“And the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.” – Numbers 18:20

 “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.” – Psalm 16:5-6

Although the Levites were excluded from Israel’s physical inheritance, in essence they really had lost nothing at all. A most intimate declaration was pronounced upon the priests whom God had chosen – out of all the other tribes – to minister unto Him. Its symbolism pertains to everyone (that includes you) who have been called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light, to be a people of His own possession – a chosen race, a royal priesthood to worship and proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9).

David spoke of God being his inheritance in Psalm 16 – “The Lord is my chosen portion…” not the physical kingdom that he was chosen to shepherd. In Psalm 23, he referred to his cup overflowing, but its implications had nothing whatsoever to do with his royal bounty; it was God’s goodness, mercy, love and faithfulness – God’s eternal covenant with David that brought true security and fulfilment to his life. Listen to him in Psalm 63:3 “Your steadfast love is better than life…” Despite his flaws, he was a man after God’s own heart; despite the lusts that had once captivated his heart, his soul yearned for God above all other loves. When Saul pursued his blood, hunting his life throughout the wilderness, David didn’t pine for riches or the throne that was soon to be his; he longed for the sanctuary – the courts of God, to behold His presence, power and glory. “You hold my lot” he stated with such implicit trust and confidence in God’s wisdom and care. “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places” and those ‘lines’ were of God’s choosing and timing that David gladly yielded to.

Sometimes, those ‘lines’ don’t appear to fall in pleasant places, especially when God permits bitter circumstances. David knew that when he exclaimed, “You Who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth You will bring me up again” (Psalm 71:20). Unfair situations will arise, but in time God will turn such evil into good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Whatever that may be – someone may have been unjustly denied an inheritance from a blood relative that would have provided financial stability in desperate times, but years of poverty have stricken instead. To hear of such in the world is bad enough, but for Christian families to fall prey to this behaviour is deplorable. There have been some of the most ‘godliest’ and influential people known, but further on in years, circumstances revealed a love of money and the sin of greed hidden deep in their heart. Solicitors (Lawyers) are used to justify their actions, forgetting that God misses nothing. It may be hid from a thousand people or a tribunal court but the Triune God, Whose eyes run to and fro throughout the earth, will one Day call it into account, where all motives of the heart will be thoroughly exposed.

Much may be lost in this life as we pursue God, but that will settle fine for those whose hearts are fixed on Him; such losses are not worth comparing to the unsearchable and immeasurable riches they have in Christ, where God Himself whispers to their heart, “I, the Lord, am Your inheritance.” As regenerated believers, we are heirs of God, safe in his hands – hands that made the stars and set their course in motion. This very same God orchestrates our life and determines where the lines fall. He holds our lot and the very seasons by which He bestows His blessings upon us. No man, woman or government can thwart what God has decreed and no power can steal the good things God has laid up for those who love and fear Him.