“Some evocative images”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, May 3, 2022
Psalm 28 (Forward, p. 5) CEV p. 570
Our psalmist, David, in this powerful prayer for help, uses several great and evocative images to describe God in his relation to Him:
a) A mighty rock: here I think of something that we see all over the place in Europe and the Middle East, how castles or fortresses are often build on a virtually unassailable, unapproachable rock. I was told that enemy forces were only able to penetrate Edinburg Castle, for instance, through a bit of ‘insider’ knowledge. So, think of God was being that strong and secure defence that nothing can undo or attack. Wow.
b) A strong shield: here the believer is in a much more vulnerable position. He is fully exposed to the attacks of the enemy and can’t just hide up and away from the trouble. The trouble is starring him in the face. And yet, here too he has a strong defence, a way of warding off the greatest of attacks. And here I like to think that it is not so much our handling of the shield as much as the shield itself that does the work. (Just think of the entire body-covered shields of the Roman phalanx: one simply had to hold it out in front of your person for it to ‘do its trick’). And that makes sense, in the sense that it is God that does the work with us simply trusting Him. That totally aligns with what the apostle Paul says in describing faith as being like a shield (Ephesians 6:16) to ward off the attacks of the evil one.
c) A shepherd: In this final image, our psalmist adds a most comforting and homey detail, namely that of the shepherd carrying and cradling us in his arms. This brings to mind a very recent experience, namely of holding my new grandson and having him just relax in my arms. (That used to happen with my own children and I always found it most amazing and most gratifying.) But think just how more so this can be with us and God!
All in all, the psalm relates just how much we can go to God and ask for His help, how much we can depend upon Him when the need arises. But then, there is a catch, a requirement on our parts: we must first let go of our stubbornness and independence, our determination to ‘do it ourselves’ and go to Him—and then let Him help us. Amen.
Forward notes: “Save your people and bless your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them forever” (verse 11).
“We had fifty ewes. In the summer, we kept them in electric fenced paddocks and moved them several times a week to fresh pasture. They learned the sound of my voice and would come to the gate to go to bed or to feed. In the winter, they would come to the hay I fed from a horse-drawn sleigh. During lambing season, we checked on them every few hours and moved new lambs and their ewes to little pens so that they would not get claimed by the wrong mom. We made sure they were nursing, and sometimes we had to warm lambs in hot water baths in the sink. Despite all this care, if I needed to get my hands on a sheep, I had to force it into a confined area and snatch it with a crook.
“It seems to me that we sometimes behave the same way with our Shepherd, happy to oblige when we’re having all our needs met but scampering out of arm’s reach when it’s time for a course correction. Thanks be to God, who with mercy and grace, carries and loves us—even when we need a shepherd’s crook.”
MOVING FORWARD: “How often are you obedient to God? How often do you need the shepherd's crook?”