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Psalm 23:1-6 Abundant Life

by fol CHURCH on July 17, 2019

I have been asking myself since being asked to prepare a Bible study on this Psalm: what is it about Psalm 23 that makes it so popular with people who have little contact with Church normally? On most occasions when I visited families to discuss weddings or funerals and asked them what hymns/music they would like included, I would say that over 90% chose Crimond, the hymn tune written by Jessie Seymour Irvine for a metrical version of the Psalm. Those who were grieving found comfort in it because of verse 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 King James Version) It gives the family of the deceased person an assurance that God was walking with them in their grief and with their loved one at his death. The generation for whom this Psalm had special meaning still had the remnants of a faith learnt during their childhood. Some people of no acknowledged faith at any other time cling to a hope that their loved one is with God when they die. Apparently this Psalm is also used at Jewish funerals on many occasions so it appears to have some universal appeal.

Luis Palau, the American Evangelist, however, says that Psalm 23 “has plenty to say about life” and we should think past the valley of the shadow of death. The Psalm is in fact a testimony describing our lives in the care of our shepherd. It is a Psalm of protection which we can see from the second part of that same famous verse: “I will fear no evil, for you are with me”. God is with us now in whatever our circumstances may be, not just an insurance policy for when we die. He knows what we need and where to lead us. For those of us who acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, he is the shepherd who provides for all our needs and guides us even in the most difficult times. He gives in abundance. The rest he gives us is in green pastures, not in the brown, patchy grass we often see particularly when there has been no rain. He invites us to a banquet and showers blessings upon us. Life with the shepherd is good now but one day it will be better because we will dwell with him in eternal life.

 

 

 

 

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Lord, thank you for your overwhelming provision of all we need in life and the knowledge that you walk with us. Amen.

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