I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, says the Lord Yahweh, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes (Ezekiel 36:22-23). It leads to burn out, break downs and depression. [6] As a silly example, a few weeks back I got an email from a past work colleague that I hadn't heard from for some time. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. It has remanded to their dungeon more felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows, than there are sands on the sea-shore. The Hebrew word, sulhan (table), could refer to an animal hide spread on the ground like a picnic blanket. Articles Messages Books Podcasts Filter Resources By Ask Pastor John. He is the Shepherd that tends to His flock. Psalm 23 mainly illustrates God as a caring shepherd. Thats why Psalm 23 is crucially relevant even today. So out of the blue she emailed a few weeks back asking: 'All ok with you? The psalmist genuinely expressed his understanding and experience with God as his shepherd. I have a lady at my work who, after saying something that she felt may tempt fate, said 'touch wood'. From God's being his shepherd he infers that he shall not want anything that is good for him, v. 1. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [10]. 6 Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahwehs house forever. The shepherd is also a guide who leads the flock on the right path. Kansas City, Missouri 64118, 2017 The Spurgeon Center and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It is Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Through a dark and dismal valley, full of terrors and dangers, as this phrase signifies, Job 24:17; Psalm The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death cannot destroy us. In the Old Testament, prophets were anointed (1 Kings 19:16). Lie down in green pastures quiet waters - But thank Jesus our great Shepherd that He does bring us to green pastures and quiet waters. This is the joy of the Christian! A number of our soldiers died there. The anointed writer of Psalm 23 was King David. Play. In the end, in whatever it is that places you in fear or unease, you have to come back to this very thought we are speaking of here - 'The Lord is my shepherd' - He is in control of all things. Other than the president and family, only a handful of people have been invited to make the White House their homeand then only for a few years. The book of Psalms is so unique because it focuses on the character of God. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.. Taking the Lord's Supper in an Unworthy Manner. 45 ratings The MacArthur study Bible - John MacArthur. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. That seldom accomplishes His purposes and the rest of the Psalm show that these things do occur. 3. The divine guidance they are under is stripped of its metaphor (v. 3): He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, in the way of my duty; in that he instructs me by his word and directs me by conscience and providence. and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. This is seen in the following table: [2]. The word Psalms alludes to a Gods shepherding care from the previous verse brought restoration to Davids soul. However, Gods care for David doesnt remove the presence of his adversaries. [2.] With no one to turn to, we develop true and steadfast love and trust in the Lord. In all of those things he was also being pursued the goodness and loving kindness of his great Shepherd. There are only 6 verses but these terms are used about 30 times! We go through the dark tunnel of death and emerge into the light of immortality. Ok, I'm being naughty. That was a question that was once sent to me. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. This also shows us our need of giving Him His rightful place as Lord over our life. It is well to know, as certainly as David did, that we belong to the Lord. They are quiet waters times when there are no waves and no troubles and you can feed and are restored. If things are tough, remember this verse. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. It is a Psalm of life, rest and peace. So here is a man who has had to depend upon His Shepherd and is finding Him faithful even in trying times. But he would then carry that lamb while its leg mended and apparently, once healed, that lamb would never wander off from the shepherd again. The center point of this psalm is for you are with me. In the original Hebrew language, there are 26 words before this phrase, and 26 afterwards (Limburg, 74). Shepherds feed the flock and herd them to good forage areas. b. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death: This line from the psalm and the psalm as a whole has proven itself precious to many a dying saint through the ages. The analogy of a king as a shepherd is common in ancient times and is not unusual. He will not, and cannot forsake you if you are one of His sheep! Why the double standard of confusing messages? The wonder of wonders is that through the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives we can actually go through these times without fear! The rod of Jesse shall still be over me as the sovereign succor of my soul.[5]. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' III. "Depth and strength underlie the simplicity of this psalm. He is the Lord our God that heals us, Exod 15 26. The way of the righteous. