However, many scholars believed David wrote it during his kingship (around 1000 BC to 993 BC). The anointing of oil to the sheep isnt just a meaningless ritual. Psalm 23:6 And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. That seldom accomplishes His purposes and the rest of the Psalm show that these things do occur. The Psalms are Hebrew poetry, and the title of the book comes from the Greek Septuagint. What 1 Corinthians 13 is to weddings, Psalm 23 is to funerals. God will authorize him to apply It is a bit difficult to ascertain the exact time Psalm 23 was written. Proud member Taking the Lord's Supper in an Unworthy Manner. They are well helped when any thing ails them: He restoreth my soul. Psalm 23 mainly illustrates God as a caring shepherd. Companionship -- for you are with me. ii. He first spoke them for Israels sake, but he caused Isaiah to record them for our sake. Someone said they are the most stupid animal on the face of the earth. This sentence may be read, only goodness and mercy, for there shall be unmingled mercy in our history. How highly he magnifies God's gracious vouchsafements to him (v. 5): "Thou preparest a table before me; thou hast provided for me all things pertaining both to life and godliness, all things requisite both for body and soul, for time and eternity:" such a bountiful benefactor is God to all his people; and it becomes them abundantly to utter his great goodness, as David here, who acknowledges, (1.) And yet through it all he could look back and write 'the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want'. Lets look at the meaning and significance of each verse written in Psalm 23. The Saviours Cross. (Kidner). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. The MacArthur Bible Commentary. That is what God desires to work into your life. [1] As I mentioned, this is one famous Psalm. Jesus took this name for Himself when He said 'Before Abraham was born, I AM!' My cup runs over (Hebrew: rewayah) (v. 5c). We read the last clause as David's covenant with God: "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (as long as I live), and I will praise him while I have any being." And obviously, he would then leave the lamb to die in the wilderness, eaten by its predators! That was his role growing up. Scripture: But Jesus is the good Shepherd. Psalm 40 - The Pit and the Pierced Ear in the Paths of God, Psalm 41: The pattern of betrayal - Past, present and future (P1), Psalm 55: The pattern of betrayal: Past, present and future (P2), Psalm 69 - The restoration and the zeal of the Lord, Psalm 102 - Change and the Unchangeable One, Psalm 110: Jesus the Messiah - Our Lord and King, Psalm 110: Jesus our priest in the order of Melchizedek. i. The mercy here comes from the Hebrew word Hesed which depicts Gods covenant faithfulness. The light shines the brightest in the dark. Web29 MacArthur Bible New Testament Commentary - Almost Complete Set + Handbook + 1 Sold by brianmash | Ends on 2023-02-28 23:45:20 . It is a walk through it; they shall not be lost in this valley, but get safely to the mountain of spices on the other side of it. The gist of Psalm 23 is that God is our shepherd who always provides and protects. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.. Every word in it has a wealth of meaning. 2. This word follow in the Hebrew does not just mean tag along at some distance behind. In the presence of my enemies: This is a striking phrase. Hence he infers that he should want no good (ver 1), that he needed to fear no evil (ver 4), that God would never leave nor forsake him in a way of mercy; and therefore he resolves never to leave nor forsake God in a way of duty, ver 6. [13] Boy it used to annoy me how church leaders and other Christians would create such confusion concerning this! Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. There are no halfway measures when it comes to the Lords provision for our lives. He would tend, protect and care for his sheep. WebPsalm 23. (4.) Brief but well done notes 1,275 ratings They will lead us to places of rest and provision. Let us not, therefore, be afraid. (4.) ), The Complete WordStudy Old Testament (Chattanooga; AMG Publishers, 1994), Baker, Warren and Carpenter, Eugene, The Complete WordStudy Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2003), Bromiley, Geoffrey (General Editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 4 vols. Is - Can you say that? Believe with the same confidence David had. i. MON 10/20/2014. The way of the righteous. (Proverbs 10:3). ; and Briggs, Charles A., The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1906, 2004), Doniach, N.S. God wasnt just a shepherd to others in a theoretical sense, but He was Davids shepherd. What would you say of a pilgrim commissioned of God to travel up and down the earth singing a strange melody, which, when one heard, caused him to forget whatever sorrow he had? Everyone knows this psalm even non-Christians have heard it because it seems to be a favourite at their funerals. c. I will fear no evil: Despite every dark association with the idea of the valley of the shadow of death, David could resolutely say this because he was under the care of the LORD his shepherd. A sheep unoiled is an easy target for the infestations of such pests. A poor man may say this as well as those in higher circumstances, What, all this, and Jesus Christ too?[6]. WebJohn Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. This is the condition of Gods servant always conflict, but always a spread table. (Maclaren), ii. Basically fear tactics. Pests would crawl through the ear canal of an unoiled sheep and lay in its brain. He is not just a 'good shepherd'. Significantly, it is at the dangerous moment pictured in the psalm that the He of Psalm 23:1-3 changes to You. The LORD as Shepherd is now in the second person. The psalmist doesnt speak of going into the valley, as if it were a box canyon or a final destination. WebPastor Steve Waldron, New Life of Albany - Albany, GaTony Evans and John MaCArthur both have one volume Bible commentaries. This feeding is symbolic of being fed spiritually with the word of God. Anointing with oil was used for various purposes (healing, burial, expressing grief or joy). When the sheep are hungry or are anxious about food, they cant lie down peacefully. He had known famine. The great confidence which believers have in God: "If the Lord is my shepherd, my feeder, I may conclude I shall not want any thing that is really necessary and good for me." It helped him even in the valley of the shadow of death to know that God guided him, even through correction. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, Psalm 2 Bible Study The Current Rebellion & The Coming King, Psalm 8 Bible Study The wonder of God and the second man, Psalm 16 Part 1: Testing's in the journey through life and death, Psalm 16 Part 2 - Hope in the journey through life and death, Psalm 22 Part 1 - Prophecy of the crucifixion and the wrath of man. From God's being his shepherd he infers that he shall not want anything that is good for him, v. 1. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Do you? If there is a ditch, they will fall in and need to be rescued. These instruments (or instrument) of guidance were a comfort to David. God provides for his people not only food and rest, but refreshment also and pleasure. Whatever be the believers position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah. Psalm 23:4 I will fear no evil, for you are with me, There is a switch here from 'He' to 'You'. How would you describe sheep? But that is not how it is in the dry arid lands of the Middle East and we need to read this Psalm with that mindset. Our God does not withhold anything good from His flock. You anoint my head with oil; We in turn should allow that light to shine forth towards others so that people may see our lives and praise God. It is a song of gratitude that resonates with the authors heart and trust in God. I recently did a study on this psalm for a home group church meeting. Notice the following -. Are any of us low in grace? These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. 20:28 ) If this is you, then please don't starve God's flock and please don't feed them rubbish. This table represents all the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus. If God be as a shepherd to us, we must be as sheep, inoffensive, meek, and quiet, silent before the shearers, nay, and before the butcher too, useful and sociable; we must know the shepherd's voice, and follow him. I will believe that thou reignest still. Though not often recited in its entirety, few are unfamiliar with the famous valley of the shadow of death.. They counsel, Seek Yahweh while he may be found (55:6). His table was not spread with any thing that came next to hand, but prepared, and prepared before him. What a wonderful picture we have of Christ in these three psalms! He had said (v. 1), I shall not want; but now he speaks more positively, more comprehensively: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. But, what makes it so compelling? Oils and ointments can salve wounds and insect bites. The psalmist here claims relation to God, as his shepherd, ver 1. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, says the Lord Yahweh, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes (Ezekiel 36:22-23). He got us to say the sentence emphasizing each word. It talks about humanity, our experiences, and even our emotions. But mentally and spiritually we can get really tired trying to work out all our problems and we don't rest. He does not say there shall not be any evil; he had got beyond even that high assurance, and knew that Jesus had put all evil away; but I will fear no evil; not even the Evil One himself; I will not dread the last enemy, I will look upon him as a conquered foe, an enemy to be destroyed, For thou art with me. See here. The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, My. He does not say, The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock, but The Lord is my shepherd; if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. The words are in the present tense. This is a psalm of trust and confidence in Gods goodness in the present and in the future. In this context, it suggests blessings that will help the psalmist. When the end of the Babylonian Exile and Israels salvation was nigh, God told Israel: Dont be afraid, for I have redeemed you. Guess I had put my eyes on the problem too much! i. The idea that the LORD is a shepherd to His people is also prevalent throughout the Bible. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven .' The instruments used by the shepherd comforted David. 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.. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. See here the courage of a dying saint (v. 4): "Having had such experience of God's goodness to me all my days, in six troubles and in seven, I will never distrust him, no, not in the last extremity; the rather because all he has done for me hitherto was not for any merit or desert of mine, but purely for his name's sake, in pursuance of his word, in performance of his promise, and for the glory of his own attributes and relations to his people. See here, 1. And he awaits the day when the great shepherd will become the chief Shepherd and shall come in the skies. It has remanded to their dungeon more felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving The Shepherd's rod: The rod which the Shepherd carried was for protecting the sheep from predators. You will have much more pressing concerns. The good man has his enemies. It works. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. So I wrote back and said I had done a thorough check and all was well. While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper story of the house of the Lord for ever. (Spurgeon), (c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik ewm@enduringword.com. [ 13 ] Boy it used to annoy me how church leaders and other Christians would create psalm 23 commentary john macarthur confusion this... Not only food and rest, but he caused Isaiah to record them for sake. The presence of my enemies is an easy target for the infestations of such pests is one psalm! My soul provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features starve! 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