Last time, we conducted a word study on the word “portion” and its usage in the Old Testament. We gained a better understanding of the phrase, “the Lord is my portion”, and observed different ways in which the Lord was David’s, the Levites’, and the Israelites’ portion. But what can this idea mean for us?
Just like the nation of Israel, we can make the Lord our portion, or “our part” (cf. Jeremiah 10:16). Luke 10:38-42 records Jesus’ visit with Mary and Martha. He remarks that Mary had chosen “the good part” when she listened to His teachings (verse 42). Mary had made God her portion, because she chose Him first above all other things, and for that she was blessed. How does this relate to our lives today? Let’s consider a few aspects of God being our portion.
If God is our portion, He is our ultimate Supplier. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Just like God was to supply everything that the Levites needed (Numbers 18:20), He will provide everything we need and more (Romans 8:32). Jesus promises in Matthew 6:25-34 that if we trust Him, He will supply our necessities. Verse 33 is often quoted but still rings true: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This requires a strong faith that God indeed cares about His people, and wants to provide for them. Christ continues this same idea in Matthew 7:7-11, but notice especially verse 11: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
If God is our portion, we are totally dependent upon Him. Remember the Psalmist’s words in Psalm 73:26. He might lose everything he has physically, but God would be his strength and portion forever. Imagine the firm faith this writer has in the Lord to make such a statement! Could we boldly declare that no matter what happens here on earth, our Savior indeed knows what is best for us? Commentator Charles Spurgeon notes, “‘Thou art my portion, O Lord.’ A broken sentence. The translators have mended it by insertions, but perhaps it had been better to have left it alone, and then it would have appeared as an exclamation, – ‘My portion, O Lord!’ The poet is lost in wonder while he sees that the great and glorious God is all his own! Well might He be so, for there is no possession like Jehovah Himself. The form of the sentence expresses joyous recognition and appropriation, – ‘My portion, O Jehovah!’ David had often seen the prey divided, and heard the victors shouting over it; here he rejoices as one who seizes his share of the spoil; he chooses the Lord to be his part of the treasure. Like the Levites, he took God to be his portion, and left other matters to those who coveted them.”
If God is our portion, He gives the greatest contentment. Paul not only learned how to rely upon God for his every need, but also to possess the joy and contentment that comes from knowing Christ. The beloved apostle says in Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (for more about how Paul found full contentment in Christ, see Philippians 3:8-11). Furthermore, if we are satisfied simply knowing that our heavenly Father will take care of us, we will have no love for the possessions of this world (1 John 2:15-17; Luke 8:14). We can see in Psalm 119:57 that David was content in thriving upon God’s Word. I’m sure that David could say along with Job, “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food.” (Job 23:12) Notice a few Bible commentators’ views on this point:
- Matthew Henry – “Others place their happiness in the wealth and honours of this world. Their portion is in this life; they look no further; they desire no more; these are their good thing [Luke 16:25]. But all that are sanctified take the Lord for the portion of their inheritance and their cup, and nothing less will satisfy them. David can appeal to God in this matter: ‘Lord, thou knowest that I have chosen Thee for my portion, and depend upon Thee to make me happy.’”
- Albert Barnes – “God was to him [David] what other people seek in wealth, honor, pleasure, fame. To him, God was all and in all. He asked nothing else.”
- Adam Clarke – “It is God alone that can content the desires and wishes of an immortal spirit.”
If God is our portion, He makes our cup overflow. Our Lord not only gives His children what we need to be satisfied in Him, but also delights to shower us with good things. God, the portion of His people, will make our cup overflow! (Psalm 23:5). Notice a few passages about our spiritual cups overflowing:
- Psalm 36:8: “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.”
- Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (I encourage you to continue reading verses 4-14 for a greater understanding of these spiritual blessings!)
- Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
- 2 Peter 1:3-4: “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” {emphasis added}
Wow! No wonder David was so joyful about the Lord being his portion. When we make the choice to follow Christ, we automatically receive blessing upon blessing that comes from being in Him!
If God is our portion, we have the greatest inheritance. In the Old Testament, God planned the land of Caanan to be Israel’s inheritance. They could dwell there and prosper under His authority. But although God told them that He would be their ultimate inheritance and portion (Numbers 18:20; 1 Chronicles 16:17-18), we as Christians under the new covenant have something far greater in store for us. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” {emphasis added} Philippians 3:20 tells us that our citizenship is in heaven; it is our true home. Notice Revelation 21:7: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Heaven is the utmost, most wonderful inheritance we could ever receive as children of the Almighty God. He is still preparing this home until that great Day in which He will bestow it upon us who have been faithful to Him (John 14:2-3). But heaven is not our greatest inheritance because of the mansions, gold streets, or walls of jasper. It is our greatest inheritance because of Who dwells there! “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3). In reference to Psalm 73:26, Adam Clarke writes, “Allusion is here made to the division of the promised land. I ask no inheritance below; I look for one above. I do not look for this in the possession of any place; it is God alone that can content the desires and wishes of an immortal spirit.”
Charles Spurgeon sums it all up well: “He is our portion, supplying all our necessities, and our cup yielding royal luxuries; our cup in this life, and our inheritance in the life to come. As children of the Father who is in heaven, we inherit, by virtue of our joint heirship with Jesus, all the riches of the covenant of grace; and the portion which falls to us sets upon our table the bread of heaven and the new wine of the kingdom.”
Oh, how true it is! The Lord is my portion. He is all I need.
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Welcome! We are so glad you stopped by. Come Fill Your Cup is a group of Christian ladies dedicated to equipping women for study and service. We know you are busy and that life’s hectic pace pulls you in so many directions, but you can’t truly be the woman God desires unless you take time to fill your own cup…not with spa days (though we love a good spa!) or the latest novel…but with God’s Holy Word. We want to help you with that! Our goal is to reach you in the midst of your busy day and give you encouragement, education, and fellowship as you strive to live the life God has laid before you. Our prayer is that we can help fill your cup so that you, in turn, can overflow to all those around you. So, as we like to say…come fill your cup, and let it overflow!