I've been preaching the last two weeks on Psalm 23, the most known and loved Psalm in the Bible. I know why people choose this Psalm....it is the peace and comfort of the words. God promises to lead us to green pastures and still waters and right paths.But this assurance and comfort also leads us to the dark valley....to the edge of shadows and death. Do people really get the jist of this Psalm? God pushes us to the edge that we might experience the death of our old ways....our old fears, prejudice, anger, etc.
At the edge we can either turn away or we can jump. If we jump God promises that we will discover new life. That's the journey of Psalm 23. We walk out of the death to new life....but it is not life like we had.....it is not life the way we have always done it.....it is life with new perspectives and realities.
We come out of the valley and sit at the feast table. Do you notice who God has invited to the table.....our enemies! We eat with our enemies and it is through fellowship with our enemies that we are blessed. Wow! That is a radically different way to live.
So at the edge I claim new life, new perspectives, new strength, new passion.
1 comment:
Hi,
I have been thinking about that psalm a great deal lately. Your explanation is certainly one of the best that i have read. You are absolutely right that we are pushed to the edge. It reminded me of what one former dean of seminary used to say- "I have been to the bottom and each of you should know that the bottom holds" He was a sailor before he became a ministry and said those words after a terrible tragedy.
Anyway, thanks for posting on this topic. It has helped me some.
Keep the faith.
sailing
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