The Psalms We Sing

PSALM 23—While the Psalms which have been cited for today’s lesson have been set to music and are sung by many, as our title implies, their beautiful sentiments of God’s majesty and his care for his people are as a melody of inspiration in the hearts of all who trust in the God of their salvation. It is through God’s great theme song of love echoing through these Psalms and many other parts of the sacred Scriptures that we are able, as suggested by Paul, to sing and make melody in our hearts unto the Lord in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.—Eph. 5:19

The Twenty-third Psalm is probably the best known of all David’s writings. While written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit it nevertheless reflects the background of David’s own experiences as a shepherd boy attending his father’s flocks. Remembering how as a shepherd he cared for the sheep, he wrote “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” All who are truly consecrated to the Lord and who have learned to know him and to experience the abundance of his grace are confident that they will never experience want as long as they depend upon him as their Good Shepherd. They know that he will supply all their needs, that “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”—Psalm 84:11

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures”: “Green pastures” suggest an abundance of spiritual food, and how true to this promise has been the experience of all the Lord’s people. At this end of the age particularly the Lord has led his people into the green pastures of present truth, and how soul-satisfying has been the spiritual nourishment thus provided for them!

“He leadeth me beside the still waters”: Here the still waters are in contrast with rushing streams from which it would be difficult for a sheep to drink. The life-giving waters of present truth have thus been readily accessible to those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” (Matt. 5:6) True, it is necessary to apply ourselves to the study of the Word, and to meet the conditions called for in our consecration, but all who do this find themselves daily and continually refreshed by the “still waters” of the truth.

“He restoreth my soul”: “He saveth my life,” is a more literal translation of the Hebrew text. We are all by nature members of the sin-cursed and dying human race but through the provision of our Good Shepherd we have been, by faith, saved from death—justified to life. And not only so, but throughout all the days of our Christian life, the saving grace of our Good Shepherd is manifested toward us in his care and protection. Even when we become discouraged and perhaps almost faint by the wayside he is ever near, ready to extend a helping hand, thus restoring our courage and giving us strength to continue on.

“For his name’s sake”: Our Good Shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness, not for the glory of our name, but for his own name’s sake. All glory belongs to the Lord. We should give glory to him because of the blessings he showers upon us. Let us not for a moment suppose that we are worthy of his wondrous care. All that we receive is because of his grace, therefore the glory belongs to him.

“I will fear no evil”: One of God’s promises is that no evil shall befall us. (Psa. 91:10) If our faith can lay hold firmly to this and similar promises, then we will fear no evil. And this will be true even though we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” From one standpoint the whole world of mankind is walking through this valley of death for all are dying. The Lord’s people share the experiences of the dying race even though they have been justified by faith and have peace with God.

And in a special manner the Lord’s sheep of this Gospel age are in danger of death. They have given up their hope of restitution life and are running for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and it is possible for them, through failure, to go into the second death. Thus, not only do they need to be on the alert themselves but they need to trust implicitly in the loving watchcare of the Good Shepherd.

“For thou art with me”: What a blessed assurance! And among the evidences of his presence are his “rod” and his “staff.” By these we are supported and directed. And we need the presence of the Good Shepherd most when we stray away from the path in which he is leading. The measures he uses to bring us back into the right way may at times seem harsh but they are evidences of his love, and by them we can be all the more assured of his presence. And when his presence goes with us we have peace.

“Thou preparest a table”: Some commentators look upon this statement as a change of metaphor from that of a shepherd’s care for his sheep to that of a banquet table prepared by a lord for his guests. Others say that the “table” here referred to is a special provision of the shepherd to assure the safety of his sheep while feeding in close proximity to their enemies. But whichever thought is the correct one, the lesson is that our Good Shepherd is able to care for us despite the fact that we are encompassed about with enemies which are ready and anxious to attack and destroy us as “new creatures” whenever they can. (II Cor. 5:17) How blessed is the assurance that greater is he who is for us than all they who be against us!—Rom. 8:31; I John 4:4

The anointing of the head of tired or injured sheep was a common practice of the shepherd in ancient times, and suggests the thought of comfort in times of weariness and temporary injury. Jehovah is the Great Shepherd of the sheep, and Jesus is the chief under Shepherd. In another picture, he is the Head of the church which is his body, and we might think of him as the One who is anointed, and of the fact that we receive our anointing through him. Whichever view we take of the anointing here referred to, it means that we are recipients of the Lord’s rich blessings, hence we can truly say that our “cup runneth over.”

“Surely”—that is, there is no doubt about it—“goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life.” Thus far goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our Christian life. This “goodness” and “mercy” represent all the many ways our Good Shepherd has been caring for us. And he will continue to manifest his love toward us. If we continue to put our trust in him, following closely in the way in which he leads, we will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

PSALM 42:1, 2—Here is a beautifully simple and expressive statement of the Christian’s longing after God, his desire to know him better, serve him more faithfully, and ultimately to be with him, in keeping with the hope that is set before us—the “hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:2) The panting of the hart after water brooks conveys much the same thought as expressed by Jesus when he said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) “Panting” after refreshing waters, and “hungering and thirsting” express a genuine longing for God and for righteousness, not a mere outward profession. Such a genuineness and sincerity belong only to those who are “pure in heart,” and of such the Master said, “They shall see God.”—Matt. 5:8

Through the vision of present truth it is our privilege to see and appreciate the great attributes of God even now. If we continue to yield ourselves to the influence of his glorious example, becoming daily more and more like him, it will be our privilege, as joint-heirs with Christ, to one day appear before him, being ushered into his actual presence.

PSALM 90:1, 2, 16, 17—This Psalm is entitled, “A prayer of Moses the man of God.” In it he recognizes the care of God over his people at all times and the fact that he is the eternal God—“from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” In the third verse we read concerning God, “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” This could well be a reference to the original sentence of death passed upon the man Adam and of God’s provision to restore, not only him, but all the children of men and give them an opportunity to live forever. This overall viewpoint of God’s dealings with the human race gives a larger meaning to verses one and two of the Psalm.

In verse 16 Moses prays, “Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.” Many of the Lord’s servants, particularly in past ages, have not understood the whole plan of God for human redemption and recovery—not as his people understand it today. But the promise is that eventually the knowledge of his glory shall fill the whole earth as the waters cover the sea.—Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14

Moses prayed that the Lord establish the “work of our hands.” This must be understood to mean that work which the Lord has put into our hands to do. While all our efforts to serve the Lord are of necessity faulty and come far short of the glory of God, yet if they are the works which are given to us by the Lord, he will bless what we undertake to do in his name.

It is a wonderful manifestation of divine grace that we should be invited to become “workers together” with God in the outworking of his plan of redemption and salvation. (II Cor. 6:1-3) It is highly important, therefore, if we want the Lord to bless our efforts, that we endeavor to work in harmony with his will following the letter and the spirit of his instructions “that the ministry be not blamed.”

QUESTIONS

In what way can all the Lord’s people sing and make melody in their hearts unto him?

What did David have in mind when he wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”?

What is represented by “green pastures” and “still waters”?

How does the Lord restore our souls?

To whom should the glory go for the Lord’s care over his people?

What is one of God’s promises which enables us to “fear no evil”?

How does the Lord prepare a table in the presence of our enemies?

What is the cause of our cup running over?

What expression did Jesus use similar to the thought of our soul panting after the Lord?

Has there ever been a time when the Lord has not cared for and otherwise blessed his people?

Upon what basis will the Lord “establish” our work?

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