Psalm 23 E-Book

Ayodele Ajileye

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Life is a journey with so many times and seasons, comforts and discomforts. Psalm 23 is that passage of the Bible that covers all the possiblities in life as well as how to manage them. Really, I find it difficult to summarize this book because it still helps me in unexpected ways to manage every time and season I go through.

Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, Psalm 23 is the passage you want to go to and study. This book brings the passage to bare and reveals how it helps to manage times and seasons.

Leseprobe

Ayodele Ajileye

Psalm 23

All the Life to Live

This book is dedicated to all my partners for their tenacity in the course of the growth of the ministry through all the processes of life so far.BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

Psalm 23 (All the Life to Live)

Copyright ©2015 by Ayodele Ajileye

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be copied or

reprinted for commercial gain or profit.

The use of short quotations or occasional page

copying for personal use is permitted and encouraged.

Permission will be granted on request.

All correspondence to

Ayodele Ajileye

[phone]

[email protected]

www.shakersandchangers.com

Unless otherwise stated, all scriptural references are taken from the New Living Translation. Italics in scriptures are for emphasis only.

The Gist

PSALMS 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Preface

Psalm 23 is a popular and the most recited Psalm but barely do we really understand much of what David is trying to pass to us through it. This Psalm seems to mean a lot more than its simple context just like every word of God. In fact, since the word of God is new every morning, this Psalm seems to jump out of the Scripture through the help of the Holy Spirit to give us new meaning of the word.

This is the era of the Holy Spirit when our hearts are enlightened to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. And I am grateful for the privilege to share the greatest King in Israel - King David’s view of a life with God.

God has used this message to touch more lives even before I realized it. Friend, I am not about to give you what I have not also tasted, still enjoying and will continue to enjoy.

What you are about to read is the ‘how I lived a great life’ of David as well as other great men. The destination is greatness, the principles are the same but the route could be different.

I wish you a sweet ride through the pages of this book and I pray that as you journey with me through these pages, the Lord will open your heart to understand, and to know how He wants you to go through life and grant you grace to live it in His way.

Introduction

Psalm 23 was written by King David who was himself a shepherd. He was a shepherd of his sheep and he was called to shepherd his countrymen.

We do not know when he wrote this wonderful Psalm but we know that he was an experienced shepherd of both sheep and human. He led a trouble-filled as well as victory-filled life. He lived in plenty as well as scarcity, in holes as well as mountain tops, he was sad and happy to mention few of what depict his life.

Somewhere along the line he took stock of his life so far and compared with that of his sheep and perhaps the lifestyle of his followers. And he declared God as his shepherd. He considered how the Lord took care of him. He remembered the mountain top as well as his valley experience. He recalled his days in green pasture and in dry land. His memory brought back his days of ridiculing as well as his days of public honor.

In my view, Psalm 23 is a summary of how he lived his life with God as his guide. He summarized his life and showed us his hope for the future, not only did he hope for that future but he was certain of the glorious home.

Solomon, the wise king, told us that nothing is new on earth in his book Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 9. Are you going through somethings and you feel like nobody can understand because it is new? Well, it is not new, someone had gone through it before. Yes, the problem is not new but you are new in it. And David had put all that life holds for everyone in this wonderful Psalm. He went through life and he had learnt from experience just like you. Now, he hands to us how he lived, saw and conquered.

I see you are beginning to think that this book is for young people who still have a lot ahead of them. You still have a young mind and have a lot ahead of you too. Abraham was 75 years old when God called him out to a life of exploit. You can still have what king David has to say because it will mean a whole lot to you and you’ll begin to live better and more purposefully with a great guide than you ever had.

You are welcome to the wonderful life made available by God and summarized by David.

Joining The Right Party

"The Lord is my shepherd"

David was choosing and identifying with a party and that party is the party of the Lord. He knew where he belonged here on earth and so he had an idea of everything that should surround him as a party member. David took time to select the words he used for the introduction of Psalm 23 which gives a summary of how he lived his life. This is more like a testimony. Let's check through the two key phrases in his introduction.

DAVID SAID "THE LORD"

David was definite about who his shepherd was and that is why he used the definite article 'the'. He could have used 'a lord' but because he knew the Lord in word and in action he said 'the Lord'. This is because the sheep hears and recognizes the voice of its shepherd. He is the same that leads, tends, corrects and feeds the sheep. David had chosen a party, a kingdom and it is the kingdom of God.

Who is the Lord? He is the Lord of everything (Yahweh), He is the only living God, He is the Lord strong and mighty, He is the Lord of host, He is the creator of everything, He is the king of glory, He is the God that sees me (Genesis 16:13), He is the just, righteous, great, rich, awesome, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscience God. Do I need to say more? He is the God. I use the definite article like David because there is no other like Him.

With all these qualities and more of the Lord what do you think would be the lot of those in His party? He himself is the reservoir of great wonders. Meaning anyone that comes to Him partakes in Him.

DAVID SAID "MY SHEPHERD"

David was personal about the Shepherd. He didn't look at himself, his wives and children and say "the Lord is our shepherd" instead it was a personalized sentence. This is the kind of relationship the Lord wants to have with everybody; where He relate with everyone personally. And don't worry about how He can do that, He is God the Omni-God. He can do all things and relating with you will give Him so much delight.

