggle in. But incredibly, this never happened—the Nazi officers never entered their barracks. Betsie was the first to put the pieces together: “The fleas, Corrie!” She Said, “The fleas!” It was for fear of the fleas that the guards stayed away from the women’s barracks which allowed Betsie the freedom to teach the Bible to the other prisoners undetected.

However, despite her unshakable faith and joy amidst one of the most horrific trials any of us could imagine, the monstrous conditions of the concentration camp proved too much for Betsie’s frail body. Betsie died in Ravensbrück on 16th December 1944 at the age of 59. She would never know another day outside of the concentration camp. Shortly before her death, Betsie called Corrrie to her bedside and left her with these final words: “You must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. They will listen to us Corrie, because we have been here.”

What most astonishes me most about Betsie’s story is that she never lost her faith in Jesus, despite knowing that she would never get to leave the camp. We love the stories of those who endure incredible persecution and end up stronger, happier, and healthier on the other side. We tell ourselves and others, “Just hold on and things will get better. Life won’t always be this hard. You won’t always feel this way. You’ll get through this.” But what do with stories like Betsie’s? Where there seemingly is no happy ending? No movie rights, or book deals?

How do we hold onto Christ when the darkness does not lift?

As we’ve been going through Ecclesiastes these last few months as a church, perhaps the biggest theme that Solomon has been returning us to is the sorrow of life and inevitability of death in our broken world. When we attempt to wrestle for control over our lives or gorge ourselves on distractions to push away the thoughts of our coming death, we are about as effective as a man on the tracks, holding up his hands to stop an oncoming train. True joy and satisfaction comes not from running away from sorrow and death, but from expecting it, and embracing it.

That might sound all well and good in theory, especially when life feels pleasant, and death feels far away, but how does it work when you feel less like you are a passenger on the train of life, and more like you are being run over by the train? In other words, what do you do as a Christian when you are in the throes of pain and misery? When God feels distant, or even cruel? This morning, my aim is to show us through Psalm 16 that it is God’s presence with us in the darkness that is the very foundation of Christian contentment, security, and lasting joy.

Let’s turn now and read Psalm 16. We are going to read the whole Psalm, but the focus of the sermon will be on the first 6 verses:

(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 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) I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
(9) 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 forevermore.”

What do you do when sorrow feels near, and God feels far?

1. Request God’s Preservation (1-2)
2. Rejoice in God’s People (3-4)
3. Remember Your Inheritance (5-6)

1. Request God’s Preservation (1-2)

You Pray. This seems so completely obvious to us to the point of being cliche. “Of course we should pray in the midst of sorrow. Even non-Christians do this.” But what does the act of prayer actually communicate? True prayer—true Christian prayer—is a recognition that you have come to the end of yourself. There is nothing you can do. You are not in control of your life. God is. Prayer is not a “hail-mary” that we resort to when we have exhausted all other possible options. Prayer is an acknowledgment both of God’s omnipotence and our impotence. We are the creatures, he is the creator. We are faithless, he is faithful. We are like dust, he is the immortal, unchanging, infinite God.

David opens his Psalm with a simple prayer—”PRESERVE ME.” If you’ve read through the Psalms, you’re likely familiar with the superscription that you’ll often see next to the chapter heading which will explain the specific circumstances surrounding the writing of the Psalm. For example, the superscription before Psalm 51 reads, “ A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN NATHAN THE PROPHET WENT TO HIM, AFTER HE HAD GONE IN TO BATHSHEBA.” These little footnotes are really helpful as they can provide useful context for interpreting the author’s purpose for writing the Psalm. However, the only superscription we have for Psalm 16 is, “A Miktam of David.” We don’t really know what a “mitkam” is, but it likely was a musical term or some kind of poetic designation. But that’s it—that’s all we have.

In fact, as we read this Psalm I wonder if you like me were struck by how general and broad it is. David asks for God to “preserve him,” but we don’t know from what. John Calvin, commenting on this passage says,

“[David] does not… implore the aid of God in some particular emergency, as he often does in other psalms, but he pleads with God to show himself his protector during the whole course of his life, and indeed our safety both in life and in death depends entirely upon our being under the protection of God.”

