Monthly Archives: October 2014

The Future Is Assured

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THE FUTURE IS ASSURED

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6.

Surely? David is making an assumption, but based on what? If this is what the past has taught me, then surely my future is assured. Past experience has shown me that I have a shepherd who has cared and provided for me throughout my life, rescued me from my own foolish ways, and brought me this far in safety. Surely, then, I can say that the same goodness and love that has followed me all my life will be there to take me home.

What is this goodness and love that has followed me all the days of my life? If we replace the word “goodness” with the word “functionality”, something amazing comes to light.

“And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” Genesis 1:31a.

“What did God mean when He said, “It was very good”? Was is pleasing to His eye? The Hebrew word tov is best translated as “functional” rather than “good”. God saw His creation as functioning properly, or, as we might say, working like a well-oiled machine.” (The Living Words Volume 1 by Jeff Benner, published 2007 by Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc, P O Box 9949, College Station, TX 77845, USA).

God’s creation worked. Everything functioned perfectly and interactively, revealing a God of perfect order and unity. Since God is good (functional), everything He made was functional because it reflected Him. It was Adam, through his disobedience, who introduced dysfuntionality, causing every part of the universe to go out of sync.

David learned through the course of his life that, when he submitted himself to the shepherd and walked in His ways, he became functional, all the circumstances of his life working together for his benefit. He also learned, to his dismay, that disobedience plunged him, his family and his kingdom back into dyfunctionality. Unfortunately, the consequences of disobedience were far-reaching, bringing dysfuntionality to generations after him which not even repentance could reverse.

Now let’s read this verse with new understanding:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

And we know that God is using all the circumstances of those who love Him to restore them to functionality again because that’s His purpose. He wants us to live in harmony with Him and with each other just as His Son, Jesus did as a human being on earth. Since it is He determined goal make us functional again, He will dog our footsteps, day and night, with goodness to achieve what He has set out to do.

And what about love? The King James Version translates the word chesed as “mercy”. It is the mercy of God which He shows to us within a covenant bond in which He pledges His everlasting love. It is an unbreakable bond which has been sealed in blood. God has promised to do good to His covenant people always. His goodness and mercy are relentless companions wherever we go because He cannot and will not break His promise.

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.” Jeremiah 32:40.

In spite of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God pledged to do good to them within the covenant of His chesed, His loving kindness.

Because Yahweh, my shepherd’s goodness and love relentlessly pursue me, day after day in this life, I am assured that I will eventually be made to abide and remain forever, in His eternal day, in His name, which is a fortress of safety and protection.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

A Table-land Of Plenty

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A TABLE-LAND OF PLENTY

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5.

What lies beyond the dark valley and why do the sheep have to go through it? Why can’t they stay in the green pastures and beside the quiet waters? After all, isn’t that all they need?

I am not familiar with the care of sheep, especially those in the Middle East, but I am told that the best, sweetest and most nourishing grazing for sheep is on top of the mesa, the table-land where the rain falls and the grass grows lush and thick.

The good shepherd knows his sheep and he knows his grazing. He wants the best for his sheep, even if it costs him time and effort to find it and to prepare it for them. He goes ahead of his flock, finds the mesa where the sweetest grass grows and prepares it for his sheep. He clears it of poisonous and obnoxious weeds and drives off the wild beasts that may endanger his animals. Then he returns to the flock.

When the time is right, after checking the mesa a second time, he leads the flock through the valley that takes the safest route to the table-land. The sheep may not find the way easy but they follow the shepherd because they trust him and they know his voice. After safely negotiating the treacherous path through the dark valley, they finally reach the table which is laden with the good things a sheep needs to flourish.

In perfect safety they graze, confident that, even though they are surrounded by “enemies”, the shepherd is there to guard and protect them. They can graze in peace because no harm will come to them.

In the warm sunshine, flies breed and multiply. They bother the sheep, some even laying their eggs in the soft mucosa of the sheep’s nostrils. The shepherd pours olive oil on the heads of his sheep to keep the flies away. He does more than just rub a little oil on their noses. He douses their heads so that there is no chance for the flies to alight on the sheep. The oil soothes their itchy skin and they can continue to graze in comfort.

David was well aware of the time and effort it took to care for the sheep. It was a much bigger job than just leading them out and lazing around in the sun watching them while they grazed. A shepherd faced dangers from wild animals. He had to stand between them and the flock, drive them off, rescue the lambs which a lion or bear might take, if he could, and stay alert for an ambush.

