…and I get you

In researching the concept of portion, I discovered another incredible truth: we are God’s portion, His inheritance. He not only says, “you get Me”; He adds, “And I get you.”

The idea starts with Moses: he has prepared the second set of tablets, and God has come down and proclaimed His name. Moses says, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us…and take us for your inheritance” (Exodus 34:9 ESV). Later, as he gives his final words to Israel, Moses tells them, “the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day” (Deuteronomy 4:20 ESV). In “Moses’ Song,” he says,

When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.
But the Lord’s portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage. (Deuteronomy 32:8--9, ESV)

This idea continues throughout the Old Testament; the psalmists, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah proclaim that the people of God are His inheritance, portion, and heritage.

We don’t typically choose our inheritance; the tribes of Israel didn’t get to choose: it was given to them by lot. When I visited my parents last year, my mother ask if there was anything in particular I would like to have of their “stuff.” While I have a reasonable expectation of getting my father’s old Royal typewriter someday, it’s not guaranteed. The distribution of an inheritance is left to the giver, not the receiver.

So ponder this: God–Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth–considered His options, and asked Himself, “what do I want for My portion? What’s the one thing that I want as My inheritance? And the amazing answer is us, His people. Three times in Deuteronomy He declares, “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” In Deuteronomy 7, He goes on to explain that it’s not because they were anything great–in fact, they were rather insignificant; rather, they were chosen because He loved them.

This idea is echoed by the apostle Peter, who reminds us that we are

• a chosen race,
• a royal priesthood,
• a holy nation,
• a people for his own possession.

Almighty God, loving Father, thank You for choosing us, for choosing me. I’m humbled and amazed that Your love sought me. Help me to fully grasp what it means when Your Spirit whispers, “I get you.”

Tagged as: chosen, God, inheritance, portion, priests