Psalm 23 is written by King David. The whole Psalm is written from a shepherd's point of view. he drew a connection between a shepherd and God. Last week I wrote a paper on Psalm 23 and this part was very "wow" to me.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul;” Psalms 23:2-3ish
“The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of social behavior within the flock sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.” (Keller 35.) Sheep are very easily frightened animals. With such a worrisome constitution the sheep need the shepherd to provide the constant safety in life. If a sheep knows that the shepherd is near then there is peace. Not only does the shepherd provide peace for the sheep when it has to do with safety but also He provides peace for the sheep within the herd. Sheep as dumb as they are, create strife amongst themselves. They try to claim the position as top dog. However when the shepherd is there with the sheep all of the ladder climbing ideas quickly disappear in the sheep’s mind and there is peace among all the sheep.
Sheep are constantly attacked by bugs. There are many different types of instincts that love to drive the sheep crazy. One little insect constantly gnawing at the inside of the sheep’s little heads is enough to make the sheep beat its head against a rock or something hard in order to get rid of the annoyance.
The last reason mentioned above is the fact that sheep will not lie down unless they are free from hunger. This is psalm was written based on the shepherding in Israel. Israel’s terrain is different than other countries terrain. It is rough, hard and rocky it does not grow much grass. Then on top of all of that it does not rain but two times a year, make the abundance of grass even less then his it rained all year around like in countries such as Ireland. Therefore for an Israeli shepherd to find grass enough for his whole to be content, and now that they will not hunger is quite a task.
Water is mandatory for life. Clean water is a must. Dirty water can cause major problems there are so many types of illnesses that a sheep can get. “When Sheep are thirsty they become restless and set our searching of water to satisfy their thirst. If not lead to the good water supplies of clean, pure water, they will often end up drinking from the polluted pot holes where they pick up internal parasites as nematodes, liver flukes or other disease germs.” (Keller 50.) Sheep, like stated above, are very jumpy animals and still water is a must for these skiddish animals. They will not drink unless it is still because of their fear of movement. Just the idea of still waters sounds peaceful. The shepherd has brought them to a place that they can be at rest.
As the Good shepherd the Lord always provides for his children, so much so that they can be at peace. It not just the barely getting by amount either it is the amount that says “because I am God I provide.” The Good shepherd will prepare more than what anyone can ask for or image. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9) He is the Good shepherd that owns a cattle on a thousand hills. “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10) He provides for his children’s food and water needs to the point that they can live in tranquility because of the extreme amount that they have been provided for. Besides the physical providing for basic needs of His children; the Good shepherd provides for the spiritual food and water of his children. He makes sure that the spiritual life will be full if the people draw on him for their spiritual strength. The Good shepherd has created a peace for environment for them to live in not only from predators but also from each other.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul;” Psalms 23:2-3ish
“The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of social behavior within the flock sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.” (Keller 35.) Sheep are very easily frightened animals. With such a worrisome constitution the sheep need the shepherd to provide the constant safety in life. If a sheep knows that the shepherd is near then there is peace. Not only does the shepherd provide peace for the sheep when it has to do with safety but also He provides peace for the sheep within the herd. Sheep as dumb as they are, create strife amongst themselves. They try to claim the position as top dog. However when the shepherd is there with the sheep all of the ladder climbing ideas quickly disappear in the sheep’s mind and there is peace among all the sheep.
Sheep are constantly attacked by bugs. There are many different types of instincts that love to drive the sheep crazy. One little insect constantly gnawing at the inside of the sheep’s little heads is enough to make the sheep beat its head against a rock or something hard in order to get rid of the annoyance.
The last reason mentioned above is the fact that sheep will not lie down unless they are free from hunger. This is psalm was written based on the shepherding in Israel. Israel’s terrain is different than other countries terrain. It is rough, hard and rocky it does not grow much grass. Then on top of all of that it does not rain but two times a year, make the abundance of grass even less then his it rained all year around like in countries such as Ireland. Therefore for an Israeli shepherd to find grass enough for his whole to be content, and now that they will not hunger is quite a task.
Water is mandatory for life. Clean water is a must. Dirty water can cause major problems there are so many types of illnesses that a sheep can get. “When Sheep are thirsty they become restless and set our searching of water to satisfy their thirst. If not lead to the good water supplies of clean, pure water, they will often end up drinking from the polluted pot holes where they pick up internal parasites as nematodes, liver flukes or other disease germs.” (Keller 50.) Sheep, like stated above, are very jumpy animals and still water is a must for these skiddish animals. They will not drink unless it is still because of their fear of movement. Just the idea of still waters sounds peaceful. The shepherd has brought them to a place that they can be at rest.
As the Good shepherd the Lord always provides for his children, so much so that they can be at peace. It not just the barely getting by amount either it is the amount that says “because I am God I provide.” The Good shepherd will prepare more than what anyone can ask for or image. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9) He is the Good shepherd that owns a cattle on a thousand hills. “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10) He provides for his children’s food and water needs to the point that they can live in tranquility because of the extreme amount that they have been provided for. Besides the physical providing for basic needs of His children; the Good shepherd provides for the spiritual food and water of his children. He makes sure that the spiritual life will be full if the people draw on him for their spiritual strength. The Good shepherd has created a peace for environment for them to live in not only from predators but also from each other.
