Reading Plan:

Psalm 16

Good Inheritance

Author: Bailey Woods

They say that big things come in small packages. This section of scripture certainly fits the bill for that idiom. Quite frankly, there is a lot to unpack here. Let’s keep it simple and start from the beginning.

In verses one and two, notice the word “Lord” is written three times. I didn’t realize until reading the commentary in the footnotes of my David Jeremiah Study Bible that King David, the author of this psalm, uses three separate names for God here:

• Elohim (Creator God) 
• Yahweh (The Covenant-Giving God)
• Adonai (The Lord and Master of Life) 

So, looking at those first two verses we see David declare his faith by stating his trust in the Creator to preserve him while making a covenant by his soul saying that God is the Lord and Master of his life. I think back at how many times I have had to refocus my perception on the reality that Jesus is Lord to preserve my faith. Period. The End.

Let’s jump to verse five. Because of our faith in Jesus, we receive an eternal inheritance described in John 3:16. That inheritance is life after death forever worshiping the perfect Glory of God, and it is only obtained through faith and faith alone. A side effect of our faith is thankfulness. God provides for us here on Earth as well. As God “maintains our lot” here on Earth we should always remember to be thankful for the small things we tend to forget about: air in our lungs, food to eat, a job to work, etc.

Moving onto verse 10. Here we see the entire purpose of the inheritance promised to us by God as well as the prophesied vessel through which we receive it. When you see the word “Sheol,” think of a graveyard in any horror movie you have ever seen. It is soaked in death. God does not want our souls to live in death. He doesn’t want us to suffer spiritually. To rescue us from that darkness, God sent His only son to die for our sins, (not because we loved Him, but because He loved us) giving us a way to partake in His promise of spiritual peace and eternal life.

The entire point of this passage of scripture is David praising God for His ability to keep His promises. When we feel that our soul is in “Sheol,” we should remember this passage as encouragement that God always rescues us from spiritual peril.

Reflection & Response:

• What do you do to reconcile yourself when you feel far from God?
• How often are you studying scripture and putting it to use as a tool in your life? 
• Prayer: God, thank You for your countless blessings. I give You praise for your power to save my soul from self-destruction. I pray that I would never lose sight of Psalm 16:2-that my goodness and welfare come directly from You and are meaningless without your blessing. Thank You for your heart of goodwill towards me. Amen.
• Love Your Neighbor Challenge: Spending time with others is a great way to demonstrate Christ-like love to others. Invite your neighbor over for a cup of coffee or a meal this week and share how God's promises have changed your life. 

HAVE KIDS?

Use the content below to dive deeper into the Bible Reading Plan with your family.

Family Application: God keeps His promises!

• Psalms is a book of songs and poems. A lot of the Psalms were written by a man named David. He was a king. David loved to tell God how great He was. In fact, David wrote almost half of the book of Psalms. In this Psalm, David is telling God that He is great because God always keeps His promises.
• God will always keep the promises that He makes. Our God is trustworthy. God keeps every promise and He always tells the truth. When we know that, we know that we can trust that His ways and plans for us are always the best.
• Tell someone you know that God always keeps his promises and give them a high five to encourage them.
• Prayer: God, you are incredible! Thank you, Lord, for always keeping your promises. Father, help me tell others about you and love them. Amen. 

Holy Week Family Devos

Venture Church has crafted a resource to help guide your family through Holy Week, Palm Sunday to Easter. Venture Church wants to partner with families in helping kids better understand and reflect on the time leading to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Starting next week, use the Venture Church app on Palm Sunday to read Day 1 of the Holy Week Family Devos, and during the week, continue reading the Holy Week Family Devos in our Family Application section in your Daily Devo emails or Venture Church app. Don't miss the opportunity to observe this sacred week as a family!