There is no inspired title to this psalm, and
none is needed, for it records no special event, and needs no
other key than that which every Christian may find in his own
bosom. It is David's Heavenly Pastoral; a surpassing ode,
which none of the daughters of music can excel. The clarion of
war here gives place to the pipe of peace, and he who so lately
bewailed the woes of the Shepherd tunefully rehearses the joys
of the flock. Sitting under a spreading tree, with his flock
around him, like Bunyan's shepherd-boy in the Valley of
Humiliation, we picture David singing this unrivalled pastoral
with a heart as full of gladness as it could hold; or, if the
psalm be the product of his after-years, we are sure that his
soul returned in contemplation to the lonely water-brooks which
rippled among the pastures of the wilderness, where in early
days she had been wont to dwell. This is the pearl of psalms
whose soft and pure radiance delights every eye; a pearl of
which Helicon need not be ashamed, though Jordan claims it. Of
this delightful song it may be affirmed that its piety and its
poetry are equal, its sweetness and its spirituality are
unsurpassed.
The
position of this psalm is worthy of notice. It follows the
twenty-second, which is peculiarly the Psalm of the Cross. There
are no green pastures, no still waters on the other side of the
twenty-second psalm. It is only after we have read, "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" that we come to
"The Lord is my Shepherd." We must by experience
know the value of blood-shedding, and see the sword awakened
against the Shepherd, before we shall be able truly to know the
Sweetness of the good Shepherd's care.
It
has been said that what the nightingale is among birds, that is
this divine ode among the psalms, for it has sung sweetly in the
ear of many a mourner in his night of weeping, and has bidden
him hope for a morning of joy. I will venture to compare it also
to the lark, which sings as it mounts, and mounts as it sings,
until it is out of sight, and even then is not out of hearing.
Note the last words of the psalm—"I will dwell in the
house of the Lord for ever;" these are celestial notes,
more fitted for the eternal mansions than for these dwelling
places below the clouds. Oh that we may enter into the spirit of
the psalm as we read it, and then we shall experience the days
of heaven upon the earth!
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd."
What condescension is this, that the infinite Lord assumes
towards his people the office and character of a Shepherd! It
should be the subject of grateful admiration that the great God
allows himself to be compared to anything which will set forth
his great love and care for his own people. David had himself
been a keeper of sheep, and understood both the needs of the
sheep and the many cares of a shepherd. He compares himself to a
creature weak, defenceless, and foolish, and he takes God to be
his Provider, Preserver, Director, and, indeed, his everything.
No man has a right to consider himself the Lord's sheep unless
his nature has been renewed for the scriptural description of
unconverted men does not picture them as sheep, but as wolves or
goats. A sheep is an object of property, not a wild animal; its
owner sets great store by it, and frequently it is bought with a
great price. It is well to know, as certainly David did, that we
belong to the Lord. There is a noble tone of confidence about
this sentence. There is no "if" nor "but,"
nor even "I hope so;" but he says, "The Lord is
my shepherd." We must cultivate the spirit of assured
dependence upon our heavenly Father. The sweetest word of the
whole is that monosyllable, "My." He does not
say, "The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and
leadeth forth the multitude as his flock," but "The
Lord is my shepherd;" if he be a Shepherd to no one
else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me,
watches over me, and preserves me. The words are
in the present tense. Whatever be the believer's position, he is
even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah.
The
next words are a sort of inference from the first
statement—they are sententious and positive—"I shall
not want." I might want otherwise, but when the Lord is
my Shepherd he is able to supply my needs, and he is certainly
willing to do so, for his heart is full of love, and therefore "I
shall not want." I shall not lack for temporal
things. Does he not feed the ravens, and cause the lilies to
grow? How, then, can he leave his children to starve? I shall
not want for spirituals, I know that his grace will be
sufficient for me. Resting in him he will say to me, "As
thy day so shall thy strength be." I may not possess all
that I wish for, but "I shall not want."
Others, far wealthier and wiser than I, may want, but "I shall
not." "The young lions do lack, and suffer
hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good
thing." It is not only "I do not want," but
"I shall not want." Come what may, if famine
should devastate the land, or calamity destroy the city, "I
shall not want." Old age with its feebleness shall not
bring me any lack, and even death with its gloom shall not find
me destitute. I have all things and abound; not because I have a
good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and
wit with which to win my bread, but because "The Lord is
my shepherd." The wicked always want, but the righteous
never; a sinner's heart is far from satisfaction, but a gracious
spirit dwells in the palace of content.
Verse 2. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters." The Christian
life has two elements in it, the contemplative and the active,
and both of these are richly provided for. First, the
contemplative. "He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures." What are these "green pastures"
but the Scriptures of truth—always fresh, always rich, and
never exhausted? There is no fear of biting the bare ground
where the grass is long enough for the flock to lie down in it.
Sweet and full are the doctrines of the gospel; fit food for
souls, as tender grass is natural nutriment for sheep. When by
faith we are enabled to find rest in the promises, we are like
the sheep that lie down in the midst of the pasture; we find at
the same moment both provender and peace, rest and refreshment,
serenity and satisfaction. But observe: "He maketh
me to lie down." It is the Lord who graciously enables us
to perceive the preciousness of his truth, and to feed upon it.
How grateful ought we to be for the power to appropriate the
promises! There are some distracted souls who would give worlds
if they could but do this. They know the blessedness of it, but
they cannot say that this blessedness is theirs. They know the "green
pastures," but they are not made to "lie
down" in them. Those believers who have for years
enjoyed a "full assurance of faith" should greatly
bless their gracious God.
The
second part of a vigorous Christian's life consists in gracious
activity. We not only think, but we act. We are not always lying
down to feed, but are journeying onward toward perfection; hence
we read, "he leadeth me beside the still waters."
What are these "still waters" but the influences and
graces of his blessed Spirit? His Spirit attends us in various
operations, like waters—in the plural—to cleanse, to
refresh, to fertilise, to cherish. They are "still
waters," for the Holy Ghost loves peace, and sounds no
trumpet of ostentation in his operations. He may flow into our
soul, but not into our neighbour's, and therefore our neighbour
may not perceive the divine presence; and though the blessed
Spirit may be pouring his floods into one heart, yet he that
sitteth next to the favoured one may know nothing of it.
"In sacred silence of the mind
My heaven, and there my God I find."
Still waters run deep. Nothing more noisy than an empty drum.
That silence is golden indeed in which the Holy Spirit meets
with the souls of his saints. Not to raging waves of strife, but
to peaceful streams of holy love does the Spirit of God conduct
the chosen sheep. He is a dove, not an eagle; the dew, not the
hurricane. Our Lord leads us beside these "still
waters;" we could not go there of ourselves, we need
his guidance, therefore it is said, "he leadeth
me." He does not drive us. Moses drives us by the law,
but Jesus leads us by his example, and the gentle drawing of his
love.
Verse 3. "He restoreth my soul." When the
soul grows sorrowful he revives it; when it is sinful he
sanctifies it; when it is weak he strengthens it. "He"
does it. His ministers could not do it if he did not. His Word
would not avail by itself. "He restoreth my
soul." Are any of us low in grace? Do we feel that our
spirituality is at its lowest ebb? He who turns the ebb into the
flood can soon restore our soul. Pray to him, then, for the
blessing—"Restore thou me, thou Shepherd of my
soul!"
"He
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake." The Christian delights to be obedient, but it is
the obedience of love, to which he is constrained by the example
of his Master. "He leadeth me." The Christian
is not obedient to some commandments and neglectful of others;
he does not pick and choose, but yields to all. Observe, that
the plural is used—"the paths of
righteousness." Whatever God may give us to do we would do
it, led by his love. Some Christians overlook the blessing of
sanctification, and yet to a thoroughly renewed heart this is
one of the sweetest gifts of the covenant. If we could be saved
from wrath, and yet remain unregenerate, impenitent sinners, we
should not be saved as we desire, for we mainly and chiefly pant
to be saved from sin and led in the way of holiness. All
this is done out of pure free grace; "for his name's
sake." It is to the honour of our great Shepherd that
we should be a holy people, walking in the narrow way of
righteousness. If we be so led and guided we must not fail to
adore our heavenly Shepherd's care.
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." This
unspeakably delightful verse has been sung on many a dying bed,
and has helped to make the dark valley bright times out of mind.
Every word in it has a wealth of meaning. "Yea, though I walk,"
as if the believer did not quicken his pace when he came to die,
but still calmly walked with God. To walk indicates the
steady advance of a soul which knows its road, knows its end,
resolves to follow the path, feels quite safe, and is therefore
perfectly calm and composed. The dying saint is not in a flurry,
he does not run as though he were alarmed, nor stand still as
though he would go no further, he is not confounded nor ashamed,
and therefore keeps to his old pace. Observe that it is not
walking in the valley, but through the valley. We
go through the dark tunnel of death and emerge into the light of
immortality. We do not die, we do but sleep to wake in glory.
Death is not the house but the porch, not the goal but the
passage to it. The dying article is called a valley. The
storm breaks on the mountain, but the valley is the place of
quietude, and thus full often the last days of the Christian are
the most peaceful of his whole career; the mountain is bleak and
bare, but the valley is rich with golden sheaves, and many a
saint has reaped more joy and knowledge when he came to die than
he ever knew while he lived. And, then, it is not "the
valley of death," but "the valley of the shadow
of death," for death in its substance has been removed, and
only the shadow of it remains. Some one has said that when there
is a shadow there must be light somewhere, and so there is.
Death stands by the side of the highway in which we have to
travel, and the light of heaven shining upon him throws a shadow
across our path; let us then rejoice that there is a light
beyond. Nobody is afraid of a shadow, for a shadow cannot stop a
man's pathway even for a moment. The shadow of a dog cannot
bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death
cannot destroy us. Let us not, therefore, be afraid. "I
will fear no evil." He does not say there shall not be
any evil; he had got beyond even that high assurance, and knew
that Jesus had put all evil away; but "I will fear
no evil;" as if even his fears, those shadows of evil, were
gone for ever. The worst evils of life are those which do not
exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real
troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present
sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, but the
psalmist was cured of the disease of fearing. "I will fear no
evil," not even the Evil One himself; I will not dread
the last enemy, I will look upon him as a conquered foe, an
enemy to be destroyed, "For thou art with me."
This is the joy of the Christian! "Thou art with
me." The little child out at sea in the storm is not
frightened like all the other passengers on board the vessel, it
sleeps in its mother's bosom; it is enough for it that its
mother is with it; and it should be enough for the believer to
know that Christ is with him. "Thou art with me; I
have, in having thee, all that I can crave: I have perfect
comfort and absolute security, for thou art with
me." "Thy rod and thy staff," by which
thou governest and rulest thy flock, the ensigns of thy
sovereignty and of thy gracious care—"they comfort
me." I will believe that thou reignest still. The rod
of Jesse shall still be over me as the sovereign succour of my
soul.
Many
persons profess to receive much comfort from the hope that they
shall not die. Certainly there will be some who will be
"alive and remain" at the coming of the Lord, but is
there so very much of advantage in such an escape from death as
to make it the object of Christian desire? A wise man might
prefer of the two to die, for those who shall not die, but who
"shall be caught up together with the Lord in the
air," will be losers rather than gainers. They will lose
that actual fellowship with Christ in the tomb which dying
saints will have, and we are expressly told that they shall have
no preference beyond those who are asleep. Let us be of Paul's
mind when he said that "To die is gain," and think of
"departing to be with Christ, which is far better."
This twenty-third psalm is not worn out, and it is as sweet in a
believer's ear now as it was in David's time, let
novelty-hunters say what they will.
Verse 5. "Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies." The good man has his
enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were
without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of
God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God. Yet see
the quietude of the godly man in spite of, and in the sight of,
his enemies. How refreshing is his calm bravery! "Thou
preparest a table before me." When a soldier is in the
presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty
meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: "Thou preparest
a table," just as a servant does when she unfolds the
damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an
ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no
confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door, and yet God
prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if
everything were in perfect peace. Oh! the peace which Jehovah
gives to his people, even in the midst of the most trying
circumstances!
"Let earth be all in arms abroad,
They dwell in perfect peace."
"Thou anointest my head with oil." May we live
in the daily enjoyment of this blessing, receiving a fresh
anointing for every day's duties. Every Christian is a priest,
but he cannot execute the priestly office without unction, and
hence we must go day by day to God the Holy Ghost, that we may
have our heads anointed with oil. A priest without oil misses
the chief qualification for his office, and the Christian priest
lacks his chief fitness for service when he is devoid of new
grace from on high. "My cup runneth over." He
had not only enough, a cup full, but more than enough, a cup
which overflowed. A poor man may say this as well as those in
higher circumstances. "What, all this, and Jesus Christ
too?" said a poor cottager as she broke a piece of bread
and filled a glass with cold water. Whereas a man may be ever so
wealthy, but if he be discontented his cup cannot run over; it
is cracked and leaks. Content is the philosopher's stone which
turns all it touches into gold; happy is he who has found it.
Content is more than a kingdom, it is another word for
happiness.
Verse 6. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life." This is a fact as
indisputable as it is encouraging, and therefore a heavenly verily,
or "surely" is set as a seal upon it. This
sentence may be read, "only goodness and
mercy," for there shall be unmingled mercy in our history.
These twin guardian angels will always be with me at my back and
my beck. Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go
unattended, so it is with the believer. Goodness and mercy
follow him always—"all the days of his life"—the
black days as well as the bright days, the days of fasting as
well as the days of feasting, the dreary days of winter as well
as the bright days of summer. Goodness supplies our needs, and
mercy blots out our sins. "And I will dwell in the house
of the Lord for ever." "A servant abideth not in
the house for ever, but the son abideth ever." While I am
here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world
shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper
chamber, I shall not change my company, nor even change the
house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper storey of the house
of the Lord for ever.
May
God grant us grace to dwell in the serene atmosphere of this
most blessed Psalm!
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole Psalm. David has left no sweeter Psalm than the
short twenty- third. It is but a moment's opening of his soul;
but, as when one, walking the winter street sees the door opened
for some one to enter, and the red light streams a moment forth,
and the forms of gay children are running to greet the comer,
and genial music sounds, though the door shuts and leaves the
night black, yet it cannot shut back again all that the eyes,
the ear, the heart, and the imagination have seen—so in this
Psalm, though it is but a moment's opening of the soul, are
emitted truths of peace and consolation that will never be
absent from the world. The twenty-third Psalm is the nightingale
of the Psalms. It is small, of a homely feather, singing shyly
out of obscurity; but, oh! it has filled the air of the whole
world with melodious joy, greater than the heart can conceive.
Blessed be the day on which that Psalm was born! What would you
say of a pilgrim commissioned of God to travel up and down the
earth singing a strange melody, which, when one heard, caused
him to forget whatever sorrows he had? And so the singing angel
goes on his way through all lands, singing in the language of
every nation, driving away trouble by the pulses of the air
which his tongue moves with divine power. Behold just such an
one! This pilgrim God has sent to speak in every language on the
globe. It has charmed more griefs to rest than all the
philosophy of the world. It has remanded to their dungeon more
felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows, than
there are sands on the sea-shore. It has comforted the noble
host of the poor. It has sung courage to the army of the
disappointed. It has poured balm and consolation into the heart
of the sick, of captives in dungeons, of widows in their
pinching griefs, of orphans in their loneliness. Dying soldiers
have died easier as it was read to them; ghastly hospitals have
been illuminated; it has visited the prisoner, and broken his
chains, and, like Peter's angel, led him forth in imagination,
and sung him back to his home again. It has made the dying
Christian slave freer than his master, and consoled those whom,
dying, he left behind mourning, not so much that he was gone, as
because they were left behind, and could not go too. Nor is its
work done. It will go singing to your children and my children,
and to their children, through all the generations of time; nor
will it fold its wings till the last pilgrim is safe, and time
ended; and then it shall fly back to the bosom of God, whence it
issued, and sound on, mingled with all those sounds of celestial
joy which make heaven musical for ever. Henry Ward Beecher,
in "Life Thoughts."
Whole Psalm. This Psalm may well be called David's bucolicon,
or pastoral, so daintily hath he struck upon the whole string,
through the whole hymn. Est Psalmis honorabilis, saith
Aben-ezra; it is a noble Psalm, written and sung by David, not
when he fled into the forest of Hareth (1 Samuel 22:5), as some
Hebrews will have it; but when as having overcome all his
enemies, and settled his kingdom, he enjoyed great peace and
quiet, and had one foot, as it were, upon the battlements of
heaven. The Jews at this day use for most part to repeat this
Psalm after they are sat down to meat. John Trapp.
Whole Psalm. Augustine is said to have beheld, in a
dream, the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm rising before him as
a tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God. This
twenty-third may be compared to the fairest flowers that grew
around it. The former has even been likened to the sun amidst
the stars—surely this is like the richest of the
constellations, even the Pleiades themselves! John Stoughton,
in "The Songs of Christ's Flock," 1860.
Whole Psalm. Some pious souls are troubled because
they cannot at all times, or often, use, in its joyous import,
the language of this Psalm. Such should remember that David,
though he lived long, never wrote but one twenty-third Psalm.
Some of his odes do indeed express as lively a faith as this,
and faith can walk in darkness. But where else do we find a
whole Psalm expressive of personal confidence, joy, and triumph,
from beginning to end? God's people have their seasons of
darkness and their times of rejoicing. William S. Plumer.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not
want." Let them say that will, "My lands shall
keep me, I shall have no want, my merchandise shall be my help,
I shall have no want;" let the soldier trust unto his
weapons, and the husbandman unto his labour; let the artificer
say unto his art, and the tradesman unto his trade, and the
scholar unto his books, "These shall maintain me, I shall
not want." Let us say with the church, as we both
say and sing, "The Lord is my keeper, I shall not
want." He that can truly say so, contemns the rest, and he
that desires more than God, cannot truly say, the Lord is his,
the Lord is this shepherd, governor and commander, and therefore
I shall not want. John Hull, B.D., in "Lectures on
Lamentations," 1617.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd; I want
nothing:" thus it may be equally well rendered, though
in our version it is in the future tense. J. R. Macduff, D.D.,
in "The Shepherd and his Flock," 1866.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd."
We may learn in general from the metaphor, that it is the
property of a gracious heart to draw some spiritual use or other
from his former condition. David himself having sometimes been a
shepherd, as himself confesseth when he saith, "he took
David from the sheepfold from following the sheep," etc.,
himself having been a shepherd, he beholds the Lord the same to
him. Whatsoever David was to his flock— watchful over them,
careful to defend them from the lion and the bear, and
whatsoever thing else might annoy them, careful of their
pasturage and watering, etc., the same and much more he beholds
the Lord to himself. So Paul: "I was a persecutor, and an
oppressor: but the Lord had mercy on me." This we may see
in good old Jacob: "With this staff," saith he,
"I passed over Jordan;" and that now God had blessed
him and multiplied him exceedingly. The doctrine is plain; the
reasons are, first, because true grace makes no object amiss to
gather some gracious instruction: it skills not what the object
be, so that the heart be gracious; for that never wants matter
to work upon. And secondly, it must needs be so, for such are
guided by God's Spirit, and therefore are directed to a
spiritual use of all things. Samuel Smith's "Chiefe
Shepheard," 1625.
Verse 1. "Shepherd." May this sweet
title persuade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem: my meaning
is, that those who as yet never knew what it was to be enfolded
in the bosom of Jesus, who as yet were never lambs nor ewes in
Christ's fold, consider the sweetness of this Shepherd, and come
in to him. Satan deals seemingly sweet, that he may draw you
into sin, but in the end he will be really bitter to you.
Christ, indeed, is seemingly bitter to keep you from sin,
hedging up your way with thorns. But he will be really sweet if
you come into his flock, even notwithstanding your sins. Thou
lookest into Christ's fold, and thou seest it hedged and fenced
all about to keep you in from sin, and this keeps thee from
entering; but, oh! let it not. Christ, indeed, is unwilling that
any of his should wander, and if they be unwilling too, it's
well. And if they wander he'll fetch them in, it may be with his
shepherd's dog (some affliction); but he'll not be, as we
say, dogged himself. No, he is and will be sweet. It may
be, Satan smiles, and is pleasant to you while you sin; but
know, he'll be bitter in the end. He that sings syren-like now,
will devour lion-like at last. He'll torment you and vex you,
and be burning and bitterness to you. O come in therefore to
Jesus Christ; let him be now the shepherd of thy soul. And know
then, he'll be sweet in endeavouring to keep thee from sin
before thou commit it; and he'll be sweet in delivering thee
from sin after thou hast committed it. O that this
thought—that Jesus Christ is sweet in his carriage unto all
his members, unto all his flock, especially the sinning ones,
might persuade the hearts of some sinners to come in unto his
fold. John Durant, 1652.
Verse 1 (first clause). Feedeth me, or
is my feeder, my pastor. The word comprehendeth all
duties of a good herd, as together feeding, guiding, governing,
and defending his flock. Henry Ainsworth.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd."
Now the reasons of this resemblance I take to be these:—First,
one property of a good shepherd is, skill to know and judge
aright of his sheep, and hence is it that it is a usual thing to
set mark upon sheep, to the end that if they go astray (as of
all creatures they are most subject to wander), the shepherd may
seek them up and bring them home again. The same thing is
affirmed of Christ, or rather indeed Christ affirmeth the same
thing of himself, "I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27. Yea, doubtless, he that hath numbered the stars, and
calleth them all by their names, yea, the very hairs of our
head, taketh special notice of his own children, "the sheep
of his pasture," that they may be provided for and
protected from all danger. Secondly, a good shepherd must have
skill in the pasturing of his sheep, and in bringing them into
such fruitful ground, as they may battle and thrive upon: a good
shepherd will not suffer his sheep to feed upon rotten soil, but
in wholesome pastures . . . . Thirdly, a good shepherd, knowing
the straying nature of his sheep, is so much the more diligent
to watch over them, and if at any time they go astray, he brings
them back again. This is the Lord's merciful dealing towards
poor wandering souls. . . . Fourthly, a good shepherd must have
will to feed his sheep according to his skill: the Lord of all
others is most willing to provide for his sheep. How earnest is
Christ with Peter, to "feed his sheep," urging him
unto it three several times! Fifthly, a good shepherd is
provided to defend his flock. . . . The Lord is every way
provided for the safety and defence of his sheep, as David
confesseth in this Psalm (verse 4), "Thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me." And again, "I took unto me
two staves" (saith the Lord), "the one I called
Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock."
Zechariah 11:7. Sixthly, it is the property of a good shepherd,
that if any of his sheep be weak and feeble, or his lambs young,
for their safety and recovery he will bear them in his arms. The
Lord is not wanting to us herein. Isaiah 40:11. And lastly, it
is the property of a good shepherd to rejoice when the strayed
sheep is brought home. The Lord doth thus rejoice at the
conversion of a sinner. Luke 15:7. Samuel Smith.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd." I
notice that some of the flock keep near the shepherd, and follow
whithersoever he goes without the least hesitation, while others
stray about on either side, or loiter far behind; and he often
turns round and scolds them in a sharp, stern cry, or sends a
stone after them. I saw him lame one just now. Not altogether
unlike the good Shepherd. Indeed I never ride over these hills,
clothed with flocks, without meditating upon this delightful
theme. Our Saviour says that the good shepherd, when he putteth
forth his own sheep, goeth before them, and they follow. John
10:4. This is true to the letter. They are so tame and so
trained that they follow their keeper with the utmost
docility. He leads them forth from the fold, or from their
houses in the villages, just where he pleases. As there are many
flocks in such a place as this, each one takes a different path,
and it is his business to find pasture for them. It is
necessary, therefore, that they should be taught to follow, and
not to stray away into the unfenced fields of corn which lie so
temptingly on either side. Any one that thus wanders is sure to
get into trouble. The shepherd calls sharply from time to time
to remind them of his presence. They know his voice, and follow
on; but, if a stranger call, they stop short, lift up their
heads in alarm, and, if it is repeated, they turn and flee,
because they know not the voice of a stranger. This is not the
fanciful costume of a parable, it is simple fact. I have made
the experiment repeatedly. The shepherd goes before, not merely
to point out the way, but to see that it is practicable and
safe. He is armed in order to defend his charge, and in this he
is very courageous. Many adventures with wild beasts occur, not
unlike that recounted by David (1 Samuel 27:34-36), and in these
very mountains; for though there are now no lions here, there
are wolves in abundance; and leopards and panthers, exceeding
fierce, prowl about the wild wadies. They not unfrequently
attack the flock in the very presence of the shepherd, and he
must be ready to do battle at a moment's warning. I have
listened with intense interest to their graphic descriptions of
downright and desperate fights with these savage beasts. And
when the thief and the robber come (and come they do), the
faithful shepherd has often to put his life in his hand to
defend his flock. I have known more than one case in which he
had literally to lay it down in the contest. A poor faithful
fellow last spring, between Tiberias and Tabor, instead of
fleeing, actually fought three Bedawin robbers until he was
hacked to pieces with their khanjars, and died among the sheep
he was defending. Some sheep always keep near the shepherd, and
are his special favorites. Each of them has a name, to which it
answers joyfully, and the kind shepherd is ever distributing to
such, choice portions which he gathers for that purpose. These
are the contented and happy ones. They are in no danger of
getting lost or into mischief, nor do wild beasts or thieves
come near them. The great body, however, are mere worldlings,
intent upon their mere pleasures or selfish interests. They run
from bush to bush, searching for variety or delicacies, and only
now and then lift their heads to see where the shepherd is, or,
rather where the general flock is, lest they get so far away as
to occasion a remark in their little community, or rebuke from
their keeper. Others, again, are restless and discontented,
jumping into everybody's field, climbing into bushes, and even
into leaning trees, whence they often fall and break their
limbs. These cost the good shepherd incessant trouble. W. M.
Thomson, D.D., in "The Land and the Book."
Verse 1. "Shepherd." As we sat the
silent hillsides around us were in a moment filled with life and
sound. The shepherds led their flocks forth from the gates of
the city. They were in full view, and we watched them and
listened to them with no little interest. Thousands of sheep and
goats were there, grouped in dense, confused masses. The
shepherds stood together until all came out. Then they
separated, each shepherd taking a different path, and uttering
as he advanced a shrill peculiar call. The sheep heard them. At
first the masses swayed and moved, as if shaken by some internal
convulsion; then points struck out in the direction taken by the
shepherds; these became longer and longer until the confused
masses were resolved into long, living streams, flowing after
their leaders. Such a sight was not new to me, still it had lost
none of its interest. It was perhaps one of the most vivid
illustrations which human eyes could witness of that beautiful
discourse of our Lord recorded by John, "And the sheep hear
the shepherd's voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and
leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his
voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from
him: for they know not the voice of strangers," chapter
10:3-5. The shepherds themselves had none of that peaceful and
placid aspect which is generally associated with pastoral life
and habits. They looked more like warriors marching to the
battle-field—a long gun slung from the shoulder, a dagger and
heavy pistols in the belt, a light battle-axe or ironheaded club
in the hand. Such were the equipments; and their fierce flashing
eyes and scowling countenances showed but too plainly that they
were prepared to use their weapons at any moment. J. L.
Porter, A.M., in "The Giant Cities of Bashan,"
1867.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." You must
distinguish 'twixt absence, and 'twixt indigence.
Absence is when something is not present; indigence
or want, is when a needful good is not present. If a man
were to walk, and had not a staff, here were something absent.
If a man were to walk, and had but one leg, here were something
whereof he were indigent. It is confessed that there are many
good things which are absent from a good person, but no good
thing which he wants or is indigent of. If the good be absent
and I need it not, this is no want; he that walks without his
cloak, walks well enough, for he needs it not. As long as I can
walk carefully and cheerfully in my general or particular
calling, though I have not such a load of accessories as other
men have, yet I want nothing, for my little is enough and
serves the turn. . . . Our corruptions are still craving, and
they are always inordinate, they can find more wants than God
needs to supply. As they say of fools, they can propose more
questions than twenty wise men need to answer. They in James
4:3, did ask, but received not; and he gives two
reasons for it:—1. This asking was but a lusting:
"ye lust and have not" (verse 4): another, they did
ask to consume it upon their lusts (verse 3). God will
see that his people shall not want; but withal, he will never
engage himself to the satisfying of their corruptions, though he
doth to the supply of their conditions. It is one thing what the
sick man wants, another what his disease wants. Your ignorance,
your discontents, your pride, your unthankful hearts, may make
you to believe that you dwell in a barren land, far from mercies
(as melancholy makes a person to imagine that he is drowning, or
killing, etc.); whereas if God did open your eyes as he did
Hagar's, you might see fountains and streams, mercies and
blessings sufficient; though not many, yet enough, though not so
rich, yet proper, and every way convenient for your good and
comfort; and thus you have the genuine sense, so far as I can
judge of David's assertion, "I shall not want."
Obadiah Sedgwick.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." Only he
that can want does not want; and he that cannot, does. You tell
me that a godly man wants these and these things, which the
wicked man hath; but I tell you he can no more be said to "want"
them than a butcher may be said to want Homer, or such another
thing, because his disposition is such, that he makes no use of
those things which you usually mean. 'Tis but only necessary
things that he cares for, and those are not many. But one
thing is necessary, and that he hath chosen, namely, the
better part. And therefore if he have nothing at all of all
other things, he does not want, neither is there anything
wanting which might make him rich enough, or by absence
whereof, his riches should be said to be deficient. A body is
not maimed unless it have lost a principal part: only privative
defects discommend a thing, and not those that are negative.
When we say, there is nothing wanting to such-and-such a
creature or thing that a man hath made, we mean that it hath all
that belongs necessarily to it. We speak not of such things as
may be added for compliments or ornaments or the like, such as
are those things usually wherein wicked men excel the godly.
Even so it is when we say that a godly man wanteth nothing.
For though in regard of unnecessary goods he be "as having
nothing," yet in regard of others he is as if he possessed
all things. He wants nothing that is necessary either for his
glorifying of God (being able to do that best in and by his
afflictions), or for God's glorifying of him, and making him
happy, having God himself for his portion and supply of his
wants, who is abundantly sufficient at all times, for all
persons, in all conditions. Zachary Bogan.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." To be
raised above the fear of want by committing ourselves to the
care of the Good Shepherd, or by placing our confidence in
worldly property, are two distinct and very opposite things. The
confidence in the former case, appears to the natural man to be
hard and difficult, if not unreasonable and impossible: in the
latter it appears to be natural, easy, and consistent. It
requires, however, no lengthened argument to prove that he who
relies on the promise of God for the supply of his temporal
wants, possesses an infinitely greater security than the
individual who confides in his accumulated wealth. The ablest
financiers admit that there must be appended to their most
choice investments, this felt or expressed proviso—"So
far as human affairs can be secure." . . . Since then no
absolute security against want can be found on earth, it
necessarily follows, that he who trusts in God is the most wise
and prudent man. Who dare deny that the promise of the living
God is an absolute security? John Stevenson.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." The
sheep of Christ may change their pasture, but they shall never
want a pasture. "Is not the life more than meat, and the
body than raiment?" Matthew 6:25. If he grant unto us great
things, shall we distrust him for small things? He who has given
us heavenly beings, will also give us earthly blessings. The
great Husbandman never overstocked his own commons. William
Secker.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." Ever
since I heard of your illness, and the Lord's mercy in
sustaining and restoring, I have been intending to write, to
bless the Lord with my very dear sister, and ask for some words
to strengthen my faith, in detail of your cup having run over in
the hour of need. Is it not, indeed, the bleating of Messiah's
sheep, "I shall not want"? "shall not
want," because the Lord is our Shepherd! Our Shepherd the
All-sufficient! nothing can unite itself to him; nothing mingle
with him; nothing add to his satisfying nature; nothing diminish
from his fulness. There is a peace and fulness of expression in
this little sentence, known only to the sheep. The remainder of
the Psalm is a drawing out of this, "I shall not
want." In the unfolding we find repose, refreshment,
restoring mercies, guidance, peace in death, triumph, an
overflowing of blessings; future confidence, eternal security in
life or death, spiritual or temporal, prosperity or adversity,
for time or eternity. May we not say, "The Lord is my
Shepherd?" for we stand on the sure foundation of the
twenty-third Psalm. How can we want, when united to him! we have
a right to use all his riches. Our wealth is his riches and
glory. With him nothing can be withheld. Eternal life is
ours, with the promise that all shall be added; all he
knows we want. Our Shepherd has learned the wants of his sheep
by experience, for he was himself "led as a sheep to the
slaughter." Does not this expression, dictated by the
Spirit, imply a promise, and a full promise, when connected with
his own words, "I know my sheep," by what
painful discipline he was instructed in this knowledge,
subjected himself to the wants of every sheep, every lamb of his
fold, that he might be able to be touched with a feeling of
their infirmities? The timid sheep has nothing to fear; fear not
want, fear not affliction. fear not pain; "fear
not;" according to your want shall be your supply,
"The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore
will I trust in him." Theodosia A. Howard, Viscountess
Powerscourt (1830) in "Letters," etc., edited
by Robert Daly, D.D., 1861.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." One of
the poor members of the flock of Christ was reduced to
circumstances of the greatest poverty in his old age, and yet he
never murmured. "You must be badly off," said a
kind-hearted neighbour to him one day as they met upon the road,
"you must be badly off; and I don't know how an old man
like you can maintain yourself and your wife; yet you are always
cheerful!" "Oh no!" he replied, "we are not
badly off, I have a rich Father, and he does not suffer me to
want." "What! your father not dead yet? he must be
very old indeed!" "Oh!" said he, "my Father
never dies, and he always takes care of me!" This aged
Christian was a daily pensioner on the providence of his God.
His struggles and his poverty were known to all; but his own
declaration was, that he never wanted what was absolutely
necessary. The days of his greatest straits were the days of his
most signal and timely deliverances. When old age benumbed the
hand of his industry, the Lord extended to him the hand of
charity. And often has he gone forth from his scanty breakfast,
not knowing from what earthly source his next meal was to be
obtained. But yet with David he could rely on his Shepherd's
care, and say, "I shall not want;" and as certainly as
he trusted in God, so surely, in some unexpected manner was his
necessity supplied. John Stevenson.
Verse 1. In the tenth chapter of John's gospel, you
will find six marks of Christ sheep: 1. They know their
Shepherd; 2. They know his voice; 3. They hear him
calling them each by name; 4. They love him; 5. They trust
him; 6. They follow him. In "The Shepherd's
King," by the Authoress of "The Folded Lamb"
{Mrs. Rogers.}, 1856.
Verses 1-4. Come down to the river; there is something
going forward worth seeing. Yon shepherd is about to lead his
flock across; and as our Lord says of the good shepherd—you
observe that he goes before, and the sheep follow. Not all in
the same manner, however. Some enter boldly, and come straight
across. These are the loved ones of the flock, who keep hard by
the footsteps of the shepherd, whether sauntering through green
meadows by the still waters, feeding upon the mountains, or
resting at noon, beneath the shadow of great rocks. And now
others enter, but in doubt and alarm. Far from their guide, they
miss the ford, and are carried down the river, some more, some
less; and yet, one by one, they all struggle over and make good
their landing. Notice those little lambs. They refuse to enter,
and must be driven into the stream by the shepherd's dog,
mentioned by Job in his "parable." Poor things! how
they leap, and plunge, and bleat in terror! That weak one yonder
will be swept quite away, and perish in the sea. But no; the
shepherd himself leaps into the stream, lifts it into his bosom,
and bears it trembling to the shore. All safely over, how happy
they appear! The lambs frisk and gambol about in high spirits,
while the older ones gather round their faithful guide, and look
up to him in subdued but expressive thankfulness. Now, can you
watch such a scene, and not think of that Shepherd who leadeth
Joseph like a flock; and of another river, which all his sheep
must cross? He, too, goes before, and, as in the case of this
flock, they who keep near him "fear no evil." They
hear his sweet voice, saying, "When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee." Isaiah 43:2. With eye fastened on
him, they scarcely see the stream, or feel its cold and
threatening waves. W. M. Thomson.
Verse 2. "He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures," etc. Not only he hath "green
pastures" to lead me into, which shows his ability, but
he leads me into them, which shows his goodness. He leads
me not into pastures that are withered and dry, that would
distaste me before I taste them; but he leads me into "green
pastures," as well to please my eye with the verdure as my
stomach with the herbage; and inviting me, as it were, to eat by
setting out the meat in the best colour. A meat though never so
good, yet if it look not handsomely, it dulls the appetite; but
when besides the goodness, it hath also a good look, this gives
the appetite another edge, and makes a joy before enjoying. But
yet the goodness is not altogether in the greenness. Alas! green
is but a colour, and colours are but deceitful things; they
might be green leaves, or they might be green flags or rushes;
and what good were to me in such a greenness? No, my soul; the
goodness is in being "green pastures," for now
they perform as much as they promise; and as in being green
they were a comfort to me as soon as I saw them, so in being
green "pastures" they are a refreshing to me
now as soon as I taste them. As they are pleasant to look on, so
they are wholesome to feed on: as they are sweet to be tasted,
so they are easy to be digested; that I am now, methinks, in a
kind of paradise and seem not to want anything, unless perhaps a
little water with which now and then to wash my mouth, at most
to take sometimes a sip: for though sheep be not great drinkers,
and though their pastures being green, and full of sap, make
drink the less needful; yet some drink they must have besides.
And now see the great goodness of this Shepherd, and what just
cause there is to depend upon his providence; for he lets not
his sheep want this neither, but "he leadeth them
besides still waters," not waters that roar and make a
noise, enough to fright a fearful sheep, but waters "still"
and quiet; that though they drink but little, yet they may drink
that little without fear. And may I not justly say now, "The
Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want?" And yet perhaps
there will be want for all this; for is it enough that he
lead them into green pastures and beside still waters? May he
not lead them in, and presently take them out again before their
bellies be half full; and so instead of making them happy, make
them more miserable? set them in a longing with the sight, and
then frustrate them of their expectation? No, my soul; the
measure of this Shepherd's goodness is more than so. He not only
leadeth them into green pastures, but "he makes them to
lie down" in them—he leads them not in to post over
their meat as if they were to eat a passover, and to take it in
transita, as dogs drink Nylus; but, "he makes them
to lie down in green pastures," that they may eat their
fill and feed at leisure; and when they have done, "lie
down" and take their ease, that their after-reckoning
may be as pleasing as their repast. Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 2. "He leadeth me." Our guiding
must be mild and gentle, else it is not duxisti, but traxisti—drawing
and driving, and no leading. Leni spiritu non durf
manu—rather by an inward sweet influence to be led,
than by and outward extreme violence to be forced forward . . .
Touching what kind of cattle, to very good purpose, Jacob, a
skilful shepherd, answereth Esau (who would have had Jacob and
his flocks have kept company with him in his hunting
pace), Nay, not so, sir, said Jacob, it is a tender cattle that
is under my hands, and must be softly driven, as they may
endure: if one "should over drive them but one day,"
they would all die or be laid up for many days after. Genesis
33:13. Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse 2. "He leadeth me," etc. In
ordinary circumstances the shepherd does not feed his
flock, except by leading and guiding them where they may gather
for themselves; but there are times when it is otherwise. Late
in autumn, when the pastures are dried up, and in winter, in
places covered with snow, he must furnish them food or they die.
In the vast oak woods along the eastern sides of Lebanon,
between Baalbek and the cedars, there are there gathered
innumerable flocks, and the shepherds are all day long in the
bushy trees, cutting down the branches, upon whose green leaves
and tender twigs the sheep and goats are entirely supported. The
same is true in all mountain districts, and large forests are
preserved on purpose. W. M. Thomson.
Verse 2. "Lie down"—"leadeth."
Sitting Mary and stirring Martha are emblems of contemplation
and action, and as they dwell in one house, so must these in one
heart. Nathanael Hardy.
Verse 2. This short but touching epitaph is frequently
seen in the catacombs at Rome, "In Christo, in
pace"—(In Christ, in peace). Realise the constant
presence of the Shepherd of peace. "HE maketh me to lie
down!" "HE leadeth me." J. R. Macduff, D.D.
Verse 2 (last clause). "Easily leadeth,"
or "comfortably guideth me:" it noteth a soft
and gentle leading, with sustaining of infirmity. H.
Ainsworth.
Verse 2. "Green pastures." Here are
many pastures, and every pasture rich so that it can never be
eaten bare; here are many streams, and every stream so deep and
wide that it can never be drawn dry. The sheep have been eating
in these pastures ever since Christ had a church on earth, and
yet they are as full of grass as ever. The sheep have been
drinking at these streams ever since Adam, and yet they are brim
full to this very day, and they will so continue till the sheep
are above the use of them in heaven! Ralph Robinson,
1656.
Verse 2. "Green pastures . . . beside the
still waters." From the top of the mound (of Arban on
the Khabour) the eye ranged over a level country bright with
flowers, and spotted with black tents, and innumerable flocks of
sheep and camels. During our stay at Arban, the color of these
great plains was undergoing a continual change. After being for
some days of a golden yellow, a new family of flowers would
spring up, and it would turn almost in a night to a bright
scarlet, which would again as suddenly give way to the deepest
blue. Then the meadows would be mottled with various hues, or
would put on the emerald green of the most luxuriant of
pastures. The glowing descriptions I had so frequently received
from the Bedouins of the beauty and fertility of the banks of
the Khabour were more than realised. The Arabs boast that its
meadows bear three distinct crops of grass during the year, and
the wandering tribes look upon its wooded banks and constant
greensward as a paradise during the summer months, where man can
enjoy a cool shade, and beast can find fresh and tender herbs,
whilst all around is yellow, parched, and sapless. Austin H.
Layard, 1853.
Verse 2. With guidance to "green
pastures," the psalmist has, with good reason,
associated guardianship beside "still waters:"
for as we can only appropriate the word through the Spirit, so
we shall ordinarily receive the Spirit through the Word; not
indeed only by hearing it, not only by reading it, not only by
reflecting upon it. The Spirit of God, who is a most free agent,
and who is himself the source of liberty, will come into the
heart of the believer when he will, and how he will, and as he
will. But the effect of his coming will ever be the realisation
of some promise, the recognition of some principle, the
attainment of some grace, the understanding of some mystery,
which is already in the word, and which we shall thus find, with
a deeper impression, and with a fuller development, brought home
with power to the heart. Thomas Dale, M.A., in "The Good
Shepherd," 1847.
Verse 2. "Still waters;" which are
opposed to great rivers, which both affright the sheep with
their noise, and expose them to the danger of being carried away
by their swift and violent streams, whilst they are drinking at
them. Matthew Poole.
Verse 2. "Still waters;" Hebrew,
"Waters of rests," ex quibus diligunt oves bibere,
saith Kimchi, such as sheep love to drink of, because void of
danger, and yielding a refreshing air. Popish clergymen are
called the "inhabitants of the sea," Revelation 12:12,
because they set abroach gross, troubled, brackish, and sourish
doctrine, which rather bringeth barrenness to their hearers, and
gnaweth the entrails than quencheth their thirst, or cooleth
their heat. The doctrine of the gospel, like the waters of Siloe
(Isaiah 8:8), run gently, but taste pleasantly. John Trapp.
Verse 3. "He restoreth my soul," etc.
The subjects experimentally treated in this verse are, first,
the believer's liability to fall, or deviate even within the
fold of the church, else wherefore should he need to be "restored?"
Next, the promptitude of the Good Shepherd to interpose for his
rescue. "He restoreth my soul." Then Christ's
subsequent care to "lead him in the paths of
righteousness;" and lastly, the reason assigned
wherefore he will do this—resolving all into the
spontaneousness, the supremacy, the omnipotence of grace. He
will do all "for his own name's sake." Thomas
Dale.
Verse 3. "He restoreth my soul." The
same hand which first rescued us from ruin, reclaims us from all
our subsequent aberrations. Chastisement itself is blended with
tenderness; and the voice which speaks reproof, saying,
"They have perverted their way, and they have forsaken the
Lord their God," utters the kindest invitation,
"Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your
backslidings." Nor is the voice unheard, and the call
unanswered or unfelt. "Behold, we come unto thee; for thou
art the Lord our God." Jeremiah 3:22. "When thou
saidst, Seek my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord,
will I seek." J. Thornton's "Shepherd of
Israel," 1826.
Verse 3. "He restoreth my soul." He
restores it to its original purity, that was now grown foul and
black with sin; for also, what good were it to have "green"
pastures and a black soul! He "restores"
it to its natural temper in affections, that was grown
distempered with violence of passions; for alas! what good were
it to have "still" waters and turbulent
spirits! He "restores" it indeed to life, that
was grown before in a manner quite dead; and who could "restore
my soul" to life, but he only that is the Good Shepherd
and gave his life for his sheep? Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 3. "He shall convert my soul;"
turn me not only from sin and ignorance, but from every false
confidence, and every deceitful refuge. "He shall bring
me forth in paths of righteousness;" in those paths of
imputed righteousness which are always adorned with the trees of
holiness, are always watered with the fountains of consolation,
and always terminate in everlasting rest. Some, perhaps, may
ask, why I give this sense to the passage? Why may it not
signify the paths of duty, and the way of our own obedience?
Because such effects are here mentioned as never have resulted,
and never can result, from any duties of our own. These are not "green
pastures," but a parched and blasted heath. These are
not "still waters," but a troubled and
disorderly stream. Neither can these speak peace or administer
comfort when we pass through the valley and shadow of death. To
yield these blessings, is the exalted office of Christ, and the
sole prerogative of his obedience. James Hervey.
Verse 3. "He restoreth my soul:"
Hebrew. "He bringeth it back;" either, 1. From its
errors or wandering; or, 2. Into the body, out of which it was
even departing and fainting away. He reviveth or comforteth me. Matthew
Poole.
Verse 3. "Paths of righteousness."
Alas! O Lord, these "paths of righteousness,"
have a long time so little been frequented, that the prints of a
path are almost clean worn out; that it is a hard matter
now, but to find where the paths lie, and if we can find
them, yet they are so narrow and so full of ruts, that without
special assistance it is an impossible thing not to fall or go
astray. Even so angels, and those no mean ones, were not able to
go right in these "paths of righteousness," but
for want of leading, went away and perished. O, therefore, thou
the Great Shepherd of my soul, as thou art pleased of thy grace
to lead me into them, so vouchsafe with thy grace to lead
me in them; for though in themselves they be "paths
of righteousness," yet to me they will be but paths
of error if thou vouchsafe not, as well to lead me in
them, as into them. Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 3. "Paths." In the wilderness
and in the desert there are no raised paths, the paths being
merely tracks; and sometimes there are six or eight paths
running unevenly along side each other. No doubt this is what is
figuratively referred to in Psalm 23:3, "He leadeth me
in the paths of righteousness," all leading to one
point. John Gadsby.
Verse 3. "For his name's sake."
Seeing he hath taken upon him the name of a "Good
Shepherd," he will discharge his part, whatever his
sheep be. It is not their being bad sheep that can make
him leave being a "Good Shepherd," but he will
be "good," and maintain the credit of "his
name" in spite of all their badness; and though no benefit
come to them of it, yet there shall glory accrue to him by it,
and "his name" shall nevertheless be magnified
and extolled. Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 4. "Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." To
"fear no evil," then, "in the valley of the
shadow of death," is a blessed privilege open to every true
believer! For death shall be to him no death at all, but a very
deliverance from death, from all pains, cares, and sorrows,
miseries and wretchedness of this world, and the very entry into
rest, and a beginning of everlasting joy: a tasting of heavenly
pleasures, so great, that neither tongue is able to express,
neither eyes to see, nor ear to hear them, no, nor any earthly
man's heart to conceive them. . . . And to comfort all Christian
persons herein, holy Scripture calleth this bodily death a
sleep, wherein man's senses be, as it were, taken from him for a
season, and yet, when he waketh, he is more fresh than when he
went to bed! . . . Thus is this bodily death a door or entering
into life, and therefore not so much dreadful, if it be rightly
considered, as it is comfortable; not a mischief, but a remedy
for all mischief; no enemy, but a friend; not a cruel tyrant,
but a gentle guide; leading us not to mortality, but to
immortality! not to sorrow and pain, but to joy and pleasure,
and that to endure for ever! Homily against the Fear of
Death, 1547.
Verse 4. "Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
Though I were called to such a sight as Ezekiel's vision, a
valley full of dead men's bones; though the king of terrors
should ride in awful pomp through the streets, slaying heaps
upon heaps, and thousands should fall at my side, and ten
thousands at my right hand, I will fear no evil. Though he
should level his fatal arrows at the little circle of my
associates, and put lover and friend far from me, and mine
acquaintance into darkness, I will fear no evil. Yea, though I
myself should feel his arrow sticking fast in me, the poison
drinking up my spirits; though I should in consequence of that
fatal seizure, sicken and languish, and have all the symptoms of
approaching dissolution, still I will fear no evil. Nature,
indeed, may start back and tremble, but I trust that he who
knows the flesh to be weak, will pity and pardon these
struggles. However I may be afraid of the agonies of dying, I
will fear no evil in death. The venom of his sting is taken
away. The point of his arrow is blunted, so that it can pierce
no deeper than the body. My soul in invulnerable. I can smile at
the shaking of his spear; look unmoved on the ravages which the
unrelenting destroyer is making on my tabernacle; and long for
the happy period when he shall have made a breach wide enough
for my heaven-aspiring spirit to fly away and be at rest. Samuel
Lavington.
Verse 4. "Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
"I want to talk to you about heaven," said a dying
parent [The late Rev. Hugh Stowell, Rector of Ballaugh, Isle of
Man.] to a member of his family. "We may not be spared to
each other long. May we meet around the throne of glory, one
family in heaven!" Overpowered at the thought, his beloved
daughter exclaimed, "Surely you do not think there is any
danger?" Calmly and beautifully he replied, "Danger,
my darling! Oh, do not use that word! There can be no danger to
the Christian, whatever may happen! All is right! All is well!
