Saturday, November 7, 2015

our Good, Good Father in Psalm 23...

artwork by Krista Hamrick

This beautiful work of art by Krista Hamrick inspired me as I listened to Chris Tomlin's Good, Good Father... You're a Good, Good Father, It's who you are, It's who you are, It's who you are, and I'm loved by you, It's who I am, It's who I am, It's who I am.…this drew my heart to a verse-by-verse study of Psalm 23 in this commentary by Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe from The Transformation Study Bible:

Psalm 23:1—The present tense verb “is” means, “the Lord is shepherding me,” indicating an ongoing relationship. Eastern shepherds guarded their sheep, led them, provided food and water for them; took care of them when they were wearied, bruised, cut or sick; rescued them when they strayed; knew their names; assisted in delivering the lambs; and in every way simply loved them.

23:2—The word translated, “leads,” in verse 2 means “to lead gently.” You cannot drive sheep. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow him, just as we listen to Christ in His Word and obey Him.

23:3—God cares for us because He loves us and wants us to glorify Him. The shepherd cares for his sheep because he loves them and wants to maintain his own good reputation as a faithful shepherd.

23:4a—This is the central verse of the psalm, and the personal pronoun changes from “he” to “you.” David is not speaking about the shepherd, but speaking to the shepherd. In the dark valley, God is not before us but beside us, leading the way and calming our fears. The “darkest valley” represents any difficult experience of life that makes us afraid, and that includes death.

23:4b—Sheep lack good vision and are easily frightened in new circumstances, especially when it’s dark. The presence of the shepherd calms them.

23:4c—The rod was a heavy cudgel with which the shepherd could stun or kill an attacking beast, and the staff was the shepherd’s crook, which he used to assist the individual sheep.

23:5a—Another word for “feast” is “table.” This table doesn’t necessarily refer to a piece of furniture used by humans, for the word simply means, “something spread out.” Flat places in the hilly country were called “tables,” and sometimes the shepherd stopped the flock at these “tables” and allowed them to eat and rest as they headed for the fold.

23:5b—The shepherd would examine the sheep as they entered the fold to be sure none of them was bruised, injured, or sick from eating a poisonous plant. To the wounds, he applied the soothing oil, and for the thirsty, he had his large two-handled cup filled with water. He would also apply the oil to the heads and the horns of the sheep to help keep the flies and other insects away. The sheep knew they were safe, and they could sleep without fear.

23:6—As the shepherd lay each night at the door of the sheepfold, he looked back over the day and gave thanks that the Lord had blessed them with goodness and mercy. Dr. Harry Ironside used to say that goodness and mercy are the two sheepdogs that help keep the sheep where they belong. We live our lives one day at a time, because God built the universe to run one day at a time. There must be a time for labor and a time for rest. When we try to live two or three days at a time, we cannot enjoy today. Eventually, this catches up with us physically, emotionally and spiritually. As an old man, David looked back over his long life and came to the same conclusion. In spite of his sins and failures, he had been followed by goodness and mercy, which is the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 8:28. Under the old covenant, the sheep died for the shepherd,  but under the new covenant, the Shepherd died for the sheep—and we shall meet our Shepherd in heaven! “For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17). As David looked ahead, he knew he would be in heaven—the Father’s house—forever.

When I am praying, I picture Jesus Christ, my Shepherd, in the green pasture of the 23rd Psalm. As I pray, I take whatever concern I have, or the person for whom I am interceding by the hand. I walk out to the meadow, the green pasture, and I place my concern, or the hand of the person for whom I am interceding, in Jesus’ hand…knowing that He is sovereign, He loves me, and He loves the person for whom I am interceding more than I do. He has a plan, a hope, and a future for each of us…and I walk away, thanking God for how He is working in my life and in the lives of those for whom I am interceding. I experience a feeling of peace…as Catherine Marshall prayed, Lord, I trust You…You know what You’re doing…I relinquish my will to Yours.

O Heavenly Father,
we ask you to wrap Your Loving Arms around us today. You are close to the brokenhearted and You save those who are crushed in spirit. You are our Shepherd, we lack nothing. You make us lie down in green pastures, You lead us beside the still waters. You restore our souls. You lead us in the path of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for You are with us. You are Emmanuel, God with us, we are absolutely certain, You are with us at this time. Your rod and Your staff, Your Holy Spirit and Your Word, they comfort us. You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. You anoint our heads with oil, our cup overflows with blessings. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Look Up—meditate on Psalm 23

Look In—as you meditate on Psalm 23 pray to see how you might apply it to your life.

Look Out—as you meditate on Psalm 23 pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others.

38 comments:

  1. This is beautiful. Love the song.

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    1. Thank you, Samantha, your comments are greatly appreciated! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  2. SO very glad to think of all these beautiful ways in which our loving Shepherd tenderly watches over us and keeps us safe from all harm.
    Beautiful graphic !!
    love you.
    Mary.

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    1. Thank you, Mary...I so agree with you...thank you so much for stopping by...many blessings to you ❤️

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  3. Such a beautiful, comforting post and description of this precious Psalm. You know I think we hear it quoted so much that sometimes, it loses its value to us. To imagine Jesus as my personal Shepherd is just a wonderful thought to me...He is so precious to my heart! I am so glad I stopped by today! Leaving here encouraged! :)

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    1. Cheryl, your words warm my heart...just to know that you are encouraged by what has encouraged me is such a joy! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  4. Lovely post, Beth! Your words remind me of Phillips Keller's Shepherd series, about Psalm 23, written from the perspective of a shepherd. Have a blessed week.

