(Read this post to see why I'm studying this particular passage in this particular way. Scroll down down down to see the entire passage.)
LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
My favorite
When I "discovered" this psalm, I was in an emotionally dark period of my life. A friend had hurt me deeply and I made the decision not to tell anyone about it in the interest of protecting the person's reputation. It was just me and God. My anger and grief were long-term and I didn't know if I would mentally survive with my character intact.
This verse - verse 5 - was the one that "spoke to me," as we like to say. I memorized it as "my verse" for that season, and only later did I discover layers of meaning in connection with the rest of the psalm - and indeed, the story of Jesus.
Here we go!
"LORD"
As a reminder, the previous verse ended with the psalmist's resolution to "not take up the names of other gods". As the very next word in the passage is God's personal name - LORD (representing the Hebrew term, YHWH) shows the contrast: the psalmist will not take up the name of other gods on his lips, but only the name of the LORD.
"you alone"
I believe this is also said in contrast with the previous verse. The word "alone" speaks to God's oneness and "only-ness." See the first of the Ten Commandments, "You shall have no other gods before me" in Exodus 20:3, and also Deuteronomy 6:4 - "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one."
"are"
Tenses change in this passage. There are some present tense, like "I take refuge", "I keep", "you make", "my heart is glad", "my heart instructs me", and others. I feel like this is something to be noticed, because about half of the psalm also references what will happen. Maybe it's not significant, but this is the direction of the psalm: God preserves me now, and God will preserve me in the future.
"my portion and my cup"
(Warning: I'm going to talk a lot about this phrase.)
This verse meant so much to me when I first read it. On one level, it's saying, "You are my everything. You are my food and drink; I need you to survive; just like you are the bread of life, and I need you to if I am to live."
But the more I study it, the more layers I discover, and I get so excited.
First of all, remember again the previous verse - "I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips." I believe "my cup" contrasts to the previously mentioned cup (of blood) and "my portion" refers to food. But the metaphor goes much deeper.
Hundreds of years after David penned these words on a scroll, Jesus would literally give portions of a single loaf of bread to his disciples. He would say, "This is my body." And they would eat, with their lips and mouths (body parts - and what actions they take - will be frequently mentioned in the rest of this passage).
I feel there is no way this verse CAN'T be interpreted as a prophecy. David may have meant it as a contrast to the previous verse, or in a "you are my everything" kind of way. But he could not to know that Jesus would literally give his followers portions of bread and a cup of wine. He could have said, "You are my food and drink." This is one of those reasons I believe the authors of the Bible were inspired by God.
Also note - the psalmist does not say "LORD, you alone give me my portion and my cup"; he says, "you ARE" my portion and my cup. In the same way, Jesus' called the "portion and cup" his own body. Jesus, you ARE my portion and my cup - your very being is ingested in me as food. (Yes, I realize this is a really weird concept and I could explore it more, but that's a rabbit hole.)
I also want to mention the Trinity here. It is a doctrine that God is "three in one" - the Father (LORD), the son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. There's no good analogy for the Trinity; we say things like "it's like an egg, which has three parts but is one whole" or "it's like a man who holds the roles of father, son, and brother, yet is one man."
But this verse addresses the LORD, and later the words come literally true in Jesus. It's almost like they are the same person, but looking totally different. It's almost like the portion and cup that is the LORD mentioned here later becomes incarnate, corporeal, as the portion and cup that is Jesus. The unexplainable mystery of the Trinity isn't outright explained in the Bible, but there are many connections like this that make me say, "Huh. I can't explain how they can be the same person, but it seems to be the case."
"you make"
There's that present tense again. "You make," not "you will make." This is a mystery to me too, because a "secure lot" is definitely not ours on earth. Also, the next verse has a present tense, "I have" and is followed by a thing we have not experienced yet - "a delightful inheritance." We do not experience true delight on earth, nor do we experience a "secure lot." Yet in a sense, we already possess it.
"my lot"
I may be incorrect, but I interpret "my lot" not as "my lot in life" but as "my piece of land" (figuratively). The whole Old Testament is about God's people journeying toward a secure land and fighting for it. And when they rebel, they are expelled, just as Adam and Eve were expelled from the land of the Garden. Not having a home - not having a "lot" - traveling in tents as the Israelites did as they journeyed - this is the ultimate insecurity. They never, ever had true security - and neither do we.
David certainly did not have a secure lot. He was promised a kingship, but was constantly chased away from it. So why would he say, "You make my lot secure"?
In context with the rest of the passage, this is another present tense referring to the future. The next verse repeats this idea, except with the word "inheritance" - which is both something we possess now in a promise, and something we will possess in the future in God's very presence.
"secure"
This word appears a few times, and relates back to the very first line in the verse - "Keep me safe, my God." The psalmist asks God for security; then he declares that God gives him security; then he declares that he will also have future security.
We may interpret the theme of security as "David had literal enemies who were trying to kill him and he prayed for safety, and we have our own enemies in life that we must pray for safety from."
But again, context: so far, many of these verses seem to be referencing a future security, and the next verse talks about inheritance. This goes much deeper than the day-to-day struggles we face. This is about eternal security, which will wipe EVERY tear - in fact, at that point these struggles will seem miniscule and we will wonder why we felt they were such a big deal when we had such promises from God.
Note
Okay, I've decided I do have to talk about Jesus/God as internally ingested food and drink.
Old Testament animal sacrifices represented an imperfect substitution that mollified God's anger at sin. Certain parts of those sacrifices were given to the priests for their food (portion!) since they did not have land (lots!) within the tribes. These sacrifices literally gave them life; literally became part of their very bodies.
However, they were never allowed to consume the blood, but were instructed to pour it on the ground (flashback to the previous verse - "I will not pour out libations of blood [to other gods]"). Animals temporarily paid penalties with their lifeblood on the ground, and gave temporary life to God's servants through the eating of the flesh.
But later, the disciples would be commanded to drink "Jesus' blood" which would give them life - and at the same time, Jesus' blood would literally be poured out on the ground as a representation of the ultimate, final sacrifice. Jesus paid the permanent penalty with his lifeblood on the ground AND gave life. And lived himself, which is why the resurrection is so significant!
In an effort to help kids understand salvation, we say that "Jesus comes into our hearts." But it is not Jesus; it is the Holy Spirit who spiritually enters our beings and transforms us into new people.
And so the entire Trinity is present in this single verse. (Later in this passage, the role of the Holy Spirit will be mentioned again, though not by name.)
Psalm 16
Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
I say of the holy people who are in the land,
"They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight."
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
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