God is love! All is well! Everlastingly well! Everlastingly
well!" John Stevenson.
Verse 4. "Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." What not
fear then? Why, what friend is it that keeps up your spirits,
that bears you company in that black and dismal region? He will
soon tell you God was with him, and in those slippery ways he
leaned upon his staff, and these were the cordials that kept his
heart from fainting. I challenge all the gallants in the world,
out of all their merry, jovial clubs, to find such a company of
merry, cheerful creatures as the friends of God are. It is not
the company of God, but the want of it, that makes sad. Alas!
you know not what their comforts be, and strangers intermeddle
not with their joy. You think they cannot be merry when their
countenance is so grave; but they are sure you cannot be truly
merry when you smile with a curse upon your souls. They know
that he spoke that sentence which could not be mistaken,
"Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of
that mirth is heaviness." Proverbs 14:13. Then call your
roaring, and your singing, and laughter, mirth; but the Spirit
of God calls it madness. Ecclesiastes 2:2. When a carnal man;s
heart is ready to die within him, and, with Nabal, to become
like a stone, how cheerfully then can those look that have God
for their friend! Which of the valiant ones of the world can
outface death, look joyfully into eternity? Which of them can
hug a faggot, embrace the flames? This the saint can do, and
more too; for he can look infinite justice in the face with a
cheerful heart; he can hear of hell with joy and thankfulness;
he can think of the day of judgment with great delight and
comfort. I again challenge all the world to produce one out of
all their merry companies, one that can do all this. Come,
muster up all your jovial blades together; call for your harps
and viols; add what you will to make the concert complete; bring
in your richest wines; come, lay your heads together, and study
what may still add to your comfort. Well, it is done? Now, come
away, sinner, this night thy soul must appear before God. Well
now, what say you, man? What! doth your courage fail you? Now
call for your merry companions, and let them cheer thy heart.
Now call for a cup, a whore; never be daunted, man. Shall one of
thy courage quail, that could make a mock at the threatenings of
the Almighty God? What, so boon and jolly but now, and now down
in the mouth! Here's a sudden change indeed! Where are thy merry
companions, I say again? All fled? Where are thy darling
pleasures? Have all forsaken thee? Why shouldst thou be
dejected; there's a poor man in rags that's smiling? What! art
thou quite bereft of all comfort? What's the matter? There's a
question with all my heart, to ask a man that must appear before
God to-morrow morning. Well, then, it seems your heart misgives
you. What then did you mean of talk of joys and pleasures? Are
they all come to this? Why, there stands one that now hath his
heart as full of comfort as ever it can hold, and the very
thoughts of eternity, which do so daunt your soul, raise his!
And would you know the reason? He knows he is going to his
Friend; nay, his Friend bears him company through that dirty
lane. Behold how good and how pleasant a thing it is for God and
the soul to dwell together in unity! This it is to have God for
a friend. "Oh blessed is the soul that is in such a case;
yea, blessed is the soul whose God is the Lord." Psalm
144:15. James Janeway.
Verse 4. "Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death." Any darkness is evil, but darkness
and the shadow of death is the utmost of evils. David put
the worst of his case and the best of his faith when he said, "Though
I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil;" that is, in the greatest evil I will fear no
evil. . . . Again, to be under the shadow of a thing, is to be
under the power of a thing. . . . Thus to be under the shadow of
death, is to be so under the power or reach of death, that death
may take a man and seize upon him when it pleaseth. "Though
I walk in the valley of the shadow of death," that is,
though I be so near death, that it seems to others death may
catch me every moment, though I be under so many appearances and
probabilities of extreme danger, that there appears an
impossibility, in sense, to escape death, "yet I will
not fear." Joseph Caryl.
Verse 4. "Valley of the shadow of death."
A valley is a low place, with mountains on either side. Enemies
may be posted on those mountains to shoot their arrows at the
traveler, as ever was the case in the East; but he must
pass through it. The psalmist, however, said he would fear no
evil, not even the fiery darts of Satan, for the Lord was with
him. The figure is not primarily, as is sometimes
supposed, our dying moments, though it will beautifully bear
that explanation; but it is the valley beset with enemies,
posted on the hills. David was not only protected in that
valley, but even in the presence of those enemies, his table was
bountifully spread (verse 5). The Bedouin, at the present day
often post themselves on the hills to harass travellers, as they
pass along the valleys. John Gadsby.
Verse 4. "I will fear no evil." It
hath been an ancient proverb, when a man had done some great
matter, he was said to have "plucked a lion by the
beard;" when a lion is dead, even to little children it
hath been an easy matter. As boys, when they see a bear, a lion,
or a wolf dead in the streets, they will pull off their hair,
insult over them, and deal with them as they please; they will
trample upon their bodies, and do that unto them being dead,
which they durst not in the least measure venture upon whilst
they are alive. Such a thing is death, a furious
beast, a ramping lion, a devouring wolf, the helluo generis
humani (eater up of mankind), yet Christ hath laid him at
his length, hath been the death of death, so that God's
children triumph over him, such as those refined ones in the
ore of the church, those martyrs of the primitive times, who
cheerfully offered themselves to the fire, and to the sword, and
to all the violence of this hungry beast; and have played upon
him, scorned and derided him, by the faith that they had in the
life of Christ, who hath subdued him to himself. 1 Corinthians
15. Martin Day, 1660.
Verse 4. "Though art with me." Do you
know the sweetness, the security, the strength of "Thou
art with me"? When anticipating the solemn hour of
death, when the soul is ready to halt and ask, How shall it then
be? can you turn in soul-affection to your God and say,
"There is nothing in death to harm me, while thy love is
left to me"? Can you say, "O death, where is thy
sting"? It is said, when a bee has left its sting in any
one, it has no more power to hurt. Death has left its sting in
the humanity of Christ, and has no more power to harm his child.
Christ's victory over the grave is his people's. "At that
moment I am with you," whispers Christ; "the same arm
you have proved strong and faithful all the way up through the
wilderness, which has never failed, though you have been often
forced to lean on it all your weakness." "On this
arm," answers the believer, "I feel at home;
with soul confidence, I repose on my Beloved; for he has
supported through so many difficulties, from the contemplation
of which I shuddered. He has carried over so many depths, that I
know his arm to be the arm of love." How can that be dark,
in which God's child is to have the accomplishment of the
longing desire of his life? How can it be dark to come in
contact with the light of life? It is "his rod,"
"his staff;" therefore they "comfort."
Prove him—prove him now, believer! it is your privilege to do
so. It will be precious to him to support your weakness; prove
that when weak, then are you strong; that you may be secure, his
strength shall be perfected in your perfect weakness. Omnipotent
love must fail before one of his sheep can perish; for, says
Christ, "none shall pluck my sheep out of my hand."
"I and my Father are one;" therefore we may boldly
say, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with
me." Viscountess Powerscourt.
Verse 4. "Thy rod." Of the virga
pastoralis there are three uses: —1. Numerare oves—to
reckon up or count the sheep; and in this sense they are said
"to pass under the rod" (Leviticus 27:32), the
shepherd tells them one by one. And even so are the people of
God called the rod of his inheritance (Jeremiah 10:16), such as
he takes special notice or account of. And take the words in
this sense—"Thy rod doth comfort me"—it
holds well; q.d. "Though I am in such eminent
dangers by reason of evil men, yet this is my comfort—I am not
neglected of thee; thou dost not suffer me to perish; thou
takest notice of me; thou dost take and make an account of me;
thy special care looks after me." 2. Provocare oves:
when the sheep are negligent and remiss in following or driving,
thew shepherd doth, with his rod, put them on, quicken their
pace. And in this sense also David saith well, "Thy rod
doth comfort me;" for it is a work which doth breed
much joy and comfort in the hearts of God's people, when God
doth put them out of a lazy, cold, formal walking, and doth,
some way or other, cause them to mend their pace, to grow more
active and fervent in his service and worship. 3. Revocare
oves: the sheep sometimes are petulante divagantes,
idly and inconsiderately straying from the flock, grazing alone,
and wandering after other pastures, not considering the dangers
which attend them by such a separation and wandering; and,
therefore, the shepherd doth with his rod strike and fetch them
in again, and so preserve them. In this sense also David might
well say, "Thy rod doth comfort me;" for it is
a great comfort that the Lord will not leave his sheep to the
ways of discomfort, but brings them off from sinful errings and
wanderings, which always do expose them to their greatest
dangers and troubles. So that the words do intimate a singular
part of God's gubernation or careful providence of his flock. Obadiah
Sedgwick.
Verse 4. "Rod and staff." The
shepherd invariably carries a staff or rod with him when he goes
forth to feed his flock. It is often bent or hooked at one end,
which gave rise to the shepherd's crook in the hand of the
Christian bishop. With this staff he rules and guides the flock
to their green pastures, and defends them from their enemies.
With it also he corrects them when disobedient, and brings them
back when wandering. This staff is associated as inseparably
with the shepherd as the goad is with the ploughman. W. M.
Thomson.
Verse 4. The psalmist will trust, even though all
be unknown. We find him doing this in Psalm 23:4: "Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil." Here, surely, there is trust the most
complete. We dread the unknown far above anything that we can
see; a little noise in the dark will terrify, when even great
dangers which are visible do not affright: the unknown, with its
mystery and uncertainty, often fills the heart with anxiety, if
not with foreboding and gloom. Here, the psalmist takes the
highest form of the unknown, the aspect which is most terrible
to man, and says, that even in the midst if it he will trust.
What could be so wholly beyond the reach of human experience or
speculation, or even imagination, as "the valley of the
shadow of death," with all that belonged to it? but the
psalmist makes no reservation against it; he will trust where he
cannot see. How often are we terrified at the unknown; even as
the disciples were, "who feared as they entered the
cloud;" how often is the uncertainty of the future a harder
trial to our faith than the pressure of some present ill! Many
dear children of God can trust him in all known evils;
but why those fears and forebodings, and sinkings of heart, if
they trust him equally for the unknown? How much, alas!
do we fall short of the true character of the children of God,
in this matter of the unknown! A child practically acts upon the
declaration of Christ that "sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof," we, in this respect far less wise than he,
people the unknown with phantoms and speculations, and too often
forget our simple trust in God. Philip Bennet Power.
