INVESTIGATING PASTURES
Thursday, June 08, 2017
Psalm 23 The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
name's sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will
dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Among the
problems of Bible study is that we don’t always seriously do so. Not doing so
effects our relationship with God and people, for as we ignorantly assume so do
we frame Him, self, other people, and life and death.
Even when investing time and effort we may
mistakenly associate descriptions in Scripture with our immediate existent knowledge.
The much beloved 23rd Psalm is an example of this.
When we read,
hear, or say “green pastures” what do we visualize?
Past tense I
pictured our farm pastures verdant after a spring rain. Pastures well watered
that fed one grown cow per acre or less. Our flock of 40 sheep with lambs was
kept in a pasture of a few acres.
“Your vision is
geographically limited. You need to research the agriculture where David wrote
the Psalm.” urged one of my mentors.
After
investigation I saw the pasture of the 23rd Psalm as a far different
place. The pastures referred to were and still are sparse on greenery. They are
places where if cattle could thrive on rocks, stones, and grit they would do
well. They require considerable movement to stay nourished!
Now how do we
picture the restorative rest God provides? How do we see the rest He sometimes
may compel us to take? Considering sickness or injury or fatigue or aging or other
. . . how now may we see it? As loss or gain? As a place where we not only refresh but may
serve in ways we never considered before?
EBB4
PS. To the inmates reading this: Could your place be “maketh
me to lie in green pastures … still waters” that you very much needed?
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