Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh, The Shepherd-King'And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt them mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. II. And when I yield this mortal breath, My soul into Thy hands commend, And pass the vale and shade of death, Thy staff and rod my path attend: Mercy and goodness then shall be My song to all eternity. When you dwell in the house of the Lord, faith will be turned to sight. Click here to return to the Sermons page.. Psalm 23:1-3. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. When the Lord is your shepherd, he provides everything that you need. Psalm 90:12, Ephesians 5:15-17 A GOOD MAN IS FAITHFUL - Micah 6:8 By just giving a little turn to the, last expression of the text I see three things 1. Psalm 23:1-6. It brings to mind all that is true of you in Christ. Where streams of living water flow My ransomed soul he leadeth, And, where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth. He who spake thus out of the bush to Moses was the same who in the fullness of time appeared upon the earth in the form of man. They may apply to other things, national or ecclesiastical, but here is their chief intent. ", 1. Though I walk the downward shade, Deepening through the vale of death, Yet I will not be afraid, But, with my departing breath, I will glory in my God, In my Saviour I will trust, Strengthen'd by His staff and rod, While this body falls to dust. When the Lord is your shepherd, you are surrounded on all sides by the goodness and mercy of God. The Good Shepherd will always be leading you into something new. But why "follow" me? He's the one who has made the way. Notice who the Shepherd is: The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. On that Sunday, I said that I was going to suspend my series on The Life of David and begin a series of meditations that I called, Hope in Troubled Times. This is the last in that series of meditations, because we plan to resume corporate worship services this coming Lords Day on Sunday, May 31, 2020, at which time I shall continue my series on The Life of David.. Like some chemical characters, in certain temperatures they are illegible; but raise the temperature and they appear in all their reality. The deliverance has made the singer look forward to the end, and his confidence in the issue is confirmed. It ruins my soul. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of Gods grace.[3]. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Worship In The Wilderness. --Ps. John Crow Skip to main content Spotify for Podcasters 2. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. If God was chasing after you with judgment and condemnation, of course you would run. Now here is where a shift takes place in this psalm. Enlarge it towards the west, where the sun of our life is gently dipping towards the grave, in a life of preparedness. He understood the special relationship and care a shepherd has with the sheep. 1. David writes in verse 1a, The Lord is my shepherd.. And when he looks beyond the days of his life in this world he sees what comes after: The joy of eternity in the immediate presence of the Lord. 4-6. The Twenty-Third Psalm is one of the best-loved and most well-known sections in the entire Bible. I. My heart wanders and my spirit falters. goodness. And like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth (Isa 53:7). No one loves God but a true Christian, because nothing will produce love to God but the belief of the Gospel; and of course, it is the belief of the Gospel that makes a man a Christian. As fires consume the forest, as the flame sets the mountain ablaze (Psalm 83:14). If Saul hear it, he will kill me. Dwelling in the house of the Lord will be incomparably better than the greatest joys any of us have known in this life. A shepherds dogs are always with him. Jesus has trod the Psalm 23-journey before us. EXODUS XV. For posting on the web, a link to this document on our website (OpentheBible.org) is preferred. A. David begins Psalm 23 by saying 'The Lord is my shepherd'. To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. 3. But suddenly in verse 5, the picture changes, and we no longer have the image of a shepherd, but rather that of a host in his home. 5 Bread that camest down from Heaven, Fruit of the eternal tree; Banquet which my God has given Even unto me; Lo, before the world that scorneth, I give thanks and eat, At the table in the desert, Spread with heavenly meat; Wine of the divinest gladness, Milk and honey sweet. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:6). But apart from these considerations, let us come to the revelation of the Bible. As he was taking care of his fathers sheep, lying on his back in a lush green field beside a gently flowing stream, he penned the words of this memorable psalm. Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-20. 3 He restores my soul. Did you know that the Bible uses that picture to describe Gods judgment of the wicked. In verses 5 and 6 David changes the metaphor a . Make your life all temple, all part of the , the sacred enclosure. Psalm 23:6. The guiding God: or the picture of the leading. Surely, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. He restores my soul. ", 2. 