PENTECOST MOMENTS — AUGUST 3, 2010 ‘THE MANY FACES OF GREED’
Last Sunday’s scripture readings were so perfectly coordinated. They were all about greed. We started with a reading from Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Then Psalm 90: “For all our days pass away … they are soon gone and we fly away.” Finally, we heard Jesus’ parable of the rich fool. Cheerful stuff! And very apropos to our world’s fixation with ‘stuff’ and with being productive and busy.
Here’s a perfect example of our culture’s obsession with greed: The news this week is that our economy is not recovering from the recession as well as we hoped. The chief sign of that? Not enough of us are going out and buying ‘stuff.’ In this culture, that’s a bad omen.
There are many kinds of greed: Greed for possessions, to accumulate as much ‘stuff’ as we can. There is greed for pleasures, greed to get things done; greed to have power; greed to be in control of our lives. The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes (‘the preacher’) commented on our human tendency to work our whole lives in order to accumulate possessions. To paraphrase 2:20-23, he writes, “What’s the point? Someone works all his life — with wisdom and knowledge and skill — and he dies and has to leave it to someone else who didn’t work for it at all. Why do we do this? Our days are full of pain, our work is stressful, we can’t even sleep at night. It’s all vanity.”
“Teach us to number our days,” the Psalmist prays. We only have so long here on earth. Life passes by really quickly if we think about it from God’s perspective (“a thousand years is as a watch in the night”). Are we supposed to spend those years running after what the world says is important: money, status, stuff?
Jesus’ parable of the rich fool sums up the disparity between man’s perspective of life and God’s. The rich man has a bumper harvest and makes plans for stashing it safely away in bigger new barns, then retiring to enjoy his gains. But God ‘demands his life’ from him that very night. From the world’s point of view, this is totally unfair. What’s wrong with the man’s plans? He worked hard, probably all his life. He achieved a windfall through hard work and ingenuity. Why not leave the guy to enjoy his gains? But from God’s point of view, that might be the most harmful thing he could allow the man to do. We are not meant for this world; this is not our eternal destiny. If God allowed us to ‘rest on our laurels,’ as the rich man planned to do, we would become settled in this world, spiritually complacent. We would begin to die spiritually. God’s requiring the rich man’s life just when we was on the threshold of worldly achievement was a mercy — a severe mercy, but a mercy nonetheless.
Let’s talk about greed for the next week or so. Let’s talk about the many manifestations of greed in our culture and in our personal lives. Let’s talk about what sets off our greed, what tempts us to want things, to work ourselves into an exhausted state, to ignore our legitimate needs in favor of the world’s demands.
In the meantime, look over the three Scripture readings I refer to above: Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 2:21-26; 3:9-11a, 14; Psalm 90; and Luke 12:13-21.
Next time: Greed begins with looking. That’s where it all began in the Garden and where it continues to tempt us today.
PENTECOST MOMENTS — SATURDAY, JULY 10
TRAINING THE IMAGINATION
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast …” Isaiah 26:3.
In older translations of the above Scripture, the word ‘mind’ is translated ‘imagination.’ In the old Revised Version, this passage reads, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose imagination is stayed on Thee.” The imagination is part of the mind, one of the more important functions of our intellect. And it has a holy purpose.
When I was a youngster growing up in the ‘50s, imagination was not so appreciated by adults. “Get your head out of the clouds,” “Quit daydreaming,“ and “That’s just your imagination,” were common criticisms. Being a very imaginative little girl, I was made to feel ashamed of my flights of fancy, my rich inner life. No one ever thought to encourage me to become a writer, that’s for sure! I carried this attitude into adulthood, and my vivid imagination became the subject of a lot of prayer and worry. Then a friend gave me Oswald Chambers’ classic book of daily meditations, My Utmost for His Highest. I was startled to read Chambers’ feelings about imagination: “Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him.” [Page 42].
If you think about it, Jesus was one of the most imaginative people ever. All those stories and parables he made up to teach his points came from a fertile imagination. One can see in Jesus what it means to have an imagination devoted entirely to God. Imagination is a way to leap beyond our mundane circumstances, to see connections between ordinary earthly happenings and spiritual truths. Imagination helps us put ourselves in God’s presence when we pray, to ‘see’ God in our mind’s eye and, thus love him more. We know the images we have of God are not complete, but that’s all right. Until we actually do see God face to face, our imaginations are all we have to picture God and may actually prepare us for that great encounter.
