From beginning to end Psalm 16 testifies to a life that finds its ultimate rest in God's protective presence. It speaks against the notion that security and satisfaction come from material wealth or human accomplishments.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
He is drawing the lines in pleasant places. These may be lines in our marriage, in our job or career, where we live, or many other things that define our world. God is just as interested in you as he was in King David. We need to allow God to define what is pleasant and beautiful, ing to His kingdom and not ours.
The best way to live is when mercy and truth combine to purify your life. These two aspects of godliness come together to make men perfect. And the motivation to seek and practice both of them is the fear of the LORD, which compels men to forsake their sins.
“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places” would then be: “Your sovereign goodness has fenced me in to God himself. The borders of my life are boundaries around where God is.” And when he adds, “I have a beautiful inheritance,” the ultimate meaning would be: God. God is my inheritance, and he is beautiful.
You make my life pleasant, and my future is bright. I praise you, LORD, for being my guide. Even in the darkest night, your teachings fill my mind. I will always look to you, as you stand beside me and protect me from fear.
Bits of biblical property law appear throughout the Old Testament, as in Deuteronomy : "You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land. . . ." Simply put, each individual or family owned specific plots of land whose boundaries ...
In this verse, David reflects on the goodness of his inheritance, expressing profound joy in what God has provided him. The imagery of "measuring lines" is significant, suggesting that David perceives his lot in life as blessed and favorable.
Because Psalm 24 says, if you believe in God, it starts with believing that he made this world, that it belongs to him, and that he has a purpose for everything he made, and you live your life inside of his ownership, inside of his purpose.