Where is the works in Ps 23?

For exposition of the entire Psalm 23, read my following articles:
 

1.   Ps 23:1 – The LORD is my shepherd; I shall NOT be in want;

      2.   Ps 23:2-3 – The leading of the LORD, my Shepherd;
      3.   Ps 23:4-6 - The LORD, as our Shepherd, is with us in trouble.

Metaphor is meant to illustrate certain aspects only

This psalm uses the shepherd-sheep metaphor to give us a picture, NOT necessarily, the entire picture, of the life of a believer.  It is necessary for us to understand that the use of metaphors and parables is for the purpose of illustrating or giving a portrayal of certain aspect(s) of a scenario, process or attribute, character or thing, or even God.

Every metaphor or parable has its limitations to portray more than the essential aspect(s) it is meant to portray.  Representations are NOT the same as the actual thing or process or scenario.

Works exhorted in Scripture?

Now, is works exhorted in the life of a believer, in Scripture?  The answer can only be one, and that is yes or affirmative.  Works is one aspect of the redemptive works of our Lord (For fuller study of the Redemptive works of the Lord, read this: Works of redemption by our Lord).

A few scriptures to support works as being necessary, include these:

We are created to do good works – Eph 2:10

Eph 2:8-10 - 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--  9 not by works, so that no one can boast.  10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Tree that bears no good fruit to be chopped down – Matt 7:19; Matt 3:10

Matt 7:19 - Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matt 3:10 - The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Narrative of “Who are the sheep and who are the goats” – Matt25:31-46

If you are keen to read my exposition of this: read “Who are the sheep, and who are the goats”

The Great Commission – Matt 28:19-20

Matt 28:19-20 - 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Works in Ps 23 or NOT?

So, is there works in Ps 23 or NOT?  The answer is, explicitly, no.  It is silent on it (works), but it is NOT incongruent with the necessity of works in the life of a believer, and it does NOT preclude works; and if you are open about it, you can even see it, implicitly.  The metaphor, shepherd-sheep was used to illustrate more, of leading and following, of the one leading is good and more than capable, who must be wholeheartedly and unreservedly followed, and followed with perseverance.  Sheep by nature, do NOT work (explicit definition); and so, the metaphor does NOT hold itself out directly, to be talking about works; but it does NOT preclude works.

Implicitly,

If works is NOT precluded, where can be works be, in the psalm? Depending on your definition of works, we can see works, embedded or is implicitly found, in the psalm!

To just sit around in the beach chair, and doing nothing, just basking in the sun, for most definitions, it can be said to be of nil works.  The overly grace or hyper grace community believers have this motto – we are to just bask in grace.  If their idea is to be like the one basking in the sun, how profaning they are, of the grace of God.  For a lot of the time, the grace of God can be seen to be for a purpose.

For example, the sun’s rays come, for us to “bask” some prawn crackers, even as we got basked in sun, doing the work.  From that provision of the sun’s ray, many people, including ourselves, will benefit from eating of the prawn crackers.  This, rather, is a common way the grace of God is extended to us; its benefit is to extend beyond ourselves.

A sheep, just lying there, not budging at all, all day long, can be with no works; but if it gets up and follows the shepherd, it can be said that it is working!  For a moment, think about the nursery rhyme, “Ba ba black sheep”.  Have you any wool?  Yes, sir, yes, sir; three bags full; one for the master, one for the dame, and one for the little boy down the lane. 

Think for moment, away from a sheep going to the slaughter; suppose a sheep will NOT be slaughtered, but would live to give of its wool.  The sheep is working towards provision of wool when it follows the shepherd’s leading to green pastures and quiet waters, to get itself well-nourished. 

When a sheep does NOT budge, and so, does NOT get to feed of the green pastures and drink of the quiet waters, do you think it will produce good bags of wool, for the master, for the dame, or for the little boy down the lane?  While I have said that sheep do NOT work; now, if you could view from the angle of they eating in order to be producing wool, milk (well, even meat!), they are working!  (Actually, a lot more can be discerned from the sheep as metaphor of a believer, and perhaps, another article could be written on it).  Following the shepherd can be works for the sheep; so, are us, believers, following the Shepherd.

