_The Lord is my Shepherd._ EXEGESIS OF THE PSALM This Psalm, so personal and tender in its tone, may be called a lyric; and its reference to shepherd life makes it a pastoral; and being such, it becomes by its brevity and finish an idyll--an idyll excelling in naturalness and truth any that Theocri... [ Continue Reading ]
_He maketh me to lie down in green pastures._ THE GREEN PASTURES The image, so clear and beautiful in itself, is singularly forcible and suggestive in relation to our inner life. Is not the background of the picture true to the facts which we everywhere witness around us, and the needs and aspirati... [ Continue Reading ]
_He restoreth my soul._ THE RESTORATION OF THE SOUL 1. It implies the quickening and invigoration of the soul in seasons of depression and exhaustion. A sheep may languish from internal weakness and disorder, and may need the application of medicinal restorations. So the soul may suffer from its i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death._ VALLEYS OF THE SHADOW The royal poet is putting a spiritual meaning into the various experiences of his shepherd’s life; and as he once led his flock to the green pastures and by the still waters, so he ascribes whatever of peaceful happine... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies._ THE LORD’S GUESTS This is a desert scene. A hot, panting fugitive is fleeing for his life, pursued and hunted by the forces of a fierce revenge. At last he touches the tent rope of a desert man, and now he is a guest, and a guest... [ Continue Reading ]
_Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me._ A GOOD MAN’S THOUGHTS IN HIS OLD AGE The Psalm itself consists of two pictures--what we call “the shepherd,” and what we should not err in calling “the king.” Both have to do with character, spiritual character, relation to God. They may apply to other t... [ Continue Reading ]