The following is taken from Comfort for Christians by Arthur
Pink
GOD’S
INHERITANCE
“For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance”
(Deuteronomy
32:9).
This verse
brings before us a most blessed and wonderful line of truth, so
wonderful that no human mind could possibly have invented
it. It speaks of
the mighty God having an “inheritance,” and it tells us that
this inheritance
is in His own people! God refused to take this world for His
inheritance—
it will yet be burnt up. Nor did heaven, peopled with angels,
satisfy His
heart. In eternity past Jehovah said, by way of
anticipation, “My delights were
with the sons of men” (Proverbs 8:31). This is by no means the only scripture
which teaches that God’s inheritance is in His
saints. In Psalm l35:4 we read,
“For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and
In Malachi 3:17
the Lord speaks of His people as His “special treasure” (see
margin)—so “special” that the highest manifestations
of His love are made
to them, the richest gifts of His hand are bestowed on them,
the mansions
on High are prepared and reserved for them!
The same
wondrous truth is taught in the New Testament. In Ephesians 1
we behold the apostle Paul praying that God would give unto
His people
the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:
the eyes of
their understanding being enlightened that they might
know “what is the
hope of His calling, and what the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in
the saints” (v. 18). This is a truly amazing expression; not
only do the
saints obtain an inheritance in God, but He also
secures an inheritance in
them! How overwhelming the thought that the great
God should deem
Himself the
richer because of our faith, our love and worship! Surely this is
one of the most marvelous truths revealed in Holy Writ—that God
should
pick up poor sinners and make them His
“inheritance”! Yet so it is.
But what
need has God of us? How can we possibly enrich Him? Does He
not have everything—wisdom, power, grace and glory? All true,
yet there
is something that He needs, yes, needs, namely, vessels. Just
as the sun
needs the earth to shine upon, so God needs vessels
to fill, vessels through
which His glory may be reflected, vessels on which
the riches of His grace
may be lavished.
Mark that
God’s people are not only called His “portion,” His “special
treasure,” but also His “inheritance.” This suggests
three things. First, an
“inheritance is obtained through death: so God’s inheritance
is secured to
Him through the death of His beloved Son. Second, an
“inheritance”
denotes perpetuity—“to a man and his heirs forever” are
the terms often
used. Third, an “inheritance” is for possession, it
is something which is
entered into, lived upon, enjoyed. Let us now consider
five things about
God’s
inheritance:
1. God
purposed to have such an inheritance:
“Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people
whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance”
(Psalm 33:12).
1. The “nation” here is identical with the holy
nation,” the “chosen
generation, royal priesthood, peculiar people” of I Peter 2:9. This
favored people was chosen by God to be His inheritance:
it was not an
afterthought with Him, but decreed by Him in eternity past.
Ere the
foundation of the world God fixed His heart upon having
them for Himself.
2. God
has purchased His people for an inheritance. In Ephesians 1:14 we are
told that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” So again in Acts 20:28 we read
of “the
only redeemed His people from bondage and death but for Himself.
3. God
comes and dwells in the midst of His inheritance: “For the Lord will not cast
off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance”
(Psalm 94:14—a clear proof
that these scriptures are not referring to the
nation of
Jehovah tabernacled in the midst of the redeemed Hebrews, so
He now indwells His
church, both collectively and individually. “Know ye not that ye (plural) are the
“Know ye not that your body (singular) is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”
(1
Corinthians 6:19).
4. God
beautifies His inheritance: Just as a man who has inherited a house
or an estate takes possession of it and then makes
improvements, so God is
now fitting His people for Himself. He who has begun a good
work within
His own is
now performing it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians
1:6). He is
now conforming us to the image of His Son: each
Christian can
say with the Psalmist, “the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me”
(Psalm
138:8). Nor will God be satisfied
until we have been glorified. The Lord
Jesus Christ” shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto His
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all
things unto Himself” (Philippians 3:21). “When He shall appear, we shall be like
Him” (1
John 3:2).
5. And what of
the future? God will yet possess, live upon, enjoy His
inheritance. In the unending ages yet to be, God will make
known the
“riches of his glory” on the vessels of His mercy (Romans
9:23). The
glory which God shall ever live upon—as upon an
inheritance—shall rise
out of His people. What a marvelous statement is that which is
found at the
close of Ephesians 2, where the saints are likened
unto a building “fitly
framed together (which) groweth
unto an holy temple in the Lord,” of
whom it is said, “in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of
God through the Spirit.”
A wonderful
and glorious is the picture presented before us in Revelation 21:
“And I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away; and there was
no more sea. And I,
John, saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of
God is
with men, and he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee
with singing; and God himself shall be with them,
and be their God”
(vs. 1-3).
What a
marvelous statement is that in Zephaniah 3:17:
“The Lord
thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he
will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in
his love, he will joy
over thee with singing.”
The great
God will yet say, “I am satisfied: here will I rest. This is Mine
inheritance that I will live upon forever, even the glory
which I have
bestowed on redeemed sinners.” Surely we have to say
with the Psalmist,
“Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain
unto it” (139:6).
May Divine
grace enable us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we
are called.
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