Following the Lord is works

The psalm is strong in its portrayal of us needing to follow the LORD, our Shepherd.  Following the LORD is works.  It is NOT difficult to appreciate, as far as I am concerned; for example, if I sit around, at my laptop, playing the computer game I like, beyond a healthy preoccupation with recreation, I am can be said as NOT doing any works (gratifying myself solely).  Now, imagine I am prompted by the Holy Spirit to go outside and share the gospel with the little boy down the lane, and I follow the prompting (the Spirit) and do it, the following is works (for the Lord), compared with continuing with my playing away at my computer game.  To obey and follow the Lord is works.

At the green pastures and at the quiet waters, are the sheep working away?  If you think about the wool-producing sheep or even the milk-producing sheep; they are working away, to feed the “machinery” within themselves to produce what they are to produce.  If you still don’t get it, just consider the other common metaphor used (to portray believer) in the NT - that of a tree, and its necessity to bear fruit; the tree gets water and minerals from the ground and makes food with the help of its leaves and sunlight, so that it could grow, flower and bear fruit – tree in works!

We are all “marketplace” ministers!

The sheep works away, hours on grazing and hours on cuds chewing, yah, at the places of sustenance, green pastures and quiet waters.  So, too, for us, believers, even at our places or positions of getting our sustenance for life, we too, should be engaged in works.

The sheep take in all sustenance, NOT for itself solely, that it may produce wool, that it may produce milk; so shall we NOT just hoard from all the sustenance that the LORD would bring us to.  If you have become rich, enjoy it, but also share it; if you have been blessed, enjoy it, but also bless others.  In your sharing and in your blessing, you are engaged in works.  Do NOT be like the Dead Sea, only take in, but give NOT, out!  The “Ba Ba Black” sheep blesses the master, the dame, and the little boy down the lane, with its 3 bags of wool; what about you?  The master might have merited it, perhaps, the dame, but the little boy down the lane receives unmerited; do you share or bless those who merit NOT(?); that’s works.

If you look hard enough, you will discover there is even much more works, in the “in-betweens” – the in-betweens of green pastures and quiet waters, in the “valley of the shadow of death”, in troubles.  Even as the shepherd leads, he moves the sheep from one green pasture to another, from one quiet water to another, and as he does that, the sheep, with their shepherd leading, may pass through “valley of the shadow of death” or trouble-spots (to understand more, about there is the valley of the shadow of death, even when the Lord is shepherding – read this: “Ps 23:4-6 – The Lord, as our Shepherd, is with us in our troubles”, yet they would get through safely, without fear, when they work with the shepherd (there is works, there).

Works spells trouble, and trouble spells works!

Although it is true, that the evil one is no gentleman, and he may still trouble you when you don’t do anything (for his purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy), there is truth in “works spells trouble, and trouble spells works”! In other words, at the “valley of the shadow of death” or trouble-spot, if you work NOT, you are dead-meat! 

Of course, work here, does NOT mean “you go fight by your own wits and strength”, nonetheless, it is work, for you need to be especially attentive to the Holy Spirit, obey Him, and follow Him or be led by Him, and that would include, if He asks you to “jump”, you “jump”; if He asks you to “climb”, you “climb”, if He asks you to turn to left or right, you do so; and if He asks you to go over and give of your “milk” and your “bag of wool” to the starving and freezing souls, you do so. Why would the LORD ask of you for the last item in the list?  Because He would go after the ONE lost sheep; because even as sheep are gregarious, we are NOT to meant to be caring for ourselves only.

If you would live out your life according to the prescription or ways of God or His Kingdom, you are living a supernatural life, for you are working against the natural ways of the world you are living in, the fallen world (and that can spell trouble); in such, you are working, and it is works.  To love God is works, to obey Him is works, to follow Him is works, and so, to be led by the Lord or His Spirit is works.

We are saved for good works (from Eph 2:10).

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

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Rejoice in the Lord, always – what’s involved?

Often enough we find this, “rejoice in the Lord”, in Scripture. What does it mean?  There can be several meanings to the word, rejoice (G5463 - chairō). I will be concentrating on the main meaning, such as in Phil 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

“In the Lord”, what it means

I will NOT here, go into the complex “dative” usage in Greek, and it suffices that I distil for us, the “in the Lord”, along this line:

“In the Lord” is about faith and dependence on the Lord. It means the action (in our case, rejoice) is done through a full reliance on the authority, power and ways of the Lord, with a faith that, 1) raises hope leading to endurance through troubles, 2) holds confidence in His love towards us, 3) believes in His wisdom and ability, 4) does NOT doubt He is in control, and 5) trusts He does NOT change of His nature attributes (key of which, is holiness, and so, from that, righteousness and justice).

