1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
This psalm is different from the rest in that it does not have a portion about the unrighteous. Instead this psalm begins in a strongly covenantal way. The word “preserve” is used early in the OT with reference to covenant obligations (Gen 2:15; 17:9-10; 18:19). Here the request is from man to God to keep us within His covenant. Similar statements can be found even within the New Testament (John 10:29; Jude 1:24).
For the psalmist there is no “good” except for the Lord Himself. The saints bring delight for the covenant keeper (v. 3). Nothing good can come for the person who does not follow the Lord. God alone is the psalmist “portion.” This word points back to God’s promise to the priests (Num 18:20; Deut 10:9). God Himself is the great promise of the covenant. God Himself is the “inheritance” and “portion” for us.