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Very few passages of scripture offer more words of comfort and has touched more lives than this little psalm referred to as the “Nightingale Psalm,” Psalm 23. It has gone into more homes, hospital rooms, churches, funeral parlors, nursing homes and counseling centers than any other single passage. It is the first words of the Bible many memorize and the last words many recite as they expire. It is astonishing to consider the many ways this text has accomplished so much for so many.

The Lord is my shepherd…

Many passages are easy for us to ignore and overlook because they become so familiar to us. Nevertheless, I want us to delve into this rich psalm in this issue and glean some truths to help us through our difficult lives. Thus, we need not to commit this psalm simply to memory, but we need to commit this psalm to life!

Psalm 23 appears in a trio of Messianic psalms—Psalms 22, 23 and 24.

• Psalm 22 discusses the Savior, who suffered on the cross of Calvary. This is our Lord of the past, pictured with a cross.
• Psalm 23 discusses the Shepherd, who because of such is able to meet the needs of His beloved. This is our Lord of the present, pictured with a crook.
• Psalm 24 discusses the Sovereign, who returns triumphantly and victoriously over sin and death. This is our Lord of the future, pictured with a crown.

As we continue, notice the first line and see the presence of our shepherd: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Undoubtedly, we have studied the unique role and relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. We know the impact this has due to the involvement of David as a shepherd boy of his youth trying to provide for his flock, protect and guide his flock and lead his flock. Of all the animals in the world, none is more dependent upon others than helpless sheep. They are extremely helpful, but they are also extremely helpless.

Therefore, as David ponders these things, he thinks about the relationship that he has with his God. To breathe is to think about God. To live from day to day is to think about the goodness, greatness and graciousness of God.

As we consider the presence of our shepherd, notice the personal connotation. He is not simply “a shepherd,” or even “the shepherd,” but David wrote that He was “my shepherd.” In fact, this small psalm of just six verses contains no less than seventeen personal references. Yet, not everyone can make this acclamation. Nevertheless, based upon our own relationship with the Lord through faith, repentance, confession and baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can understand this personal relationship (cf. John 10:11-15). Therefore, He possesses me, and I possess Him. How wonderful it is to awaken each day, to live each day, to look forward to each day, to enjoy each day and to close each day with these words on our lips and in our hearts! This makes all the difference in the world! Thus, this statement is a statement of hope and trust (cf. 2 Tim. 1:11-12).

Once the relationship of the sheep and the shepherd is established, then the basis of that relationship opens the door to the significance of the psalm: “I shall not want.” In essence, this forms the leading thought of the rest of the psalm. In detail, David discusses the fact that he shall not want for provisions, protection and promises. May this issue that is dedicated entirely to this beloved psalm bring you closer to the Shepherd! BY SAM WILLCUT

“GOD LOVES YOU AND I LOVE YOU AND THAT’S THE WAY IT’S GONNA BE!” – MIKE

Peter, one of the original twelve apostles, stands out in my mind when it comes to zeal. Peter made some bold statements in his life: Peter rebuked Christ (Matt. 16:22), “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68), “I will never fall away” (Mt 26:33), and “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matt. 26:35). Finally, when Jesus asked if Peter loved Him in general. Peter responded by saying, “Yes,” using a closer, more personal love than Jesus used. All of these statements show that Peter had zeal. 

Zeal can be described as knowing what is good, desiring the good, and doing everything one can to obtain the good. When I imagine a word picture for zeal, I imagine a fire. Fires can be small, little camp fires or blazing, huge bonfires. The bigger the fire the greater it is noticed. The same idea can be applied to zeal, the greater the zeal the greater it is noticed by others. 

Even though zeal is a good characteristic, it also has a down side. The down side is in the first description that I gave, “knowing what is good.” The problem is with the knowledge. I might think that something is good but be wrong about it. The apostle Paul thought it was good to throw Christians into jail. He went from city to city trying to stop Christians from worshipping God (Acts 9:2). He describes himself as being very zealous (Phil. 3:6). It wasn’t until Jesus spoke to him personally, that Paul realized that he was mistaken (Acts 9:4-19). Peter thought he was doing good when he rebuked Jesus but Jesus set him straight (Matt 16:21-23). In Romans 10:2, the Jews are described as having a “zeal for God, but not coming from knowledge.” They didn’t know about God’s righteousness, God’s standard of living, so they sought to establish their own standard of living or righteousness. Since they had their own righteousness, then they did not surrender to God’s righteousness. 

Zeal without knowledge can be very dangerous. Christians can be doing what they believe is good in the name of Christ. Yet they can still be wrong. It may not be popular to say such a thing but it’s true. Even atheists know it can be true of Christians and they insult us for it. Preachers might say to us, “Have faith in God. Don’t take our children to the doctor.” Sometimes a child ends up dying when it could have been prevented. Perhaps, God’s deliverance for that child would have been through a doctor. I haven’t read anywhere in the Scriptures that God is against doctors. Sometimes we pray asking God to guide us in a decision. Yet, we never stop to think that the decision might be bad for us. We think if God is on our side,  then He will make sure our decision will not be detrimental. On the other hand God doesn’t want us to be ignorant or thoughtless in our decisions. He has given us the ability to discern between good and bad consequences. Perhaps, God allows us to make mistakes to teach us to think about our decisions. The Bible instructs us to not put the Lord to the test (1 Corinthians 10:9). It seems to me that if I haven’t thought about the decision enough. And I’m depending upon God to make sure my terrible decision turns out for the good, I just might be putting God to the test. It’s almost like saying, “Mom, Dad, if you care about me then you will stop me from walking out onto a busy street without looking both ways.” We can see how it would be foolish. On the other hand, we don’t always understand the same kind of thought process is foolish in religion. 

So where can we get the proper knowledge? The Bible, God’s Word, has the proper perspective on God, salvation, and right versus wrong. Where God has spoken, directly, indirectly, or in principle, we can learn from God. 

We also can use the minds which God has given to us. Science has made advancements which can help us understand our behaviors, how our brain functions, and maybe even will power. Christians, however, need to remember our foundation for thinking is in the Bible. 

Philosophy has long been helpful in understanding God’s word. There are many philosophies out there but we can test these philosophies through logic. Anything illogical or untruthful cannot lead to a valid conclusion. Therefore, we can know for sure anything illogical and untruthful is improper. Again, as a Christian my philosophy is going to match God’s philosophy, which is found in the Bible. 

I want us to understand that we can’t know everything. We will never be able to know, firsthand, all subjects. We will have to listen and learn from other people. If we attempt to learn everything on our own, we will be worn out. Also, there will be questions that cannot be answered, at least at this time. We must acknowledge our limitations and be humble enough to say, “I don’t know.” There will be times that Science and the Bible don’t seem to agree but they may not exactly contradict either. We must be willing to see things from another point of view in order to correctly analyze, understand, even refute or rebuttal each case. 

Zeal is a good emotion. If it doesn’t have knowledge, then it can lead to disaster, not just for us be for others also. We must be willing to learn through our lives. Desiring the good and locking onto it will help us remain faithful to God and be honest with all knowledge. BY MATT at http://www.northglennchurchofchrist.org/

“GOD LOVES YOU AND I LOVE YOU AND THAT’S THE WAY IT’S GONNA BE!” – MIKE