In our culture people are obsessed concerning how to survive. The Good News of the Christian Gospel is that we do not survive; we overcome the world by the power of the Risen Lord. He makes us more than conquerors. According to the show, Survivor, we succeed by being ruthless, conniving, and deceitful, following a pragmatic, win at all costs, ends-justify-the means mentality. In today’s world it seems that good guys finish last (or at least that’s what people want us to think). Winning from God’s point-of-view is different. In the end you may not wind up with a million dollars, but you have God’s approval.
I am reading this morning from Nahum. The prophet Nahum delivered a sober message of judgment to Ninevah, but in the middle of his harsh prophecy he offered hope, (vs 7), “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.” Nahum presented God as our refuge, a shelter in the time of storm.
Nahum wrote 150 years after the time of Jonah. Under Jonah’s reluctant preaching the Ninevites repented and God withheld His wrath. But in the time of Nahum, it appears their repentance had “worn off” and they sunk deeply into all kinds of sin. Ninevah was again a place of unparalleled wickedness. It was also the wealthiest city in the world, furnished with priceless objects taken as plunder from conquered nations.
God made it plain that He was angry at Ninevah. We don’t like to think of God as being angry, yet the Bible is very clear that He hates sin. You likely have seen billboards along the highway with "messages from God". One says, “Don’t make Me come down there.” Yet, even when God is angry at sin, He is patient with us. Verse 2 says “The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies . This can mean that God stores up His wrath, but it also can mean that He holds back His vengeance from us. He wants us to repent and He waits for us to repent; He is “slow to anger.” He has control over His wrath. He gives us many chances to repent. However, God clearly warns us in Genesis 6:3, “My Spirit will not contend/strive with man forever.” There is a limit to God’s patience.
When we place our trust in Christ, God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve—eternal life. God in His mercy does not give us what we do deserve- full, eternal punishment for our sins that separate us from Him! We can offer hope to our lost world, a world going its own way, a way that leads to destruction, because we have the roadmap, the right directions. Nahum 1:15 announces, “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!” We can be that one offering the good news. We should have a sense of urgency towards those who do not know the Lord. We need to offer prayer for our community, care about those who need the Lord, and share what God had done for us. God will give us opportunities if we ask.
No nation is immune from judgment. Among those who reject God, who refuse to turn from their wickedness, there will be no survivors. Proverbs 29:1 warns, “Some people are still stubborn after they have been corrected many times; they will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.”
Rudyard Kipling understood Nahum when he wrote, “Lo, all the pomp of yesterday, is one with Ninevah and Tyre. Judge of the nations, spare us yet—Lest we forget, lest we forget!”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heY4bAQFwW8
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 4-29-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this day. It is going to be brilliant, beautiful, and bountiful today. I awoke very early this morning and gazed through the window; the moon was shinning with extravagant brilliance. I said, "Thank you Jesus for the gift of this new day." The Lord blessed us with wonderful Wednesday gathering for Bible study and fellowship. We looked at Mathews 6:16 ff. Richard Foster, in his book, “Celebration of Disciple” begins by talking about the inward disciplines of a Christian: meditation, prayer, fasting, and study. We have to start there. Then he begins to talk about the outward disciplines and the first outward discipline for a Christian that he discusses is simplicity.
In the book, he talks about how there are two extremes when it comes to simplicity. On one hand we have people who believe that simplicity is not important. On the other hand, we have the people who believe that simplicity is the mark of a good Christian. Usually the marks they use to measure this simplicity are not godly, measuring simplicity by the size of the house we live in, the kind of car we drive, or the style of clothing we wear. There obviously are abuses on both sides of such a measuring mechanism.
In Matthew 6:25-33 a better rule is given for us to follow. We are to keep the main thing the main thing. That is, the main thing for a Christian is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of Christ’s Kingdom. Nothing is to overshadow or preempt the Kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple lifestyle. Simplicity itself becomes idolatry when it becomes the primary goal, even over seeking the kingdom. Focusing upon the Kingdom produces an inward character that makes simplicity possible. Nothing else can be central. The desire to get out of the rat race cannot be central, the injustices of the distribution of the world’s wealth cannot be central, and the concern for the environment cannot be central. Seeking God’s Kingdom and seeking after Christ is the main thing.
