So I have an enemy in the, My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year. Special occasion. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.". It is, if I am not mistaken, Scougal the author of that little book The Life of God in the Soul of Man takes a review of life, looks back upon its prominent events, its afflictions and its trials, and upon his inward experience, and ends all by saying, "I am this day such and such an age, and I bless God that ever I was born." Shall I be able Charles KingsleyOut of the Deep, Letters of St. BernardI To Malachy. He shared our life. These capacities and affections of mine, the stirring of a spiritual life within me, were never made to find their perfection here. I. Genesis section, Psalms 1 41. I have turned my face toward the Lord, but my yesterdays pursue me like a relentless hound! What is heaven like? We thank the Lord for another beautiful Sunday morning that He has given us. No one loves God but a true Christian, because nothing will produce love to God but the belief of the Gospel; and of course, it is the belief of the Gospel that makes a man a Christian. Sin prepares a table before me in the presence of my friends. Douglas Macmillan quotes a Scottish shepherd who preached on the verse we are looking at today: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. It shall follow incessantly, supply fully, solace richly, sustain powerfully, pass with him through the Jordan, and enter with him the bright portals of glory. Many of us feel tired, jaded, discouraged, and flat. Pardoning mercy. So when wandering sinners John NewtonMessiah Vol. Refrain: I . But we are prone to look on the dark side of His providence, and to ask, with the murmuring Israelites, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? [1] Douglas MacMillan, The Lord Our Shepherd, p. 82. The LORD is my Shepherd. It is when "the hoary head is a crown of glory, being found in the way of righteousness" when there are no marks upon the countenance of extinct volcanoes, dark shadows from wrought-out passions, impressions of darkness and crime, but when the life has been spent for God. Treasury of Scripture. They were originally used as songs in the Jewish Temple Worship. If you are using the ESV Bible you will see a footnote that says, for length of days. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days.. David writes, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.". Psalm 6: Perfect Man in midst of chastisement (bruising heel . "How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for the children of men. 5. David celebrates the protection and guidance of God. Why not "go before"? Psalm 24 . 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. . He does not say, "The Lord is the shepherd of the . Mercies Remembered and Anticipated. What will the next world be like? And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scripture, The Good Shepherd' and his one Flock' - Last Discourse at the Feast of Tabernacles. In one of his books you may find a review of his life. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. No one can expect goodness and mercy to follow him save in virtue of God's promises. They will run in wide arcs over the hills, chasing the sheep in the direction the shepherd wants them to go. [924] (Epistle 341.) Shall I be able, I To Malachy. He understood the special relationship and care a shepherd has with the sheep. Surely, etc. and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6), These words can be understood in two ways. It is your hops and desire, and, please God, it will be your privilege, to dwell much in the house of the Lord. 4. The Shepherd is in front of the sheep. 3. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. Psalm 23:1-6. The Collection and Divisions: In all probability the book of one hundred and fifty psalms, as it now stands, was compiled by Ezra about 450 B.C. Sheepdogs are beautiful, highly trained, hardworking and intelligent creatures. I. GOODNESS. Colin S. Smith. He Loves Me. David led the sheep, .read more. II. But what does that show but that men will be so changed there that churches such as we have known here will not be needed? 4-6. It will challenge their intellects, fire their imaginations and stimulate their industry. ", 2. iv. (Jerusalem, December, a.d. In verses 5 and 6 David changes the metaphor a . Psalm 15. What will become of us after we die? Age is a thing that may be very beautiful. Through this simple illustration of God being our Shepherd, we see how God tenderly takes care to provide, guide, and protect us. 1. Thus, when our Lord says, Behold, I come as a thief (Revelation 16:15) , --common sense will fix the resemblance to a single point, that He will come suddenly, and unexpectedly. Amid holy enterprises, spiritual conflicts, arduous duties, severe afflictions, trying bereavements, God has sustained His saints. He says that we should trust God as the good and faithful Shepherd and rejoice in His grace. Psalm 10. James says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change, (James 1:17). The Lord is my Shepherd, nor want shall I