“LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, You have made my destiny secure. Pleasant places were measured out for me; fair to me indeed is my inheritance. – Psalm 16:5-6, New American Bible

What was or what will be your inheritance from your father’s estate?

In Bible times, each child – boy or girl – would receive a portion or inheritance from their father’s possessions/estate (see Gen. 31:14).

This was intended to give every child a good start in life, so that they don’t start from zero.

It was also supposed to be a store of cross-generational wealth. 

As a matter of fact, it was very rare for a son to sell his inheritance outside the family, unlike today when people sell their inheritance even before the parent is buried.

Sometimes, the first born would be given a ‘double portion.’

The Hebrew word for ‘portion’ may also be translated ‘territory’ or ‘blessing.’

It may also be applied to the ‘booty’ of war – the valuable property captured from a vanquished enemy – that is shared among the victors.

However, it most appropriately refers to a ‘possession’ to which one has received a legal claim.

Prior to entering the Promised Land, the territory that each of the 12 tribes received was determined by lot (Numbers 26:56).

Receiving something by ‘lot’ was interpreted to imply divine appointment or receiving it by divine grace.

One could not complain or boast about what God had provided by His own will.

So the role of Joshua was to execute the division of the ‘possession’ i.e to apportion to each tribe what God had assigned to them.

In the New Testament, the word is used, for example to describe Judas Iscariot’s place in the ministry of the 12 Disciples of Jesus Christ.

“For he was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry” (Acts 1:17).

That implies that every child of God has received a portion, on which he/she can make a legal claim – though some like Judas, have lost their portion to another.

That’s why the Bible says that we’re “joint heirs with Christ.”

“You, LORD, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.”

GOOD NEWS BIBLE

In our meditation today, David testifies that the LORD is his “allotted portion.”

In Bible times, the servants of God – the priests and the Levites – were assured that their “possession” was the Lord.

They received no inheritance as the LORD was their inheritance. (Deut. 10:9; Num. 18:20-23).

Hence, the priests, like David, had a unique relationship with God.

God was their inheritance or their portion as they depended on the tithes, gifts and sacrifices that were given to God by the people, as the sole source of their livelihood.

Like the priests of the Old Testament, believers in Christ have been made “priests to God” and hence have no promise of an inheritance in this world.

The LORD being our portion points to the covenantal relationship that we have with Christ: “For the LORD’s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.”

I liked how the Good News Bible Translation rendered our meditation verse: “You, LORD, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.”

So, you don’t have to fight with your relatives for worldly inheritance; the LORD is our portion.

Prayer:

Almighty God, surely the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places and my destiny is secure because You’re my portion! Thank you because my future is bright; I am a joint heir with Christ. Amen!