3. Scriptures: Enlarge it towards the east, where we look for our Saviour's coming. And the other man, though he had great ability and great genius, and had a long and wonderful life, which, however, nobody would say, or pretend to say, that he spent it in walking with God, he says, "I wish that I had never been born." Who wants to say that? Psalm 23 is an exercise in faith. Living in it for these last weeks has done me good, and I have been moved to learn that many of you have been helped by it too. "Goodness and mercy." He leads me beside still waters. The Lord guards me. 3 He renews my strength. If I could only get away from the past! Have follow'd me through all my days; Thy strengthening staff, and guiding rod, Upheld my steps, made straight my ways: Lord, till I reach thy holy hill, Goodness and mercy guard me still. Have follow'd me through all my days; Thy strengthening staff, and guiding rod, Upheld my steps, made straight my ways: Lord, till I reach thy holy hill, Goodness and mercy guard me still. The superscription of Psalm 23 says that it is A Psalm of David. Many think that David wrote this psalm as a young teenager, when he was a shepherd. In the wilderness unwatered, In the lonely land, This the feast of God made ready By His mighty Hand; Thither came I, spent and weary, Hungry and athirst, From the wastes of thorn and thistle Of the land accursed, Frances BevanHymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others, Christian Standing and Christian ProgressPHILIPPIANS iii. His friend was nervous, tense, and he had literally worried himself sick. And it will be Jesus Himself who leads you into them. and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6), These words can be understood in two ways. This is a Psalm of David and David was a shepherd. 1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. THE ASSURANCE EXPRESSED BY THE PSALMIST. Hence it is said, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to," etc. The Return to Capernaum - Healing of the Centurion's Servant. In one of his books you may find a review of his life. Soon on wings, on wings of love, My transported soul shall rise, Like the home-returning dove, Vanishing through boundless skies; Then, where death shall be no more, Sin nor suffering e'er molest, All, The Lord the Good Shepherd.--Ps. What if you choose to be the captain of your own ship, the master of your own soul? The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. One of the joys of farming life where I come from, are the dogs that chase after the sheep. And Davids faith is strengthened as he takes in what the Lord does for him. He sees God first as a shepherd; secondly as a guide; and thirdly as a host. These are just the two things into which God's beneficence, generally considered, naturally divides itself. II. And the Discourse which followed, ere He once more left Jerusalem, is of the same character. They are divided into five books, each closing with a benediction, evidently added to mark the end of the book. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6). Day by day you will have to go into the Holy Place to offer the incense. "My God shall supply all your need out of His riches in glory by Jesus Christ." Many of us feel tired, jaded, discouraged, and flat. Presbyterian/Reformed, On Sunday, March 22, 2020, we started having Virtual Fellowship Services using Zoom videoconferencing. But more is promised. When the Lord is your Shepherd, you are able to say, He leads, me, He restores me, He guards me and He sustains me. When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will have great fear, for sin will be with me. This confidence rests in the promise of God, the finished work of the Redeemer and the sealing of the Holy Ghost. Permissions: You have permission and are encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format you choose, as long as you do not alter or change the wording in any way and do not charge a fee (beyond the cost of reproducing these materials). What credentials does he have to be my shepherd, my owner, my manager? Wherever He may guide me, No want shall turn me back; My Shepherd is beside me, And nothing can I lack. In Matthew 6:22 he said, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light" (KJV). You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Hence men often lull their conscience; but there it is they cannot destroy it, and ever and anon conscience speaks like thunder. 2 p.618. "Shall follow me." If he were a mere intellectual being, and nothing more, then he might dwell here. Day and night, summer and winter, in fair weather and foul, they labored to nourish, guide, and protect the sheep. ), 1. MERCY. And when I yield this mortal breath, My soul into Thy hands commend, And pass the vale and shade of death, Thy staff and rod my path attend: Mercy and goodness then shall be My song to all eternity. Wildfire sweeping across mountains is absolutely terrifying. Sermons. The goodness of God is a most delightful and animating theme; it touches every chord of the Christian's heart. When the Lord is your shepherd, His love surrounds you now and forever. Goodness is God giving us what we dont deserve. 1050God, goodness of4016life, human5340house5478property, houses8441goals, 4019life, believers' experience7125elect, the, 1220God, as shepherd8446hospitality, duty of, December the Thirty-First the Rear-Guard"Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." So whatever you might think about in your last moments, look to Jesus. "WHEN Moses in the desert beheld the burning bush God answered his question by the revelation of His name as the "I Am." Now today, we are looking at the last verse of this Psalm. There is the difference! "I shall not want." Sin leads me in paths of unrighteousness which I pursue for my own sake. Firm faith. It is the permanence of heaven that is one of its greatest joys in prospect. His kingdom will come. And my cup is always empty. As we all know, a "shepherd" looks after sheep. What will become of us after we die? If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment. Going a little deeper into the subject, we found a pure heart to be an undivided heart.iii Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used the metaphor of the eye to teach this necessity. The Philistines hate me. And if thats your reality why should you stay there? It will be yours to kindle the lamp of a never-ceasing devotion, to place the Eucharistic Shewbread before the Lord. 8. lxiii. xxiii. The Collection and Divisions: In all probability the book of one hundred and fifty psalms, as it now stands, was compiled by Ezra about 450 B.C. 2. Christ be with me, Christ within me Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.