It's Complicated(S1) : WK 1 - MON
(Psalm 23:1-2, 1 Samuel 17:34-35)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. Psalm 23:1-2
“34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 1 Samuel 17: 34-35
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous and favorite Psalms in the Scriptures. It includes tones of peace, of protection, and of God’s presence with us even in the darkest of times.
Maybe its impact is so prevalent because the author, David, knew what he was talking about. Up until the age of 15, being a shepherd was what he knew. As the youngest of nine brothers, David’s job, as soon as he was old enough, was to spend countless nights watching over and protecting the sheep, and countless days leading them in and out of the pen. This was his contribution to the family. Of course, we also know David was a musician (the Psalms were songs), and writing songs and prayers was an important part of his spiritual journey. Likely, he honed this skill out in the wilderness, under many a night sky.
The best songs are written from personal experience, and they touch more people because we can identify with the sentiments expressed in the song.
In David’s time, a shepherd wasn’t a menial job or career. Shepherding supported the livelihood of the family, and the metaphor of shepherding became so important in their culture that the term was widely used in reference to other rulers and kings. Maybe one of the reasons this particular Psalm is so widely known was that our very king-of-kings, Jesus, himself, used the reference to a shepherd to define his role, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11 NLT)
The first line, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.” Is one I try to pray on a regular basis. It reminds me that if Jesus is the one I’m letting lead my life, then I already have everything I need. I don’t need to chase after that which I don’t need, long for and obsess over things I want that may never be mine. It’s a line of peace and contentment, just like the one that follows it about the Lord leading us towards rest and peacefulness.
But shepherding wasn’t always a peaceful venture, as David attests to in his words to King Saul concerning his qualifications to face their enemy, Goliath. There were dangers involved from outside forces. There were marauders who would seek to steal the sheep for their own gain, and predators looking for a meal. Not to mention sheep wandering away from the fold and finding themselves in precarious places. So sometimes, protecting the sheep involved some fairly violent responses.
But how can peace and violence exist in the same person? How can David, described by God as a man after God’s own heart, sing songs of contentment, while at the same time having blood on his hands. Well, it’s complicated.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. Psalm 23:1-2
“34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 1 Samuel 17: 34-35
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous and favorite Psalms in the Scriptures. It includes tones of peace, of protection, and of God’s presence with us even in the darkest of times.
Maybe its impact is so prevalent because the author, David, knew what he was talking about. Up until the age of 15, being a shepherd was what he knew. As the youngest of nine brothers, David’s job, as soon as he was old enough, was to spend countless nights watching over and protecting the sheep, and countless days leading them in and out of the pen. This was his contribution to the family. Of course, we also know David was a musician (the Psalms were songs), and writing songs and prayers was an important part of his spiritual journey. Likely, he honed this skill out in the wilderness, under many a night sky.
The best songs are written from personal experience, and they touch more people because we can identify with the sentiments expressed in the song.
In David’s time, a shepherd wasn’t a menial job or career. Shepherding supported the livelihood of the family, and the metaphor of shepherding became so important in their culture that the term was widely used in reference to other rulers and kings. Maybe one of the reasons this particular Psalm is so widely known was that our very king-of-kings, Jesus, himself, used the reference to a shepherd to define his role, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11 NLT)
The first line, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.” Is one I try to pray on a regular basis. It reminds me that if Jesus is the one I’m letting lead my life, then I already have everything I need. I don’t need to chase after that which I don’t need, long for and obsess over things I want that may never be mine. It’s a line of peace and contentment, just like the one that follows it about the Lord leading us towards rest and peacefulness.
But shepherding wasn’t always a peaceful venture, as David attests to in his words to King Saul concerning his qualifications to face their enemy, Goliath. There were dangers involved from outside forces. There were marauders who would seek to steal the sheep for their own gain, and predators looking for a meal. Not to mention sheep wandering away from the fold and finding themselves in precarious places. So sometimes, protecting the sheep involved some fairly violent responses.
But how can peace and violence exist in the same person? How can David, described by God as a man after God’s own heart, sing songs of contentment, while at the same time having blood on his hands. Well, it’s complicated.
- What are some of the things you’ve learned about God, or favorite passages, that bring you peace?
- What, if any, are some of the questions you have from Scripture about God and whether or not He’s also violent at times, or at least seems to ask us to be violent?
- How do you reconcile these different pictures of peace and violence? Which do you think God prefers?
WEEK 1 - Paddy McCoy
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