By seeking after Christ and his kingdom, we become free from the concern of possessions.
Neither the greedy nor the miserly knows this freedom. It has nothing to do with abundance of possessions or the lack thereof. It rests upon an inward spirit of trust. The fact that a person is living without things is no guarantee that he or she is living in simplicity. Paul taught us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and I have discovered that often those who have it the least often are the same persons who love it the most. It is possible for a person to be forced into a life style of simplicity and to be filled with anxiety. Conversely, wealth does not bring freedom from anxiety. Frequently it makes our anxiety worse.
Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. Richard Foster calls these the inward realities of simplicity. If what we have has been received as a gift, if what we have is cared for by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will be free from anxiety. I like one of his quotes, which states, "We buy things we do not need to please people we do not like".
May the Lord of the universe, the Lord of the new Heaven and the new Earth, propel and provoke us to glorify Him and enjoy His gifts today. May He use us in some measure to further His Kingdom on earth. Blessed be His Name.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Byp7aK2DA
O Lord, our heavenly Father,
almighty and everlasting God,
who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;
defend us in the same with thy mighty power;
and grant that this day we fall into no sin,
neither run into any kind of danger,
but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,
to do always that is righteous in thy sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Church Of England" " Morning Prayer"
Praise the Lord for this day. It is going to be brilliant, beautiful, and bountiful today. I awoke very early this morning and gazed through the window; the moon was shinning with extravagant brilliance. I said, "Thank you Jesus for the gift of this new day." The Lord blessed us with wonderful Wednesday gathering for Bible study and fellowship. We looked at Mathews 6:16 ff. Richard Foster, in his book, “Celebration of Disciple” begins by talking about the inward disciplines of a Christian: meditation, prayer, fasting, and study. We have to start there. Then he begins to talk about the outward disciplines and the first outward discipline for a Christian that he discusses is simplicity.
In the book, he talks about how there are two extremes when it comes to simplicity. On one hand we have people who believe that simplicity is not important. On the other hand, we have the people who believe that simplicity is the mark of a good Christian. Usually the marks they use to measure this simplicity are not godly, measuring simplicity by the size of the house we live in, the kind of car we drive, or the style of clothing we wear. There obviously are abuses on both sides of such a measuring mechanism.
In Matthew 6:25-33 a better rule is given for us to follow. We are to keep the main thing the main thing. That is, the main thing for a Christian is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of Christ’s Kingdom. Nothing is to overshadow or preempt the Kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple lifestyle. Simplicity itself becomes idolatry when it becomes the primary goal, even over seeking the kingdom. Focusing upon the Kingdom produces an inward character that makes simplicity possible. Nothing else can be central. The desire to get out of the rat race cannot be central, the injustices of the distribution of the world’s wealth cannot be central, and the concern for the environment cannot be central. Seeking God’s Kingdom and seeking after Christ is the main thing.
By seeking after Christ and his kingdom, we become free from the concern of possessions.
Neither the greedy nor the miserly knows this freedom. It has nothing to do with abundance of possessions or the lack thereof. It rests upon an inward spirit of trust. The fact that a person is living without things is no guarantee that he or she is living in simplicity. Paul taught us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and I have discovered that often those who have it the least often are the same persons who love it the most. It is possible for a person to be forced into a life style of simplicity and to be filled with anxiety. Conversely, wealth does not bring freedom from anxiety. Frequently it makes our anxiety worse.
Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. Richard Foster calls these the inward realities of simplicity. If what we have has been received as a gift, if what we have is cared for by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will be free from anxiety. I like one of his quotes, which states, "We buy things we do not need to please people we do not like".
