Welcome to the next part of our series, "The Good Shepherd."
Text: Psalm 23
(A psalm of David.)
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
The LORD is our Shepherd. WE CAN FOLLOW HIM.
Overall Commentary: š
One of the most significant issues we have when reading the Old Testament is ethnocentrism. The definition of ethnocentrism is:
- Evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.
This series aims to show David's fantastic explanation in this Psalm for the close and authentic relationship God desires to have in our lives. As Theists, we believe that God not only created the Universe but wants to have an active role in our lives. Psalm 23 is a prime example of His involvement.
Because the LORD is our Shepherd, we can live with an overflowing HOPE.
What does it mean to live with an overflowing hope?
An overflowing hope is the type of trust in God that looks at any giant standing in our way and says, "God is bigger than that."
This is helpful because we have all met at least two types of Christians. One type struggles to believe that God can do anything. The other type believes God can do anything, even if they are facing terrible situations. How? It's probably because they have already witnessed God's faithfulness and now realize there is nothing impossible with Him. This verse shows us why we can have an overflowing hope like this. We know God is always at work and doing more than we realize.
Sheep Need A "Working Shepherd."
The shepherd aims to get the sheep to the tablelands by summer so they can graze and enjoy the best land. While it would be easy to think this is when the shepherd takes his vacation, a good shepherd is still working hard. He has to maintain the sheep because there are also issues, even though it is summer.
Commentary
Verse 5b. "You honor me..."
It is a blessing to realize that the Good Shepherd shows exceptional attention to us and honors us with His presence. The Good Shepherd does not anoint the sheep with a spray gun. He takes special care and attention to each one.
Verse 5b. "by anointing my head with oil."
Remember, the metaphor David is using is two-fold. On the one hand, he talks about Yahweh as a gracious host. On the other, He is speaking about how a Good Shepherd takes care of His sheep. Regarding the gracious host, the honored guests in the ancient Near East would receive oil to cover their heads due to the ultra-dry climate. This symbolized graciousness, having thought of everything to care for His honored guest.
When it comes to the Good Shepherd, they would apply oil to the head of their sheep for three main reasons:
- To keep pests away. During the season, sheep are especially tormented by nasal flies. They will lay their eggs in the sheep's nose. Once hatched, they will crawl up the sheep's nasal cavity. This causes great pain and irritation. A sheep will be seen banging its head against a rock or tree to find relief. In extreme cases, they can kill themselves. A good shepherd will apply oil to the nose of the sheep. The scent will keep the flies away. The problem with this is that the oil doesn't last long. It has to be continually applied. This reminds us that the LORD not only wants to anoint us with His presence, but He wants to do it constantly to keep the "pests" and worries of life away. (Ephesians 5:18)
- To keep away disease and drynessāThe sheep also had to deal with disease and dryness. To fix this, the shepherd would completely cover the head with oil. This was not always easy because the sheep would fight the process. They would sway their heads from side to side. The good shepherd would straighten their heads and cover them anyway. The Lord applies His Word to cover our minds to "fix our focus." (Philippians 4:8-9)
- To help lessen conflict- As the summer would give way to Fall, the Rams would get in conflict with each other. This would happen, but a good shepherd wanted to lessen the damage as much as possible. He would cover the rams in oil. This would cause them to slip and reduce the impact. The Lord does this through His Word. He tells us that when we see people through His eyes, it lessens our conflict with others. (Colossians 3;12-13)
Verse 5b. "My cup overflows with blessings."
The greatest thing about our God is that He does not run out of His ability to do what is necessary in our lives. At a feast in the ancient Near East, a cup was how you could tell if you were wearing out your welcome. If the cup was full, you could stay; once it began to run dry, it was time to go. This passage reminds us that we are always welcome in the house of God. Not only does our cup stay filled, it spills out on everyone else. This is exactly how our hope should be. It should spill out on everyone around us.
Bottom Line.
God's Promise:
(Lamentations 3:23-24) Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning I say to myselfā¦ I WILL HOPE IN HIM!ā
Julie Plagens
David Guzik
