“Then the LORD said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. ‘Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting” (Num. 18:20-21). In these two verses, the Levites were addressed specifically in regard to their inheritance. Later, during the conquest of the promised land, Israel knew by casting lots what God’s determination was for their portion (Josh. 14:2). Instead of owning a certain territory in the land God would give Israel, God Himself would be the Levites’ portion. The goods that were dedicated to God, accrued through tithing, would be given to these Levites, whose work was the continuance of the nation’s religious communion with God. Instead of land, the LORD would sustain them; thus, He is, time and again, described as their portion and inheritance (Deut. 10:9; 18:1).

With this material background, some of the psalms describe the spiritual truth of having the LORD as our portion. The wealthy king David, by inspiration, wrote: “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot” (Psa. 16:5). The language of land distribution—portion and lot—is used here to say God is the one who determines the path of life and provides sustenance through it all. While death results in leaving earthly goods, including the land we own, to someone else (Ecc. 2:18), having God as our portion is an inheritance that lasts into eternity. Psalm 16:9-11 describes the hope, joy, and eternal sustenance of having the Lord as one’s portion; it is quoted in Acts 2:25-32 to describe the resurrection of Jesus, the descendant of David, who gives us a living hope of an incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3, 4).

The heading of Psalm 73 attributes authorship to Asaph, a musician from the tribe of Levi, appointed for work in worship by the commission of David (1 Chron. 6:31, 39). By inspiration, this psalmist says to God, “You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psa. 73:24-26). With God as his portion forever, the hope of eternal life is expressed in these words: “afterward receive me to glory.” Wealthy men, honored in this world, will perish like beasts—with no eternal prosperity—if they do not seek God, but the righteous who have the Lord as their portion will see glory after death (Psa. 49:10-20; Prov. 11:4). When Israel lost all material possessions and their land, their only hope that remained was in the LORD who was their soul’s portion (Lam. 3:22-24).

Today under the New Testament, all Christians are priests (1 Pet. 2:9). With the background of the Levitical priests whose continual work was to offer worship, our bodies and lives are to be poured out as a living sacrifice in service to God (Rom. 12:1). Instead of having your mind set on earthly matters, remember your citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:19, 20). Do not merely labor for the food that perishes (Jn. 6:27), but hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt. 5:6), being fed and sustained by God’s word (Mt. 4:4). Do not lay up treasures on earth, but rather in heaven (Mt. 6:19, 20). Seek the Lord first (Mt. 6:33), and He will be your everlasting portion.