May the Lord of the universe, the Lord of the new Heaven and the new Earth, propel and provoke us to glorify Him and enjoy His gifts today. May He use us in some measure to further His Kingdom on earth. Blessed be His Name.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Byp7aK2DA
O Lord, our heavenly Father,
almighty and everlasting God,
who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;
defend us in the same with thy mighty power;
and grant that this day we fall into no sin,
neither run into any kind of danger,
but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,
to do always that is righteous in thy sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Church Of England" " Morning Prayer"
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 4-28-10
Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Gospel reading for last Sunday was taken from John 10, and the Psalm was Psalm 23. One of our friends, Barbara, who grew up in a farm, tells that whenever she sees a herd of Holstein cows grazing on a hillside, her heart becomes jubilant. Whenever I have traveled to the Holy Land, I have seen a large flock sheep on a hill side shepherded in the same way that King David shepherded sheep on Judaen hills.
Two men in a large classroom were called on to recite the Twenty-third Psalm. One was an orator trained in speech technique and drama. He repeated the psalm in a powerful way. When he finished, the audience cheered and asked for an encore that they might hear his wonderful voice again. Then the other man repeated the same words, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...", but when he finished, no sound came from the class. Instead, people sat in a mood of deep devotion and prayer.Then, the first man stood to his feet. “I have a confession to make,” he said. “The difference between what you have just heard from my friend, and what you heard from me is this: I know the Psalm, but my friend knows the Shepherd.” John used many images in his Gospel, but my favorite is that of Jesus as a shepherd. Like a shepherd, Jesus is concerned with the welfare and the care of His sheep. The shepherd loves his sheep. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. As a shepherd He is a servant, a caretaker, a watchmen, and a provider. Not only did John refer to Him as a shepherd, but He called himself a shepherd. It really stands out in my mind that we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.We depend on God, for everything or, at least, we should. We know that just as a shepherd watches over his sheep, so God watches over his children. Two caretakers are mentioned in John's account, the Good Shepherd, and the hired hand. The hired hand had no connection with the sheep and no relationship with the sheep. He thought of himself first and the sheep last. If a sheep was attacked by a wolf, or lost, it was of little concern to him. On the other hand, there was also the good shepherd, who Himself owned the sheep, and had a special relationship with them. When Jesus laid down His life for His sheep He saved us from the destroying "wolves" of sin and death. In the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eric Butterworth told the story of a college professor who had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories on 200 young boys. The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, "He hasn’t got a chance." Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across this earlier study. He had his students do follow up on the same 200 boys who were now men. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. The professor was astounded and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area and he was able to ask each one, "How do you account for your success?" In each case the reply began, with feeling, "There was a teacher." The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. "It’s really very simple," she said. "I loved those boys." Their success was based on the love of a teacher. Our success as followers of Jesus is based on the love of a shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for us. He loved us enough that our sinfulness became his burden. He loved us enough that his perfect rightness became ours. He loved us enough to suffer on the cross for us, to save us from eternal death. He will keep us safe in the sheepfold if we are smart enough sheep that we follow the Good Shepherd.
In Jesus our Lord.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HndQZlmJPpc
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Gospel reading for last Sunday was taken from John 10, and the Psalm was Psalm 23. One of our friends, Barbara, who grew up in a farm, tells that whenever she sees a herd of Holstein cows grazing on a hillside, her heart becomes jubilant. Whenever I have traveled to the Holy Land, I have seen a large flock sheep on a hill side shepherded in the same way that King David shepherded sheep on Judaen hills.
