A Psalm in troubled
times
Psalm 23 was the
recitation of refuge that I woke to say every night probably hundreds of times
in my first term of boarding school, haunted by things only I could see and
sounds only I could hear. Such was the menace of my disturbance that the first
half of my second term was spent as a day student living with my aunt.
Psalm 23 however is
like a rare diamond, which when put up to light has a colour too mesmerising
for words, a cut by the craftmanship of divine providence, a clarity in message
that is individualised in revelation to those who meditate on it and a carat
weight of priceless value.
I say this because
just under 5 months ago, I received a revelation that came at a time that I
needed to understand how the Lord is my shepherd. With it came a calmness in my
soul and an assurance that things would turn out right. Soon, I got a new job
in the midst of a pandemic and the way it came about was just too amazing to
describe.
Blog - The
changing texts of religious meditation
New treasures in old mines
As I was engaged in a conversation this evening, I was persuaded to share my new understanding as a
word of comfort. We were communicating by text on WhatsApp as I began to write
what I thought I was going to share.
What transpired just
blew my mind for as I was writing, some new insight came to me that I had never
seen before, unveiling to the eyes of my understanding that it was as if I
was now sermonising to both myself and the person I was chatting.
A Psalm of David. [KJV]
1. The LORD is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4. Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a
table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over.
6. 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.
Doing waters and
feeling pastures
There are a number of
themes running through these 6 verses, repeated over and over again, whilst each
successive verse reinforces the relationship between the shepherd and the
sheep. I have before indicated that if the Lord is my shepherd, by inference, I
would be His sheep and that is why we end up at the green pastures where the
sheep can feed and the still waters where the sheep can peacefully drink.
I also find that
there is the thread of what the shepherd does as a shepherd and for the sheep
and what that does for the sheep and how the sheep feel. There is an anthropomorphic
quality to these relationships, but please forgive my amateurish attempt at
expounding this text.
Finding the recurring
themes
Taking each verse, I
address the themes.
1. The LORD is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
Here, what he does is
shepherd and by reason of that, I want for nothing.
2. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Here, he does lead
the sheep beside the still waters, a place of peace and refreshing, as the
sheep lays in the verdant pastures they feed to their satisfaction unperturbed.
In King James’
English, the -eth suffix denotes a present continuous tense. So, read maketh
and continues to make and leadeth as continues to lead. The job of a shepherd
when the sheep are about is never left undone at any time.
3. He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
As he leads the sheep
in the right and sure path continuously, for that is what the shepherd does by
profession, by duty, and by name. There, you see a form of still waters.
Where he continues to
restore the soul bringing comfort, peace and assurance reads like a form of
green pastures. An abundance of mental restoration means we are never left
exhausted by any situation.
4. Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The still waters
might get turbulent or the green pastures might be exhausted after a time of
grazing. This would mean the shepherd has to herd the sheep to new green pastures
and still waters.
The sheep are always
led by the shepherd and the shepherd knows the many green pastures and still
waters all around the wilderness to lead the sheep to, to ensure never want for
provision of comfort.
Getting to the next
green pastures and still waters might include traversing the valley of the
shadow of death where dangers lurk from the sheep straying and brought back
into the flock with the rod or where predators are warded off with the staff.
The shepherd, ever
vigilant is with the sheep and the sheep should fear no danger or accident as
the shepherd is there. In our lives, we also traverse difficulty, adversity,
trials, tribulations and negative circumstances. The Lord with us will lead us
out of it to new triumphs in life.
5. Thou preparest a
table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over.
Here we are, having
gone through the valley of the shadow of death with the sheep, the new green
pastures are a table set before us where our enemies can see but never assail
us. The new still waters are the anointing of the head, succouring and
empowerment with capacity. We can only thrive for we are in a place of joy.
We have become
warriors, celebrating victories over situations, circumstances and issues in
life.
6. 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.
Yet, the table is
just a place of transition for there is another possible valley of the shadow
of death that the shepherd has to herd the sheep to, where the still waters are
now goodness and mercy in all the days of our lives and the green pastures of
the final destination is dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.
At this point, we are
no more mere sheep, but people, living and enjoying the blessings of the Lord.
Goodness being everything right, good and desirous for wellbeing, health, and a
sense of contentment in not wanting for anything. Mercy in that there is no
guilt or condemnation, we have been continuously led in the paths of
righteousness from verse 3.
