Read: Psalm 17
Children are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord (Ps. 127:3-5). To be fruitful and multiply—to have children—is part of the mandate God gave Adam and Eve when He created them (Gen. 1:28). Job was blessed to to see four generations of descendants (Job 42:16).
It is a good thing to desire children and then grandchildren. Likewise, wealth can also be a blessing for the godly. Wealth is the crown of the wise (Prov. 14:24). It is the diligent wise man, not the foolish sluggard, who gets precious wealth (Prov. 12:27). And it is the good man who leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, while the wicked person’s wealth is bound to be taken from them (Prov. 13:22).
If children and wealth are blessings, and if it is not wrong to have children or wealth or desire to leave behind wealth for children and grandchildren, then why does David describe the wicked in Psalm 17 as those whose wombs are filled with treasure, as being satisfied with children, and as those who leave their abundance to their infants? If you were to read the last part of verse fourteen on its own, ten times out of ten you would think that David is describing the righteous. He’s not. He’s even contrasts himself with such people (v. 15)!
The key is the first half of verse fourteen, “from men of the world whose portion is in this life.” David is seeking deliverance from men of the world. These are men who seek to do violence to David (v. 9), God’s anointed, and as those who do not know mercy and who are proud (v. 10). They are classified as wicked (v. 13).
These people hate and reject God, which is seen most prominently in their hated of his people, and particularly his chosen King. These are men of the world and thus have no care or concern for the things of God and the things of eternity. Their entire existence is lived within the short view of their life here on earth.
We see that last point in the second half of that sentence stating that their portion is in this life. Any good that they will ever have will be in this life only, and that’s fine with them. Thus, they are satisfied with their children and being able to leave them a physical inheritance (v. 14b).
Think of the modern day atheist who believes that when he dies that’s it. All of life is the sixty-eighty years lived on this planet. The problem for contemporary atheist, and the wicked in David’s day who found their ultimate satisfaction in this life, is that this life is not all that there is. This is why David contrasts what they find their satisfaction in with what he finds his satisfaction in: “I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”
They were living life in the sole pursuit of earthly gain and goods, while David was living his life in the pursuit of Yahweh. David, as the king of Israel, had wealth, and we sure know that he had children in spades. He enjoyed those things. We know of David’s love for his children.
Yet David’s ultimate satisfaction wasn’t in those things—as good as they were. His ultimate satisfaction wasn’t in any earthly good. David had the right mindset about those things: They are wonderful gifts, but gifts were all they were. They couldn’t truly satisfy his soul. Only Yahweh, the gift giver, could.
So, David sought the Lord. He lived righteously according to the Lord’s revealed will, and he trusted wholly in the Lord for his salvation and deliverance. Therefore, David’s portion wasn’t just this life. By God’s grace David’s portion was in eternity—in Christ. Like David, we also must find our satisfaction in God through Christ. He alone can satisfy our souls for he created us to find our satisfaction in him alone.