How do we devote and dedicate our imaginations to God? Here are a few things to consider:
Remember that God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” [Ephesians 3:20]. So … we should get into the habit of asking — and imagining!
Scripture Readings for Sunday, July 11: Deut. 30:10-14; Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-34; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37 (the Greatest Commandment and the Parable of the Good Samaritan).
Meditation: Read the Gospel reading for tomorrow. Samaritans were hated by the Jews, so for Jesus to tell a story where the hero was a Samaritan was a challenge for his hearers. Use your imagination to picture this story in modern times. Who would you substitute for the Samaritan as the unlikely hero of the story? A homeless person? An undocumented Mexican? That certain crabby neighbor no one likes?
PENTECOST MOMENTS — THURSDAY, JULY 8
TRAVELING LIGHT
“Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or staff; for the worker is worth his keep.” (Matthew 10:9-10)
Jesus’ instructions to his disciples as he sent them out on their mission trip were very specific. They were to travel light, relying on God to provide everything they would need as they went from town to town, preaching, healing and casting out demons. They would not need money or a bag of food. God would see that people fed them each day. They would not need an extra tunic, which was used as a cover while sleeping. God would provide beds each night. They would not need extra sandals or a staff. God would see that they never had to walk very far before they got to the next place to stop and preach, where some hospitable person would take them in.
Two things strike me in this Scripture passage. First, the precision of Jesus’ instructions and all the things he had to tell his disciples not to bring along. Second, the amount of trust Jesus was asking the fledgling disciples to exercise.
At first, when you see the list above — gold, silver, copper, provision bag, extra tunic, extra sandals, staff — it sounds as though the disciples usually carted around a lot of ‘stuff.’ Still, their eyes would pop out of their heads if they saw what we moderns take along when we travel! Jesus and the disciples walked around Palestine, probably for weeks or months at a time, sleeping outside, buying food along the way. A little spending money, an extra tunic and sandals, and a staff to help them walk would be bare necessities. We don’t think about this. In the movies, Jesus and the disciples just stroll along, carrying nothing. But it wasn’t like that. They each ‘schlepped’ their own provisions, probably in bags hooked to their rope belts. Remember that Jesus told the man who wanted to follow him: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20). The disciples were in the same situation.
Then Jesus challenges them to take that trust in God to another level. When they set out for their ‘mission trips,’ Jesus told them not to bring anything, not even the bare necessities they normally carried. “God will provide,” Jesus told them. “You won’t need food, you won’t need money, you won’t need a sleeping cover, you won’t even need your walking stick.” This was training in trust. And the biggest trust factor is not so much what God asked them to do, but that God asked them not to cart along all their ‘stuff.’
That’s the real test, isn’t it? We’ll do anything for God (we say), but we like to have our creature comforts while we’re doing it. And not only our comforts, but a little extra ‘just in case.’ Just in case God doesn’t come through for us and we are left to our own devices. Won’t we be glad then that we brought those extra sandals, that we had a little extra cash? We don’t think of our ‘harmless’ little hoarding, our fondness for our things, our need for ‘financial security’ (whatever that is!) as not trusting God. But God knows just how much or how little we rely on him. And he will bring us to the place where we have to decide to go out, as those disciples did, on faith alone.
I know a young woman, a member of my parish in fact, who is following God’s call to the mission field. She has given up a good job, sold her house, and plans to leave this month. She has no idea what God will do, where she will live. All she knows is that God has said, “Come, follow me,” so she’s going. And she also knows that the people where she is going are full of joy, full of anticipation of what God is going to do when she gets there. I asked her how it felt, and she said it’s very freeing to just trust in God, not to know what’s going to happen next. Freeing.
I know a middle-aged man, well maybe he’s beyond middle age now, who has been called to be a pilgrim for the Lord for decades now. He walks all over the country, living on whatever God provides, staying where he is asked, speaking to groups when invited to. His name is Pilgrim George, and I have never met a holier man. Children love him, naturally. He has an aura around him that makes you feel that you are in the very presence of Jesus, which you are. And he has nothing, he owns nothing except the clothes on his back. And he is a very happy person. And free.