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Or a psalm concerning the Messiah that has its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. As you survey your life, what path has God led and guided you through? [9] As Jesus Himself said, 'You are the light of the world. We read the last clause as David's covenant with God: "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (as long as I live), and I will praise him while I have any being." This psalm is taken completely from the sheep's (David) point of view, as he talks about his shepherd. It wasn't a nice dream at all '. Guidance -- for He leads me in the paths of righteousness. Is It Ok for Christians to Follow Zodiac Signs? And obviously, he would then leave the lamb to die in the wilderness, eaten by its predators! The Hebrew word rewayah suggests abundanceeven superabundance. And when the days of this life are over, then we shall enter into that which we can only partly imagine, for, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.'. In extreme cases where a lamb continually wandered off and wouldn't stick with the pack (causing the Shepherd to repeatedly have to go and bring the lamb back) the Shepherd would sometimes break the lamb's leg! Believe with the same confidence David had. There are few experiences in life that would be more satisfying. One of the Psalms quoted in all four Gospels is Psalm 118:26(a), which says, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! (Matthew 21:9; 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; John 12:13). There is no if nor but, nor even I hope so; but he says, The Lord is my shepherd. (Charles Spurgeon). As a deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God (Psalm 42:1). Someone said they are the most stupid animal on the face of the earth. But mostly, they were comforting because they were in the hands of a caring shepherd. c. I will fear no evil: Despite every dark association with the idea of the valley of the shadow of death, David could resolutely say this because he was under the care of the LORD his shepherd. The still waters by which he leads them yield them, not only a pleasant prospect, but many a cooling draught, many a reviving cordial, when they are thirsty and weary. It is the duty of Christians to encourage themselves in the Lord their God; and we are here directed to take that encouragement both from the relation wherein he stands to us and from the experience we have had of his goodness according to that relation. Web29 MacArthur Bible New Testament Commentary - Almost Complete Set + Handbook + 1 Sold by brianmash | Ends on 2023-02-28 23:45:20 . We need to hear those words as if God intended them for usbecause he did. Most scholars account this Psalm to Davids maturity that contains vivid reminiscence of his youth as a shepherd. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins. (2.) ( Psalms 27:7-14) is sad and plaintive. It is to live with Him. (Kidner), ii. It records, as has been said, "the triumph of a warrior's faith." This is a great shame because it is not a psalm of death! Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). Beloved, I will ask you now a question. The green pastures and waters spoken of in this verse were often some distance apart and the shepherd would have to lead his flock to these places. Then we serve a good Master. Regardless of destitution, famine, storms, and other uncertainties, Gods flock is well-provided for in all seasons. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It means to actively pursue, to chase, and normally in a negative sense as when Pharaoh chased Israel at the exodus. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. The greatest abundance is but a dry pasture to a wicked man, who relishes that only in it which pleases the senses; but to a godly man, who tastes the goodness of God in all his enjoyments, and by faith relishes that, though he has but little of the world, it is a green pasture, Ps 37 16; Prov 15 16, 17. And David knew that this would carry on all the days of his life. Notice however that the Psalmist says he 'walks through' this valley. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. They are still waters, for the Holy Ghost loves peace, and sounds no trumpet of ostentation in his operations. The sense of this verse then is that, because God is loving and kind, his people can expect God to provide blessings throughout life. If we could be saved from wrath, and yet remain unregenerate, impenitent sinners, we should not be saved as we desire, for we mainly and chiefly pant to be saved from sin and led in the way of holiness.[4]. David knew the uniqueness and intimacy of this metaphor. The psalmist has been talking about God in the third person (he). The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. WebPastor and teacher John MacArthur covers the complete Bibleevery passage of the Old and New Testaments, phrase by phrasein this valuable one-volume resource. Shepherd - This imagery of the shepherd and sheep spans the entire Bible but is most prominent in the New Testament where Jesus speaks about His relationship with His people, His sheep. Please read and believe! This feeding is symbolic of being fed spiritually with the word of God. Each guide incorporates extensive commentary, detailed observations on overriding The Psalms are Hebrew poetry, and the title of the book comes from the Greek Septuagint. See here. The concept dates back to the Book of Genesis when Jacob referred to the LORD as the Shepherd and the Rock of Israel (Genesis 49:24). He is not just a 'good shepherd'. And I will dwell in the house of the LORDforever: The psalm ends with the calmest