And the love of the Good Shepherd is: A love that pursues, and a love that welcomes. "I shall not want." STRENGTH FOR LIFE'S WORK. Brothers and sisters, nothing can ever separate us from you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Rom 8:39). It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation, My heart is disquieted within me, and the fear of death has fallen upon me.--Ps. It seems, as if Jesus could not part from the City in holy anger, but ever, and only, with tears. It will be yours to kindle the lamp of a never-ceasing devotion, to place the Eucharistic Shewbread before the Lord. Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me, And on his shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me. If Saul hear it, he will kill me. 25. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. Supplying mercy. 4. And when we are in the Fathers house, Jesus prayer will be answered. "THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER." So there will be one flock, one shepherd (10:1-5; 11-16). The extent of the Psalmist's assurance. In one John WesleySermons on Several Occasions, Joy'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' He does not say, "The Lord is the shepherd of the . Sheepdogs are beautiful, highly trained, hardworking and intelligent creatures. In death's dark vale I fear no ill With VariousThe Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA, The Shepherd and the Fold Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' "Innocent until proven guilty" - that phrase is a simplified expression of how the legal system in this country is supposed to work. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, (Psa 103 1-2). The "green pastures" may give place to the dark valley. Psalm 23:5-6. I t is not easy for those, whose habits of life are insensibly formed by the customs of modern times, to conceive any adequate idea of the pastoral life, as obtained in the eastern countries, before that simplicity of manners, which characterized the early ages, was corrupted, by the artificial and false refinements of luxury. God is our shepherd, and we are his sheep. In our studies we looked at Christ - the . Some of us are anxious, fearful and even distressed at what the future might bring. It is when "the hoary head is a crown of glory, being found in the way of righteousness" when there are no marks upon the countenance of extinct volcanoes, dark shadows from wrought-out passions, impressions of darkness and crime, but when the life has been spent for God. Whatever happens in your work, your family, with your health or with your money, whatever happens in our country, if the Lord is your Shepherd, you will always be able to say, Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me; And in Gods house for evermore my dwelling-place shall be.[7], And so, through all the length of days Thy goodness faileth never Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever.[8]. 4. 3. This also is characteristic of the Divine relation to man. All shall be well. 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. Click here for more messages from the book of Psalms. "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.--Ps. Surely goodness and mercy That is, God's favour, and the blessed and comfortable effects of it; shall follow me Hebrew, , jirdepuni, shall pursue me, by which emphatical expression he signifies God's wonderful freeness and readiness to do good to his people, and that his blessings not only prevent us, but even pursue them who flee from them, or that they . Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. A Table Among Enemies: W. C. E. Newbolt, M. A. Psalm 23:5: A Table Prepared: W. Forsyth : Psalm 23:5: Bounty Should Lead to Charity: O. Sedgwick, B. D. . Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray, Since Thou art my guardian no evil I fear; Thy rod shall defend me, Thy staff be my stay; No harm can befall, with my Comforter near. PHILIPPIANS iii. What will that be like? Goodness. He says, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." "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). The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to. 3. Enlarge it towards the east, where we look for our Saviour's coming. My heart wanders and my spirit falters. One of the jobs of a shepherd is to lead his sheep. He will guide you to springs of living water (Rev 7:17). Thus, when our Lord says, Behold, I come as a thief (Revelation 16:15) , --common sense will fix the resemblance to a single point, that He will come suddenly, and unexpectedly. Evil will be overthrown. He came into our world. "I thank God," says the one, "that ever I was born," because he can take the 23rd Psalm, and in the 23rd Psalm he can read the history of his inward life. You will see Christ in His glory. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 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. Poor man! 1141. These capacities and affections of mine, the stirring of a spiritual life within me, were never made to find their perfection here. Amid the manifold anxieties and cares of my heart,[925] by the multitude of which my soul is sore vexed,[926] the brothers coming from a far country[927] that they may serve the Lord,[928] thy letter, and thy staff, they comfort, St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh, 'And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt them mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel! Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. they smothered him with flowers and killed him with fame and it came to this! The guiding God: or the picture of the leading. He leads me into rest and He leads me into righteousness. Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.' Members of my own family rise up against me, but the Lord stands with me and gives me strength. Colin S. Smith. Amid holy enterprises, spiritual conflicts, arduous duties, severe afflictions, trying bereavements, God has sustained His saints. John Crow Skip to main content Spotify for Podcasters 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. 3. Hence it is said, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to," etc. 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 restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Then comes the assurance of expectation and hope. This is a famous psalm that is read at funerals. Goodness to creatures; mercy to sinful creatures. The Purposes: 1. You could not draw a richer picture of a regenerated earth than by just supposing such an extension of its Sabbaths as alone would render safe the removal of its churches. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. In the midst of affliction my table is spread; With blessings unmeasured my cup James MontgomerySacred Poems and Hymns, Mercies Remembered and Anticipated. Both have to do with character, spiritual character, relation to God. Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance," etc. Ill will or bad purpose on His part is inconceivable. The querulous old man puts together all that he had gone through, finds it dark and disappointing, and concludes by saying, "I am this day so and so, and I wish that I had never been born." 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 James MontgomerySacred Poems and Hymns, The Lord the Good Shepherd. EXODUS XV. THE SCENE REFERRED TO. The good man has his difficulties and dangers. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. When the Lord is your Shepherd, you are able to say, He leads, me, He restores me, He guards me and He sustains me. We're taking about believers: about actual Christian experience. xxiii. 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. I. Shall I be able Charles KingsleyOut of the Deep, Letters of St. BernardI To Malachy. Jonathan Edwards points out that the joys of heaven will accumulate. Mercies Remembered and Anticipated. First, lets look at my relationship to the Lord. And this joy will go on increasing! I have turned my face toward the Lord, but my yesterdays pursue me like a relentless hound! But he said, "my" shepherd. There are foes in my yesterdays which can give me fatal wounds. If we turn to the fourth Gospel in which the Holy, He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Open the Bible, 1-877-673-6365. Whether or not you want to hear Psalm 23, we all need the truth of Psalm 23 because Psalm 23 is about Jesus, and he's the one we want to see. 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. When the Lord is your shepherd, he provides everything that you need. Click here for more messages from the Psalm 23 Series. The Lord will never let me go. When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will have great fear, for sin will be with me. Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scripture, The Great Privilege of those that are Born of God"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." Picture what it was like for David to write this Psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 23:6. Epistle: Ephesians 6:10-20. forever. 29.) What is heaven like? Amid the manifold anxieties and cares of my heart,[925] by the multitude of which my soul is sore vexed,[926] the brothers coming from a far country[927] that they may serve the Lord,[928] thy letter, and thy staff, they comfort H. And here God uses three things that we can touch and handle: a table, oil, and a . They are not in any way softened or modified, but uttered in accents of, (Jerusalem, December, a.d. This magazine often included an exposition of a psalm, and in the 1866 publication Spurgeon featured Psalm 23. So when wandering sinners John NewtonMessiah Vol. Surely, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Part of the power of Psalm 23 is the . Gods goodness and mercy are chasing after you to bring you closer to the Good Shepherd. Psalm 23:6: All the Days of My Life: W. Forsyth : Psalm 23:6: . 3. A wildfire sweeping over the mountain consuming everything in its path. The first person to be helped by this Psalm was David himself. 1 John 3:9. When you are tired and jaded and drained and flat, when you are run down and you need to be refreshed, bring to mind all that is yours in Jesus Christ and your faith will be strengthened. Sin has brought its devastating effects into the world, and things are not as they should be in our world, our country, our work, our churches, our homes or in our own hearts. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. "I will dwell in the house of the Lord." xxiii. "I thank God," says the one, "that ever I was born," because he can take the 23rd Psalm, and in the 23rd Psalm he can read the history of his inward life. And all tells of the richness, variety, and depth of the soul's satisfactions in such communion. The days are coming when God Himself will measure the temple, His house, to see who are His, and who shall dwell in His tabernacle. There will be the going in and out, and finding pasture - all through; but the end is not here, but above. And then the last line of verse 6 reminds us of heaven. When John was given a glimpse of what it will be like when all of Gods redeemed people are gathered in His presence, he says, they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. Then, he tells us that, For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water (Rev 7:17). He says Surely goodness and mercy will follow me . When you belong to the Good Shepherd, you can be sure about this: God chases after you, not in judgment and condemnation, but in goodness and mercy. The sheep follow him, and behind them are two sheepdogs chasing after the stragglers, and keeping the flock close to the shepherd. The great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me. Aim . The scenario is a thrilling one: brilliant minds in powerful bodies in a transformed universe.[5]. If we turn to the fourth Gospel in which the Holy Arno GaebeleinThe Lord of Glory, The Great ShepherdHe shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. II. They stay in your memory and you can continue to derive happiness from them. Firm faith. 4. 4. The Lord restores me. Psalms 23:1-6. The joys you experience in life remain with you. 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). Barnabas was also filled with faith. Jerry Bridges says this so well, Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of Gods grace. What a grand triumphal ode! It begins with these words, I bind unto myself today, the strong name of the Trinity. Think about what that will be like in eternity: One joy will be added to another as the Good Shepherd leads you into springs of living water. Now I must prove to my readers' perfect satisfaction that to discard all the dignities and privileges of a high priest and become a lowly worker for Christ, it is not a mere accident nor is it an act of necessity as far as temporal necessities are concerned; Meletios GoldenConversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker, In Heavenly Love Abiding,"I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." xxiii. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. One commentator said of Psalm 23, It is the most-prominent, the most-loved, the most-used, the most-preached on and the most-written-upon, of all psalms. 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.. James MontgomerySacred Poems and Hymns, The Lord My Pasture Shall Prepare[1200]Carey: Henry Carey, 1723 Psalm 23 Joseph Addison, 1712 DOXOLOGY The Lord my pasture shall prepare, And feed me with a shepherd's care; His presence shall my wants supply, And guard me with a watchful eye; My noonday walks he shall attend, And all my midnight hours defend. One of the joys of farming life where I come from, are the dogs that chase after the sheep. Shall I be able, I To Malachy. If He is your shepherd now, He will be your Shepherd then. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. Poor man! God often uses material things to speak to us about spiritual things. "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.". The "I Am. "There is none good but One," said Jesus, "that is God." The Return to Capernaum - Healing of the Centurion's Servant. We belong to a better time, but still we can feel its grandeur. It is a fearful doctrine, but clearly stated in Scripture with regard to many individuals of the human race, that, so far from "goodness and mercy following them all the days of their life," everything that He gives them seems only the more to estrange them from God and goodness. As we all know, a "shepherd" looks after sheep. 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. Why not "go before"? For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water (Rev 7:17). But more is promised. [924] (Epistle 341.) Its guilt dogs my steps. Please open your Bible for the last time in this series at Psalm 23. What credentials does he have to be my shepherd, my owner, my manager? xxiii. And in fact, I wanna ask you to do that . Here we have . Behind me, before me, beside me, beneath me above me. Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me, And on his shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me. 4. Wherever He may guide me, No want shall turn me back; My Shepherd is beside me, And nothing can I lack. What is heaven like? The relationship you have with Jesus in this world will continue forever. 3 He restores my soul. Though in the, The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA, [1242]Dominus Regit Me: John Bacchus Dykes, 1868 Psalm 23 Henry W. Baker, 1868 The King of love my Shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am his, And he is mine for ever. Day by day you will have to go into the Holy Place to offer the incense. This psalm is often used at funerals. But the treatment has been so extremely imperfect, in view of the importance of that section, that a few further remarks must be made. Location: Boise, ID Date: February 22, 2023 Scripture Lessons: Joel 2:1-17; Psalm 103:8-14; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Sermon: Rev. The Philistines hate me. The Lord the Good Shepherd.--Ps. Read the Scripture: Psalm 23:5-6. xxiii. I call this parable "the king." Today the familiarity, poetry, and beauty of the 23rd psalm have a different tone. Dr. Philip W. McLarty. It is remarkable how much, connected not only with the Ministry of Jesus, but with His innermost Life, gathers around that little fishing town. Friends, we are talking about exponentially increasing joy! He leads me beside still waters. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, (Psalm 23:6). 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. Verse 1 - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" - is really the theme of the whole Psalm. Aggravation from Saul, opposition from the Philistines, the pressures of leading a divided nation, trouble in his own family, not to mention the sins that plagued his own heart. But we are prone to look on the dark side of His providence, and to ask, with the murmuring Israelites, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? So I have an enemy in the John Henry JowettMy Daily Meditation for the Circling Year, The Kingdom UndividedTHE POETICAL BOOKS: Psalms Page Song of Solomon Page Proverbs Page THE PSALMS I. Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6. 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). "I will dwell in it. The eye in this . I. "Hath He promised, and shall He not bring it to pass?" It is a delightful passion. So, think about what that will be like when you have been in heaven for a million, million agesTo put what he says, simply, the more you know of God the more you will see of His beauty, and the more you see His beauty, the more you will love Him. Now here is where a shift takes place in this psalm. If you are coming for the first-time we are now studying the Book of Psalms under the theme "PONDERINGS ON THE PSALMS: FINDING MEANING & PURPOSE IN THE PANDEMIC!" Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to J. His writing has informed much of my meditation today. The Good Shepherd will always be leading you into something new. 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. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Here we are, anxious about our world, our country, our families, ourselves. It is, if I am not mistaken, Scougal the author of that little book The Life of God in the Soul of Man takes a review of life, looks back upon its prominent events, its afflictions and its trials, and upon his inward experience, and ends all by saying, "I am this day such and such an age, and I bless God that ever I was born." 12-16 Christian exultation--Christian confidence--"Not in the flesh"--"In Jesus Christ"--The prize in view--No finality in the progress--"Not already perfect"--The recompense of reward--What the prize will be In a certain sense we have completed our study of the first section of the third chapter of the Epistle. Notice who the Shepherd is: The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. goodness. Psalms 23:1-6 , the prayer of David, or a psalm of David, rather. Goodness is God giving us what we dont deserve. So when wandering sinners, The Pilgrim's Rearguard, Goodness and Mercy, David's Confidence in the Prospect of the Future, Religious Conceptions Coloured by Secular Vocation, The pilgrim's rearguard, goodness and mercy, Christian Standing and Christian Progress, The Valley of the Shadow of Death. Cecil Frances Alexander, (1818-95). Psalm 23:1-3. It shall follow incessantly, supply fully, solace richly, sustain powerfully, pass with him through the Jordan, and enter with him the bright portals of glory. 11 I am the good shepherd.