Heritage

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
– Psalm 16:6

Inheritance. Young people fancy the idea of getting a nice one. Many parents hope to leave a good one. We usually think of inheritance in terms of tangible assets like cash, real estate or various valuable items. Thinking more broadly we might consider inheritance as personal values or worldview that is passed from one generation to the next. In any case, to speak of one’s heritage is to speak of something received from another, something we have as a direct result of it being given to us.

The narratives of the Bible frequently allude to heritage. One of the most obvious is the allotment of land in Canaan to the Hebrew people. In Numbers 34 we see God detailing the borders of the land that would be Israel’s inheritance east of the Jordan River. Later in the book of Joshua, we learn how that land was allotted among the tribes. With that in mind you can understand how the psalmist is thinking when he writes, “the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” What lines? Boundary lines. The tribes of Israel knew their land inheritance because the boundary lines were designated by God. From this coastland, to these hills, along this river, up to this valley: landmarks designated the lines of their inheritance.

But is the psalmist actually talking about land as his heritage? I don’t think so. I think his mind is on something far more precious than land. Perhaps he is remembering the Lord’s words to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel” (Number 18:20). The psalmist writes, “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup” (16:5). Follow the text of the psalm, and notice the nature of the writer’s cries. In what does he take refuge? His trust is not in land or possessions; it is in the Lord. The entirety of the writer’s trust, hope and joy has nothing to do with land or tangible possessions. His heritage is beautiful because it is a “who,” not a “what.”

How often is our gratitude to God based on what God has given us rather than who God is for us? Has God enriched my life with tangible things? Absolutely. Do I deserve them? Not even close. Do I appreciate them. Very much, and admittedly not as much as I should. Having acknowledged this, I confess that Psalm 16 is a helpful corrective for my perspective. Like the psalmist, I am reminded that my heritage is better than anything this world has to offer; my inheritance is the One who created it all.