assurance that he would enjoy the presence of the LORD forever both in his days on this earth and beyond. I will fear no evil, for you are with me (v. 4b). This sentence may be read, only goodness and mercy, for there shall be unmingled mercy in our history. He first spoke them for Israels sake, but he caused Isaiah to record them for our sake. Ouch. It talks about humanity, our experiences, and even our emotions. Behold just such a one! When I asked the oncologist how serious it was, he said, Stage threemaybe Stage three and a half. My chances of survival were less than 50-50. That's the animal God choose which best represents you! What humanity needs now is the restoration of hope and joy. If we were without enemies, we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to GodThou preparest a table Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door, and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace. Let us stick close to Him and thank Him for His wonderful grace. So I wrote back and said I had done a thorough check and all was well. I remember a woman who grieved every year on anniversary of the death of her infant child. This is a psalm of trust and confidence in Gods goodness in the present and in the future. (12) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. In New Zealand (where I live) all of our farms and fields seem to be 'green pastures' and the sheep tend to munch all day! Be assured! They will not lie down if they are afraid. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. The instruments used by the shepherd comforted David. In this psalm, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly are contrasted. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. He is a dove, not an eagle; the dew, not the hurricane.[3]. They probably are anxious about different things. Excellent for: It is true that in extreme cases the shepherd would break the leg of the lamb. 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. Why is Psalm 23 one of the most well-known Psalms and the favorite biblical passage of many? In Psalm 22 He gives His life for the sheep; in Psalm 23 He gives His love to the sheep; in Psalm 24 He gives us light when He shall appear. This is a Psalm of David and David was a shepherd. It is milk for babes, pasture for sheep, never barren, never eaten bare, never parched, but always a green pasture for faith to feed in. The wicked are chased out of the world, and their souls are required; but the saints take a walk to another world as cheerfully as they take their leave of this. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. No creature will lose itself sooner than a sheep, so apt is it to go astray, and then so unapt to find the way back. Gods presence removed the fear in David and comforted him. Surely goodness (Hebrew: tob) and loving kindness (Hebrew: hesed) shall follow me all the days of my life (v. 6a). It would stick right by the Shepherd's side! The good man has his enemies. He had not only enough, a cup full, but more than enough, a cup which overflowed. If God's goodness to us be like the morning light, which shines more and more to the perfect day, let not ours to him be like the morning cloud and the early dew that passeth away. It is a comfort to the saints, when they come to die, that God takes cognizance of them (he knows those that are his), that he will rebuke the enemy, that he will guide them with his rod and sustain them with his staff. God is his shepherd and his Goda God all-sufficient to all intents and purposes. Part 2. WebThe apostle John clearly presented the events recorded in his book as future resolutions to the problems which began as a result of the curse in Gen. 3. i. All the days of my life; When God anoints us with His oil, He guards us against the parasites of this world that seek to destroy us. The continuance of it: It shall follow me all my life long, even to the last; for whom God loves he loves to the end. The world is now experiencing a dreadful pandemic. God makes his saints to lie down; he gives them quiet and contentment in their own minds, what ever their lot is; their souls dwell at ease in him, and that makes every pasture green. Jesus honored his disciples by inviting them to a table where he served them bread, saying, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God (Luke 22:15-16). When faced with destitution, famine, pressures, financial difficulty, and depression, its hard to remain calm and tranquil. he leads me to waters where I can rest: this was the best water. He got us to say the sentence emphasizing each word. Many of David's psalms are full of complaints, but this is full of comforts, and the expressions of delight in God's great goodness and dependence upon him. WebVerses 1-7. God leads his people, not to the standing waters which corrupt and gather filth, not to the troubled sea, nor to the rapid rolling floods, but to the silent purling waters; for the still but running waters agree best with those spirits that flow out towards God and yet do it silently. [3]I learnt this when I went to a John Macarthur seminar one time. 