Rejoice, always – does it make sense?

Scripture is with much exhortation for us to rejoice.  Phil 4:4 said it to rejoice, always.  To rejoice means to be glad, to be filled with joy.  So, we are asked to be glad always, to be filled with joy, always.  But why? 

When it is as said there, always, it means it is we are to be with such a disposition all the time.  What then is this implying?  It is therefore, saying a believer is expected by God to be walking around with gladness and joy.  Is it too much of God to be having such an expectation on us?  No, because He is God and is your God.  In other words, God is saying along the line: If you really know who I am, and that I am your God, how could you NOT be glad and joyous!  So, true joy is rooted in ginosko-knowing who God is and what He has done.

From ginosko-knowing God, your perspective of life will change; and so, too, to lay hold of true joy, one needs to have his perspective of life transformed, from such ginosko-knowing God.  If you want to understand more of what is ginosko-knowing, go read this: I don't know you, evildoer - Part I

Rejoice, always – is it possible?

While the fullness of rejoicing can only be had when we get to the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1), at which time, we will come into this:

4He {God} will wipe every tear from their {our} eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Rev 21:4-5), we, as believers, are already in the Kingdom of God, albeit, the earthly phase of it. 

In this phase, it is NOT we would reach perfection or consummation point, still God expects us to grow, including in alignment with His Spirit, over time.  One observable sign of maturity of faith is the degree with which we are able to rejoice always.  When we are able to rejoice always, it speaks volume of our alignment with His Spirit, our faith and dependence on God.

It is most difficult for non-believers to be rejoicing always, but for believers, the achievement can be near-perfect, although it takes much on-going work to get there. 

We, as believers, can reach greater in-road into this, is because we rejoice NOT relying on our own strength; we rejoice, as exhorted in Scripture, in the Lord.  How much in-road into this, depends on your growth in your faith and so, also your depending and resting on the Lord.

When in the Lord, you will rejoice
When we refer to “in the Lord”, we are referring to presently, NOT yesterday you were in the Lord, or next year you will be in the Lord.  It is like “with faith”, for “with faith” is presently you are with faith, it isn’t referring to your past faith or your future faith.  For faith, some HAD the faith, but today if they are without faith, God is NOT pleased now.  Similarly, “in the Lord”, has to be NOW; if now you are in the Lord, you will rejoice, if you are NOT in the Lord now, even if you rejoice, it is a different kind of rejoicing.

Why I talk about this?  Because the expectation of God is that we need to continue to be of faith, and we need to continue to be in the Lord.  Only when we continue to be of faith and continue to be in the Lord, do we still have the hope of glory, have peace and joy.  Yes, we have the hope of glory when we enter into salvation; we have peace from justification which reconciles us back to God, and we rejoice in the hope of glory, but moving forward, unless we continue to be of faith, our hope of glory sags, and along with that, our rejoicing in the hope of glory (base rejoicing) languishes.  

It is important to understand the above, because there are believers who are puzzled about Scripture’s saying we have peace with God through justification (Rom 5:1) and their apparent lack of peace.  Yes, there is a peace from justification, at the time we enter into salvation, but that peace can dissipate when we are no longer “in the Lord”.   Such individuals also will find that they have problem with rejoicing in the hope of glory; it is due to the same reason (NOT in the Lord).  Don’t let careless preachers fool you; salvation is a hope NOT a fact!  Scripture pictures for us, salvation is a hope (Rom 8:24-25, for example), and so, it requires faith, on-going.  When you let your hope of glory languishes, due to your lack of on-going faith, your base rejoicing suffers. 

Peace and joy
Peace and joy are NOT uncommon to be associated together, and indeed, they go together.  To me, it is inappropriate to teach the “having of peace” is NOT so important; on the contrary, it is very important.  Just think, why was Jesus named Prince of Peace?  Peace is so important that Jesus had to come to give it.  The absence of peace is a bane to joy.  

Without peace, it is difficult for one to lay hold of joy or to rejoice.  Scripture, in Romans 14:17-18 speaks of the Kingdom of God as about His righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and anyone who serves in this manner (in righteousness and with peace and joy of the Spirit) is pleasing to God.  On the other hand, with peace, one can rejoice.  And so, it is very important believers guard their peace.  Our true peace is sourced at God, and comes to us, from Him.

