Lutheran Brethren Church of Nampa

Cheth : Portion

This part of psalm 119 begins with the word, “Cheleq.” That word starts with the 7th letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Cheth. It’s one of those sounds we don’t have in the English language. It’s kinda like a hard “C” sound, in the back of the throat, but with air. Helps to have a little spittle back there. But Cheleq usually gets translated as, “Portion.” And the idea of “Portion” can kinda get lost on us, I think. It’s the concept of an inheritance, or a gift, rather than a little piece of something, like we usually use the word. Sometimes, when it comes up in scripture, it is being used in the context of what we have here: that God is our portion. Sometimes, God speaks of Israel as being His portion. It’s also used to refer to the lands that are apportioned out for each of the tribes of Israel. And what we see here is what happens to a person when the realize that God truly is their portion.

The Exquisite Portion

Now, to get a better idea of what this word, “Portion,” implies, I want you to imagine with me that you inherit a car. But not just any car. See, your grandpa invites you over to his farm, sits you down and says, “I’ve got something for you. I’m not going to be around much longer, and I know that you love cars, so I want you to have what I’m about to show you.” He walks you outside and leads you towards the machine shed. Throwing open the big double-doors, the hazy morning light filters through the dust, landing on a large bulk underneath a old, mottled tarp. Grandpa pulls off the tarp revealing a shining, like-new, ‘57 Chevy Bel Air. Sea foam green. Instantly, your mind is filled with images of college students cruising the Sunset Strip, dragging off the green lights, hanging out the windows to holler and laugh. “Go on,” grandpa says, “try it on for size.” He opens the driver’s door and you glide into the plush, two-tone coral seats. The first thing you see is that the odometer only reads 18,000 miles. “Grandpa, how many times did this odometer roll over?” you ask. “Never.” he says. “Your grandma talked me into a powder-blue Plymouth Valiant after we got married.” he says, feigning disgust. “Better gas mileage, she said.” The next thing you notice is that this one is decked out. I mean, it’s equipped. Air conditioning, power windows and seats, auto headlight dimmer, continental kit, Powerglide transmission. The works. “Uh, grandpa? What engine is in this thing?” “Super Turbo-Fire 265.” he says, a gleam in his eye, “Fire it up!” and he hands you the keys. It catches right away and purrs like a kitten. You shut it off and sit there, stunned. Your grandpa patiently smiles as you collect your thought. “I- I can’t take this! It’s too much.” He says to you, “What am I going to do with it? I’m old. I’m likely to wrap it around a tree as not. I’d rather see someone driving it who actually knows its value.” Stepping out of the car, your grandpa gives you a hug and whispers, “Take care of her, son.” You promise to do exactly that as you head back into the house for iced tea and conversation.

And take care of it you do. It gets all of its oil changes, on time, without fail. You wash and wax it every month. You find yourself the best mechanic in the state to fix it up when it needs it, and you don’t even think about drinking coffee in it. It’s your most treasured possession, and you would do anything to keep it looking and running great.

That car is a portion to you. It’s your Cheleq. Now, I know that not all of you are crazy about cars, so you might have to imagine something different. ‘58 Les Paul Standard - Sunburst, a Victorian silver tea set from Great Britain, the King James bible the Apostle Paul used. But whatever it is, it is that thing your worldly self would do absolutely anything to get and keep, that is your portion.

But what we’re talking about here is something so much greater than some earthly possession. This is what the psalmist says God is to him. God is his most treasured possession. His inheritance. The Lord is so much higher and better than any thing in this world he can have. And the psalmist knows something that many in the world don’t know: God belongs to him. God has freely given himself to be this man’s portion. To be his God and his Lord. God has pledged his love to him and has encouraged him to love Him back and to cherish him. God belongs to him, and now that He does, he would do absolutely anything to hold on to God; to show just how much God means to him.

The Response to the Portion

With this knowledge that God is his portion, what is his response? The first thing is that he has promised to keep God’s words. That’s no small thing. Back to the car, what would be one of the first things you would do to make sure that you showed your appreciation for having such a wonderful piece of automotive history? You would track down the Owner’s Manual for it. Find as many service bulletins you could for it. Basically, get as much information from the one who made it as possible so that you knew exactly what it needs, how it operates, and what you can do for it. Same with God. God, out of His love for us, has given us His scripture – His words – to hold and to keep. Those words tell us who we are, who He is, what our relationship to Him is. How we relate to other things and other people in His creation. Responding to God as our portion means that we diligently keep His words. And not only the words that command us what to do and what not to do, but all those words wherein God reveals to us details about Himself, about ourselves. About this world and this universe He has created.

And the psalmist seeks God’s favor. His grace. With the car, you would want to honor your beloved grandfather’s memory by taking care of it the same way he would, right? You would like to imagine that he’s looking over your shoulder as you’re changing that oil, rubbing the wax into the paint, and vacuuming the upholstery. You would like to know that you’ve earned his favor by caring for this gift properly. And don’t we desire that with God as well? As He calls us His children and His bride, don’t we want to live out our lives as dutiful children and loving spouses? Of course. We should desire to live out our lives in such a way as we can practically see the smile on God’s face.

