Deuteronomy 10:9

Deu_10:9

The Lord is his inheritance.

The Lord the Christians inheritance

The obvious meaning of having the Lord for our inheritance is, that we have dedicated ourselves to His service, that we have surrendered ourselves altogether to Him, the energies of the body and the faculties of the mind, to do His will and advance His kingdom and glory; again, that we have secured Him as our own forever, that we are attached to Him as a man to a possession which he cannot alienate; further, that we have, as it were, the use of the Lord God Almighty, that His perfections and His grace are guaranteed to us to be employed for our personal advantage; and, lastly, that we are in the actual enjoyment of those blessings which belong to living in a state of favour with the righteous Governor of the universe.

I. In life the true believer realises the promise, and has the Lord for his inheritance.

1. Because he deliberately chooses Him in preference to the charms and allurements of the world. In proportion as he is separated from the world, does the Lord become his inheritance; he is more closely united to Him, and more exclusively employed in His service; he perceives the wisdom of his choice, tastes of the blessings that are at Gods right hand, and finds a supply of all his wants from the fulness that is in Christ Jesus; that the Lord is his portion and his sole inheritance, he has taken Him for his own, and every other less perfect and substantial he has absolutely and utterly renounced.

2. The Christian has the Lord for his inheritance, in that all things are working together for his final salvation.

3. The true believer has the Lord for his inheritance, because he has the peace of God shed abroad in his heart. The voice of Christian experience is unanimous. God does not hide Himself from those whom He has given to His beloved Son.

4. The true believer has surrendered to him the Lord Christ Himself as his inheritance; he has Him for his own. It is the assurance of St. John that he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life.

II. But not only in this life, but also after death--not only in time, but also in eternity, has the Christian the Lord for his inheritance. He is not deprived of his portion by the separation of soul and body, by the change of scene, nor the commencement of a spiritual existence. Not only is it his own now, but also in the world to come.

1. For, first, He is eternally with him. Wherever is the heaven where Christ lives and reigns, there is the habitation of His chosen people. They are with Him where He is, they see Him as He is, they walk in the light of His countenance.

2. But the great truth stands out in all its excellency when we find it is the presence of the Lord that constitutes the believers happiness and joy. Every joy and blessing of those blessed places originates in the fact, that we are to dwell in the presence of the Lord. His presence is the fountain and spring of happiness to every individual of His glorified Church.

Conclusion: Let us bear in mind--

1. That whether we have made the Lord our inheritance must be the criterion of our hopes. To have no part in Him is to be an outcast from the promises, to live with the Divine wrath upon our heads.

2. Let us also seriously inquire, what will be the state of those in the next world who have not made the Lord their inheritance? Can their souls be conceived in any way capable of participating in heavenly joy? Is there anything in the circumstances or employments of redeemed spirits which can fill up the measure of their cup, and make them perfectly and forever blessed? (H. Hughes, M. A.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Deu 10:9. Levi hath no inheritance with his brethren — That they might attend only on the duties of their sacred office, provision was made for their maintenance, without their being obliged to plough, or sow, or entangle themselves in other worldly affairs. And is not provision made for the clergy of this and other countries professing Christianity, for a similar reason, namely, that, being under no necessity of entangling themselves in the affairs of this life, they may war a good warfare, and please Him that hath chosen them to be his soldiers? 2Ti 2:4. The Lord is his inheritance — They are to be maintained out of such tithes and revenues as are appropriated to them by the special appointment of God.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So God turned the curse of Jacob, Gen. 49:7, unto blessing.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(9) The Lord is his inheritance.—As He was the inheritance of Aaron, Moses’ brother, whom he had recently taken to Himself, and to whose death Moses had just referred.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. Wherefore] i.e. because of God’s separation of the tribe to Himself.

Levi hath no portion nor inheritance] Deu_12:12, Deu_14:27; Deu_14:29, Deu_18:1 f. In P of Aaron Num_18:20.

the Lord is his inheritance] What this means is defined in Deu_18:1, they shall eat the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and his inheritance; details follow in 3 f.

according as … spake unto him] This is not recorded in the Pent., but may have been found in the original form of JE; see on Deu_10:8. LXX om. the Lord thy God, and so relieves the text from one of the two instances of the Sg. address in this section.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren,.... In the division of the land of Canaan, because being separated to the service of the sanctuary, he had no leisure to plough and sow, as Jarchi observes:

the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord thy God promised him; not in a spiritual sense, for so the Lord was an inheritance and portion of other Israelites; though these being taken off of worldly employments, and devoted to sanctuary service, might have more communion with God than others; but in a temporal sense, provision being made particularly by tithes, which were the Lord's, for their maintenance; and so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase the words;"gifts which the Lord gave him are his inheritance;''see Num 18:20.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Lord is his inheritance, i.e. the Lord’s portion, to wit, tithes and offerings, which belong to God, are given by him to the Levites for their subsistence from generation to generation, as inheritances run.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

cf. Num_18:20-24

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord is his inheritance - That is, the Lord's portion, namely, tithes and offerings, which belong to God, are given by him to the Levites for their subsistence, from generation to generation.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

על כן לא היה ללוי חלק WHEREFORE LEVI HATH NO PORTION — because they have been singled out for the service of the altar (v. 8), and therefore were not free to plough and sow.

ה' הוא נחלתו THE LORD IS HIS INHERITANCE — he receives his daily fare ready for him from the King’s house (from the Temple; the dues from the sacrifices, etc.).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

WHEREFORE LEVI HATH NO PORTION. The purport thereof is have no portion in the Land, when only the priests were discussed in this section? Ramban answers, “The purport thereof is etc.” that because they all [i.e., the Levites] minister to and assist the priests in their [Divine] Service, since every part of the Sanctuary pertained to the offerings, [therefore, the whole tribe of Levi was not free to devote itself to the cultivation and development of the Land; therefore they received no portion therein]. And so He said [to Aaron], And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.