Because the non-believers do NOT have this faith and so, would NOT be depending and resting on the Lord, but instead depending on their own strength, they fail miserably compared to believers.  Believers with shallow faith, too, will find it difficult to be rejoicing always; this is because to be rejoicing always, we need to be rejoicing in the Lord.

The “in the Lord”, as explained above, requires you and I to be working (with the Lord) on our faith and working at knowing God and His ways.  It is only when we know our God well, that He is indeed the God above all gods, who loves us, and is in control and unchanging, and so, is dependable, can we rejoice always.  Now, a most fundamental requirement for peace is “God is with us”.

What is God with you?

Many people brush this “God with us” as non-issue; simply telling themselves that Jesus is Emanuel (God with us), and they have Jesus, and so "God with us", by His Spirit indwelling in them, since they have accepted the Lord as their Saviour. 

“God with us”, has 2 dimensions:  One, a presence – By His indwelling Spirit, for example, the Lord is with us; and two, “with you”, as in He is going along with you or works with you or in agreement with you or is approving of what you are thinking or doing.

Persistent peace (peace that persists) cometh only with the 2^nd dimension in.  If we are without the 2^nd dimension, the “God with us” in terms of His presence by His Holy Spirit, will try to convict us.  And when we numb our conscience (erroneously taught by some overly grace preachers that we should ignore our conscience), we will NOT get true peace, which is the peace (and joy) in and of the Holy Spirit.  We have to get into agreement with the Holy Spirit; He is the one with the peace and joy, always, for He is the one who knows the mind of God, and are always in agreement and acting from that agreement with the Godhead.  When we cooperate and be led by the Holy Spirit, we are working with Him, and He, because He is executing the will and desires of God, His peace and joy is shed abroad in us, as we are in alignment and working with Him.

What about Ps 16:11?

People like to quote, “in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy”, it being part of Ps 16:11.  Isn’t this contrary to what I have just elaborated on “God with us”, that the presence of the Lord is NOT enough?! 

At first glance, it seems so, but if you read the context properly of the quote, “In the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy”, you will find that the psalmist, King David, was referring to the eventual state, like what Rev 21:4-5 (quoted above) was talking about.  He was referring to the time after our resurrection to Heaven.  In Heaven, where the Lord is present, you will have the fullness of joy; you cannot be in disagreement with God in Heaven, can you?  No, you will NOT; and so, for that time, only the presence of the Lord needs be mentioned.

Did David NOT mention about rejoicing while he lived (on earth)?  He did, and it is found in the few verses before v11 of Ps16.  Verses 7-9 –

7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.  8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

King David rejoiced in the LORD, always.  Just put these verses (Ps 16:7-9) against the “in the Lord” meaning given above (at the outset of this article), and you will find David was relying on the LORD, His authority, powers, and ways, and with a faith that raised hope leading to endurance through troubles, etc.  Was David NOT in any trouble, even as he said he rejoiced? Right there in verses 1-2 of Ps 16, we read it –

1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.  2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."

(Those wanting to read a complete exposition of Ps 16, can go read this: Ps 16 - King David’s profession of faith)

Always means always

Rejoice in the Lord, always, means always; even in our troubles.  Concerning troubles, Jesus said this, in John 16:33 –

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus spoke about He would be crucified; at which time, the disciples would scatter (“these things”), so that the disciples might have peace.  And with peace they could rejoice; Scripture, in Matt 28:9 (KJV) recorded this, after Jesus’ resurrection:

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail {G5463 – chairō}. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Chairō (G5463) was the Greek word used.  KJV, as above, translated it as “All hail”, and NIV, “Greetings”; well, the word was “Rejoice”.  Jesus met the disciples and on seeing them, greeted them with a call to rejoice.

Indeed, believers are a peculiar people; we can still have peace and rejoice in our troubles.  Just look at the Apostle Paul; he was imprisoned, and he still rejoiced.  Acts 16:25 (KJV) - And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

What happened afterwards was this (v26): And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

When we turn to Rom 5:3, it tells us, we also rejoice in our sufferings; and it stated for us, the reason we can rejoice. And the reason is suffering produces perseverance (perseverance of what? Faith) (v3); perseverance, character; and character, hope (v4).  Sufferings or afflictions is used by God to turn our initial faith into a persevering faith, and along with it, a persevering hope of glory; and with that, the base joy (from hope) can persist. It is therefore, important that believers pass through troubles, sufferings or afflictions, in the Lord, for when it is in the Lord, the result is positive.  Have you NOT come across believers who are full of joy despite they have gone through many troubles, and may even be in the midst of one?!  This is because they are in the Lord, always.

