The Cup
Lord you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. Ps.16:5
How we relate to everything and everyone in our lives ultimately depends on how we relate to God. In Psalm 16 we see that as we are filled from God’s cup we can walk in this world as He commands. We are able to walk better together and be His hands and feet.
Because we are all a part of Christ’s family, we are to share in life together; share in each other’s joys, pains, and sorrows. We all know doing life together can be hard, and yet as we are filled from the cup of Christ’s blessings we are enabled, we are sustained, we are blessed. As we read in Colossians 3:11-17, we are all one in Christ. As Christ’s chosen, we are to walk with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. We are to bear with one another, forgiving and putting on love that binds us all together. And we all realize that on our own we cannot always do this if at all. It is only through Jesus that we can do all of this.
When Christ is our cup, when we find ourselves in Him, we are filled by Christ’s blessings and we can overcome our human differences, the things that divide us and keep us apart. As we are filled and cared for by Christ, our human tendencies towards competition, insecurity or jealousy of others fade into the background, and we are better able to walk with others, bearing with, forgiving and loving.
As we turn now to Psalm 16, we can see how we can apply God’s words to our lives, and how we are filled from His cup. The psalm begins by David saying, Preserve me, God it is in you I seek refuge and put my trust. There is no particular problem that is presented by David, it is more that he knows He needs God all the time. As we read on in the psalm it talks to us of the security we have through our relationship with God.
David says, “I have no good apart from you.” There is goodness and pleasure in our relationship with God and His people. Fellowship with both. The good that surrounds our lives when we are in a relationship with the Lord, often looks different than the good we seek from our relationship with the world. The things of this world may satisfy us for a while but easily show that they leave us unfulfilled despite their tempting promise.
In verses 5-8, David says, “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.” Biblically, cup contains different messages depending on the context it is used in. One of its meanings is all the benefits of God, for example, love, comfort, strength, guidance, discipline and redirection, counsel and instruction. Lines in Old Testament times were used to mark out territory, for example the boundaries of the lands given to the tribes of Israel as they entered the promised land. God has also marked out our lines, our boundaries, the land we are to live in, the land of relationship with Him. Within this area of relationship God gives us a good inheritance. As we read, we are told God gives us counsel, and instructs us in the night. When we set Him always before us, He is at our right hand, our advocate and strength. Our life and our paths are on an even solid footing and we will not be shaken by the events we face. In this knowledge we do not need to fear the future or circumstances. We can stand secure in who we are in Christ. We can stand secure with others without any need for jealousy, competition, insecurity or any of the other feelings that can come between and divide people.
With all that is said in verses 1-8, we come to verses 9-11 that begin with the word, therefore. So, in conclusion, or to say it another way, therefore as we are in relationship with the Lord and our trust is in Him, and the lines of His care fall around us our heart is glad, we can rejoice no matter what and we can rest in hope, hope in all our God is. Verse 11 ends the psalm by saying, “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The path of our lives, our level ground, is when we walk in His presence. In His presence we are safe, and secure, and we know we will never be abandoned. As we walk in Christ’s presence, safe, secure, and filled by His cup,we know we have all we need. We do not have to give way to human tendencies towards insecurity, fear, competition, judgement or any of the things that keep us from walking with others as God calls us to. As we are blessed we can walk as a blessing in the lives of others.
This is the path we are all called to walk, in His presence, being filled from His cup.