How light are you traveling these days? How free do you feel?
Scripture: Read the story in Matthew 19:16-30. Image that you are the young man and that Jesus makes the same request of you. How are you feeling? Would you do it?
Let’s Talk About It!! Has there ever been a time when you ‘went out with the Lord,’ totally trusting in God’s provision, not knowing what was going to happen? Go to my blog at www.susankrowland.com/blog1 and let’s talk about it. I would love to hear your stories.
PENTECOST MOMENTS — JULY 6, 2010
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART NINE (FINAL INSTALLMENT)
“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” Psalm 23:5-6.
Today, we come to the end of our meditation on the Good Shepherd and Psalm 23. The last little bit of information that author Philip Keller gives us in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 is the ‘fly in the ointment’ in any sheep’s life. The shepherd provides all the ingredients of idyllic days, both at home on the ranch and up in the mountain pastures in the summer. He makes sure there is lots of good food and fresh water. He keeps predators away and makes sure the stronger sheep don’t pick on the weaker ones. He even hand-picks any poisonous weeds that may be growing nearby. But ‘summer time is fly time,’ as every shepherd knows. Hordes of insects descend upon the flock in the summer. The dreaded nose fly is especially dangerous. This fly lays its eggs in the sheep’s noses, which hatch into larva that drive the sheep crazy. They will beat their heads against anything to rid themselves of the inflammation. The sheep become frantic and begin running around just at the sight of these flies. They hide in bushes or toss their heads up and down for hours. All this stress causes exhaustion, which in turn makes the sheep lose weight and get sick. The ewes may even stop nursing their lambs.
The easiest and most ancient solution to the insect problem is ‘anointing’ the sheep with an oil mixture. In ancient times, shepherds used olive oil mixed with sulphur and spices. Philip Keller’s favorite remedy was linseed oil, sulphur and tar, which he smeared over the sheep’s noses and head. The transformation of the sheep after the application of the oil is amazing. The sheep immediately calm down, start to feed again, and lie down peacefully. Of course, the oil must be applied at regular intervals, but it works like magic to keep the flies away and the sheep happy.
What kinds of ‘flies’ do you experience in life? It’s often the littlest things that drive us crazy: The lost keys, the endless chores, the computer virus, the bounced check, the junk mail, the backed-up toilet, the unexpected bill. These daily frustrations and dilemmas can add up, disturbing our peace and making us irritable. We don’t exactly know why, but we suddenly can’t seem to handle anything anymore. The next little nuisance that comes along makes us collapse into tears or burst into an angry tirade. That’s the proverbial ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back.’
It’s nice to know that our Good Shepherd understands. There is nothing that is too small or unimportant to bring to him. He wants us to trust him to take care of the little problems of life, not just the big things, the life and death matters we can’t handle. A series of small problems can cause just as much stress. Often, we don’t ask for God’s help with our lesser problems, thinking we should be able to handle them ourselves. But our Shepherd wants to have an intimate relationship with us. That means that nothing is too minor to bring to him. Jesus gave us the invitation in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you that are weary … and I will give you rest.” What makes us weary? The everyday stresses and strains of daily life.
With such a wonderful Shepherd watching over us, every one of us can praise God with David and say:
“My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
[Amen]
PENTECOST MOMENTS — JULY 3, 2010
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART EIGHT
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies …” Psalm 23:5
We have already discussed the many ways that a shepherd prepares a ‘table’ for his sheep in the high country: Going ahead to scout the best pastures, pulling poisonous weeds, clearing debris from the mountain streams so the flock will have good water sources. Interestingly, in many countries, the word for a high, flat-topped mountain meadow is translated ‘table.’ In Spanish, the word is ‘mesa.’ And the shepherd does actually ‘prepare a table’ for his sheep before he drives them to the mountains.
One of the biggest problems with the summer grazing months is the number of predators who will be watching the sheep at the same time the shepherd is. Shepherds keep a sharp lookout for any sign of wolves, coyotes, bears and cougars. They must keep a watchful eye above and all around them. Predators love to hide in the rocks above or off to the edge of where the flock is grazing, waiting for an opportunity. Often the shepherd, when he becomes aware the flock is being watched by an enemy, will have to hunt down and kill the animal before it attacks the flock. What predators love to do is simply jump in the midst of the flock, panicking them in every direction. Then they leisurely pick off the little ones or the weak ones who can’t run as fast.