Persevering hope is so very important. Have we NOT heard it said, “Without hope, we feel like dying, no more joy”?  It may well come from a true reflection from the soul.  Hope keeps us going cheerfully.

Can’t one grieve or be sorrowful?

Yes, you can, but only for a brief season.  Double-talk?  No, Scripture does NOT suggest we be emotionless (but in emotion, we should NOT sin; and ultimately we should NOT be ruled by our emotion).  Even the Apostle Paul did say this (2 Cor 6:10) - sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  And there is the godly sorrow, which leads to repentance (2 Cor 7:10). With repentance, there is the restoration and reconciliation back to God; and rejoicing once again can come. 

We should allow people to grieve; it is rather inhumane, NOT to; yet no believer should stay in grief.  We have to learn to let it go; or we say will have to manage our emotion in its proper and right perspective.  King David had experienced that (2 Samuel 11 & 12): He grieved over the death of his son (child from adultery with Bathsheba), afterwards (after 7 days), he let it go, and moved on (and David got another son, Solomon [King Solomon] with Bathsheba).

Conclusion

Is there a call for us to rejoice, always?  Yes.
Is it possible to rejoice, always?  There is no perfection yet, but yes.
How?  By rejoicing in the Lord.
How?  By understanding what “in the Lord” means, and get into it.  We need to grow.  Below I repeat what “in the Lord” means:

“In the Lord” is about faith and dependence on the Lord. It means the action (in our case, rejoice) is done through a full reliance on the authority, power and ways of the Lord, with a faith that, 1) raises hope leading to endurance through troubles, 2) holds confidence in His love towards us, 3) believes in His wisdom and ability, 4) does NOT doubt He is in control, and 5) trust He does NOT change of His nature attributes (key of which, is holiness, and so, from that, righteousness and justice).

After all things said, what is the scenario that we are aiming for, so that we can rest on the Lord, have peace and be of joy?  It is this: Live your life in such a way as to avail yourself to “God is with you”.  No, NOT just His presence by His indwelling Spirit, but with you, as in He is going along with you or works with you or in agreement with you or is approving of what you are thinking or doing; of course, it is NOT He is following you, but you are following after Him, works with Him, in agreement with Him, and think or do that which will have His approval.

What if I fumble? Get back on track. Embrace 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We need to get back right with God, to be (truly) restored of peace and joy in and of the Spirit.  Keep short account with God.

We don’t teach people to manufacture joy in their own strength; that is wrong.  True joy is that in and of the Holy Spirit being shed abroad in us, yet it is NOT there is no part of us; we have get our perspective of life right (Kingdom [of God] perspective), and “fall in”, so to speak.

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

PS:  When a believer is in trouble, it is NOT always necessary that he sins.  Even with the Lord as our Shepherd, there can be troubles or valleys of the shadow of death that we may have to pass through.  Those wanting understanding of the relationship between “loving God” and “God with us in troubles”, can read this: Ps 23:4-6 - The LORD, as our Shepherd, is with us in our troubles

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Ps 23:4-6 – The LORD, as our Shepherd, is with us in trouble

Ps 23:4-6 - 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Preamble

Psalm 23 is a psalm by King David. 

I have expounded on Ps 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd,I shall NOT be in want.  In it we talked about if we truly are holding the Lord as our shepherd, we must mean what we declare; we must want to be led by the Shepherd, and NOT go about on our own, as if we got everything that we need to manoeuver through life, outright.

Then, for verses 2-3, in the article, Ps 23:2-3 - Theleading of the LORD, my Shepherd, we looked at the expansion of verse 1, that we shall NOT be in want; NOT in want of our sustenance (what we will eat, drink and wear or shelter), NOT in want of restoration of our soul, and NOT in want of the righteousness Guide (for the NT believers, He is the indwelling Spirit of Christ). 

The trouble times

In the rest of this psalm, vv4-6, David talked about (in addition to the LORD’s seeing to our sustenance, soul restoration, and growth in righteousness) how, if we are led by the LORD, we will NOT need to fear, even when we pass through trouble times.  The psalm culminated into the climax of our blessedness in the earthly phase of Kingdom of God and the heavenly phase.

Psalm 91, too!

