Reflections
Psalm 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 (Read)“I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life.”
It is said that this wonderful prayer was written
at the end of King David’s life. We are with
David as he passes from death to life
on God’s holy mountain.
Isaiah says the Lord will provide a feast of
rich food and choice wines on His holy mountain. (Isaiah 25: 6) Our psalmist tells us,
“The Lord prepares a table before me; He anoints
my head with oil, my cup runneth over.”
Isaiah says that God wipes away our tears. (Isaiah 25: 8)
King David tells us, “Even though I walk through
the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are
with me.” What greater companion would we want as
we face death? St. Paul agrees -- his strength comes
from the Lord, through Jesus, who empowers him. (Philippians 4: 13)
This is the same Lord who shepherds us in the Psalm.
“He restores my soul.”
David sets the tone for what is to come -- Jesus
becomes the good Shepherd, leads us beside
still waters, guides us along the right paths.
With the Good Shepherd as our guide,
if we walk with him, we are sure to be among
the chosen ones, and we are sure to be clothed
in the right clothing when we arrive on
God’s holy mountain.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. King David, our psalmist, is confident that he will
dwell in God's house for all the days of his life. What draws
you to God's heavenly mansions and what gives you confidence
that you will live there?
2. The Psalm's verses reassure us that we are God's sheep and
our Lord is our good shepherd. Are you one of His sheep, and
in what way are you gaining repose in His pastures?
We all sin, time and time again, so why do I think that good people like us will some day be living in God’s mansions? Simply because God didn’t make us junk. There’s lots of really, really bad people out there….you read about them in the newspapers, and see them on the TV. And fortunately, I believe that living in this country, in 2014, I truly believe we are blessed, if we just try to follow in His footsteps. Just be thankful we don’t live in a war torn region of the world. May God continue to bless all of us.
ReplyDeleteThe Lord is my Shepherd. For those who have not placed their trust in Christ, He is not their Shepherd. Unless He is your Savior, He is not your Shepherd. If He is not your Savior, then He will be your Judge someday (Rev 20).
ReplyDeleteWhen the Lord is my Shepherd, I will lack for nothing, for only He can bring satisfaction, and I find that my satisfaction is in Him, not in things, so why should I want for anything when I have all things in Him?
I was dead in my sins but He restored my soul because the Shepherd willingly gave His life for His sheep.
Sheep are about the dumbest of all of God’s creatures, and we are like sheep, every one of us (Isaiah 53:6). Consequently, we go through the valleys of, what appears to be, imminent death at times. God never promises to keep us out of these valleys of death or prevent us from going through them, but He does say that He will go “through the valley” with us. And if there is a shadow, this must mean the Son is still shining somewhere.
His rod corrects us when we need it. He corrects every son or daughter that He loves. When my children were wrong I corrected them, not only because they needed it but because I loved them. If I didn’t love them, I wouldn’t care enough to correct them.
Goodness and mercy will follow, even when I stray off the path. This “surely” means with certainty. This goodness and mercy stay with me even when I don’t deserve it. Mercy is where I don’t get what I do deserve, and His goodness is what I do get but don’t deserve.
I claim today that The Lord is My Shepherd. Therefore “goodness and mercy” will surely follow me in this life and in the life to come.
Psalm 23 is one of those passages that I memorized as a child. A wonderful teacher made our entire class do so. With great pleasure, I have made my kids memorize it too. I learned by example and I pray that my kids will one day instruct their children to do the same. In this one instance, I feel that I have been obedient to the call.
ReplyDeleteThis psalm of confidence and trust visually describes how obedient sheep are rewarded. We sheep might be dumb, but we can still have a heart of faith and the sense to hear his call. If we do so... we "will fear no evil, even in the valley of the shadow of death" (v. 4) and later (v.6) we "will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."