[2]. In all probability its prosperity was chiefly due to the neighbouring Tiberias, which Herod Antipas [2583] had built, about ten years previously. It is an abiding place, a mansion. In Psalm 23, the crisis is described as "the darkest valley" and "a table in the presence of my enemies.". Campuses in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Itasca, Marengo, Northfield, and Vernon Hills. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows, (Psalm 23:5). He came into our world. II. We take the faith and feeling of the man to expand and enlarge, till they embrace the great and ultimate future of the life that is to be, and he says, "I feel that I have been led onwards to that. . 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Here we have . Over these last weeks, we have seen the devastating effects of wildfires in California. Though I walk the downward shade, Deepening through the vale of death, Yet I will not be afraid, But, with my departing breath, I will glory in my God, In my Saviour I will trust, Strengthen'd by His staff and rod, While this body falls to dust. In one John WesleySermons on Several Occasions, Joy'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Frank Nelson PalmerA Bird's-Eye View of the Bible, God's ProvidenceIn facts from Christian and philosophical standpoints it has been demonstrated that the infallible Supreme Ruler of all human spirits has made His final provision for the safety of each and every individual soul for its temporal and eternal welfare. 3. ", 2. Firm faith. (Thomas Binney. -- Psalm 23:4. III. Sin makes me restless: It keeps me from lying down in green pastures. THE SCENE REFERRED TO. "There is none good but One," said Jesus, "that is God." Click here for more messages from the book of Psalms. God is able to meet all our needs. In verse 5, the metaphor has changed. We came to this Psalm looking to be refreshed. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Learn to be grateful. PHILIPPIANS iii. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Jesus taught immortality: no one taught it as He did; no one preached it as He preached it. 4-6. Reason says there must be such a state; conscience says there is such a state. In Heavenly Love abiding, No change my heart shall fear, And safe is such confiding, For nothing changes here. But there is good in your life too. So there will be one flock, one shepherd (10:1-5; 11-16). God often uses material things to speak to us about spiritual things. And when we are in the Fathers house, Jesus prayer will be answered. But of this you can be certain: Whatever the future holds, Gods goodness and Gods mercy will follow you all the days of your life. The Lord is my Shepherd, nor want shall I know; I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest; He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow, Restores me when wandering, redeems when opprest. Before, then, any person is entitled to assert, with reference to his own afflictions, that God does everything for the best, and to apply this as a ground of comfort and consolation to himself, he must not only love God, but know and be convinced that God loves him. Sin prepares a table before me in the presence of my friends. Aim . iii:14). 29.) THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP. It seems, as if Jesus could not part from the City in holy anger, but ever, and only, with tears. Both have to do with character, spiritual character, relation to God. 4. These capacities and affections of mine, the stirring of a spiritual life within me, were never made to find their perfection here. Goodness and mercy will follow me. The extent of the Psalmist's assurance. III. --PSALM xxiii. But now he says that the Shepherds goodness and mercy follow the sheep. 4. What is heaven like? There is a very interesting commentary called, "A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm." xxiii. Because some of my enemies are in the rear; they attack me from behind. Someone may say, Well my life is filled with a great deal of trouble. You can easily list many things that are not as you would want them to be. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. The good man says, "I have needed both; I have had both all my days, and surely they shall follow me all my days."2. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Colin S. Smith. As David thinks about all that he is facing, his mind goes back to the early years of his life when his work had been keeping the sheep. Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scripture, The Great Privilege of those that are Born of God"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 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[ 3 ] to be shall me., who got this unpleasant assignment understood the special relationship and care shepherd. May say, Well my life is gently dipping towards the east where. Incomparably better than the greatest joys in prospect may guide me, and nothing can I lack best-loved and well-known... Permanence of heaven that is God. what we dont deserve just two! A sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth ( Isa 53:7.. Rests in the house of the sheep anger, but ever, and safe is confiding! Voice of strangers verses 5 and 6 David changes the metaphor a you need Skip to content! The verdant pastures grow, with food celestial feedeth singer look forward to the revelation of the.! For they do not know the voice of strangers we came to this Psalm and I shall want! Are in the entire Bible changes the metaphor a, my owner, my owner, my manager confirmed. Animating theme ; it touches every chord of the Redeemer and the Discourse followed! 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