Accepting to take on His yoke is an acceptance of an offer of partnership and friendship. The yoke is easy because it is a going-all-the-way with the Lord God Almighty. You can't imagine the experience and no one can give you the full gist, you have to take up the yoke for yourself and see.

Who is a shepherd?

In animals’ world, a man is either a shepherd or a hunter, however, animals prefer a shepherd to a hunter and this posesthe question - why? The answer to this makes me wish for a shepherd and also to shepherd someone someday.

A shepherd is a person whose job is to take care (tend) of sheep. The word ‘take care’ for shepherds is to take total responsibility for the sheep. Shepherding is to benefit both the shepherd and the sheep. A hunter on the other hand is one that hunts (kills) animals for food, he goes to the forest to kill animals for food.

Some noticeable differences between a shepherd and a hunter are as follows;

Shepherds tend animals, hunters kill animals.Shepherds are settled but hunters are wanderers.Shepherds plans for their future and their animals but hunters make do with the present without looking backward or forward.Shepherds have time for many other things even with their animals while hunters will always be with trouble searching for animals for food.A Shepherd becomes a hunter only to protect his flocks while a hunter becomes a shepherd only when he's got a ceremony ahead.A shepherd stands in for his sheep even when the sheep are at fault while hunters make animals pay dearly for their misdeeds.

Good examples of a shepherd and a hunter and what each is like is what is recorded of Jacob and Esau, sons of Isaac (Genesis 25:27-34). A perfect example of a shepherd is the Chief shepherd (Jesus Christ) and that of a hunter is the devil who, like a roaring lion, goes about seeking for whom to destroy.           

When David was writing Psalm 23, he was actually thinking of the relationship he had with his flocks and comparing it with what God had with him which when he saw the similarities he said, "The Lord is my shepherd(...) And I shall dwell in his house forever." He was certain of what he had and wanted - a shepherd and not a hunter whose only function is to steal, kill and utterly destroy (John 10:10). David wanted life, he wanted provision, guidance, correction, safety, peace and victory.

The question is – who would you rather choose, the hunter or the Shepherd? Be wise as you choose. With the Chief Shepherd there is enough space in His plan to accommodate you no matter how fat or big you are or how far you have gone with the devil. He really wants to carry you on His shoulders and live with you.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin.(Hebrews 4:15)

David had the good Shepherd. He had one that does not only lead but one that understands him, One that felt what he felt, One that cried when he cried, One that has gone through all the stages of life that he went through and knows how to take care of His sheep at every stage. The great Shepherd doesn't just jump right in and solve the problem, he feels (from what He also had been through) and wept like He did at the tomb of Lazarus. He feels you. He loves you.

Who Is The Sheep

Sheep is a term God uses to refer to His children, not because they are sheepy in all wise; what God wants us to emulate in sheep is its followership. This is why He refers to us as sheep and Himself as the Shepherd of the sheep. However, He wants us to be as gentle as dove and as wise as snake but as following as sheep. God hates folly. He gave the soul to man so that man can by himself be co-ordinated and if there is any way I know to please God is through a good use of whatever He gives to man.

THE LORD'S PARTY

Where is His fold? The fold is the kingdom of God. Salvation is the pass code into the kingdom. God is the King of the kingdom and the culture (way of life) of those in the kingdom is the God kind of life. The God-kind of life is the life He gives everyone that enters into His kingdom. He says "so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Eternal life which is also referred to at times as everlasting life is the life of great exploits that God gives to every of His sheep.

I Shall Not Want

Whatever the wants of your spirit, soul and body are for the given in God's party; there is the supply for the wants for food, clothes, shelter, life, peace, friendship, hope etc (Matthew 6:33). The sons and daughters of the King that own it all should not lack anything good.

The Shepherd is wise enough to know the needs of His flock and meet those needs. He taught us to ask for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11) and He taught us that "man shall not live by bread alone." (Matthew 4:4) I use to make a joke out of this by saying "but bread is involved." And truly, bread is involved. If we put the two teaching together, what the Master is saying is "supply for our daily needs." Daily needs of the body, the spirit and the soul.

What are our daily needs?

Food, clothing and shelter you'd say and you are just right. These are how everything human pursue is categorized; the need for car is for ease, shelter and clothing (beautification) and so on.

Food

This is the source of all nutrients to the body. When Jesus said "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word (...) of God" He meant that both physical and spiritual foods are necessary for every man. There is a proportion of physical and spiritual food for every man per time. Since the Lord knows the nutritional needs of each of His He sub-divided flock feed into four types just as earthly shepherds have. These sub-divisions are explained below:

Concentrates

This type of feed is the combination of all classes of food in a proportion that meets the nutrient requirement of the flock. All classes of food are as applicable in the spiritual food as they are in the physical food. The nutrients requirement of animals differs and this is because of their different purposes and ages. The nutrients requirement for dairy cattle differs from nutrients requirement of those reared for meat and both from the nutrient requirement for those used in sport; the nutrient requirement for a calf differs from that of a bullock. The same type of animal but different purposes and ages that dictates different nutrient requirements.