We, too, are always ‘under the watch’ of our soul’s enemies. It’s creepy to think of that, but it is true. However, like the sheep, we don’t have to protect ourselves. Our Shepherd is on the alert, ready to defend us. I remember reading a wonderful book back in the ‘70s called Angels On Assignment, by Roland Buck. Reverend Buck was actually visited by angels over a period of time. He once asked one of the angels if they come in response to our calls for help. The angel said that, if they waited for us to know we were in danger, it would be too late. No, God always has his radar out and knows what our enemies are up to and when they are planning an attack. We sheep just have to stay very close to the Shepherd. It’s only when we wander away from God, going where he does not want us to go, that we get into trouble.
How do we stay close to our Shepherd? We begin our days by spending time with our God. At least part of that time should be spent in silence, giving God a chance to speak to us. We also need to listen throughout the day, especially when we are making even small decisions. A friend of mine says that, when she is about to do something God does not want her to do, she feels a ‘check’ in her spirit. To me, that ‘check’ feels like a strange vertigo–like I’m off balance suddenly. I’ve learned to stop what I’m doing and ask, “What is it, Lord?” That’s the Holy Spirit saying, “No. Don’t go there. Stop. Wait.” We need to listen and obey immediately. We need to pray that God will make our ‘hearing’ better. Often, we are simply too busy to hear God, too involved in our own lives to stop and ask for direction. We are like those sheep that thoughtlessly wander away from the flock, paying attention only to the next mouthful of grass.
The summer months are the highlight of a sheep’s life — and the shepherd’s. There are dangers, yes, but the rich summer foliage, the cool mountain air, the clear, clean waters, are so good for the sheep. They grow and thrive more during the summers than any other time of year. We, too, need those ‘mountaintop times’ in our lives, the times when we go out, away from our humdrum routines, when we walk the heights with God. It might be during a conference, a retreat, or a mission trip, or it might just be a period of enhanced spiritual growth right at home.
Philip Keller writes that the deepest desire of God’s heart is “… to have me live on a higher plane. He longs to see me living above the mundane level of common humanity. He is so pleased when I walk in the ways of holiness, of selflessness, of serene contentment in His care, aware of His presence and enjoying the intimacy of His companionship.” [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller, page 113].
Sunday Scripture Readings: Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12, 17-20.
PENTECOST MOMENTS — JULY 1, 2010
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART SEVEN “… your rod and your staff — they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.
You have, no doubt, seen photos of shepherds with their staffs, the long walking stick with a crook at the top. But the shepherd’s staff is used for much more than a walking stick. And a shepherd’s rod is just as important a piece of equipment. Here are the purposes of the rod and the staff.
Although modern shepherds often carry a rifle to protect themselves and their flock, the basic weapon of a primitive shepherd traveling in the high country has always been the rod. This is a homemade wooden club with a knob at the ‘business’ end and a handle carved to fit the shepherd’s hand. The rod is both a weapon and a tool for discipline. Eastern shepherds practice throwing the rod from the time they are young boys. They become so accurate, this simple tool is a deadly weapon against any predator that dares disturb the flock. Philip Keller writes:
The rod was, in fact, an extension of the owner’s own right arm. It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation. The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger. And it was, furthermore, the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. … If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort of another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch. [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller, pages 93 and 95].
Another use the shepherd makes of the rod is to inspect the sheep for any problems. The shepherd uses the rod to part the sheep’s thick wool to see if the skin is clean and healthy, if the sheep has any problems hidden under the thick coat. Shepherds do this when they are buying sheep, and they do it regularly to their own flock to make sure that all is well with each animal. The sheep submit to this process; it feels good to them and they love the attention.
While the shepherd’s rod speaks of power and authority, his staff speaks of kindness. The staff is the shepherd’s instrument to reassure his sheep. It has three main purposes: To draw the sheep close to the shepherd, to guide the sheep, and to pull the sheep out of danger. The shepherd uses his staff to pull a sheep close to him for inspection or to lift a newborn lamb and put it close to the mother so she will care for it. Sheep are shy creatures and tend to keep their distance even from the shepherd. And the ewes do not like anyone touching their babies, even the shepherd. So the shepherd uses his staff to scoop up any lamb that has wandered away from Mom and put the lamb back where it belongs. When the sheep need to be led to a new path or through a gate or along a difficult route, the shepherd uses the tip of the staff to gently push the sheep in the direction he wants them to go. Lastly, since sheep get themselves into the most preposterous situations, falling into water, getting stuck in brambles or climbing down cliff ledges and getting stuck, the staff is used to hook them and draw them to safety.
