Psalm 1:2 says that “Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on His law day and night.” I’ve been thinking about this verse for some time. And asking God what it looks like? I mean, exactly what portions of Scripture could I meditate on that would draw me into His presence? Yesterday God answered that prayer.As I was mowing my lawn (this gives me 90 minutes to think and pray) my mind was drawn to the 23rd Psalm. I think everyone would agree that this is the most popular Psalm. And probably one of the most famous passages of Scripture. Right up there with John 3:16 and a few other verses. In my mind I went over the Psalm verse-by-verse. And even word-by-word. In my post today I just want to mention what God showed my in famous opening line of the Psalm - The Lord is my Shepherd.
The Lord - Wow. Where to begin? The Bible tells us that the Lord is eternal in the Heavens. Master and Creator of the Universe. Maker of Heaven and earth. Almighty. Omniscient. Omnipresent. Holy. The center and attention of Heaven. I thought about Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in Isaiah 6. Seated on His throne. High and lifted up. The train of His robe filling the Temple. Attended to by angels. Smoke. Thunder. Glory. These are just a few insights into who the Lord is.
Is - One of the smaller words, for sure. Yet is has a lot to say. The same mighty, exalted, glorious Lord that we just looked at ‘is’. I don’t profess to be an English major but it seems to me that ‘is’ denotes present tense. In other words, not the past, or the future, but right now. ‘The Lord is’. In other words, He exists right now. This brings great comfort and encouragement to me because I need the Lord now! The past is over and done with. Tomorrow is still in the future. I need the Lord today. Right now. Right this very minute.
My - Another small word that says a lot. Again, venturing into territory that I am probably not qualified to explore, as I understand it, ‘my’ is possessive. In other words, whatever or whoever the object is, when I say ‘my’, it belongs to me. Me! This means that I have some sort of stake of ownership in it. It personalizes things. No longer is it ‘the’ Lord, as in everyone’s Lord but ‘my’ Lord! This reminds me of the words of Thomas after He saw the resurrected Jesus with his own eyes in John 20:28, “My Lord and my God!” The word ‘my’ takes things from being abstract and makes them personal. Is there any better word to attach ‘my’ to than the Lord?
Shepherd - Here is the object of the entire first phrase. Most of us who are familiar with the Bible are also familiar with what a shepherd is. Shepherds have a long, rich tradition in Scripture. The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) were all shepherds to some degree. So was Moses. And David. Amos the prophet. Shepherds were also the ones who received the news of the birth of Jesus and who saw Him the night He was born. What does a shepherd do? Care for sheep. Which is a pretty big job when it comes right down to it. Without getting ahead of myself, a shepherd takes care of a sheep’s need for food and water. Shelter and protection. He inspects it from time-to-time to make sure that it hasn’t been infected with parasites or some kind of illness. The shepherd lives with the sheep day and night. As a result the shepherd knows his sheep better than any one else. He knows his sheep intimately.
The Lord is my Shepherd - So now we put it all together. The great, almighty, sovereign Lord of the universe is a shepherd. And He is my Shepherd! Right now. At this very moment. This means He is currently watching over me. Meeting all of my needs. Protecting me. Guiding me. Loving me. Again, I say wow! What an incredible thought! No wonder why the 23rd Psalm is one the most beloved passages of Scripture. We’ve only looked at five words and already we are overwhelmed with wonder and gratefulness!
What words to think about and meditate on! What words of comfort and encouragement! What words of hope and joy! So let's take some time and go over these words in our minds. To think about what they mean for us. To let them speak to our spirit and soul. This is why they have been preserved for us. These are God’s own words straight to our hearts!
Lord, I thank you for Your Word. In particular for the 23rd Psalm. Oh how much those first few words say to me. How they speak to my heart. How they encourage and strengthen me. And humble me. Who am I that You should care for me? And watch over me? And know me so intimately? And love me so much? May the reality of these words penetrate to the depths of my being. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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