![]() Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. "He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 3 and 4 confirm this: The path through the valley is also one of the paths of righteousness in which God leads. No, the reason the sheep is going through the valley is because the shepherd lead him there. The valley of the shadow of death conjures thoughts of a dangerous situation where a sheep's life is in jeopardy unless the shepherd is alert and attentive.īut why would a sheep be going through such a place? Not because he strayed off in sin that is not the point here, because the shepherd is pictured as going with the sheep not snatching him back to the pasture he left behind. Everything makes sense in our understanding of a shepherd leading his flock to green grass and calm waters. 23, David takes the gentle picture of a shepherd with his sheep to describe the relationship God has with us and we with Him. Take a few moments with me this morning to see David's confidence in times of crisis. My prayer this morning is that God so imprint His truth in your heart that you will find your confidence in Him rise above the storm clouds in your life, even as David did. He had experienced God in a way there that had ushered him toward intimacy with the Almighty Shepherd.Īs we continue our study of psalms for when life hurts, I invite you to a familiar oasis where we will see that God is closer than you think in times of crisis. But in the dark, we hug His knee.ĭavid changes from comments about God to communion with God because during his valley time, he stayed ever so close to the Shepherd, never taking his eyes of Him. In the light, we are prone to wander off in pursuit of greener grass. You've noticed it too, haven't you? We're more prone to talk about God when we are in the green pastures and more prone to talk to God when we're in the dangerous ravine. And in those times, something deep happened between him and God. Verse 4 describes the crisis points in his life. ![]() 4 precisely because it's there he speaks of the valley he has walked. May I suggest that the change "He" to the more intimate "You" happens in v. 4? Why didn't he just go on to say, 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me His rod and His staff, they comfort me'?" Why does David switch from talking about God with 'He' to talking to God with 'You,' and why does it happen in v. You anoint my head with oil." And then, he closes by returning to third person: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." 4-5, David shifts, referring to Him in second person: "I will fear no evil, for You are with me Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Notice that in the first three verses, David refers to God in the third person: "The Lord is my Shepherd. I reason I know these things to be so about a man who wrote 1000 years before Christ is because he has left us clues right here in this psalm. Beneath the beauty of his words there are solid convictions, formed in the crucible of crisis. He has experienced God in these ways, heard His voice, followed His lead, felt His care. We realize as we linger over these words that what David writes is not poetic exaggeration or theoretical theology. With simple beauty, it speaks of green pastures and still waters as well as dark valleys and enemies and adversities.īut what comforts us and helps us is the psalm's confidence. And what makes this a constant friend is that it covers all of life. ![]() ![]() It is precious to us, a balm to our wounded souls. I and other pastors have come to this passage in almost every funeral preached. There are no references to "we" or "us" or "they," but only "my" and "me" and "I" and "You." This is David's testimony, his personal experience with God. As one scholar said, "The psalm itself is green pasture the psalm itself is still water the psalm itself restores my soul." Hear it again in the joyous voice of a child, with a little help from dad. ![]() There are places in Scripture that are powerful, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |