Psalm 28:9
9 Save [yasha`] thy people [`am], and bless [barak] thine
inheritance [nachalah]: feed [ra`ah] them also, and lift them up [nasa'] for ever [`owlam]. KJV-Interlinear
9 Save
Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; Be their shepherd also, and carry them
forever. NASB
This psalm is both as
prayer for what God does, and a recognition of what God does, for those who
belong to Him. Beginning with the rock foundation
from verse one, God is not silent with regard to those who are His.
All who have believed in
Christ, in effect, belong to God. We are
His possession, and there is nothing and no one who can remove us from Gods
possession. You cannot even remove
yourself from His possession.
And as God owns the
entire universe and beyond, then we as His creation, and who have believed in
Him, become His inheritance, domain, estate, forever and ever, Num. 18:21,
Josh. 13:23, Deut. 4:20, 9:26, 29.
As a possession of His,
then He watches over us as a shepherd watches over his flock, guiding them to
green pastures, to clear water, protecting them from predators, helping them
when they are injured, carrying them when they cannot walk or do for
themselves.
In contrast, throughout
this psalm, God is silent to those who do not belong to Him, turns His back on
those who do not belong to Him, leaving them who do not belong to Him in a pit
of doom and despair.
And as such this psalm asks
that we as believers and Gods possession, not be treated like those who are not
His possession, that we not be numbered among those who do not belong to Him,
that we not be dealt with as those who do not belong to Him.
And so it is. There is a very real and infinite difference
between those who are Gods and those who are not. And the difference between belonging to God
or not, rests entirely with each individual person. By your choice, you either believe in Christ
or you refuse to believe in Christ.
God does not force this
choice upon you. God does not decide for
you, but leaves that decision entirely up to you.
God certainly warns of
the repercussions of disbelief, and makes clear the rewards of belief, but
ultimately it is the individual person who decides where their life and future will
be.
It would seem that
eternal reward and blessing are far more desirable than eternal loss and
torment, but then you have to reach that conclusion for yourself. And not only reach the right conclusion, but
then you have to commit your life to that right decision of voluntarily belonging
to God, so that your life will have phenomenal meaning and purpose and completeness,
and not just coasting along like an empty ship coming from nowhere and going
nowhere.
Better to have a purpose,
and a direction that is positive and fulfilling as God intends for you.
And then, perhaps maybe
you will begin to understand and experience what we studied the other day, the
inner music that expresses far more appreciation than any words can.