What a comfort it is to know that our Good Shepherd’s has his own ‘rod and staff’ to help us. He is expert at detecting any danger against us and driving our enemies away. He does not let us go astray or wander away from him without warning us and sending us flying back to him. As we draw closer to Jesus, we don’t even mind those minute ‘inspections’ of our souls, because we know that his searches are for our eternal health, that he knows how to heal anything that is wrong with us. Like David, we can say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23). And our Good Shepherd uses his ‘staff’ to pull us close to him, to keep us by his side, to guide us through the difficult times, to get us out of trouble when we wander off.
Yes, Lord, your rod and your staff are a comfort to me. I know how much you love me, how careful you are about my feelings, how you draw me ever closer to you as we journey to the high places together.
Scripture: Psalm 139:1-18; John 10:27-30.
PENTECOST MOMENTS — JUNE 29, 2010
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART SIX
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me …” Psalm 23:4.
This verse of the 23rd Psalm marks a transition. The previous three verses were in the third person, as though David (or the sheep) were boasting to someone else, extolling all the merits of his wonderful Shepherd. Now, David turns directly to God and addresses him. We are now listening in to a private conversation between the ‘sheep’ and the Shepherd.
The setting of the Psalm also changes. Everything David has mentioned — green pastures, still waters, right paths — have to do with the home range. Now we begin to move away from the home pasture and go with God up to the summer mountain ranges, far from the home ranch. It’s a lot more dangerous out there, but the Shepherd is prepared. During the summer travels of the sheep and shepherd, intimate bonds will be formed, more so than when the sheep are at home. The long summer drive up to the mountains and the autumn drive back down to the home ranch are done in a leisurely way. The sheep go slowly, grazing as they go. There is no rush, but the shepherd does keep them moving, and he is very watchful. Philip Keller describes the movement of the flock this way:
During this time the flock is entirely alone with the shepherd. They are in intimate contact with him and under his most personal attention day and night. That is why these last verses are couched in such intimate first-person language. And it is well to remember that all of this is done against a dramatic background of wild mountains, rushing rivers, alpine meadows and high rangelands. [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller, page 82].
What is amazing is that the shepherd has gone to these mountain pastures before driving the sheep up to them. The shepherd leaves nothing to chance. He knows the wild mountain country as well as his home range. He knows where the flooded rivers are and where it is safe to cross. He knows where to shelter his flock if a sudden, violent storm comes up. He has even inspected the pastures where he plans to let his flock feed and pulled up any poisonous weeds that might be growing there.
Our Good Shepherd also goes ahead of us when it is time to move on. He knows exactly where we are going, and he has searched the area ahead of time, removing anything he does not want us to encounter. And he does not rush us; we are allowed to proceed at our own pace.
How many of us have yearned to ‘go higher’ with Jesus, to have ‘mountaintop’ experiences. Many times they come at a price. We often do not recognize peak spiritual experiences because we think they should be happy and joyful, but that is not always so. We don’t see the illness, the financial setback, the losses in our lives as sublime spiritual experiences. When we are suffering, we see ourselves in the depths, going through the ‘valley of the shadow of death.’ But those valleys David writes of in the 23rd Psalm are actually steep mountain passes leading from one glorious alpine meadow to another. They are dark, and they are dangerous. A predator can hide on a ledge above the flock and drop down on it. A storm can come up. A rock slide can happen. But the flock trusts that it is safe with the shepherd. Do we have the same confidence in our Good Shepherd when he leads us through the dark passages of life? Do we trust him completely, knowing that we will come back out into the sunshine in good time? When we do emerge from our troubles, we will be changed: More mature, more trusting, more confident in God. Meditation: When has God led you through a dark mountain pass? Were you frightened? How were you aware of God’s presence during that time? How did he lead you out of the darkness back into the light?