Two men in a large classroom were called on to recite the Twenty-third Psalm. One was an orator trained in speech technique and drama. He repeated the psalm in a powerful way. When he finished, the audience cheered and asked for an encore that they might hear his wonderful voice again. Then the other man repeated the same words, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...", but when he finished, no sound came from the class. Instead, people sat in a mood of deep devotion and prayer.Then, the first man stood to his feet. “I have a confession to make,” he said. “The difference between what you have just heard from my friend, and what you heard from me is this: I know the Psalm, but my friend knows the Shepherd.” John used many images in his Gospel, but my favorite is that of Jesus as a shepherd. Like a shepherd, Jesus is concerned with the welfare and the care of His sheep. The shepherd loves his sheep. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. As a shepherd He is a servant, a caretaker, a watchmen, and a provider. Not only did John refer to Him as a shepherd, but He called himself a shepherd. It really stands out in my mind that we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.We depend on God, for everything or, at least, we should. We know that just as a shepherd watches over his sheep, so God watches over his children. Two caretakers are mentioned in John's account, the Good Shepherd, and the hired hand. The hired hand had no connection with the sheep and no relationship with the sheep. He thought of himself first and the sheep last. If a sheep was attacked by a wolf, or lost, it was of little concern to him. On the other hand, there was also the good shepherd, who Himself owned the sheep, and had a special relationship with them. When Jesus laid down His life for His sheep He saved us from the destroying "wolves" of sin and death. In the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eric Butterworth told the story of a college professor who had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories on 200 young boys. The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, "He hasn’t got a chance." Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across this earlier study. He had his students do follow up on the same 200 boys who were now men. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. The professor was astounded and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area and he was able to ask each one, "How do you account for your success?" In each case the reply began, with feeling, "There was a teacher." The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. "It’s really very simple," she said. "I loved those boys." Their success was based on the love of a teacher. Our success as followers of Jesus is based on the love of a shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for us. He loved us enough that our sinfulness became his burden. He loved us enough that his perfect rightness became ours. He loved us enough to suffer on the cross for us, to save us from eternal death. He will keep us safe in the sheepfold if we are smart enough sheep that we follow the Good Shepherd.
In Jesus our Lord.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HndQZlmJPpc
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 4-27-10
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. One of the readings for last Sunday was taken from Revelation 7:9 ff. This passage is full of triumph and victory. The redeemed of the Lord who have come through the tribulation, do not look beaten up. They do not look wasted and worn out. On the contrary, they look triumphant and jubilant. When we read Romans 8, we discern St. Paul echoing a similar note of victory as he wrote, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (and He who loves us still).
In Revelation 7:15 we read, “He will spread his tent over them.” Literally, these words are saying, “He will live in a tent with them.” This image stood out for me because my family used to camp in tents every summer. I wondered why God would use a tent to help us picture heaven. After all, a tent seems so temporary, something you stay in while you are not at home. Yet, when you think of camping or tenting you think about closeness, don’t you? We got our first tent in 1981 at the Montgomery Ward store in Binghamton. When our family of six camped in a tent, we were so cramped together that we could hear every sound, and feel every jostle that anyone made.
In heaven, God will be so close as to give us the assurance that there’s nothing more to be afraid of, nothing but peace, nothing bad that can happen. There won’t be any more children dying, any more rejection and loneliness, any more aches and pains, anymore family fights, anymore failures and letdowns, anymore sickness. All of these negatives will be gone, and we will be close to God. No wonder He will be able to wipe away every tear from our eyes. In Revelation 21, John added, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling (tent) of God is with men, and he will live (in a tent) with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'" (vv. 3,4) To be with God! To leave behind this life of letdowns! What a party that’s going to be!
When a terminally sick little boy expressed his fear about death, his mommy said to him, “Do you remember when you used to play with your friends all day? You would be so tired that when we would sit around and watch TV afterwards, you would fall asleep in the chair with your clothes on. That was not where you belonged, but in the morning, you always woke up where you did belong -- in your own bed. Your Dad carried you up the stairs, into your room, and tucked you into your own bed where you belonged. I think that’s what death is like. It’s like waking up some morning and finding ourselves in another room, in the place where we belong — safe in the strong loving arms of Jesus." That is something to look forward to . . . an eternity so close to our Savior!
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account." If we don’t have Jesus Christ, then we have nothing. But, if we have Jesus and heaven, we are richer than Bill Gates. We will be with the Savior, who has given us access to the greatest party of all.
