“1 The LORD is My Shepherd; I shall not want. (Even though this beautiful Psalm applied to David, and to all Believers as well, more than all it applied to Christ.
Williams says, “Only one voice sang this Psalm in perfect tune. It was the Voice of Jesus. When walking through the dark valley of His earthly Life, Jehovah was His Shepherd. There is no suggestion of sin in the Psalm. Its great theme is not so much what Jehovah gives, or does, as what or Who He is.”
And yet, at the same time, as Christ presents Himself as the Sheep, He is also presented as the Great Shepherd of His People, for He was raised from the dead in order to be such [Heb. 13:20].)”
“2 He makes Me to lie down in green pastures (any other voice that is followed will lead only to barren pastures): He leads Me beside the still waters. (The 23rd Psalm makes it abundantly clear that the Church is not the Saviour, neither is religious hierarchy the Saviour, neither are rules and regulations the Saviour. Only the Lord is. We can follow Him, or we can follow other things; we cannot follow both.)
3 He restores My soul (when the sheep skin their forehead foraging for grass, the shepherd would pour oil over the wounds): He leads Me in the paths of Righteousness for His Name’s sake. (At times the lamb will leave the appointed path, even doing so several times, being retrieved each time by the shepherd. But, if it leaves too many times, the shepherd, upon retrieving it from the rocky crevices, will take his staff and break one of the legs. He then carefully “sets” the leg, and then lays the lamb on his shoulder close to his heart. He carries it until the wound is healed. That is a symbol of chastisement [Heb. 12:5–11].)”
“4 Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (the powers of darkness, constituting powerful attacks by Satan): for You are with Me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort Me. (The ideal position for the “lamb” is to allow the Shepherd to fight for him. In fact, the only fight we are told to fight is the “good fight of Faith” [I Tim. 6:12].
What a comfort it is to know that the “rod” and “staff” are constantly beating back the powers of darkness on our behalf.)
5 You prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies (and these “enemies” cannot touch this “prepared table”): You anoint My head with oil (a Type of the Holy Spirit); My cup runs over (a figure of speech that refers to abundance).”
“6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow Me all the days of My life (“goodness” gives us green pastures and still waters; “mercy” retrieves us when we foolishly leave the “paths of righteousness”): and I will dwell in the House of the LORD for ever (as long as the Lord is our Shepherd, we can expect all of this, “all the days of our lives”).”
Excerpt From
The Expositor's Study Bible
Jimmy Swaggart
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expositors-study-bible/id399697870?mt=11
This material may be protected by copyright.
Williams says, “Only one voice sang this Psalm in perfect tune. It was the Voice of Jesus. When walking through the dark valley of His earthly Life, Jehovah was His Shepherd. There is no suggestion of sin in the Psalm. Its great theme is not so much what Jehovah gives, or does, as what or Who He is.”
And yet, at the same time, as Christ presents Himself as the Sheep, He is also presented as the Great Shepherd of His People, for He was raised from the dead in order to be such [Heb. 13:20].)”
“2 He makes Me to lie down in green pastures (any other voice that is followed will lead only to barren pastures): He leads Me beside the still waters. (The 23rd Psalm makes it abundantly clear that the Church is not the Saviour, neither is religious hierarchy the Saviour, neither are rules and regulations the Saviour. Only the Lord is. We can follow Him, or we can follow other things; we cannot follow both.)
3 He restores My soul (when the sheep skin their forehead foraging for grass, the shepherd would pour oil over the wounds): He leads Me in the paths of Righteousness for His Name’s sake. (At times the lamb will leave the appointed path, even doing so several times, being retrieved each time by the shepherd. But, if it leaves too many times, the shepherd, upon retrieving it from the rocky crevices, will take his staff and break one of the legs. He then carefully “sets” the leg, and then lays the lamb on his shoulder close to his heart. He carries it until the wound is healed. That is a symbol of chastisement [Heb. 12:5–11].)”
“4 Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (the powers of darkness, constituting powerful attacks by Satan): for You are with Me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort Me. (The ideal position for the “lamb” is to allow the Shepherd to fight for him. In fact, the only fight we are told to fight is the “good fight of Faith” [I Tim. 6:12].
What a comfort it is to know that the “rod” and “staff” are constantly beating back the powers of darkness on our behalf.)
5 You prepare a table before Me in the presence of My enemies (and these “enemies” cannot touch this “prepared table”): You anoint My head with oil (a Type of the Holy Spirit); My cup runs over (a figure of speech that refers to abundance).”
“6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow Me all the days of My life (“goodness” gives us green pastures and still waters; “mercy” retrieves us when we foolishly leave the “paths of righteousness”): and I will dwell in the House of the LORD for ever (as long as the Lord is our Shepherd, we can expect all of this, “all the days of our lives”).”
Excerpt From
The Expositor's Study Bible
Jimmy Swaggart
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-expositors-study-bible/id399697870?mt=11
This material may be protected by copyright.