Scripture: Read Jesus’ sermon about the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-18. Some of this passage refers to caring for sheep at home; some to protecting the flock up in the summer ranges. Can you tell which is which from what you have read so far in these Pentecost Moments? Let’s discuss it. Make your comments or ask questions below.
NEXT TIME: “… your rod and our staff — they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART FIVE
“He leads me in right paths for his name‘s sake.” Psalm 23:3.
As I continue to read Philip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, I am amazed at how many parallels there are between the behaviors of humans and sheep. Today, we take a look at the necessity of keeping sheep moving from pasture to pasture.
Sheep are notorious for being such creatures of habit, they will ruin their grazing pastures. They cannot be left to their own devices by a sheep rancher, or they will overgraze the area and eat the forage down to the roots. They will use the same paths over and over, wearing deep ruts in the ground that erode into gullies. Sheep are also prone to disease, as parasites and microbes in the soil infect them when they stay too long in one place, eliminating in the same area over and over again. The sheep must be moved not only to keep them healthy, but to allow the field to recover, the rains to wash away the waste, and the grass and other plants to grow again. A shepherd who does not move his flock regularly will not only have no pastures, his flock will go hungry and sicken with disease.
The shepherd must constantly keep his flock on the move. And sheep object to that; they don’t like to be moved from place to place. They would prefer to stay right where they are. But the wise and good shepherd spurs them along, using his rod, his staff and his dogs to rouse the sheep and move them to the next pasture. Interestingly, when the herd does arrive at a new pasture and the shepherd opens the gates, all the sheep get very excited. Even the old ones kick up their heels and prance into the new pasture with joy.
Aren’t we, God’s people, like those sheep? Left to ourselves, we come to love our old ‘ruts.’ We sink into our routines and become comfortable with the familiar, even getting angry when something or someone upsets our favorite tasks, chores and entertainments. As a result, some people just stop growing, not only spiritually, but mentally. Even their physical health deteriorates rapidly. God keeps spurring us on to get moving, to go to the next ’pasture,’ to get out of our comfortable but unhealthy ruts. Like the sheep, when we do go on with God where he is leading, we are filled with new joy. But getting us to stir is the tricky part. And like the sheep, although we may be reluctant at first, we are often excited when faced with fresh, new ‘pastures’ to graze and play in. How many of us, after making a big transition or a courageous, life-changing choice, have said, “It was the best thing that ever happened to me” ?
What are those “right paths” that the Psalmist speaks of? There are many ways that we can go in this world that are destructive and unhealthy. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way.” Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” It is extremely difficult to find the right paths in our confusing, self-centered, productivity-driven world. There are so many voices shouting at us to go this way or that way. God doesn’t yell at us like the rest (see Isaiah 42:2). We must pull away from those voices, get alone with our Shepherd, and listen to his ‘still, small voice.” Then we must be ready to follow when and where he leads when he says, “Come.”
We know one thing as Christians: That Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” It isn’t our responsibility to find the right paths. Jesus has already found them; he has already gone ahead and checked out the pastures, making sure it is safe, predator- and disease-free, and full of good spiritual food. What we have to do is listen and obey, trusting our Good Shepherd to lead us up the right paths and to those delightful new pastures.
NEXT TIME: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me …” Psalm 23:4.
Sunday Scripture Readings: I Kings 19:19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62. Have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow!
