Psalm 23:1-4 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.… The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want etc. God's care and providence over man are denoted by the following things. I. HE GIVES REST TO THE WEARY. "Maketh me to lie down in green pastures." Man is a combatant; he has a fight to maintain, a work to do; and he shall have seasons to rest from his exhaustion. He is a pilgrim-traveller. He has rest from bodily toil. So also rest from spiritual work. But the rest is spiritual in its kind. Not mental inactivity. But a clearer perception of those grand truths which afford the truest relief from the distraction of the conflict. Composure amidst distractions. The blessed end we aim at, and the certain issue of it. II. HE RENEWS THE EXHAUSTED STRENGTH OF MAN. (Vers. 2, 3.) Religious strength consists in the power to do and the power to suffer - or courage and fortitude. This power to do - to conquer sin in ourselves and in the world - is strengthened by unshaken faith in God's truth, and by the power of self-denial. These are God's gifts, not by any direct act of his, but as the consequence of striving to do his will. III. GOD WILL AFFORD PROTECTION IN THE DARKEST AND MOST DIFFICULT TIMES. (Ver. 4.) Death is not always dark or difficult to good men. But the general tendency is to view death as dark and evil, and to fear it on those accounts. Darkness creates a feeling of uncertainty and a desire for guidance. God has removed the uncertainty and affords us guidance. The evil of death is the sense of guilt. Christ gives us the victory over that evil by proclaiming the forgiveness of the Father, and the removal of our sin. All who submit to God's guidance may claim him for their Shepherd. Jesus Christ fulfils the character of man's true Shepherd. - S. Parallel Verses KJV: {A Psalm of David.} The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. |
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