know; I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest; He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, Restores me when wandering, redeems when opprest. And it is a psalm in which he sees God in three aspects. Intro: The Lord could have compared His people to anything in the world.He could have said, "My people are like bears, they are strong!" He could have said, "My people are like lions, they are courage, fearless and brave!" He could have said, "My people are like foxes because they are so shrewd and wise." He could have even said, "My people are like . Gal 5:52. We're taking about believers: about actual Christian experience. He leads me in paths of righteousness. I will not mislead you by denying that reality or letting platitudes and sentimentalities echo off the valley's walls. fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons. --PSALM xxiii. But apart from these considerations, let us come to the revelation of the Bible. "Shall follow me." ^D John X. He begins to think about what that means. 2. Psalms 23:6 Context. Psalm 6. Scripture: Psalms 23:1-6, Psalms 37:25. It promises much, but it always disappoints. --Psalm xxiii. In the same way, David praises God for giving him peace. We conclude our Sermon Series on PSALMS this week. I love that picture. 4. xxiii. I. they smothered him with flowers and killed him with fame and it came to this! The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, "My.". This should be our aim, to attain to the realisation of the life hid with Christ in God; and to this God is separating us off, that our sojourn with Him may be eternal. It will be yours to kindle the lamp of a never-ceasing devotion, to place the Eucharistic Shewbread before the Lord. By daily habits of devotion, by the culture of a child-like faith, by holy familiarity with Divine things, I will seem to myself to be constantly engaged in God's service.3. I t is not easy for those, whose habits of life are insensibly formed by the customs of modern times, to conceive any adequate idea of the pastoral life, as obtained in the eastern countries, before that simplicity of manners, which characterized the early ages, was corrupted, by the artificial and false refinements of luxury. cxvi. There is an ancient Celtic hymn attributed to St Patrick in the 5th century. "I thank God," says the one, "that ever I was born," because he can take the 23rd Psalm, and in the 23rd Psalm he can read the history of his inward life. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:6). The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. xxiii. xxiii. Today we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23). Have follow'd me through all my days; Thy strengthening staff, and guiding rod, Upheld my steps, made straight my ways: Lord, till I reach thy holy hill, Goodness and mercy guard me still. 25. David reflected on God's many blessings to him and concluded that God would continue to be faithful to him and grant him fellowship in the future. Like some chemical characters, in certain temperatures they are illegible; but raise the temperature and they appear in all their reality. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I like to recall the fact that this psalm was written by David, probably when he . He who spake thus out of the bush to Moses was the same who in the fullness of time appeared upon the earth in the form of man. Like many of the songs found in the Bible, Psalm 23 states its case in the first verse and simply verifies it in the remainder of the song. Enlarge it towards the north, on the frontier of Satan. When the Lord is your shepherd, His love surrounds you now and forever. "For ever with the Lord!Amen, so let it be;Life from the dead is in that word,'Tis immortality." Enlarge it towards the east, where we look for our Saviour's coming. Wildfire sweeping across mountains is absolutely terrifying. And the Discourse which followed, ere He once more left Jerusalem, is of the same character. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of Gods grace.[3]. 21:25 The Tie-Breaker was the 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. I carry within myself, in my own religious consciousness, a prophecy, an earnest of something greater than the life that now is.". You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. But even when I walk through the darkest valley, my Shepherd will be with me. As mentioned earlier in our commentary on Ps 23:1, The LORD begins and ends the psalm ( Ps 23:1, 6 ). Clark Bates 12 min read. Psalm 23:1-6. There is a very interesting commentary called, "A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm." EXODUS XV. II. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. He says, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." She was relieved and exclaimed: "That is wonderful. Sheep guarded by a skilled shepherd are led to food and water, and protected from harm. [2] I Bind Unto Myself Today, Attributed to St. Patrick, (385-461), tr. xxiii. He only sojourned in it here. In facts from Christian and philosophical standpoints it has been demonstrated that the infallible Supreme Ruler of all human spirits has made His final provision for the safety of each and every individual soul for its temporal and eternal welfare. Many of us feel tired, jaded, discouraged, and flat. It is a fearful doctrine, but clearly stated in Scripture with regard to many individuals of the human race, that, so far from "goodness and mercy following them all the days of their life," everything that He gives them seems only the more to estrange them from God and goodness. --Psalm xxiii. 4-6. Aim . James MontgomerySacred Poems and Hymns, The Lord My Pasture Shall Prepare[1200]Carey: Henry Carey, 1723 Psalm 23 Joseph Addison, 1712 DOXOLOGY The Lord my pasture shall prepare, And feed me with a shepherd's care; His presence shall my wants supply, And guard me with a watchful eye; My noonday walks he shall attend, And all my midnight hours defend. "Goodness and mercy." 'The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. Fix your eyes on Jesus, your Good Shepherd. 1 John 3:9. Who wants to say that? "Thou art with me.". That is the one critical constant in changes of our lives. The Psalmist's strong confidence of dwelling there "forever." "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." S. B. Ps. In the Shepherd's Care. To the venerable lord and most blessed father, Malachy, by the grace of God archbishop of the Irish, legate of the Apostolic See, Brother Bernard called to be abbot of Clairvaux, [desiring] to find grace with the Lord. ( Psalm 23:1-6) Consider all the terrain in the journey. He says Surely goodness and mercy will follow me . When you belong to the Good Shepherd, you can be sure about this: God chases after you, not in judgment and condemnation, but in goodness and mercy. This is a psalm of trust and confidence in God's goodness in the present and in the future. But God raised Him up and exalted Him to the highest place. Then your reality will be something like this: I am my own shepherd, and I will always want. But not so man: man is a rational being. This is just a statement of a fact; and if such persons believe that the dispensations of God's providence with reference to them are intended to cause "goodness and mercy to follow them all the days of their life," or that they will in fact do so, they are labouring under a fatal delusion. [1200]Carey: Henry Carey, 1723 Psalm 23 Joseph Addison, 1712 . The Good Shepherd has come to seek and to save the lost. "There is none good but One," said Jesus, "that is God." Learn to be grateful. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water (Rev 7:17). The Lord the Good Shepherd.--Ps. Psalm 23:6A good man's thoughts in his old ageThomas Binney.The Psalm itself consists of two pictures what we call "the shepherd," and what we should not err in calling "the king." 3 He restores my soul. In our studies we looked at Christ - the . 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 13. Cf. 29.) But St. John says there is no temple in heaven. So I have an enemy in the John Henry JowettMy Daily Meditation for the Circling Year, The Kingdom UndividedTHE POETICAL BOOKS: Psalms Page Song of Solomon Page Proverbs Page THE PSALMS I. Everything good in your life comes from the loving hands of God. The Shepherd, the Host, and the Highway Patrol Summer Psalms. It is a delightful passion. I have turned my face toward the Lord, but my yesterdays pursue me like a relentless hound! goodness. There may be loss of health, of property, of friends; there may be unknown trials. A shepherds dogs are always with him. And He says, I give my sheep eternal life. Let it be a life of patient witness for God. But why "follow" me? They are divided into five books, each closing with a benediction, evidently added to mark the end of the book. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.--Ps. John Piper Sep 1, 1980. THE SONG OF THE GREAT SHEPHERD . The deliverance has made the singer look forward to the end, and his confidence in the issue is confirmed. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God Ways to Follow . Soon on wings, on wings of love, My transported soul shall rise, Like the home-returning dove, Vanishing through boundless skies; Then, where death shall be no more, Sin nor suffering e'er molest, All, The Lord the Good Shepherd.--Ps. Surely, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." The Collection and Divisions: In all probability the book of one hundred and fifty psalms, as it now stands, was compiled by Ezra about 450 B.C. Enlarge it towards the sunny south; take in many a piece of ground which is now covered by worldly occupations, business, or pleasure. 1: "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want." (a) A Glorious Sovereign -a person having supreme rank and power; superior to all others (b) A .read more. Read the Scripture: Psalm 23:5-6. INTRODUCTION: We are starting a brief three-week series Psalm 23 today, and I am so excited. But the treatment has been so extremely imperfect, in view of the importance of that section, that a few further remarks must be made. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 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