He had to know the plants which were harmful to the sheep. He had to find the best pastures and the quiet streams. He had to know the terrain and keep the sheep away from dangerous ravines and precipices. He had to lead them along safe paths. He had to find the easiest and safest route to the table-land. He had to prepare the “table” before he led them there to graze, clearing the pasture of unsafe plants and driving away the wild beasts.

Looking back over his life, David realised that God had been all that, and more, to him. It was heartening for him to know that even the darkest valleys he had gone through were the way to the table-land. There was a rich reward for trusting the shepherd and staying close to him.

Did he think about the years of running from Saul, living in caves, eating off the land like a wild animal and having to stay alert, day and night, in case of an ambush? His shepherd was there, always beside him, leading him safely through until he reached the table and was able to partake of the rich fare the shepherd had provided. He found strength, grace and mercy at the table.

His shepherd took care of the big things, the “enemies” that threatened his life, and the little things, the “flies” that troubled him. He had the anointing of the oil of the Spirit who enabled him to rule his people wisely with a kindly and merciful attitude. He was not a ruthless tyrant like some of his descendants. He was a living example of a godly king. He was passionate about God; he set up twenty-four hour worship and made extravagant preparations for the building of the temple. O yes! David was wholeheartedly for God. This was the grace on his life because of the “oil” that kept the “flies” away.

David’s shepherd is our shepherd. On the other side of every dark valley is a table-land which the shepherd has specifically prepared for each one of us. There is a bounty of God’s goodness waiting for us when we have gone through the valley. This is the reward for trusting and following Him when we cannot see the way.

“And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Going Through The Valley

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GOING THROUGH THE VALLEY

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.

David remembered. He was probably an old man by now. He thought back to his youth as a shepherd on the hills outside Bethlehem. He reflected on his chequered life as a fugitive, a warrior and a king. His walk with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was like a sheep following his shepherd. He was familiar with the imagery because he had not only been a shepherd himself, caring for his father’s flock, but he was also the shepherd of God’s flock as their king and leader.

He was once a little lamb, bleating his needs and feeling the shepherd’s love as He tenderly cared for him, teaching him to follow, carrying him over the rough ground and showing him the best places to graze. Day after day, he followed the shepherd along the same paths, until they wore tracks along the right way to the green pastures and quiet waters which became easy to recognise.

As he grew, the shepherd taught him where to graze, what to eat and what to avoid. He rescued him when he fell, brought him back when he wandered off the path and treated his wounds when he injured himself. He learned to trust the shepherd, and to follow where he led instead of following his nose into trouble and danger.

The time came for him to put his lessons into practice. He had graduated from childhood to teenage, when the values he had learned had to become experience. There were pastures to enjoy which were more delicious and nourishing than those he had tasted as a young sheep. But they lay on the other side of a dark valley.

The day came when he was strong and old enough to go with the flock to the other side of the valley. Would he be willing to trust the shepherd when he could not see the way ahead? Would he stay close enough to the shepherd not to stumble over the rocks in the path or fall over the precipice because he was not listening to the shepherd’s instructions? Would he be so afraid that he would turn back and miss the abundance that lay on the other side?

He was grateful for the pleasant days when he had learned to recognise his shepherd’s voice and follow him along the easy paths. He trusted the shepherd because he knew He loved him and would never lead him into danger or abandon him when he was in trouble. Many is the time that the shepherd had rescued him when, in his foolishness he had become entangled in thorn bushes or fallen down a ravine.

The valley of the shadow of death was just that – a time when he had to die to himself and his wants and wishes. Self-will and self-sufficiency had no place in the dark valley. His only hope of getting through unscathed was to trust the shepherd and follow his leading. There were predators in the valley, waiting to pounce on any straggler. He would get through if he stayed close to the shepherd.

He knew who his enemies were, the voices in his mind that tried to break his trust in his shepherd. “God did that to you… God doesn’t love you… How could He let that happen? God is punishing you because you did that… God isn’t interested in your problems… God is too busy to care about you… God doesn’t even know your name…” He also knew that the enemies were lying because the shepherd was close beside him, with His rod of truth to drive them off, and His staff of grace to carry him through.

Valleys are inevitable; they are a part of life, but they are also great teachers. When we go through our valleys, we have to shed our unnecessary baggage. The path is too steep and dangerous for us to be encumbered by bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness or guilt, fear and shame. Those were the issues the shepherd had to deal with when He was in the process of restoring our souls. We have to travel light to make it through.

Perhaps it will be the difficulty of the way that will induce us to let go of our pain and let the shepherd carry it for us. Too many good things lie ahead to cling to our stuff. This is where we die, and this is where we mature, letting everything go except that which makes us cling more tightly to the shepherd.

Now that’s really growing up!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.