In Jesus our Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBuEuagZxE
In Revelation 7:15 we read, “He will spread his tent over them.” Literally, these words are saying, “He will live in a tent with them.” This image stood out for me because my family used to camp in tents every summer. I wondered why God would use a tent to help us picture heaven. After all, a tent seems so temporary, something you stay in while you are not at home. Yet, when you think of camping or tenting you think about closeness, don’t you? We got our first tent in 1981 at the Montgomery Ward store in Binghamton. When our family of six camped in a tent, we were so cramped together that we could hear every sound, and feel every jostle that anyone made.
In heaven, God will be so close as to give us the assurance that there’s nothing more to be afraid of, nothing but peace, nothing bad that can happen. There won’t be any more children dying, any more rejection and loneliness, any more aches and pains, anymore family fights, anymore failures and letdowns, anymore sickness. All of these negatives will be gone, and we will be close to God. No wonder He will be able to wipe away every tear from our eyes. In Revelation 21, John added, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling (tent) of God is with men, and he will live (in a tent) with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'" (vv. 3,4) To be with God! To leave behind this life of letdowns! What a party that’s going to be!
When a terminally sick little boy expressed his fear about death, his mommy said to him, “Do you remember when you used to play with your friends all day? You would be so tired that when we would sit around and watch TV afterwards, you would fall asleep in the chair with your clothes on. That was not where you belonged, but in the morning, you always woke up where you did belong -- in your own bed. Your Dad carried you up the stairs, into your room, and tucked you into your own bed where you belonged. I think that’s what death is like. It’s like waking up some morning and finding ourselves in another room, in the place where we belong — safe in the strong loving arms of Jesus." That is something to look forward to . . . an eternity so close to our Savior!
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account." If we don’t have Jesus Christ, then we have nothing. But, if we have Jesus and heaven, we are richer than Bill Gates. We will be with the Savior, who has given us access to the greatest party of all.
In Jesus our Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBuEuagZxE
Monday, April 26, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 4-26-10
Praise the Lord for this new day. Alice and I spent a few days last week visiting our children. We drove down to Washington, DC to see Sunita and Andy. From there we drove to see Jess and Tom in Philadelphia (Abington) in their new home(this old House made with Pennsylvania bluestone). From Philly we drove to Boston to visit Janice, Jeremy, Micah, and Simeon. The Lord blessed us wonderfully. I came back Friday and Alice came home yesterday after attending worship service with Janice and her family in Cambridge, Mass. Micah told her Grandma, "Grand mom you can stay with us for 500 hundred years". Simeon said, Grandmom stay with us. Don't go " Praise the Lord for His rich blessings that money can not buy.
The Lord blessed us yesterday with a very blessed day in His House, in worship and fellowship. One of the readings for yesterday was Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is called the Shepherd's Psalm, because it portrays God as a Good Shepherd, who cares for and looks after this flock. The Psalm is attributed to King David. If anyone was qualified to describe God in this manner, David was. We know from the Bible that David had been a shepherd as a youth, before he became a king. Because of this David had a pretty good idea of what a shepherd is like. How often David must have gazed up at the heavens on those star-filled nights while he was out watching over his father’s sheep and pondered the very nature of God! There, in the depths of his heart, he must have pondered the ways in which God was like a shepherd. His years of herding sheep had taught him a few things and, as he contemplated the shepherd’s work, he found a fitting description of what God does for his people.
We love this Psalm because it speaks so tenderly about life. Of all the psalms in the Bible, this Psalm 23 is the best known, and best loved. It is also the most-memorized. It is read at funerals to comfort the sorrowing, at hospital beds to encourage the suffering, and to those who have run aground on the discouragements of life. We read it because it is a song of confidence in God.
David well remembered how important it was for the shepherd to watch out for the welfare of the sheep, to see that there was good pasturage. Sheep, by themselves, would not know where the best pasture is. They need the shepherd to bring them to fields of green grass and fresh water, where they can lie down and rest and be nourished. There their strength would be restored or renewed.