Furthermore, the psalmist says this interesting thing about the cords of the wicked encircling him, but that he hasn’t forgotten God’s law. Let’s go back to the car for that. Let’s say you’re coming back down from a weekend in McCall. A late winter snow storm is blowing over, turning the roads into a mess of snow and ice. You’re white-knuckling it around the curves in the highway while some yahoo in a red Ford Ranger has been tailgating you for the last 10 miles. All of a sudden, you drop a tire off onto the shoulder, hit a pothole, and you’ve got a flat tire and a bent rim. There’s two ways you can respond to the situation. The first that comes to mind might be to kick a dent into those beautiful, chrome, moon hubcaps. Take a swing at the side mirror. Take out your frustrations and anger on the car. Or, you could remember your grandpa’s words: “Take care of her.” This is how it is when the cords of the wicked encircle you. When the brokenness of this world assaults you, and the sinfulness of people hurts you. How do you respond? The first thing to come to mind might be to lash out. To take out your frustrations and anger on those around you. And you know what? Most people wouldn’t blame you for doing so. Or, you can remember the voice of your Father, who told you to not repay evil with evil. Who told you to act honorably, and to seek justice. To love your neighbor as yourself. That’s what it means to have the cords of the wicked encircling you, but not forgetting God’s law.

And next he says that he will rise at midnight to give thanks to God. In other words, there’s no time that isn’t a good time to give thanks to God for everything He’s given to us, and everything He’s asked of us. On the tail of that, he says he’s a companion of all those who fear God. Why is that? Well, let’s go back to the car. Owning such a classic car, you quickly realize that there’s lots of things you don’t know about it. I mean, yes, you’ve got the Owner’s Manual and the Service Bulletins, but there’s stuff in there that you just don’t understand. For example, it tells you that you need to check and adjust the timing every 1000 miles. You’ve only ever owned a fuel-injected car with electronic ignition. But, see, now that you’re a classic car owner, you’ve started going to car shows, and hanging around with other classic car owners. You overhear some old duffer talking about the timing on his own ‘56 Bel Air. So, you wander over to watch what he’s doing. You say, “I’ve never adjusted the timing on one of these before. How do you do it?” “Oh, it’s not so hard,” he says, and he walks you through it. “Take off this vacuum hose first, loosen up this bolt here, and now listen. When I turn it counterclockwise, you hear that knock? It’s too advanced. Turn it clockwise. Now, if I go too far, you hear that it’s bogging down? The timing’s not advanced enough. Turn it counter clockwise until it sounds just right. That’ll be good enough for you. Don’t forget to tighten that bolt back up and reattach the hose!” And here you thought there’d be all kinds of special tools and computers to do that. This is one of the multitude of blessings God grants to us: He places us in a community of believers where we can study His Word together, learn together, and live out our calling as His children together. Those difficult questions scripture raises, chances are someone here has already wrestled with them. Those ways in which you apply scripture to your daily life, chances are you’re surrounded by people who are applying scripture to their daily lives. We get to be the companions of all those who fear God, learning and growing together as we study His precepts.

The Entire Portion

But there’s something missing here when it comes to God, our portion. Can you guess what it is? Let me help you. We’ve talked about loving, studying, and obeying God’s words, seeking His favor through our thoughts and actions, keeping His commandments, remembering His law when things are tough, giving thanks to God at all times, and keeping companionship with those who likewise fear God. Sounds pretty comprehensive. But there’s a little bit here we’ve jumped over. Right at the end of verse 58: Be gracious to me according to Your word. Now why would the psalmist ask for that? After all, God’s own word says that He will show favor to those who love Him and keep His commandments. If we’re already doing all of these things, then you’ve already got His favor. There’s nothing for Him to be gracious about.

But there’s the problem. We’ve not been doing all of these things. Oh, maybe you’re really fervent about obeying God, trusting Him, and loving Him. But you have not done so with any kind of consistency. Instead of loving, studying, and obeying God’s words, you’ve neglected your bible and done things your own way instead. You’ve sought your own favor – sought to indulge your own sense of right and wrong – instead of seeking God’s favor. When the wickedness of this world and the people in it get to you, you’ve lashed out, hating and reviling your neighbor instead, haven’t you? You’ve patted yourself on the back for the good things you have, instead of giving God His proper thanks. And you’ve neglected, even avoided, the companionship of others who likewise love God. The truth of the matter is that none of us can claim to have done well in all of the areas the psalmist talks about here. We all need the Lord to be gracious to us, or else we would have no hope. No matter how earnestly we desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, we fail, and desperately need His grace, rather than His judgment.

But all is not lost. Look at how it’s written here: Be gracious to me according to Your word. If we know anything at all about God, we know that he never lies, and He always keeps His promises. And He has promised to be gracious to us. To us, poor sinners, He has promised to be gracious. And His grace towards up is encapsulated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In every way we’ve failed to obey God and keep His commandments, Christ succeeded. Every time our love, devotion, trust, and honor of God wavered, Christ’s remained strong. Every way in which we’ve failed to love our neighbor as ourselves, guess what? Christ loved them enough to die for them. And by dying, Christ applies His perfection to everyone who believes in Him. In Christ, you already have the fullness of God’s favor. That’s where you are to seek His favor. Seek His favor in His graciousness in Christ, in accordance with His word.

This is what it truly means for the Lord to be your portion. It’s not that He’s simply your creator and lawgiver, leaving you to figure out how to do all these things perfectly. It’s that He’s also your savior, having already done all these things perfectly for you, freeing you up to live this way not because you have to, but because you get to. How amazing it is that He is our portion! That He is our inheritance, and our most treasured possession. I can’t even give you a car-related image for that, because no car on earth – even a ‘56 Chevy Bel Air in Sea Foam Green – can compare to that. Let’s pray…