Verse 4. "For thou art with me; thy rod and
thy staff comfort me. Thou shalt prepare a table before me,
against them that trouble me. Thou hast anointed my head with
oil, and my cup shall be full." Seeing thou art with
me, at whose power and will all troubles go and come, I doubt
not but to have the victory and upper hand of them, how many and
dangerous soever they are; for thy rod chasteneth me when I go
astray, and thy staff stayeth me when I should fall—two things
most necessary for me, good Lord; the one to call me from my
fault and error, and the other to keep me in thy truth and
verity. What can be more blessed than to be sustained and kept
from falling by the staff and strength of the Most High? And
what can be more profitable than to be beaten with his merciful
rod when we go astray? For he chasteneth as many as he loveth,
and beateth as many as he receiveth into his holy profession.
Notwithstanding, while we are here in this life, he feeds us
with the sweet pastures of the wholesome herbs of his holy word,
until we come to eternal life; and when we put off these bodies,
and come into heaven, and know the blessed fruition and riches
of his kingdom, then shall we not only be his sheep, but also
the guests of his everlasting banquet; which, Lord, thou settest
before all them that love thee in this world, and dost so anoint
and make glad our minds with thine Holy Spirit, that no
adversities nor troubles can make us sorry. In this sixth part,
the prophet declares the old saying amongst wise men, "It
is no less mastery to keep the thing that is won, than it was to
win it." King David perceives right well the same; and,
therefore, as before in the Psalm he said, the Lord turned his
soul, and led him into the pleasant pastures, where virtue and
justice reigned, for his name's sake, and not for any
righteousness of his own; so saith he now, that being brought
into the pastures of truth, and into the favour of the Almighty,
and accounted and taken for one of his sheep, it is only God
that keeps and maintains him, in the same state, condition, and
grace. For he could not pass through the troubles and shadow of
death, as he and all God's elect people must do, but only by the
assistance of God, and, therefore, he saith, he passes through
all peril because he was with him. John Hooper (martyr),
1495-1555.
Verse 4. By the way, I note that David amidst his
green pastures, where he wanted nothing, and in his greatest
ease and highest excellency, recordeth the valley of misery and
shade of death which might ensue, if God so would; and
therewithal reckoneth of his safest harbour and firm repose,
even in God alone. And this is true wisdom indeed, in fair
weather to provide for a tempest; in health to think of
sickness; in prosperity, peace, and quietness, to forecast the
worst, and with the wise emmet, in summer to lay up for the
winter following. The state of man is full of trouble, the
condition of the godly man more. Sinners must be corrected, and
sons chastised, there is no question. The ark was framed for the
waters, the ship for the sea; and happy is the mariner that
knoweth where to cast anchor; but, oh! blessed is the man that
can take a right sanctuary, and knoweth whereupon to rely, and
in whom to trust in the day of his need. "I will not
fear, for thou art with me." In this Psalm, I take it,
is rather vouched not what the prophet always performed, but
what in duty must be performed, and what David's purpose was to
endeavour unto for the time to come. For after so many pledges
of God's infinite goodness, and by the guidance of his rod and
stay of his sheep-hook, God willing, he would not fear, and this
is the groundwork of his affiance. Peter in the gospel by our
Saviour, in consideration of infirmity through fear denying his
Master, is willed after his conversion by that favourable aspect
of our Saviour, to confirm his brethren, and to train them in
constancy; for verily God requireth settled minds, resolute men,
and confirmed brethren. So upon occasions past, David found it
true that he should not have been heretofore at any time, and
therefore professeth, that for the time to come he would be no
marigold-servant of the Lord, to open with the sun and shut with
the dew —to serve him in calmer times only, and at a need, to
shoot neck out of collar, fearfully and faithlessly to slip
aside or shrink away. Good people, in all heartless
imperfections, mark, I pray you, that they who fear every mist
that ariseth, or cloud that appeareth—who are like the
mulberry tree, that never shooteth forth or showeth itself till
all hard weather be past—who, like standers-by and lookers on,
neuters and internimists—who, like Metius Suffetius, dare not
venture upon, nor enter into, nor endeavour any good action of
greatest duty to God, prince, or country, till all be sure in
one side—are utterly reproved by this ensample. John Prime,
1588.
Verse 4. The death of those who are under sin, is like
a malefactor's execution: when he is panelled and justly
convicted, one pulleth the hat doggedly from him, another his
band, a third bindeth his hands behind his back; and the poor
man, overcome with grief and fear, is dead before he die. But I
look for the death of the righteous, and a peaceable end, that
it shall be as a going to bed of an honest man: his servants
with respect take off his clothes and lay them down in order; a
good conscience the playing the page ordereth all, so that it
confirmeth and increaseth his peace; it biddeth good night to
Faith, Hope, and such other attending graces and gifts in the
way—when we are come home to heaven there is no use of them—
but it directeth Love, Peace, Joy, and other home graces,
that as they conveyed us in the way, so they attend at death,
and enter into the heavens with us. William Struther.
Verse 4. The Lord willeth us in the day of our
troubles to call upon him, adding this promise—that he will
deliver us. Whereunto the prophet David did so trust, feeling
the comfortable truth thereof at sundry times in many and
dangerous perils, that he persuaded himself (all fear set
apart), to undergo one painful danger or other whatsoever; yea,
if it were to "walk in the valley of the shadow of
death," that he should not have cause to fear;
comforting himself with this saying (which was God's promise
made unto all), "For thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me." Is God's "staff"
waxen so weak, that we dare not now lean too much thereon, lest
it should break? or is he now such a changeling, that he will
not be with us in our trouble according to his promise? Will he
not give us this "staff" to stay us by, and
reach us his hand to hold us up, as he hath been wont to do? No
doubt but that he will be most ready in all extremity to help,
according to his promise. The Lord that created thee, O Jacob,
and he that formed thee, O Israel, saith thus; Fear not, for I
will defend thee," etc. Isaiah 43. Thomas Tymme.
Verse 4. Not long before he died, he blessed God for
the assurance of his love, and said, He could now as easily die
as shut his eyes; and added, Here am I longing to be silent in
the dust, and enjoying Christ in glory. I long to be in the arms
of Jesus. It is not worth while to weep for me. Then,
remembering how busy the devil had been about him, he was
exceedingly thankful to God for his goodness in rebuking him. Memoir
of James Janeway.
Verse 4. When Mrs. Hervey, the wife of a missionary in
Bombay, was dying, a friend said to her, that he hoped the
Saviour would be with her as she walked through the dark valley
of the shadow of death. "If this," said she, "is
the dark valley, it has not a dark spot in it; all is
light." She had, during most of her sickness, bright views
of the perfections of God. "His awful holiness," she
said, "appeared the most lovely of all his
attributes." At one time she said she wanted words to
express her views of the glory and majesty of Christ. "It
seems," said she, "that if all other glory were
annihilated and nothing left but his bare self, it would be
enough; it would be a universe of glory!"
Verses 4, 5. A readiness of spirit to suffer gives the
Christian the true enjoyment of life. . . . The Christian, that
hath this preparation of heart, never tastes more sweetness in
the enjoyment of this life, than when he dips these morsels in
the meditation of death and eternity. It is no more grief to his
heart to think of the remove of these, which makes way for those
far sweeter enjoyments, than it would be to one at a feast, to
have the first course taken off, when he had fed well upon it,
that the second course of all rare sweetmeats and banqueting
stuff may come on, which it cannot till the other be gone. Holy
David, in this place, brings in, as it were, a death's head with
his feast. In the same breath almost, he speaks of his dying
(verse 4), and of the rich feast he at present sat at through
the bounty of God (verse 5), to which he was not so tied by the
teeth, but if God, that gave him this cheer, should call him
from it, to look death in the face, he could do it, and fear
no evil when in the valley of the shadow of it. And
what think you of the blessed apostle Peter? Had not he, think
you, the true enjoyment of his life, when he could sleep so
sweetly in a prison (no desirable place), fast bound between two
soldiers (no comfortable posture), and this the very night
before Herod would have brought him forth, in all probability,
to his execution? no likely time, one would think, to get any
rest; yet we find him, even there, thus, and then, so sound
asleep, that the angel, who was sent to give him his gaol
deliverance, smote him on the side to awaken him. Acts 12:6, 7.
I question whether Herod himself slept so well that night, as
this his prisoner did. And what was the potion that brought this
holy man so quietly to rest? No doubt this preparation of the
gospel of peace—he was ready to die, and that made him
able to sleep. Why should that break his rest in this world,
which if it had been effected, would have brought him to his
eternal rest in the other? William Gurnall.
Verses 4, 6. The psalmist expresseth an exceeding
confidence in the midst of most inexpressible troubles and
pressures. He supposes himself "walking through the
valley of the shadow of death." As "death"
is the worst of evils, and comprehensive of them all, so the "shadow"
of death is the most dismal and dark representation of those
evils into the soul, and the "valley" of that
shadow the most dreadful bottom and depth of that
representation. This, then, the prophet supposed that he might
be brought into. A condition wherein he may be overwhelmed with
sad apprehensions of the coming of a confluence of all manner of
evils upon him—and that not for a short season, but he may be
necessitated to "walk" in them, which denotes a
state of some continuance, a conflicting with most dismal evils,
and in their own nature tending to death—is in the supposal.
What, then, would he do if he should be brought into this
estate? Saith he, "Even in that condition, in such
distress, wherein I am, to my own and the eyes of others,
hopeless, helpless, gone, and lost, 'I will fear no evil.'"
A noble resolution, if there be a sufficient bottom and
foundation for it, that it may not be accounted rashness and
groundless confidence, but true spiritual courage and holy
resolution. Saith he, "It is because the Lord is with
me." But alas! what if the Lord should now forsake thee in
this condition, and give thee up to the power of thine enemies,
and suffer thee, by the strength of thy temptations, wherewith
thou art beset, to fall utterly from him? Surely then thou
wouldst be swallowed up for ever: the waters would go over thy
soul, and thou must for ever lie down in the shades of death.
