Psalm 16:6
“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”
In my lifetime I have had the privilege of going to some very exotic places. My wife and I have had the privilege of going to Hawaii, a place that we both extremely enjoyed and hope to go back to someday. We have enjoyed going to the Caribbean and seeing some of the beautiful sights there. We have been in the majestic mountains of the United States and enjoyed their grandeur. All of these places I reminisce as pleasant places.
In this psalm, David did not bemoan the fact of who he was and from whence he came. He called the heritage of God a pleasant place and “goodly.” In other words, he looked at his heritage as a place to which he enjoyed going. He looked at his heritage as something of considerable size. It was something of which he was proud.
When we think of what God has done for us, it should be like the pleasant places you go to in your mind; places of enjoyment. I’m afraid there are many who look at the heritage of the LORD as unpleasant places. I find in our day there are many who want to run away from the pleasant places of God’s heritage when we should be running to our heritage and understand that God’s heritage is what has given us many of the blessings we enjoy today. In this psalm we can see many of the things God’s heritage does for us.
First, God’s heritage instructs us. Verse 7 says, “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” If you will not despise the heritage of the LORD, you will find all the counsel you need. Christians don’t need to be running to the unproven methods of modern preachers, instead they need to go to their heritage and let the lessons of the old-time Christians counsel them on what they should do. God’s heritage is the greatest counselor for your life if you will learn to run to it and learn from it.
Second, God’s heritage protects and establishes you. Verse 8 says, “because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” You will find when you live in the heritage God has given you that He will protect you from heartache. Far too many Christians run from God’s lifestyle only to find themselves in heartache and ruin. If you will live in God’s prescribed lifestyle, you will find that He will protect you as you get established in life.
Third, God’s heritage gives you hope for the future. Verse 9 talks about the hope God’s heritage gives. Why does it give hope? Because in verse 11 it shows us the path to take in life. I have found that if I will stay in God’s heritage, God guides me even when I’m not asking for His guidance. I’m amazed how God has protected me from much heartache all because I have lived in the pleasant place of God’s heritage. Because of this, it gives me hope that my future is bright. You can have that same hope for your future if you will let God’s heritage guide your life.
Friend, the heritage of God is found in the pages of the Word of God. Study God’s Word and live how it tells you to live. Study the old-time Christians, and instead of criticizing them for how strict they are, embrace them for they are a part of your heritage. When you look at what God’s heritage can do for you, you can’t help but agree with David that His heritage is a pleasant place to live.