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Today’s Message: God’s Hope in the Darkness – Reflections on Ps 23 (Nt wk: Sabbath principle, read & reflect on Ps 23:2, Gen 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11 & Heb 4:1-10)
Intro:
*** Ps 23 helps us _____________ God’s incredible
______ in all circumstances. Ps 23
helps us _____________ God’s incredible ______:
I. … by preparing us to ________ every ______ of circumstance (23:1-4).
II. … by promising us God’s ________________ care
_____ (& through) every kind of circumstance
(23:1-4). III. … by promising us God’s ultimate ________________ at the _____ of every kind of circumstance (23:5-6).
Digging Deeper into Ps 23
Ps 23 is a great Psalm. It’s key words & themes connect & overlap with literally 100’s of other passages. Here are a few ways to dig more deeply into the themes & teachings of Ps 23:
1. The metaphor of God being like a shepherd to his people is both rich & common in God’s Word. This image has a wide variety of associations. A few of the main references include: Gen 49:24ff; Ex 15:13; Ps 28:9, 74:1-4, 77:20, 78:52, 70-72, 79:13, 80:1ff, 95:7, 100:3; Is 40:11, 49:9-10; Jer 31:10, Ezek 34:1ff; Mic 7:14; Jn 10:11 & 16; 1 Pet 2:25, 5:4; Heb 13:20-21; Rev 7:15-17.
2. “Paths of righteousness” are “straight” as opposed to “crooked” paths. See Ps 125:5, Pr 2:15, 5:6, & 10:9.
3. God keeps His promises and leads us to live our lives “for the sake of His name” - Ps 23:3; see also Ps 25:11, 31:3, 79:9, 106:8, 109:21, 143:11, Is 48:9; & Ezek 20:44, 36:22-32 to name only a few.
4. For the idea of God as a host at a banquet see Is 25:6-8.
5. “Oil” is a common symbol in the Bible – see Ps 45:7, 92:10, 133:2; Amos 6:6 & Lk 7:46. |