October 10, 2014

Psalm 23:1-6

Rachel Workman: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    for ever.
Today's reading leaves me without words really. This is my favorite chapter. Every time I read this I become calmer and more at peace. I would say that is the still waters David speaks of. It's exactly as David stated in verse 3. He restores my soul. I love verse 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life.

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John Burnett:  23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.  We are to be content with what He provides for us.  It is exactly what we need and no more than we can handle.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.  He guides but unfortunately we don’t always follow.  He does however impute Christ’s righteousness to us to bring glory to His name.  This is amazing grace because I surely do not deserve it.
Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  We should not fear because He promises that  no one will snatch us from His hands. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;  The place He has prepared for us is beyond what we can imagine and He did this with Satan standing there accusing us of all our sins.
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.  Amen.

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Krista Cook:  I have this section titled - "Be a New Ewe!"  Words to show us how we, as His sheep, are taken care of.
V.1 shows relationship and supply
V.2 shows rest and refreshment
V.3 shows healing, guidance and purpose
V.4 shows testing, protection, faithfulness and discipline
V.5 shows hope, consecration and abundance
V.6 shows blessing, security and eternity

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Allen Michaels:  The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
As the Lord is the good shepherd, so we are His sheep – not frightened, passive animals, but obedient followers, wise enough to follow one who will lead us in the right places and in the right ways. When we recognize the good shepherd, we must follow Him.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
    He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
When we allow God our shepherd to guide us, we have contentment. When we choose to sin, however, we go our own way and cannot blame God for the environment we create for ourselves. Our shepherd knows the “green meadows” and “peaceful streams” that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following Him obediently.
Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
Death casts a frightening shadow over us because we are entirely helpless in its presence. We can struggle with other enemies – pain, suffering, addiction, disease, injury – but strength and courage cannot overcome death. It has the final word. Only one person can walk through death’s dark valley and bring us safely to the other side – the God of life, our shepherd
You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.
God offers us protection even when enemies surround us. In verses 5-6, we see that believers will dwell with God. God, the perfect shepherd and protector, promises to guide and protect us through life to bring us into His house forever.

God is our Shepherd, as He knows what we need even better than we do. God wants us to have what is best for us. As long as we make Him our shepherd, He will lead us to places of safety. He knows how to direct us away from places where we may be tempted to stumble. Even when we fall, He can deliver us from our failure, pain, and suffering. God will help us avoid the places where we have stumbled in the past and guide us as we journey toward recovery.

This is another one of my favorites. 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. It is a psalm which has been sung by good Christians, and will be while the world stands, with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction.

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