The next thing that Psalm 23:5 says of (and to) the shepherd is “You anoint my head with oil”, likely drawing from the practice of putting oil on the sheep to protect them from flies and other insects that could get into their eyes, ears, and nose. Aside from the sheep it was a custom […]
The role of the shepherd is to tend and care for the flock, therefore being one of His sheep David could say, “I shall not want”, or perhaps a better translation would be, “I shall not lack”, for so is the meaning of the Hebrew word. And justifiably we should add “any beneficial thing”, for […]
(Part one, Relationship) from a Facebook post we want to look at seventeen statements that are made in Psalm 23. The first being “The LORD is my shepherd”, which I see as key to the rest of the Psalm. Who better than David would know how to compare the sheep/shepherd relationship and make the comparison […]
John 14 begins with Jesus telling His disciples about His Father’s house and that He was going to prepare a place for them after which He would return and take them there to be with Him forever. Thomas apparently not understanding all this says “Lord, we do not know where You are going, And how […]
Sheep and shepherds were a big part of ancient Israel, the nation of whom God had said was “the flock of My pasture” Ezekiel 34:31, and His commitment to them through the prophet Isaiah was that He would “feed His flock like a shepherd” 40:11. Then in Psalm 100:3 they acknowledge that “we are His […]
As we continue looking at Psalm 46, in verses 8-11 we see God as our victorious warrior. The desolations He makes in the earth are explained by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown as literally, ‘who hath put desolations’, destroying our enemies.” Making wars to cease might refer to the time the angel of the Lord slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers […]
As we look at 2 Samuel 22:33 we find David praising God for deliverance and victory over enemies, and in his praise we are introduced to God as Elohei Mauzzi, our “strength and power”. Literally this means a fortified place, and figuratively a defense. In Psalm 18:2 he declared “The Lord is my rock and […]
As we continue our journey of getting acquainted with God through some of His names and titles that are given to us in Scripture we must visit Psalm 23:1 where we meet Him as Jehovah Raah, which is my shepherd. To a people whose life and economy was deeply involved with sheep this would be […]
In Romans 8:26-28 the Apostle teaches us about the Holy Spirit helping us in our weaknesses. The Greek word here is Parakletos meaning someone who is an intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate, and/or a counselor. Outside of the Biblical setting it is technically an attorney who goes to court on behalf of another. Jesus uses the […]
We live in a broken world filled with sadness, suffering, pain, and uncertainty; Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” John 10:10. So how do we coordinate the two and experience this abundance in the midst of the brokenness? First we must be confident […]