1 Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.
2 My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.
5 Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
Free Grace note
God Himself is the believer's portion Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup; you made my lot secure. In Israel the land was divided by portions, but the priestly tribe of Levi received no land because the Lord Himself was their inheritance, Numbers 18:20. David borrows that language for every believer: God is not the giver of the good; He is the good. Apart from you I have no good thing, he says in verse 2. This reframes contentment entirely. If your treasure is anything you can lose, your peace is only as steady as your grip. But your lot is made secure by God, not by you, so it cannot slip. The one who can say God is my portion has already received the one gift that never runs out and never gets taken back.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
Free Grace note
A promise that reaches past David to the risen Christ You will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption. Both Peter at Pentecost, Acts 2:25 to 31, and Paul at Antioch, Acts 13:35 to 37, quote this verse and point out that David died and his body did decay, so he must be speaking beyond himself of the Messiah whose body did not. That anchors the whole psalm. The believer's confidence rests not on performing well but on a risen Savior who conquered the grave. Some fear that assurance like this breeds carelessness. The opposite is true: knowing the path of life is a settled gift, secured by Christ's resurrection and not our effort, is exactly what frees the heart to love and serve God gladly rather than anxiously.
11 You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
The Free Grace Bible App