This time round when I read this part of the Ps 23, my thought straightaway turns to Ps 91:14-16.  This, I believe, is the prompting of the Spirit.  What is in Ps 91:14-16?

Ps 91:14-16 - 14 "Because he {the psalmist} loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Many would NOT dispute Ps 23 and Ps 91 are among the favorite psalms of believers.  Ps 91 is also known as the Protection Psalm, and many “fall in love with it”, reading its 1^st verse, but sadly, for some, it is without practical understanding of what it said! – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Ps 91:1)

How does one dwell in the shelter of the Most High?  Where is the shelter of the Most High?  Is it a place?  How does one get there?  The verse gives you no comfort and meaning if you know NOT how to be dwelling in the shelter of the Most High!  I am NOT in here to expound on Ps 91; you can get a good exposition of mine, if you read this: Ps 91 – Secret of our well-being   

I will give you the essence of how one gets to dwell in the shelter of the Most High; and it is this: As given in the opening of the text of vv14-16 of Ps 91, love the LORD. 

The common thread – love, obey, follow, be led

How can we correlate Ps 91:14-16 text to Ps 23:4-6, when the Ps 91 text demanded we love the LORD, and we do NOT see that, directly, in the Ps 23 text?  In fact, many people expounded Ps 23 stressing there was no condition whatsoever required, it was all “He (the LORD) makes…; He leads ….; He restores…; He guides ….”; purportedly nothing for us, sheep, to do.

This is what we need to appreciate:  One leads, another is to follow.  The one who leads is no leader to you, if you follow him NOT!  If the LORD is your shepherd, you have to follow Him; if you follow Him NOT, how can He be shepherding you. 

How does one follow another?  You obey; when he says, “Go to the left”, you are to obey and go to the left; when he says, “Go to the right”, you are to obey, too, and go to the right!  For the LORD, our Shepherd, to lead us, we have to follow, and to follow, we have to obey his commands.

Bro. Anthony, but it still does NOT say, “Love the LORD”!  No, no, it does!  How?  The chief way God defines love for Him, is this way:  He who loves Me, obeys my commands (John 14:15), and He who obeys my commands are the one who loves Me (John 14:21a).  In other words, implicit in Ps 23, is that we are to love the LORD, for we need to obey (His commands) in order to follow, and we are to follow, so that we are being led by Him, our Shepherd.

How come, still has valley of shadow of death or trouble?

Below, I put the 2 texts “side by side”, so that we can more clearly see the parallels, and the same theme of the goodness of the LORD that can be available to us, if only we love Him, and obey Him in that love, and so, follow Him, wholeheartedly, and unreservedly.

Ps 23:4-6 - 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Ps 91:14-16 - 14 "Because he {the psalmist} loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

When we look at both the texts, it clearly tells us that in our lives, there is no promise by God that, in the entirety of it (our mortal life), there will be no trouble.  Ps 23:4 said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, ….”; and Ps 91:15, “…. I will be with him (the psalmist) in trouble,…”  In fact, Jesus said (in John 16:33), “In this world, you will have troubles …..”

If you did read the article (on the verses earlier), “Ps 23:2-3 – The leading of the LORD, my Shepherd”, you will remember that it said there, in the verses (2-3), the LORD makes, leads, restores, and guides.  How come there is this, now, in verse 4, “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”; how are we to make of it?

I repeat what I was trying to say, of the shepherd-sheep metaphor: it was portraying for us a journey; that the Christian life is a journey; nothing of the sort that we have arrived or reached one place or position and that is it; the plurals of the pasture and water were used in verses 2-3; and I stated in my article on that part of the psalm, that the restoration of the soul, it too, was NOT just a one-time salvation restoration alone, but a restoration that needed to maintained; even for the path of righteousness in verse 4, plurals (paths) were used.  All of these were because the whole affair was a journey – moving from one green pasture to another, one quiet water to another, on-going restoration, and moving in paths of righteousness, hopefully, in growth, from glory to glory.  If we follow wholeheartedly and unreservedly, it will result in our growth, and we will move from glory to glory.

But why is there still valley of the shadow of death?  Does the LORD go away, and leave us to travel by ourselves, and we get into the valley of the shadow of death? 

