Psalm 16 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 16 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Verse 2I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."
Verse 3As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
Verse 4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
Verse 5The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
Verse 6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
Verse 7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
Verse 8I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Verse 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
Verse 10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
Verse 11You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Devotion
One of the few television shows that wins the unanimous appreciation of my family is "How the States Got Their Shapes." Each episode is a lesson in geography and history. When a boundary between two states takes a quirky jag, there's usually a story behind it and the program chronicles that drama. The Old Testament tells the story of how God blessed the Israelites with the Promised Land. But the leaders were still left with the prickly question of how to determine which tribes would receive which lands. The leaders chose to divide the land through the casting of lots. The psalmist announces "the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places" (Psalm 16:6). The psalmist delights in the land he has received, a "goodly heritage." Jesus is our promised land. In his resurrection the boundary lines between death and life have fallen in our favor.
Prayer
God of all grace, the boundaries you established in my baptism enfold me. May your loving Son always be my refuge and strength in this weary land. It is in his name I pray. Amen.