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VOL. LXXXVII. RICHN
TshalH^
David wrote this text, wrote it by experience,
by inspiration, fiom observation, wrote it in
faith, wrote it for you, wrote it for me, wrote it
for ail who will believe it!
Wonderful Psalm! It sums up the national
life of Israel in a brief but beautiful poem set
to heavenly music. You can read it, or pray it,
or talk i|t, or sing it. Nobody ever got tired of
the twenty-third Psalm, for it was intended as
rest for tired people. It seems to be the favorite
ol all ages, of all peoples, of all conditions. In
adversity it is a rock of refuge; m prosperity it is
future assurance. It is hope for the youth and
comfort for old age. The text is key to the pantry
and the Psalm is the pantry itself, tilled with
just what we want' Now, let us put the key of
faith into the lock, turn it, walk in, and help
ourselves! Plenty for all and all for nothing!
Full or empty, ''1 shall not want!"
Wonderful text! Bounded on the north by the
pronoun "I"; on the south by "shall"; on the
east by "not," and on the west by "want." So
that, it matters not where you go, you can take
the promise with you as a guide by day, and at
night pillow your weary head upon it and sleep
v sweetly. It is absolutely true; if it is not to
you, it is because of. unbelief. The text does
not mean that "I shall not want" anything;
lor the Psalmist goes on to enumerate the things
no shall not want. We often want things that
are not mentioned in this Psalm?things that
instead of satisfying want would only create
desire for things we do not really need.
It is a wonderful Psalm! We read somewhere
that over "five lmndred thousand volumes" have
sprung out of the fertile soil of this composition
; and that there are at present "more than
two hundred and twenty-four thousand vohimes
in theological libraries." It is a book of "sacred
poetry," a string of "pearls," a "telescope" to
bring God near to us, a lamp to our feet, as we
pass over life's rough way, Jehovah's voice on
our Galilee, "religion graced," inspiration at
its zenith, a golden crown and each verse a
"precious jewel," a pillar of fire by night, a
fountain for the thirsty, broad for the hungry,
rest for the weary, joy t\>r the sorrowing, home
for the homeless, and life for the dead!
We are told that "John Ruskin learned it at
his mother's kpee; that Edward Irviw recited
it in his last moments; that .Marion Harver, servant
girl, who was executed at Kdinburg with
Tsa-bel Alison, said to her companion, as*they
went to death, "Come Isabel, let us sing the
twenty-third Psalm." They sang it, and it was
the sweeteest duet the angels ever listened t?>.
Since-that time thousands of infant lips have
repeated it; it has been baptized in tears'by
saints in heaven and saints on earth; (it has
been the starting point of thousands of sermons
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j^LHTU U IT\JV^Wr /^ZC SJUUJ*
lOND, NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA. J
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1 By REV. E. C. BAILEY [
which made the preachers hang their heads; multitudes
have pillowed their dying forms upon
its down; it has found a hearty welcome in the
homes and hearts,1 of foreign lands and foreign
peoples; it has cbnvortcd thousands into Bible
students whoso furiosity has been aroused to
acquaintance with the other Psalms and other
portions of the book in which the Psalm of life
is foundOnce
I read of the discovery of a pearl valued
at a million dollars, and there was some talk
about breaking it into parts. I thought within
myself, what a pity to separate a pearl! So we
will follow, by the help of others, the siursres
tion and keep together this happy family of
ideas. And will get this text to introduce us
to the other verses in their order.
Whenever the artist wishes to give us an ideal
picture of beauty, tranquility and affection, he
does not stop short of shepherd life.
Since the Lord is my Shepherd, ' * L am his
sheep." This ought to be great consolation to
us; for although the sheep are "silly" and oft
wander away, the Shepherd is wisdom personified
and guides us into the paths of truth; the
sheep are "weak." but the shepherd is mighty
to save; the sheep are defenseiess; but the Shepherd's
staff is ever at hand; the sheep are shortsighted,
but the Shepherd is providential; the
sheep are timid, but the Shepherd is brave as
a lion; the sheep go astray, but the Shepherd
brings them home.