Between one green pasture and another, and between one quiet water and another, there are the valleys of the shadow of death; to go from one pasture ground to another, or from one water to another, we may pass through such a valley of the shadow of death.  You and I pass through it, but if we follow the LORD, the LORD is right there with us, in that passage – that is what verse 4 was saying.  The LORD is able to maneuver us through the valley of the shadow of death.  David, the psalmist, said he would NOT fear, for the LORD was with him.  In Ps 91:15, God said He would be with the psalmist in trouble.  The bad valleys or troubles are there in the fallen world, the world we are still in, are NOT without such, and the LORD does cross through them, bringing us through, to the next green pasture and next quiet water.

Fear NOT, when you are led by the LORD

When the LORD is with us, we need NOT fear any evil; that was what the verse 4 of Ps 23 said; David said the LORD’s staff would bring us comfort, for that was the symbol of power and authority of God.  Not only that, recently, I believe the Holy Spirit has revealed to me, the staff is also a symbol of signs and wonders and miracles. Miracles by the Lord can bring us pass the valley of death or trouble.

What does v5 mean; God prepared a table before David in the presence of his enemy?  This is equivalent to Ps 91:15’s God honoring the psalmist.  God NOT only would be with us, in trouble, when it is we followed Him into it, He would deliver us, and honor us, even before our enemies.

Climax of blessedness

When we follow the LORD’s leading, we would have His favor as that for High Priest; more than satisfied.  In OT time, it was the High Priest who had the privilege of entering into and lingering in the presence of God. In NT, with veil torn, we are high priests who can enter into the presence of God.  How satisfying is, “in the presence of God”?  In what way is our cup overflowing?  Here are some verses telling us what it is like; have you experienced any of them(?):

The presence of God, there is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11);

In the shelter of God’s presence, we are hidden from the intrigues {plots and snares} of men (Ps 31:20);

In Ps 91:16, God said He would satisfy the psalmist, one who love Him, with long life {long, eternal}, and show him His salvation.  In Ps 23:6 the same reads as the psalmist’s exclamation of “surely goodness and love would follow him all the days of his life as he dwells with God in His house {Heaven}, forever”.

Recap

The entire psalm 23 spoke about a journey, from us acknowledging the LORD as our Shepherd, to following Him, to how the LORD would shepherd us, providing us with the sustenance we need, the soul restoration we need, and guiding us in the paths of righteousness, maneuvering us through “rough” patches in earthly life, to finally having us reach the final green pasture and quiet water, Heaven, where we would be with eternal life, experiencing forever, the goodness and love of God for us.  What it requires, is that we love the LORD, we obey Him, and so, follow Him as He leads us, by His Spirit.  There may NOT be trouble-free earthly life, but we fear NOT, the trouble-spots, when we walk with Him through them.  Don’t tread through them on your own, but do so, as the Lord brings you through them.

Life is indeed beautiful because He lives.

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

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Our Peculiar Passage

Entry text
Ex 13:17-18 - 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

The Exodus is a shadow of the believers’ journey to the Promised Land, Heaven.  Putting it in another way, the Exodus is parable or metaphor to our salvation journey.  It is also a kind of passage.  Do you see the initiation in there, and then the passage proper?

Whether we like it or NOT, we are in a sort of “adulthood passage”.  No father would want to see his child stops, abandons or fails eventually, in the passage.  All such passages have some “rules”; otherwise, we may as well NOT have them.  As much as the father would like to help his child, even if the father is the village chief (for example), he cannot break this rule or that rule to ensure his child make it through.  Now, the reasons for such passages are that it is good for the child, and it is good for the community.  Although such passages are sometimes handled like an initiation, it is rather, the passage starts with an initiation.

People do NOT undertake the passage without the initiation, and those who undergo the initiation, undergo it with the intent to complete the passage.  In other words, it is similar to what Jesus said concerning we have to “count the cost” before we begin:

Luke 14:27-33 –

27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Saying the Sinner’s Prayer or the act of coming into salvation is equivalent to initiation.  As in the adulthood passages, no one goes into the initiation, and stops there or regards that (initiation), as all there is to it, to the adulthood passage; there is necessarily the passage or journey to be undertaken, unless the person somehow, drops dead, immediately after initiation.

So, we can metaphorically regard the salvation as a passage.  It begins with “Entering into Salvation” (acceptance of Jesus Christ as is commonly said), and continues on with “In Salvation”; we, believers, are in salvation, and the Apostle Paul said of the “In Salvation” this way (Phil 2:12): We are to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”.

