Psalm 23 - The Good Shepherd

This well-known passage is recited often at funerals and other church services and is a source of comfort.

A psalm of David. Copied from biblegateway.com.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
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 your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 23:4 Or the valley of the shadow of death

Years ago, I was introduced to a book on this psalm, and I highly recommend it. It is titled, "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23," written by W. Phillip Keller.

The author explains the role and significance of the shepherd and how he takes care of his sheep. In the Bible, this illustration compares the Lord, Our God, as The Good Shepherd and people as His sheep.

Imagine a field of sheep, wandering about, grazing, falling over, maybe appearing confused at times! But when the sheep hear the voice of their Shepherd, they know where to go, what to do, and at times they are rescued from danger or peril. 

Reread Psalm 23, imagining yourself at the mercy and care of the Good Shepherd.

Jesus was quoted as saying in John 10:7-11,

Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers,but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.

They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Christ the Good Shepherd
by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

This is probably one of my favorite paintings of all time. It is a beautiful image of Christ as the Good Shepherd, painted by the Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in the 17th century.

Readings for Lent: Matthew 7

Jesus Taught

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3).

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened “ (7:7).

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (7:12 ~ The Golden Rule).

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (7:13).

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered by thornbushes, or figs from thistle? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit…” (7:15-17).

Do the Will of God

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day, many will say, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then, [Jesus says] I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (7:21).

Build Your House on the Rock

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (7:24-27).

When He Finished Teaching

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (7:28-29).

Application

As we read Jesus' teachings in Matthew 7, we are reminded again that God created us with a mind and a will so that it is up to us to choose to seek God, to follow Him, and to learn His principles and commandments. Doing these things demonstrates our faith in God.

Day 3 - Our Creator God

Our Creator God and the Supremacy of Christ in Creation

For this is what the Lord says--he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited--he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5)

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  (Hebrews 1:1-2)

He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

From these passages of scripture, the Bible teaches…

1. God is the Creator of earth.
2. God is the Lord, and there is no other God.
3. Jesus is the Word of God.
4. Jesus was with God in Creation.
5. Jesus holds life and the light of mankind.
6. Those who know Jesus, have light to shine in the darkness of this fallen world.
7. Those who don’t know Jesus, live in darkness.
8. In the Old Testament, there are accounts of God speaking to mankind through other men, or prophets.
9. The Good News of the New Testament is that God has now spoken to us by His Son, Jesus Christ.
10. Jesus is the heir of all things and through whom God made the universe.
11. Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
12. All things visible and invisible, even thrones or powers, rulers or authorities were created by Him and for Him.
13. In Christ all things hold together.
14. Jesus is the head of the church.
15. Those in the church are called the “body of Christ”.
16. God was pleased to have the fullness of Himself dwell in Jesus.
17. God wanted to reconcile all things on earth or things in heaven to Himself.
18. God made peace with all things through the shed blood (crucifixion) of Christ on the cross.
19. Just as a perfect sacrifice was required in the Old Testament for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus came to this earth to live and die as the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins for all mankind.
20. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

What a blessing to believe in our Creator God and to have confidence knowing that the invisible God came to us in the visible form of Jesus Christ! His death on the cross and resurrection freed us from the bondage of this sinful world. Jesus is the light shining in the darkness, and through believing and accepting Him, we are reconciled to God. In so doing, we can have full assurance of our place in this world and gain a new identity of who we are in relation to our Heavenly Father. 

Further teaching by Dr. Charles Stanley, "In Touch Ministries":

http://www.jesus.org/is-jesus-god/names-of-jesus/the-lamb-of-god.html