My Favorite Verses - Vol V (Feb 17 to Jun 17)

Psalm 23 … Through the Valley of the Shadow
(06/01/2017)
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside still waters (of rest); He restores my life. He leads me in
Paths of Righteousness (for His name‟s sake). Even though I walk through the Valley
of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil -- for He is with me … His rod and staff – they
comfort me. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies; He anoints
my head with oil … My cup [of service] overflows. Only goodness and kindness shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”
~ unknown (Psalm 23)
First & foremost, realize that there are two primary perspectives from which
to choose whenever reading Old Testament scripture – the first being the
“unway” of the Pharisees (the traditional, conservative, highly judgmental lens used
by the hyper-critical and ostensibly arrogant religious leaders of Jesus‟ day, and the way
still used by the vast majority of Christians to this very day) and the second being The
Way of Jesus Christ (the blatantly heretical, highly revolutionary lens applied to the
Scriptures by Jesus himself during his ministry – and the Way devoutly followed by all
those abiding in his teachings today) … Using the former lens, this Psalm speaks of
a personal godhead who resides somewhere “up above;” one who “looks down”
upon our failings with an air of condescension & upon our frustrations with an
air of capriciousness. Even though this particular Psalm speaks kindly of this
“Divine Despot”, a celestial tyrant He remains – guiding us and controlling us
and judging us while He does so … He is an arrogant God who demands
subservience, and He is a petty God who demands worshipful reverence; not in
any way like the “heavenly Father” of Jesus Christ – a Father who as the
reflection of perfect Love (Matthew 5:48), the purveyor of limitless Grace (Luke
6:36), and a Father who knows nothing of either judgment (John 5:22) or
condemnation (Matthew 18:21-22 + 1 John 4:18).
Note as well that Jesus agreed that his Father was a “shepherd” of sorts –
and yet the moral guidance provided by His essence came from within us (John
14:20-26) … Note too that Jesus knew that we need “not want” for anything, but
not because God would provide for our petty needs, but rather because those
who chose to embody the Truth of his Life no longer needed or even desired
such things. The Way is a Life lived for others – a life of intentional selfsacrifice
– a life that only desires for others to have their burdens lessened and
their Joys magnified. And this is why those who “follow” Jesus (i.e. those who
emulate his Way of selfless Love – see John 14:12) want for nothing – and this is
why they receive everything they desire when praying “in his name” (John
14:13-14 et al); for the simple reason that to pray in Jesus‟ name means to pray
for opportunities to serve others, and such opportunities are always available to
those seeking the same.
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