We take another brief break from Nehemiah to enjoy a couple of Psalms (today and tomorrow):
Psalm 16‘Just a small portion for me.’ These are words I utter quite often at our family meals; I do love food, but I don’t have a particularly big appetite, so if there’s a pudding available, my desire to enjoy it is tempered by my modest appetite – so I’ll compromise with these words: ‘Just a small portion, please.’
The point is, it doesn’t matter what size the portion is: what you really want is enough. That might be a large portion, a medium-sized one, or a small one: if it’s enough, then it’s just right.
And that helps to explain this lovely, but slightly odd, phrase in today’s psalm, written by King David: (v5) ‘Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup.’ To our ears, we might find ourselves wondering: ‘well, we don’t know if that’s a good thing, because we don’t know if it’s large portion or a small one – what if David only gets a small slice of the cake?! More to the point, what if we only get a small portion from God, too?’
The point isn’t the size of the portion: the point is that it’s enough. God’s grace is always sufficient, and whatever he gives us is what we need. For David, God’s portion to him offered security: ‘in you I take refuge… you make my lot secure… I shall not be shaken’ (v1, v5, v8). It offered hope: ‘surely I have a delightful inheritance’ (v6). It offered wisdom: ‘I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me’ (v7).
This psalm is often read at a burial, because it is one of the first to acknowledge the reality of eternal life. Early Jewish tradition was agnostic about the idea as to whether there was life after death, or whether God’s blessings are only for this life. One of David’s most precious pieces of counsel from the Lord – right here in this psalm – is that God’s portion reaches beyond the grave, offering us eternal life: or, as he puts it, ‘eternal pleasures at your right hand’ (v11). Peter quoted Psalm 16’s promise of resurrection in his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:25-28) – but it’s not only Jesus who receives the glorious promises at the end of this psalm; thanks to Jesus, it’s us, too.
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow – as the great old hymn puts it – this is the Lord’s portion to David. This is also the Lord’s portion to us. The size doesn’t matter: what matters is that it is enough. God’s portion control is always just right. Great is his faithfulness!