"Yea," saith he, "but I have an assurance to the
contrary; 'Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life.' John Owen.
Verse 5. "Thou preparest a table before me in
the presence of mine enemies." God doth not at all
depend upon wicked men in the benediction of his servant; they
concur not with him, neither per modum principii, for he
alone is the cause; nor per modum auxilii, for he without
them can bless his all: their malicious renitency of spirit, or
attempt against God's blessing of his people, is too impotent to
frustrate God's intention and pleasure. An effectual impediment
must not only have contrariety in it, but superiority: a drop of
water cannot put out the fire, for though it hath a contrary
nature, yet it hath not greater power. Now the malice and
contrivances of evil men are too short and weak for the divine
intention of blessing, which is accompanied with an almighty
arm. Evil men are but men, and God is a God; and being but men,
they can do no more than men. The Lord will clear it to all the
world, that he rules the earth, and that "his counsel shall
stand;" and where he blesseth, that man shall be blessed;
and whom he curseth, that man shall be cursed; that the
creatures can do neither good not evil; that his people are the
generation of his care and love, though living in the midst of
deadly enemies. Condensed from Obadiah Sedgwick.
Verse 5. "In the presence of mine
enemies:" they seeing and envying and fretting at it,
but not being able to hinder it. Matthew Poole.
Verse 5. "Thou anointest my head with oil; my
cup runneth over." In the East the people frequently
anoint their visitors with some very fragrant perfume; and give
them a cup or glass of some choice wine, which they are careful
to fill till it runs over. The first was designed to show their
love and respect; the latter to imply that while they remained
there, they should have an abundance of everything. To something
of this kind the psalmist probably alludes in this passage. Samuel
Burder.
Verse 5. "Thou anointest my head with
oil." Anointing the head with oil is a great
refreshment. There are three qualities of oil—lævor, nitor,
odor, a smoothness to the touch, brightness to the sight,
fragrancy to the smell, and so, gratifying the senses, it must
needs cause delight to those anointed with it. To this Solomon
alludes when persuading to a cheerful life, he saith, "Let
thy head lack no ointment." How fully doth this represent
the Spirit's unction which alone rejoices and exhilarates the
soul! It is called the "oil of gladness," and the
"joy of the Holy Ghost." Nathanael Hardy.
Verse 5. "Thou anointest my head with
oil." It is an act of great respect to pour perfumed
oil on the head of a distinguished guest; the woman in the
gospel thus manifested her respect for the Saviour by pouring
"precious ointment" on his head. An English lady went
on board an Arabian ship which touched at Trincomalee, for the
purpose of seeing the equipment of the vessel, and to make some
little purchases. After she had been seated some time in the
cabin, an Arabian female came and poured perfumed oil on her
head. Joseph Roberts.
Verse 5. "Thou anointest my head with
oil." In the East no entertainment could be without
this, and it served, as elsewhere a bath does, for (bodily)
refreshment. Here, however, it is naturally to be understood of
the spiritual oil of gladness. T. C. Barth.
Verse 5. "Thou anointest my head with
oil." Thou hast not confined thy bounty merely to the
necessaries of life, but thou hast supplied me also with its
luxuries. In "A plain Explanation of Difficult Passages
in the Psalms," 1831.
Verse 5. "Thou anointest my head with
oil." The unguents of Egypt may preserve our bodies
from corruption, ensuring them a long duration in the dreary
shades of the sepulchre, but, O Lord, the precious perfumed oil
of thy grace which thou dost mysteriously pour upon our souls,
purifies them, adorns them, strengthens them, sows in them the
germs of immortality, and thus it not only secures them from a
transitory corruption, but uplifts them from this house of
bondage into eternal blessedness in thy bosom. Jean Baptiste
Massillon, 1663-1742.
Verse 5. "My cup runneth over." He
had not only a fulness of abundance, but of redundance.
Those that have this happiness must carry their cup upright, and
see that it overflows into their poor brethren's emptier
vessels. John Trapp.
Verse 5. "My cup runneth over."
Wherefore doth the Lord make you cup run over, but that other
men's lips might taste the liquor? The showers that fall upon
the highest mountains, should glide into the lowest valleys.
"Give, and it shall be given you," is a maxim little
believed. Luke 6:38. William Secker.
Verse 5. "My cup runneth over." Or as
it is in the Vulgate: And my inebriating chalice, how
excellent it is! With this cup were the martyrs inebriated,
when, going forth to their passion, they recognised not those
that belonged to them; not their weeping wife, not their
children, not their relations; while they gave thanks and said,
"I will take the cup of salvation!" Augustine.
Verse 6. "I will dwell in the house of the
Lord for ever." A wicked man, it may be, will turn into
God's house, and say a prayer, etc., but the prophet would (and
so all godly men must) dwell there for ever; his
soul lieth always at the throne of grace, begging for grace. A
wicked man prayeth as the cock croweth; the cock crows and
ceaseth, and crows again, and ceaseth again, and thinks not of
crowing till he crows again: so a wicked man prays and ceaseth,
prays and ceaseth again; his mind is never busied to think
whether his prayers speed or no; he thinks it is good religion
for him to pray, and therefore he takes for granted that his
prayers speed, though in very deed God never hears his prayers,
nor no more respects them than he respects the lowing of oxen,
or the grunting of hogs. William Fenner, B.D.
(1600-1640), in "The Sacrifice of the Faithful."
Verse 6. "I will dwell in the house of the
Lord for ever." This should be at once the crown of all
our hopes for the future, and the one great lesson taught us by
all the vicissitudes of life. The sorrows and the joys, the
journeying and the rest, the temporary repose and the frequent
struggles, all these should make us sure that there is an end
which will interpret them all, to which they all point, for
which they all prepare. We get the table in the wilderness here.
It is as when the son of some great king comes back from foreign
soil to his father's dominions, and is welcomed at every stage
in his journey to the capital with pomp of festival and
messengers from the throne, until at last he enters his palace
home, where the travel-stained robe is laid aside, and he sits
down with his father at his table. Alexander Maclaren,
1863.
Verse 6. Mark David's resolute persuasion, and
consider how he came unto it, namely, by experience of God's
favour at sundry times, and after sundry manners. For before he
set down this resolution, he numbered up divers benefits
received of the Lord; that he fed him in green pastures, and
led him by the refreshing waters of God's word; that he restores
him and leads him in the paths of righteousness; that he
strengthened him in great dangers, even of death, and preserveth
him; that in despite of his enemies, he enricheth him with many
benefits. By means of all the mercies of God bestowed on him, he
came to be persuaded of the continuance of the favour of God
towards him. William Perkins.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. Work out the similitude of a shepherd and his
sheep. He rules, guides, feeds, and protects them; and they
follow, obey, love and trust him. Examine as to whether we are
sheep; show the lot of the goats who feed side by side with the
sheep.
Verse 1. (second clause). The man who is beyond
the reach of want for time and eternity.
Verse 2. (first clause). Believing rest.
I. Comes from God—"He maketh."
II. Is deep and profound—"lie down."
III. Has solid sustenance—"in green pastures."
IV. Is subject for constant praise.
Verse 2. The contemplative and the active element
provided for.
Verse 2. The freshness and richness of Holy Scripture.
Verse 2. (second clause). Onward. The Leader,
the way, the comforts of the road, and the traveller in it.
Verse 3. Gracious restoration, holy guidance, and
divine motives.
Verse 4. The soft silence of the Spirit's work.
Verse 4. God's presence the only sure support in
death.
Verse 4. Life in death and light in darkness.
Verse 4. (second clause). The calm and quiet of
the good man's end.
Verse 4. (last clause). The tokens of divine
government—the consolation of the obedient.
Verse 5. The warrior feasted, the priest anointed, the
guest satisfied.
Verse 5. (last clause). The means and uses of
the continual anointings of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 5. Providential super-aboundings, and what is
our duty concerning them.
Verse 6. (first clause). The blessedness of
content.
Verse 6. On the road and at home, or heavenly
attendants and heavenly mansions.
WORKS UPON THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM
Certain Comfortable Expositions of the Constant Martyrs of
Christ. JOHN HOOPER, Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester,
1555, written in the time of his Tribulation and Imprisonment,
upon the Twenty-third, Sixty-second, Seventy-third, and
Seventy-seventh Psalm of the prophet David. {In Parker Society's
publications, and also in the "British Reformers"
series of the Religious Tract Society.}
The Chiefe Shepheard; or an Exposition upon ye
Twenty-third Psalme. . . . BY SAMUEL SMITH, Minister of ye
Word of God, at Prittlewell, in Essex. 1625. 8vo.
Meditations and Disquisitions upon Seven Consolatorie
Psalmes of David. By Sir RICHARD BAKER. 1640. {see
"WORKS," p. 10.}
The Shepherd of Israel; or, God's pastoral care over his
people. Delivered in divers Sermons on the whole
Twenty-third Psalme. . . . By that Reverend and Faithful
Minister of the Gospel, Mr. OBADIAH SEDGWICK, B.D. 1658. 4to.
The Shepherd of Israel: a practical Exposition and
Improvement of the Twenty-third Psalm. By J. THORNTON. 1826.
12mo.
The Lord our Shepherd: an Exposition of the Twenty-third
Psalm. By the Rev, JOHN STEVENSON, perpetual Curate of Cury
and Gunwalloe, Cornwall. 1845. 8vo.
The Good Shepherd and the Chosen Flock: shewing the
progress of the sheep of Christ through the wilderness of this
world to the pastures of the Heavenly Zion. An Exposition of the
Twenty-third Psalm. By THOMAS DALE, M.A., Canon Residentiary
of St, Paul's, London. 1847. 12mo.
The Shepherd King; or Jesus seen in the Life of David.
Designed for the Young. By the Authoress of "The Folded
Lamb." {Mrs. Rogers.} 1856. 12mo.
The Song of Christ's Flock in the Twenty-third Psalm.
By JOHN STOUGHTON. 1860. 12m0.