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART FOUR “… he restores my soul” Psalm 23:3. The same David, who wrote the beautiful 23rd Psalm, also wrote these words in Psalm 42: “Why are you cast down, O my soul … My soul is cast down within me …” (verse 5 and 6). To us, the words ‘cast down’ just mean dispirited, sad, melancholy. But to a professional shepherd, they are loaded with another meaning. A ‘cast‘ or ‘cast down’ sheep is a sheep that has lost its balance and fallen or rolled over onto its back. Casting is extremely dangerous. If the shepherd doesn’t see the cast sheep, if she lays there for too long, she will die. She may suffocate, have heat stroke, or fall prey to a predator. The poor sheep cannot even cry out for help. It flails weakly on the ground, not even able to bleat loudly enough to alert anyone. As it lies there, struggling and frightened, gases begin to build up in its stomach and the blood runs away from its legs. If the weather is hot and the sheep fell over in the sun, it can die in a matter of hours. When the shepherd does find a cast sheep, he must turn her over gently, get her up on her feet, hold her steady, and massage her to get the blood flowing again. Here is yet another reason shepherds must be attentive to their sheep. Shepherds constantly count their sheep, knowing that if the count is short, a sheep may be hidden in the grass or in a little hollow, flat on its back and dying. Philip Keller writes that this can happen to the healthiest sheep. Sheep with a long, luxurious coats, the nice fat ones, and pregnant ewes are most susceptible. Keller had one ewe that would fall over every second or third day when she was in lamb. She was older and, apparently, her sense of balance was going. But every season, with the proper attention to keep her on her feet, she would give him a pair of beautiful lambs. Who knew that caring for sheep was so complicated and fraught with problems? And how we can appreciate Jesus’ comparing us to sheep and himself to a attentive and loving Shepherd. “My soul is cast down within me,” the Psalmist wrote. And we can relate. How suddenly we can be ‘cast down’ and become discouraged or ill or unbalanced spiritually. We get bad news, have an argument or a bad day at work, or just get up feeling lousy. We blunder into temptation, often when we are feeling the strongest and healthiest. Suddenly everything is so difficult. We become ‘cast down,’ helpless, hardly able to call to God for help. That is when our Good Shepherd comes running. He always knows when we are in trouble. He gets us to our feet again and gently holds us up until we have our balance again. What is our attitude when we find ourselves ‘cast down?’ Are we self-critical and berate ourselves for our failures and weaknesses? Do we ask God to help us, or do we try to ‘clean up our act’ on our own? The 23rd Psalm teaches us that we always need to call on our Good Shepherd in our troubles, and we never need be ashamed of ourselves. We are loved completely by our Shepherd, who is ready and willing to help anytime we need him. “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, And rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18) NEXT TIME: “He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.”
THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART FOUR
“… he restores my soul” Psalm 23:3.
The same David, who wrote the beautiful 23rd Psalm, also wrote these words in Psalm 42: “Why are you cast down, O my soul … My soul is cast down within me …” (verse 5 and 6).
To us, the words ‘cast down’ just mean dispirited, sad, melancholy. But to a professional shepherd, they are loaded with another meaning. A ‘cast‘ or ‘cast down’ sheep is a sheep that has lost its balance and fallen or rolled over onto its back. Casting is extremely dangerous. If the shepherd doesn’t see the cast sheep, if she lays there for too long, she will die. She may suffocate, have heat stroke, or fall prey to a predator. The poor sheep cannot even cry out for help. It flails weakly on the ground, not even able to bleat loudly enough to alert anyone. As it lies there, struggling and frightened, gases begin to build up in its stomach and the blood runs away from its legs. If the weather is hot and the sheep fell over in the sun, it can die in a matter of hours. When the shepherd does find a cast sheep, he must turn her over gently, get her up on her feet, hold her steady, and massage her to get the blood flowing again.
Here is yet another reason shepherds must be attentive to their sheep. Shepherds constantly count their sheep, knowing that if the count is short, a sheep may be hidden in the grass or in a little hollow, flat on its back and dying. Philip Keller writes that this can happen to the healthiest sheep. Sheep with a long, luxurious coats, the nice fat ones, and pregnant ewes are most susceptible. Keller had one ewe that would fall over every second or third day when she was in lamb. She was older and, apparently, her sense of balance was going. But every season, with the proper attention to keep her on her feet, she would give him a pair of beautiful lambs.
Who knew that caring for sheep was so complicated and fraught with problems? And how we can appreciate Jesus’ comparing us to sheep and himself to a attentive and loving Shepherd.
“My soul is cast down within me,” the Psalmist wrote. And we can relate. How suddenly we can be ‘cast down’ and become discouraged or ill or unbalanced spiritually. We get bad news, have an argument or a bad day at work, or just get up feeling lousy. We blunder into temptation, often when we are feeling the strongest and healthiest. Suddenly everything is so difficult. We become ‘cast down,’ helpless, hardly able to call to God for help. That is when our Good Shepherd comes running. He always knows when we are in trouble. He gets us to our feet again and gently holds us up until we have our balance again.