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    1. Yes, June, I love that book also...gives us such a first-hand view at the life of a shepherd and his sheep. Thanks for stopping by...many blessings to you ❤️

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  5. Incredible post and beautiful prayer, Beth! I love the song "Good, Good Father". I literally listen to it every morning during my prayer time. You have truly blessed me this morning. So grateful for this visit! Thanks so much for sharing, Love! GOD bless you, beautiful friend! :-)

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    1. Thank you so much, Tai! It's such a warm and wonderful feeling to know that you are encouraged by what has inspired me...the Holy Spirit at work...many blessings to you ❤️

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  6. I haven't heard this song yet! But I love the words. THANK YOU, BETH!!!

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    1. Susan, thank you so much for stopping by...there is a link to that song in this post...so comforting and True! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  7. Beautiful, Beth! Loved this: "wants to maintain his own good reputation as a faithful shepherd." Wow…hadn't unpacked it that way before. Such a peaceful, life-giving post! Blessings from #EspressosofFaith via #WordsWithWinter!

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    1. Bonnie, thank you for your thoughtful comments...so glad you stopped by! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  8. Beautiful post Beth with so much truth in it. I particularly love this part: "God cares for us because He loves us and wants us to glorify Him. The shepherd cares for his sheep because he loves them and wants to maintain his own good reputation as a faithful shepherd." This is a great encouragement to maintain our 'reputation as a faithful servant'
    I'm blessed by this post. Thanks for sharing with us at #EncourageMeLinkup
    I'll be glad to host again next week. Have a blessed week ahead.

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    1. Thank you, Grace. I so appreciate your encouraging comments. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  9. Love the prayer - "Lord, I trust You…You know what You’re doing…I relinquish my will to Yours." It's a hard one, but the one we must pray.

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    1. Kathryn, I so agree with you. The first time I heard this prayer, it was from the mom of one of the children in our church's special needs ministry. Many blessings to you and your sweet family ❤️

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  10. What a beautiful study of Psalm 23 :). The thing I have to remember when reading this is that sheep are not that bright--but if THEY know how to follow the good Shepherd, than there's hope for me!

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by...yes, sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd...oh, that we could learn to be more like sheep! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  11. Love this! One of my favorite sermons was by Max Lucado who just took the first line of Psalm 23 and unpacked each word and the implications, asking which is your favorite word in this line?

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    1. Laura, I love Mad Lucado...his book, Traveling Light, was on Psalm 23 also! Thank you for asking my favorite word...there are so many...but "is" seems to say it all...no matter what we go through, our Great Shepherd of the sheep "is" with us...many blessings to you ❤️

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  12. Oh, Beth, not only is the artwork beautiful, but the words you have blessed us with through the 23rd Psalm brings me to my knees. Knowing that this is in the present tense is even more lovely. Oh, to know that He IS shepherding me NOW! And always.
    I am so glad I came by. ~ linda

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    1. Linda, your heart-felt words warm my heart...it is such a blessing to feel like a conduit to share with others what our Lord and Savior has used to encourage me...many blessings to you ❤️

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  13. A beautiful song and brilliant insight into such a well known Psalm. Thanks for linking up with Thankful Thursday this week.

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    1. Thank you, Jo, for stopping by with such an encouraging comment. Many blessings to you ❤️

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by Lyli. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  15. Beautiful. Thank you, Beth, for joining the DanceWithJesus linkup. Hugs. Susan

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    1. Susan, it is a joy to join the DanceWithJesus linkup! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  16. Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing this with us. The Lord has used Sheep to speak to my littlest guys since he was 2 about how God is the Good Shepherd and my little guy is the sheep. I love how God speaks to us! He is such a good good Father!

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    1. Johanna, thank you so much for sharing that with me about your littlest guy...I'm right there with him, trusting my Good, Good Shepherd as He takes care of all of little sheep...many blessings to you and your sweet family ❤️

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  17. Psalm 23 is one of my favorites for sure. And I love this song. Brings me to tears every time. Blessings!

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    1. Barbie, thank you so much for stopping by...yes, I so agree with you about both the song and the Scripture...tears flowing here too. Many blessings to you!

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  18. I love how you expounded on each portion of this psalm ... beautiful! And definitely thought-provoking! Thank you for joining us at the What Are You Thankful For linkup!

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    1. Hannah, thank you for your encouraging words...many blessings to you!

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  19. Beth,
    Thank you so much for sharing this post, personally, with me. I love the imagery that God paints for us in this Psalm...so comforting! It really hit me - that part about under the old covenant the sheep died for the shepherd, but under the new, the shepherd dies for his sheep. Amen! Absolutely beautiful!! Would love to have you share this at my blog...think about it...would love to have you guest post this lovely offering.
    Blessings,
    Bev
    Blessings,
    Bev

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    1. Bev, I'm so glad this post was a blessing to you. I would be honored to share this post at your blog as a guest post anytime you would like. Many Christmas blessings to you!

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