Psalm 16:6       
Inheritance
     The reality of land ownership, of possession and inheritance continues in this verse. Obviously, if land in Israel was designated to tribes, clans, families and individuals there must be boundaries and lines of demarcation. Deuteronomy 19:14 says, “Do not move your neighbour’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.” There were clear dividing lines and people knew exactly what belonged to who. A look at a map or a tour of Israel today will reveal, for instance, that some tribes and families occupied better arable land than others. Some lived in semi-desert, others on upland hills, some lived by the sea and some near a prosperous trade route. The allocation of the land was a God ordained business and each tribe and family lived by their strengths. For David, whose lot included the sheep grazing land around Bethlehem, the boundary lines fell in pleasant places. His inheritance was delightful. 
The big questions for us today are; “What constitutes our possession or inheritance in the Lord and what are the boundary lines?” Firstly, we have inherited eternal life, we have inherited the Kingdom of God and the new heaven and the new earth. Revelation 21:7. These are exclusively God’s to give and we have little say in the matter other than to gratefully receive and enjoy His promised heritage. Ephesians 1:14 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the deposit that guarantees our inheritance until God redeems His possession. Colossians 1:12 tells us that we are legally qualified to have a share in this inheritance because we have been brought out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s Son – the kingdom of light, reserved exclusively for those who are holy, whose sins are forgiven.  It is Peter who makes the link with Psalm 16 when he tells us in his first letter, 1 Peter 1:4, that the inheritance is kept in heaven but whilst on earth we are shielded, through faith, by God’s power. He goes on to say that we are God’s special possession in 2:9. Do you have a special possession, something that takes pride of place in a collection or on a shelf? That is just a tiny expression of how much God values you and me, His special possession, His pride and joy. As a consequence He is preserving our inheritance, it is not of this world or of this life, it is reserved in heaven and we cannot even begin to contemplate the immensity of it all.  The way we know that we are included in the bequest is if we have the Holy Spirit and have experienced His power and presence. You can be religious and know nothing of His power, but those who have received know who they belong to and also that nothing in this world can compare with what He brings us from the next. Hallelujah!!
However, there are times when we reflect on God’s goodness here and now, and in this life we can join David in declaring, “Surely, I have a delightful inheritance.”  As I write this Christmas has just passed; as 2018 drew to a close for 2 weeks our house was full of guests and visitors, there was never less than 7 staying, including grandchildren. There was laughter, fun and games, good food and conversation and a lot of love. Enough for an old man to reflect, “Surely, I have a delightful inheritance.”

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