What is our attitude when we find ourselves ‘cast down?’ Are we self-critical and berate ourselves for our failures and weaknesses? Do we ask God to help us, or do we try to ‘clean up our act’ on our own? The 23rd Psalm teaches us that we always need to call on our Good Shepherd in our troubles, and we never need be ashamed of ourselves. We are loved completely by our Shepherd, who is ready and willing to help anytime we need him.
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, And rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)
NEXT TIME: “He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.”
“…he leads me beside still waters …” Psalm 23:2.
Sheep do best in dry, semi-arid country, and the shepherd / ranch owner must plant rich pasture to help them thrive. But he must also provide good sources of fresh water, not easy in the best sheep-raising climates. Sheep are not like gazelles or camels who can store large amounts of water in their bodies and go without drinking for days or weeks. They are very much like us and need a constant source of fresh water. How does a shepherd provide that good, wholesome water?
There are three ways that sheep satisfy their thirst: dew on the grass, deep wells, and running water (springs and streams). When the weather is not too hot, there is heavy dew on the pastures (which the shepherd planted with such care) in the early mornings. The sheep habitually rise before dawn to begin feeding, and they take in enough dew, which is the purest source of water, in their early morning feeding to last them through most of the day. Here is how Philip Keller describes his sheep’s normal behavior:
In my mind’s eye I can see my flock again. The gentleness, stillness and softness of early morning always found my sheep knee deep in dew drenched grass. There they fed heavily and contentedly. As the sun rose and its heat burned the dewdrops from the leaves, the flock would retire to find shade. There, fully satisfied and happily refreshed, they would lie down to rest and ruminate through the day. Nothing pleased me more. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Philip Keller, page 53.
In my mind’s eye I can see my flock again. The gentleness, stillness and softness of early morning always found my sheep knee deep in dew drenched grass. There they fed heavily and contentedly. As the sun rose and its heat burned the dewdrops from the leaves, the flock would retire to find shade. There, fully satisfied and happily refreshed, they would lie down to rest and ruminate through the day. Nothing pleased me more.
How interesting that sheep have that need to eat and drink in the very early morning hour. And in the spiritual sense, we do also. Our ‘morning appointment’ with the Lord is our time to feed on God’s presence and to drink those ‘living waters’ Jesus spoke of in John 4:13-15 and 8:37-38. You’ll notice that sheep never ‘sleep in’ and miss their morning feeding. They enjoy that time and get up eagerly, knowing instinctively that the refreshing morning graze will make their whole day healthier and happier, no matter how hot the day is later. We, too, must learn to love the early morning rising and meeting with God, knowing that, whatever else happens that day, we are spiritually ‘fed and watered’ and ready for the day.
The shepherd must also see that there are other sources of water for his flock. He may have to dig a deep well on his property. Often, this is not a narrow well you would lower a bucket into, but a deep cistern with stone steps which the sheep can walk down to the very source of the water. Or the shepherd may be fortunate enough to have a good stream or river nearby. If it flows through his ranch, all well and good. Otherwise, he may have to dig a side channel to make some of the flow go onto his land. Providing good fresh water takes effort.
The Shepherd of our souls goes through the same kind of effort and trouble to be sure we have all the ‘living water’ we need for our souls. But we, like some of the sheep Keller has known, may prefer to drink from polluted ‘water supplies.’ When sheep take it into their heads to drink from any muddy, dirty pool along the path, instead of waiting to drink where the shepherd is leading them, they can sicken from the bacteria and parasites floating in those pools. The shepherd is not idle; he moves them on to where he wants them to drink. Sheep do not make the connection between drinking from a urine- or feces-polluted puddle and their later sickness. Often, we humans do not make the connection between where we have been ‘drinking’ and our spiritual sickness, lethargy or temptations. But God sees what we are doing, and tries to move us on.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and he has given us the Holy Spirit to live intimately with us, guiding us in the paths God wants us to take. We need to rise early to make our first contact with God for the day, then we must keep listening to God’s direction throughout the day. He will move us away from the dangers along the way and lead us to the healthy, fresh, living waters.
Meditation: In what ways do you see Jesus providing ‘living water’ for you every day? How can you cooperate more in Jesus’ provisions for you?
Scripture Readings: Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 8:31-39.
NEXT TIME: Do you know what a ‘cast down’ sheep is? Find out next time when we reflect on “… he restores my soul” (verse 3).