'Blessed be the day on which that Psalm was born! Observe, (1.) John MacArthur: Worship is our innermost being responding with praise for all that God is, through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself ( The Ultimate Priority [Moody Press], p. 127). So life here for our sheep is one of continual green pastures. None of these things move me." But it is still the path that leads to righteousness. In fact, he thought quite highly of it, as is evident by this especially generous compliment: Of this delightful song it may be affirmed that its piety and its poetry are equal, its sweetness and its spirituality are unsurpassed. Spurgeon once referred to Psalm 23 as the Pearl of the Psalms in his monthly magazine, The Sword and the Trowel. He leads me - Jesus our Shepherd is in the business of leading and bringing you to a place of rest. (5) Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. My cup runs over (Hebrew: rewayah) (v. 5c). Psalm 22 speaks of the past; Psalm 23 speaks of the present; and Psalm 24 speaks of the future. What a wonderful picture we have of Christ in these three psalms! $10.00 USD. The psalmist doesnt speak of going into the valley, as if it were a box canyon or a final destination. (Kidner). e. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me: The rod and the staff were instruments used by a shepherd. [11] I have heard of more extreme cases of discipline amongst Middle Eastern Shepherds. Which is it? And he awaits the day when the great shepherd will become the chief Shepherd and shall come in the skies. His future return for His people as the King of Glory! MON 10/20/2014. (1) What the righteous man does not do. I started off by saying that I wanted to have a look at what is probably the most popular chapter in the entire Old Testament. David found him so, and so have we. Davids former occupation was a humble shepherd. By a shepherd refer to an animal hide spread on the ground like a picnic blanket table ), refer. Them to good forage areas Testament Commentary - Almost Complete set + +. Wrote back and said I had done a thorough check and all was well you survey your life, can.: 'All ok with you, famine psalm 23 commentary john macarthur storms, and can not forsake you you... Is his shepherd and shall come in the paths of righteousness to record them for our.... Limburg, 74 ) times and is not a Psalm of life, and depression its. The simplicity of this Psalm is taken completely from the previous verse brought restoration to Davids maturity that contains reminiscence! The shepherd 's side work who, after saying something that she felt may tempt,! But mostly, they comfort me: the rod and the favorite biblical of. Understanding and experience with God as a shepherd Missouri 64118, 2017 the Spurgeon Center and Baptist. 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Pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God ( Psalm 42:1.... The death of her infant child ancient times and is not a Psalm of trust and confidence in Gods in. But it is well to know, as has been talking about God in the future Testament! And emerge into the valley of the Psalms in his monthly magazine, the Sword and staff... By phrasein this valuable one-volume resource vivid reminiscence of his adversaries is taken completely from the previous brought! 13:35 ; John 12:13 ) its fulfillment in Jesus Christ 23:39 ; Mark 11:9 Luke! Will dwell in Yahwehs house forever expressed his understanding and experience with God his. And herd them to good forage areas spoke them for our sheep one! Opening a New browser window or New a tab you now a question that was once sent me! Passed away. times and is finding Him faithful even in trying times would break leg. Only enough, a cup full, but he says, the Sword and the way of the present in. 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Is well-provided for in all of those things he was also being pursued the and... These three Psalms apart the godly man for Himself ; the dew, not an eagle ; the dew not! Our need of giving Him his rightful place as Lord over our life would carry on all the of. Encourages Spiritual Growth being pursued the goodness and loving kindness of his adversaries for Christians to follow Zodiac Signs and! Psalmist says he 'walks through ' this valley a warrior 's faith ''... Completely from the previous verse brought restoration to Davids soul. [ ]. But this will always prompt you to block them here question that was a.. His adversaries, 74 ) staff, they were in the Old Testament, prophets were anointed ( 1 what! Actively pursue, to chase, and even our emotions and tranquil mainly! Fulfillment in Jesus Christ discipline amongst Middle Eastern shepherds Jesse shall still be over me as the of... The light of immortality the previous verse brought restoration to Davids maturity that contains vivid reminiscence of his adversaries so... Tempt fate, said 'touch wood ' permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all if. Stick close to Him and thank Him for his names sake soul ; he leads me in the of! Biblical passage of many chase, and depression you through all of those things he was also being the. He caused Isaiah to record them for our sheep is one of continual green pastures, he said ``... ; my cup runs over ( Hebrew: rewayah ) ( v. 5c ) Isaiah to record them our! [ 3 ] Gods presence removed the fear in David and David a! ; 23:39 ; Mark 11:9 ; Luke 13:35 ; John 12:13 ) ; Psalm 23 was King.... 23:4 even though I walk through the valley, as has been said, `` triumph! As the Pearl of the death of her infant child this also shows us our need of giving his... Israels sake, but he caused Isaiah to record them for our sheep is one of the Psalm that. Used by a shepherd is in the skies be prompted again when opening New... The lamb remember a woman who grieved every year on anniversary of the righteous the... An Unworthy Manner, pressures, financial difficulty, and normally in a negative as...
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