We don’t know the specific circumstances that were going on in David’s life when he wrote Psalm 16, but perhaps, as we heard from Calvin, this a blessing because we can more easily adopt the Psalmist’s prayer as our own:

• Preserve me as I pursue my wayward child
• Preserve me as I feel anxious, depressed, and alone
• Preserve my as I struggle to make ends meet
• Preserve me as I see my health fading
• Preserve me as I grieve the loss of a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter

But let’s think for a minute about that specific word, “preserve”. But what does it mean to ask God to “preserve me?” What does this preservation **look like?

• Surely it must not always mean change of circumstance or removal of burdens—we can remember in 2 Corinthians 12 where the Apostle Paul pleads three times for the Lord to remove the thorn that afflicts him.
• We can define “preservation” as “the act of maintaining or protecting something in its original or existing state. It involves safeguarding it from harm, decay, or destruction.”
• If you are walking downtown and are suddenly caught in the middle of a rainstorm, you might quickly duck into a nearby coffee shop to take shelter from the rain. Taking refuge within the building does not stop the rain from coming, but it does protect you from the harm of the elements. In fact, there is a certain sweet satisfaction that comes from looking out the window at the ensuing storm while you take comfort in the warm, cozy store. The storm may still be raging, but you are secure and at peace.
• Preservation thus does not always mean deliverance from sorrow or trials. When we pray for God’s preservation, we are asking him to protect, secure, and strengthen us even if our circumstances do not change.

So, David prays for God to preserve him, but look at the next phrase—”FOR YOU IN I TAKE REFUGE.” What is the basis for David’s plea? He is asking God to preserve him on the basis that he has sought out him alone for refuge; not any worldly provision, or false god (cf v4). Effectively he says, “Lord, I have sought refuge in you alone. So do what you have promised to do for all those who seek you—preserve me.”

Brother, sister, you cannot pray for God’s preservation and expect it unless you have first placed yourself, by faith, in the only position where it can be accessed—the shelter of his arms. Can I ask—when you experience difficulty in life, where do you seek shelter? Alcohol? Relationships? Work? Food? Sleep? Pornography? Binging on media? The options are endless, but they will all leave you empty and despairing. Calvin again says, “God takes under his protection none but those who commit themselves to him with their whole heart.”

But what does it look like to take refuge in God? Let’s look now at verse 2:

(2) I SAY TO THE LORD YOU ARE MY LORD

Here, David once again reiterates to the Lord that he has no refuge, no help, no good, apart from the Lord. He doesn’t say here, “You are the Lord of Israel”, or “You are the Lord of all creation—” though both these sentiments are true. He says, “You are my Lord.” There is an intimacy in his language. David does not live his life on his own terms, inviting God in when it’s convenient or useful to do so. He has submitted his life to God as *Lord—*ruler, master, king, and sovereign.

Friends, this perhaps is one of the most misunderstood things in Christianity. When we come to faith in Jesus, the LORD of Psalm 16, we do not simply accept him as savior—we submit to him as Lord. What does this look like? It means that you understand that your life is not your own. You do not belong to yourself. But you are led, ruled, and owned by Christ. You no longer live asking, “What would I like to do?,” but “What would Christ have me to do?”

But Jesus is unlike any other worldly ruler who takes, demands, and crushes those under him. David says, “I HAVE NO GOOD APART FROM YOU.”

What does this phrase mean? By saying “I have no good apart from you” David could mean,

1. “Everything good that I have is from God.”
2. “I in myself possess nothing good.”
3. Or, “God alone is good, therefore I have no good outside of him.”

All 3 interpretations are possible and faithful to the text, but I’m inclined to say, especially in light of verse 5 (”The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup”) that David is likely wanting to emphasize point #3—that all that is good is found in God himself. In fact, the CSB translates this verse, “I have nothing good besides you.” David is able to take refuge in God, even if his circumstances do not change, because God himself is David’s good.

David says in another Psalm, Psalm 34:8,“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Believer, can you say this? Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? Perhaps you struggle to find rest for your soul because you are looking for good outside of God. You might be biblically-informed enough to know that “every good and perfect gift comes from above,” but you are looking for good in the gift and not the Giver. You have become more focused on the good that God can do to you than the good that he is for you.

