“Do we really mean it?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, May 21, 2022
Psalm 23 (Forward, p. 23) CEV p. 568
I hate to say this, but all too often our lived-out experience proves us to be liars—maybe not intentionally or purposefully—but still liars none the less. I say this in the context of today’s psalm. Today’s psalm is the well-known and much loved 23rd Psalm, and as such, it is probably so familiar and so accepted that we fail to realize that we don’t really live up to its precepts.
The tone, and indeed, the entire message and meaning of the psalm is summed up in the very first verse. Unfortunately, the familiar Authorized Version (King James Version) obscures its meaning somewhat. It says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” That gives a somewhat vague and diffused sense but is anything but specific. Other translations aid us in understanding more of its specifics:
“The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not be in want” (RSV). Being in want is a state of being and is a lot more illustrative of what the psalmist in getting at;
“The Lord is my shepherd. I will never be in need” (CEV). Again, this speaks of a state of being, this time being in need rather than being in want, a subtle but important difference:
Other translations go further: “The Lord is my shepherd; therefore I can lack nothing” (Coverdale, revised version). Really, we lack nothing if God is in charge and we depend upon Him? That’s pretty radical;
The Good News Bible, however, takes it even further: “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need”. I have everything I need. Really? Do we really mean this, really act on this truth, really live this way?
The entire rest of the psalm plays out the details of how God does this, spells out just how (or in what ways) God meets our needs. It lists our needs for nourishment and restoration, for guidance, for protection, for healing, for fellowship with Himself, and much else.
But, do we really take this seriously? I mean, do we not spend countless hours and endless energy in trying to meet those selfsame needs ourselves rather than trusting God and letting Him take care of it? I mean, is this not part of our independent, self-reliant way of life that has formed the bedrock of North American culture? One of my boys, stubborn like his father, used to say, when I tried to help him, “Me do it. Daddy, me do it.” All of this really denotes a lack of a lived-out trust in Almighty God. We may well claim to trust Him in everything but when it comes down to the wire, do we really? This certainly is a matter to ponder and pray over. Amen.
Forward notes: “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters” (verse 2).
“In his youth, David was a nomadic shepherd like we have on the range in the American West. There is a strong pattern for the shepherd’s life. The ewes are grazed on the desert browse or crop residue in the winter, moving every week to a new bedding ground. In the spring, they are shorn and give birth near sheds or in meadows. In summer, the flock is trailed from grazing area to grazing area; finally grazing upon the highest mountains. The shepherd stays with them, usually in a small trailer or wagon, and makes the sheep go on the right path, with the help of one or two sheepdogs. The shepherd has a rifle to protect the sheep and, in the last several decades, the assistance of guard dogs.
“Lying down in green pastures is a rewarding but risky business. It means regularly leaving the familiar behind and being vulnerable to risks and enemies. It also means trusting the Shepherd and following the commands.”
Moving Forward: “How has learning more about sheep farming changed your understanding of the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd?”