Provision of rest, of refreshment, and of renewal are the primary tasks of the shepherd in keeping his sheep. Without these the sheep become sickly or ill-fed. They put their trust in the shepherd to take care of them.
God cares for us in the same way. Just as the shepherd cares for the sheep, so God, in a spiritual sense, “makes us to lie down in green pastures, leads us beside the still waters, and restores our soul.” What David was saying is that we can trust God for all of our needs in life. When we rest in God’s love, feed upon God’s word, and drink his living water, our souls are restored. Psalm 23 is a psalm about God’s provision.
Psalm 23 does not just expresses confidence in a God who provides, it also expresses confidence in A GOD WHO PROTECTS. This is the second great affirmation of confidence in God. David said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” David knew well the dangers the shepherd faced. It was not enough to provide for his sheep a good place to pasture. The shepherd would also have to provide protection for his sheep. With his rod and staff, he would gently prod the sheep back into the flock and guide them in paths of safety. Sometimes with the great crook of the staff he needed to pull a sheep back from a crevasse into which it might have fallen, or to stave off the attacks of wild animals. The shepherd’s rod and staff are tools, as well as weapons of protection.
“I SHALL not want” ....
“I WILL not fear” ....
And “I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord... FOREVER!”
Thanks be to Jesus the Good and the Winsome Shepherd.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jEXDPzqo2g
The Lord blessed us yesterday with a very blessed day in His House, in worship and fellowship. One of the readings for yesterday was Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is called the Shepherd's Psalm, because it portrays God as a Good Shepherd, who cares for and looks after this flock. The Psalm is attributed to King David. If anyone was qualified to describe God in this manner, David was. We know from the Bible that David had been a shepherd as a youth, before he became a king. Because of this David had a pretty good idea of what a shepherd is like. How often David must have gazed up at the heavens on those star-filled nights while he was out watching over his father’s sheep and pondered the very nature of God! There, in the depths of his heart, he must have pondered the ways in which God was like a shepherd. His years of herding sheep had taught him a few things and, as he contemplated the shepherd’s work, he found a fitting description of what God does for his people.
We love this Psalm because it speaks so tenderly about life. Of all the psalms in the Bible, this Psalm 23 is the best known, and best loved. It is also the most-memorized. It is read at funerals to comfort the sorrowing, at hospital beds to encourage the suffering, and to those who have run aground on the discouragements of life. We read it because it is a song of confidence in God.
David well remembered how important it was for the shepherd to watch out for the welfare of the sheep, to see that there was good pasturage. Sheep, by themselves, would not know where the best pasture is. They need the shepherd to bring them to fields of green grass and fresh water, where they can lie down and rest and be nourished. There their strength would be restored or renewed.
Provision of rest, of refreshment, and of renewal are the primary tasks of the shepherd in keeping his sheep. Without these the sheep become sickly or ill-fed. They put their trust in the shepherd to take care of them.
God cares for us in the same way. Just as the shepherd cares for the sheep, so God, in a spiritual sense, “makes us to lie down in green pastures, leads us beside the still waters, and restores our soul.” What David was saying is that we can trust God for all of our needs in life. When we rest in God’s love, feed upon God’s word, and drink his living water, our souls are restored. Psalm 23 is a psalm about God’s provision.
Psalm 23 does not just expresses confidence in a God who provides, it also expresses confidence in A GOD WHO PROTECTS. This is the second great affirmation of confidence in God. David said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” David knew well the dangers the shepherd faced. It was not enough to provide for his sheep a good place to pasture. The shepherd would also have to provide protection for his sheep. With his rod and staff, he would gently prod the sheep back into the flock and guide them in paths of safety. Sometimes with the great crook of the staff he needed to pull a sheep back from a crevasse into which it might have fallen, or to stave off the attacks of wild animals. The shepherd’s rod and staff are tools, as well as weapons of protection.
“I SHALL not want” ....
“I WILL not fear” ....
And “I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord... FOREVER!”
Thanks be to Jesus the Good and the Winsome Shepherd.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jEXDPzqo2g
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