1. ' The Lord is 'my' Shepherd."' This means
not only self possession, but Divine possession.
It is through the Shepherd that our inheritance
comes. We are heirs to the kingdom by the
promise of him who said, "I give unto them
eternal life and they shall never perish "
2. "I shall not want rest." Tired world in
which we live! We oft long for the wings of a
dove that we might fly far away and be at rest.
Since we long for rest, there must be some place
where it can be found. It cannot be found this
side of God. The world has sought it, but failed.
Jesus is God's dispenser of rest. The Psalmist
paints tne picture of rest in these words: "He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures." We
have the lovely picture, but what about the
reality? How can we obtain it' The silence
of the Psalmist upon thin point seems intended
as a means to drive us to the Shepherd that he
might tell us how to secure rest. Said the Shepherd,
"My sheep hear my voice." Now let us listen
to Jesus as he informs us of the secret of securing
rest. It is summed up in just two short
sentences- namely, "Come unto me " "Learn of
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inc." Have we gone to Jesus? Alas, we have
gone to everything connected with his Church,
everything connected with religion: we have been
busy indeed; we have almost idolized the preacher
(and he has allowed it); we have gone to the
societies; we have almost dreamed about our
beautiful new church, but we have not gone to
Toouc I :?J a? A '
,ivou.->: aiiu \? c an- surprised umi we nave no
rest. We have worked ourselves out of religion;
we have been ''jostled out of our spirituality;"
we have lost "the art," if we ever had it, of
meditation. Like Thomas, we imagine we have
been with Jesus, yet we have not known him.
Jesus says, if you want rest, "learn of me."
Alas, we have learned many tilings in the
Church of Christ without "learniug Christ."
We have been in his school without "knowing
rue teacher.' UOnung to Je.sus by simple la it 11
in fcim and in what he has to say; learning the
secret of taking life as he took it, these arc the
sum of Christianity. Had we learned more of
him, we had known better what to do; had we
rested more like him, we had known better how
to do. Alas, we are still wanting in the thing
most needed?Christ himself! Today we lack
one of the sublimest traits of our religion; it is
tranquility of soul- We need to lie down in
green pastures. Such a picture of religion would
challenge the attention of the world. A want
of spiritual tranquility is a sure sign of diseased
nqrvnc infiHolifv An*. 1?^? *
-w .vw u>uw.iiij. vtii ntca luajr uu uuiwuniJy
storm-tossed, like David's, but within there
ought to be rest! 1 want to give you a perfect
picture of rest. It is this: picture, in imagination,
a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and picture
the Saviour sleeping in a tisherman's boat. You
have the picture: rough 011 the outside, but rest
within. If we go to Christ and leani of him,
we can say with David. " I shall not want?re*t "
3. "I shall not want for daily necessities."
'The Lord will provide" is a practical truth,
not a more "hang-on-to" when every other refuge
is gone. And that he has and does provide
is all the proof you want- Says David, ''lie
leadeth me beside the still waters." Here is
something to satisfy thirst. And after we drink
of the temporal, if we are still thirsty for the
spiritual, Jesus says, "If any man thirst, let him
come unto me and drink." "Whosoever drinketh
of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst." How can those of us who have daily
bread and enjoy spiritual blessings for one mo
ment doubt this? I was one day riding along
ihe road in my buggy and overtook an old lady
walking. She aecepted an invitation to ^ide to
the village with mo. Along the road she expressed
some misgivings respecting the future.
Said T. "Miadam. how old are you?" She said.
??t o-m ..ivf,r r ?<u '
* wRniaij-mc. oaiu i, -nave vim liny inea
that T will iiivite you to get out of this buggy
before we reach the villagef" To this she replied.
"No'" "Well," said I, "if the Good
Shepherd has taken yon along the wwy these