But unlike men’s common adulthood passage, our salvation passage has its peculiarity.  If we “play by the rules”, we have unlimited access to a leader, the Leader, who leads us IN the passage.  The Leader is our Lord Jesus Christ, by His Spirit (same as the Holy Spirit or Spirit of God).  The role of the Lord is to lead us through the passage, NOT He has to undergo the passage.  Unlike men’s adulthood passage, the “obstacle course” is dynamic and can be different, for different individuals.  The Leader wants to help you and can help you, but core rules, He does NOT break. 

For example, if you engage in evil, stubbornly, he is NOT with you.  He may be there (present), but He is NOT with you (He does NOT go along with you; agree with you and work with you {in your evil}).  When we say, you have to “play by the rules”, this is what we mean.  Another example of breaking the ground rules, which we must avoid, is this: You don’t hold Him as your Leader, but hold another; that can be idolatry; rebellion; even apostasy.  Sorry, there is no such thing as salvation without embracing Lordship; that is apostasy.

The Leader (the Lord, Jesus Christ) wants you to make it, but you cannot insist He do what He would NOT do!  You still have your free-will and you have to exercise it rightly, but the Leader does NOT conform to your volition; He goes by His will; He teaches us; we don’t teach Him; He does NOT learn; He is arrived; we are NOT.  It is NOT He, undergoing the passage, we are. 

As He assesses your progress, he wants to help you, encourage you, comfort you, and will lead you, if you allow Him to.  He knows how to lead you if you allow Him to.  He wants to lead in such a way that you should NOT stop, abandon, or fail eventually, the passage; and of course, the purpose of the passage is that you grow, to come to stature; but it is NOT His job to do the passage for you; as in a men’s adulthood passage, the father or the village chief cannot do the passage for the children.

There is work to be done by us; the passage does NOT end with Initiation.  First of all, we need to trust the Leader.  We need to believe if we follow His leading, we will pass the passage; it is like He has every conceivable blueprint there is, of the obstacle courses in the passage.  It is NOT “a piece of cake”, maybe you will hit a dead-end, a wall, but He knows where to punch a hole in the wall, and you can move on.  When the time runs out, you are to pass, and that means you reaching the “land of adulthood”, Heaven; and so, you have to keep moving forward. 

Second, we need to know the Leader and His ways, because we cannot bend Him to conform to our volition; instead, it is best for us, when we work with Him.  If we want to work with Him, we need to know Him and His ways.  Among His ways are (1) there is no wickedness in Himself whatsoever; and so, you got to conform to that; He is holy; (2) He has His commission, to lead as many of us, through the passage, as possible; and so, if you want to work with Him, be part of this Great Commission; and (3) He moves in love, and His love is of this kind, in keeping with His holiness and righteousness, love unto righteousness (a specific `ahab love); and so, we have to move in that way, too. 

Thirdly, we have to always return to the Leader, when we have gone off-course (strayed and sinned); this is what we say, “You got to get back right with the Lord”; otherwise, how is He to lead you again.  We got to repent; be humble, and confess we have done wrong (sinned), and ask Him to forgive us, and give us the “right hand of fellowship” again, and lead us.  That we have a leader to lead us in this passage is peculiar, but if you ignore this peculiarity or don’t want this peculiarity, chance is that you will NOT make it.  This is a peculiar passage, to make us a peculiar people, for the one and only God worthy of our devotion.  1 Pet 2:9 (KJV) – “… ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”

In my view, those who teach along the line of “God got your butt onto the course, He got to get your ass to Heaven, regardless, on the ground that you merited it NOT your entry into salvation", they are seriously missing what God is trying to do.

Food for thoughts

Did all the Israelites who left Egypt after the “fanfare” (Initiation?), get into the Promised Land?  Did NOT all who left Egypt, went on the journey (Passage?)?  Did any left Egypt but did NOT go on the journey, like just remained there outside of Egypt or went back in? Was it “a piece of cake” to get to the Promised Land? Did NOT many of them, afterwards, have “regret thoughts” of embarking on the Exodus?  Were there NOT many obstacles, big and small, of varying sorts?  Can you see any deadly ones?  Was NOT the LORD with them in the journey?  Did the LORD NOT help them?  Did all make it?  Why? Do you think we can be like the adult generation who left Egypt, who failed in the deadly obstacles?  All believers should at some point, spend some time studying the Exodus.

 

Anthony Chia, high.expressions

Comments are welcome here. Alternatively, email them to me @: high.expressions@gmail.com Or just email me your email address so that I can put you on my blog (new entry) notification list. To go back to blog main page, click here.