The Lord is My Shepherd
Wednesday, June 1
"The Lord is my shepherd." (Psalm 23)
It is a great help to know and remember, in repeating these familiar words, that the word here rendered "Lord" is Jehovah--the Living One--the One who is--the I Am.
Jehovah is my shepherd. Place the emphasis on both "Jehovah" and "my;" the One who inhabits eternity, whose word creates, has devoted His life to caring for me.
The word "Shepherd" is rendered from a word meaning "to feed." A sheep, above all other domestic animals, requires gentle treatment; brusque, harsh usage disconcerts it. It cannot be driven, but must be led; and only the one who feeds and cares for it can lead it.
From the fact that the two greatest rulers in Israel--Moses and David--were shepherds, and that the King of the universe is the "Great Shepherd," we may know God's idea of royal authority, of fitness to rule.
In God's mind, to rule is not to domineer, but to use power in service. Our Shepherd combines infinite power and infinite tenderness. He feeds the flock with His own body, and thus demonstrates His right to rule.
Sufficient in God
Thursday, June 2
"I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1)
Wherever He may guide me,
No want shall turn me back;
My Shepherd is beside me,
And nothing can I lack.
--Anna L. Waring, Hymn: In Heavenly Love Abiding, 1850.
How can we lack, when all things come of Him and are in Him, and He gives us himself. But everything depends on a proper understanding of what it is to be in want and not to want. The one who is content in whatever state he is, never knows want; while the discontented person is always suffering from want. The epitaph over a miser says that:
Content was never once his guest,
Though twice ten thousand filled his chest;
So this poor man, with all his store,
Fed in great want--the want of more.
--J. G. Flügel, Budget of Mirth and Sparks of Wit, 1831.
But he who knows Whom he has believed, knows that there is nothing more, so wants no more.
Safety and Abundance
Friday, June 3
"He makes me to lie down in green pastures." (Psalm 23:2)
Two things are suggested by this verse: abundance of provision, and nothing to fear. An old shepherd was once asked when his sheep lay down, and he replied: "When they have eaten and have nothing to frighten them."
Those who dwell in the house of the Lord, as this psalm indicates, "shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness [of it];" (Psalm 36:8) and though the devil as a roaring lion goes about seeking to devour the flock, the knowledge that they are inside and he outside, precludes all fear. "Thus says the Lord, in returning and rest shall you saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)
Living Fountains of Water
Sabbath, June 4
"He leads me beside the still water." (Psalm 23:2)
We read of those who serve the Lord day and night in His temple:
"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. ... For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters." (Revelation 7:16-17)
For, "There the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams." (Isaiah 33:21)
Israel's experience in the desert (Compare Exodus 17:1-7 with 1 Corinthians 10:4) shows that we may have this experience in this world as well as in that which is to come. Jehovah is our Shepherd now as surely as He will ever be; and living waters of rest are our portion now as truly as they will be then, when with the eyes of our spiritual bodies we see God's face and the crystal river flowing from His throne.
Soul Restoration
Sunday, June 5
"He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:3)
To restore is to bring back; so when we have wandered out of the way, the Lord kindly brings us back, even at the expense of His own life. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [has taken on himself] the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
This bringing back is our restoration to life--our deliverance from sin and all its consequences. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalm 103:2-5)
The Paths of Righteousness
Monday, June 6
"He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." (Psalm 23:3)
Still "He leads me." The paths of righteousness lie beside the still waters. It is not in warfare and strife that righteousness is gained.
"The wrath of man works not the righteousness of God." (James 1:20)
This does not mean that we should become hermits or go into cloisters, but that in the midst of the strife of tongues we, walking with Christ, should be kept "secretly in a pavilion." (Psalm 31:20)
Jesus was unmoved by false accusation and the clamor of the multitude for His life. His own righteousness and peace He gives us for His name's sake. He himself is glorified by His own gifts. This is our safeguard against discouragement in view of our own unworthiness.
Life in the Presence of Death
Tuesday, June 7
"Yea, 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." (Psalm 23:4)
While it is certainly true that the Lord is with the trusting ones who go down into the grave, for they sleep in Him; it is no less certain that this verse especially contemplates the Lord's presence with us in the valley of the shadow of death, in order that we may pass through it alive. His presence with us means life to us "for He is your life, and the length of your days." (Deuteronomy 30:20) "[He is] alive forevermore," (Revelation 1:18) and He says, "because I live, you shall live also." (John 14:19) "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined." (Isaiah 9:2)
And that light is "the light of life." (John 8:12)
Have you seen the light? "According to your faith, so be it unto you." (Matthew 9:29)
Food in the Presence of Enemies
Wednesday, June 8
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." (Psalm 23:5)
What could be more expressive of perfect security than this statement? Enemies are raging round us, yet in the face of their threatened attack we quietly sit down to the table which the Lord prepares for us. They come upon us to eat our flesh, and we in safety eat the good things of the Lord's house.
When the wicked surround the New Jerusalem, intending to capture it and to destroy its inhabitants, (Revelation 20:7-9) those who are inside will be no safer than those are now who put their trust in God. He serves them now, even as He will then. (See Luke 12:37)
What a wonder! The King of glory not only catering for His subjects, but himself waiting upon them at table! What more could He do?
The Oil of Joy
Thursday, June 9
"You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over." (Psalm 23:5)
This oil is "the oil of gladness," (Psalm 45:7) "[the] joy in the Holy Ghost," (Romans 14:17) which constitutes the kingdom of God. Christ is anointed to give "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." (Isaiah 61:3)
Those who are thus anointed are kings, reigning in life with Christ. The cheerful person is king indeed; if his cheerfulness comes from trust in God, nothing is impossible for him. He has enough and to spare; his cup overflows to others, because the Lord, in whom is all fullness, is the portion of his inheritance and of his cup. "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: you maintain my lot." (Psalm 16:5)
Goodness and Mercy
Friday, June 10
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." (Psalm 23:6)
The Hebrew warrants the rendering given in some versions: "Only goodness and mercy shall follow me." How can it be otherwise, when "all things work together for good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28)
Let good or ill befall,
It must be good for me,
Secure of having Thee in all,
Of having all in Thee.
--Henry Francis Lyte, Hymn: My Spirit on Thy Care, 1834.
And this goodness and mercy that follow us are God's own self. "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth," (Exodus 34:6)
Wherever we go, His goodness and mercy pursue us--run after us. "Where shall I go from your Spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10)
In the House of the Lord
Sabbath, June 11
"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6)
In whatever desert place we are, and however stony our bed, the Lord is in that place, whether we know it or not, and therefore it is His house. His presence makes "the dry land springs of water," (Isaiah 41:18) and so even in the barren land we walk beside the still waters, and lie down in green pastures. For "you are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God." (Hebrews 12:22)
It is a good place to dwell; for "those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing." (Psalm 92:13-14)--Medical Missionary, Daily Bread, June 1904--Psalm 23:1-6.