David can be confident, and we can be confident, that God will answer our prayer for preservation, because he has promised to be a refuge for those who seek him, submit to him, and enjoy him.

So, when sorrow feels near and God feels far, we 1) Request God’s preservation. And second, we must…

2. Rejoice in God’s People (3-4)

(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 another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

This seems like a strange turn in the Psalm, doesn’t it? Why does David turn from discussing the Lord to talk of saints, sinners, and drink offerings of blood? I think the Bible wants us to see that our love for and trust in God manifests itself in the company that we keep. Rejoicing in God should lead us to rejoice in God’s people and to not esteem or admire those who reject God.

These saints, who the world might hold in low esteem, are precious to the Lord, and precious to David because of their faith in the Lord.

David spoke here of the god-fearing Saints from the nation of Israel, but now, in Christ, all those who have repented of their sins and turned to Jesus in faith, both Jews and Gentiles, are counted as members of God’s people, and, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:5, we all, “like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

If you delight in Jesus, you will delight in his bride, the church, and seek to do her good. And in this world, God has decreed that he would get glory from the love, unity, and holiness of his saints. To quote Calvin once more,

“This passage, therefore, teaches us that there is no sacrifice more acceptable to God than when we sincerely and heartily connect ourselves with the society of the righteous, and being knit together by the sacred bond of godliness, cultivate and maintain with them brotherly good-will.”

We need a body of believers who are hoping in the same God as us, trusting in the same promises, and will encourage us to not grow weary as we feel beaten down by the storms of life. When we gather on Sunday mornings for corporate worship, or in homes throughout the week for small groups, we get to see other believers who, despite incredible trials, emotional and relational turmoil, chronic pain and sleepless nights, are still holding fast to the promises of Christ. David delights in these precious saints, and wants to be counted in their number. How about you? Do you delight in the saints of QBC?

Or here’s another question: when you are feeling most beat down by life, or guilty from sin, or even just apathetic, do you find yourself gravitating to or away from the people of God? One of Satan’s most insidious devices is to dissuade us away the very means of grace that would help us out of the pit, and to even try and convince us that these things—prayer, confession, fellowship—will actually compound our sorrow.

In my experience as a pastor, I have heard Christians say before that what they feel they need is a break from church and Christian fellowship. And if that is you this morning, I want you to know that I can sympathize with how you’re feeling. I have been there myself. Some of you have been seriously hurt by other Christians, or you feel trapped in a black cloud of despair, and you might be tempted to feel that the only way to escape the pain and the awkwardness is to lean away from the people of God. If that is you, can I gently suggest that perhaps what you need the most right now is to lean into the people of God?

If you’ve attended one of our membership classes at Quinault in recent years, a passage you’ll likely be familiar with is Hebrews 3:12-13:

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Sin and sorrow wants to keep you isolated and alone. And if you allow yourself to remain there, you will find that your heart will not soften but harden. What you need—what I need—is regular fellowship with brothers and sisters who will love us enough to chisel away at our cold and stony hearts and to bring to mind the promises of God.

Delight yourself in the people of God.

But the Psalmist also wants us to see a contrast between Verse 3 and verse 4—a comparison between the company of those who trust in the Lord as their refuge, and those who place their trust in false gods. David does not throw his lot in with those who believe they will live and thrive with the help of false gods, or empty religious practices. Some commentators think that these men and women who “run after another God” are actually Israelites who have turned astray from YHWH to the pagan gods of the surrounding nations. Yet what is the outcome of all those “run after another god?” We read in verse 4 that those who “run after another god” will not only experience sorrow, but that their “sorrows shall multiply.”

It’s effects may not happen suddenly at first. In fact, it may seem that those who take refuge in their wealth, social status, or religious practices continue to thrive while we who wait on the Lord remain in the pit. But brothers and sisters, this is why we walk by faith and not by sight. Those who take refuge away from the Lord will find that their sorrow will grow and compound upon itself until it is utterly crushes them. There is a reckoning that is coming from the unrighteous, and one that will multiply.

Instead, take courage from passages like Psalm 37:

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace."

We need the saints of God to prop us up and to be our eyes and ears of faith—to help us see and hear and take hold of the promises of God when we can’t on our own.

So, when sorrow feels near and God feels far you 1) Request God’s Preservation, 2) Rejoice in God’s People, and Third and finally, you...

3. Remember your Inheritance (5-6)

(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.

Contrast these verses and David’s confidence and rest in the Lord and his provision with the restlessness of the unrighteous in verse 4, whose sorrows and vexation continue to increase again and again as they put their faith in false gods.

The Lord is not an accessory to David’s life, useful in especially needy and dark times, and then otherwise forgotten. No, the Lord is his chosen portion and cup.

This language of “portion, lot, lines, and inheritance” evokes the land allocation language of the Exodus generation, when the tribe of Levi was set apart, not to receive a portion of land like the other 11 tribes, but the Lord himself as their portion and inheritance (Deut 10:9). Now, put yourself in their shoes—if you were part of the tribe of Levi, might you be tempted to say (perhaps like some Levites did), “I’d rather have a different portion! Some physical provision that I can see, and feel, and use.”

According to one commentator,

“Today, land is just one more commodity that is traded. In the ancient world, however, land was the means of generating wealth and the means of sustaining life. To be born into a landless class or caste might have been experienced as something far from a blessing.” (NICNT)

So, what good is it to have the Lord as your inheritance? Let’s continue reading…

David says, It is God who “holds my lot” and thus, “the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.”

What does this mean? God meticulously and lovingly holds the life of every believer in his hands, and thus nothing that befalls us happens outside of his sovereign care. It is fitting that David writes this Psalm, as his life story quickly dispels any misconception we might have with the idea of “pleasant places.” If by “pleasant” we mean physically comfortable, freedom from worry, and absence of difficulty, this would not make sense of David’s experience (Fleeing from Saul and Absolom, losing a baby, bringing a deadly pestilence upon Israel because of his sin).

What this must mean, then, is that it is God’s presence with us in our suffering—not the absence of suffering—and the knowledge that he is the one who holds our lot and is orchestrating all things together for our good and his glory, that enables us to say with David, “the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.”

A dear friend of mine from back in Kentucky, Cody Farthing, who has suffered with chronic, often debilitating pain for over 10 years wrote a song a couple years back entitled, Within the Trials, to help him process his experience. I want to read for you the second verse in this song:

To rid my thorn is not the aim
As fields of green yield from the rain
For in this weakness, grace remains
To strengthen me in love.

So I would rather know this pain
That I may know my God is gain,
And to a watching world proclaim
That Jesus is enough.
That Jesus is enough.

Friend, I wonder if you’ve ever considered that perhaps the greatest kindness God can show you is not the removal of your burdens and your sorrow, but to help you understand down to the deepest recesses of your soul that He himself is enough. Your sorrow may linger, and the pain may remain, but his grace is sufficient for you.

God Himself is the chosen portion and cup for those who take refuge in him. But in what way is he “A Beautiful Inheritance?”

Psalm 16 is probably my favorite Psalm in all of the Bible. But apparently, it was also a favorite Psalm for two of the New Testament writers. Psalm 16 is quoted by both Peter and Paul in the book of Acts—Peter during his famous Pentecost sermon and Paul during a sermon in the Jewish synagogue of Antioch. The same Holy Spirit who inspired David to compose this stunning prayer of love and trust, determined that this would not only be a prayer of David, but a prophecy that would one day be fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

In Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2, he quotes Psalm 16:8-11,

"(8) I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. (9) 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 forevermore."

But immediately after quoting Psalm 16, he says to the Jews,

“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. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. (Acts 2:29-32).

The cup that Jesus received on the cross was not one of blessing, but of God’s wrath—and not wrath that he deserved for any sin that he had committed, but the cup of wrath that we deserved for our sins. And yet, though he really did die on that cross and was buried, like David, death could not hold him. “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

“But now,” the writer of Hebrews says, “we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

Beloved—brother, sister—what is your inheritance? What promise is there for you to hold onto in the midst of your sorrow? What is being stored up for David? For Betsie Ten Boom? For you, and me, and all who trust in Christ? Not death, but life! Eternal life! Fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore as we behold Jesus face to face.

So don’t give up! Your pain and sorrow and depression will not have the final say. God will not abandon your soul to death or let you see corruption. Look to him! Treasure him! Trust him.