Psalm 23 Bible Study: Part 2
In the last three verses of this short Psalm 23 Bible study, David navigates the shores of death, fear, and enemies with the goal to dwell in heaven forever. You can find Part 1 of this Bible study, here. )
David writes Psalm 23, a mellowed and laid-back man. His life wasn’t always easy. He faces a ridiculously tall giant, hides in a cave from the king of Israel, and runs from his son.
The breakdown of Psalm 23 verse by verse helps students answer the question: What is the message of Psalm 23?
These Part 1 and Part 2 Bible studies contain brief excerpts from Betsy’s book Psalm 23 Bible Study – The Lord As My Shepherd.
Psalm 23 Bible Study: Verse 4
Personally, if I start to dwell on evil and meditate on adversity, I become afraid. That’s exactly what our enemy Satan wants you to do. When your thoughts are full of fear, you slow down or stop carrying out God’s plans.
And shadows make everything seem dark and sunless. Mortality seems to lurk nearby ready to pounce. For instance, you walk through the valley of the shadow of death when involved in a near-fatal car accident. Maybe you knew someone who died when a terrorist released a bomb. Some of us struggle through the heartless, physical symptoms of a life-threatening illness.
This verse also mentions rods and staffs. A former real shepherd, Philip Keller knows how to use them.
A second essential piece of shepherding equipment is a shepherd’s staff. It’s long and slender with a crook on the end.
When tired, a shepherd leans on the staff or uses it to return a lamb to its mother. He brings timid sheep closer to him or guides the flock into new pastures.
Psalm 23 Bible study: Verse 5
Enemies live in the shadows waiting for the right moment to trip you up. Even when you dine, have fun, and eat good food they plan trouble. God sits down beside you, at your table, when enemies gather like vultures.
Who are your enemies? Jesus said in Mathew 10:36 that some of your worst enemies live in your own household.
Enemies persecute missionaries because of their faith. People misunderstand Christians and jeer at them. Hitler nearly exterminated the Jewish people. Yet, in the midst of maltreatment, the fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, symbolic of oil running down your face and head, is your guard and guide in these deadly situations.
God provides manna for our sufferings as enemies stand nearby while God lays out the banquet table. The adversaries can’t join the festivities so they seethe in envy watching you drink from a full cup of prosperity. That doesn’t mean your cup is always full, but it does mean that God’s favor is forever present.
Psalm 23 Bible Study: Verse 6
When turmoil and calamity gang up to overtake your life, twin benefactors called goodness and mercy follow you. This funny story by an anonymous author gives this verse fresh meaning.
A mother read Psalm 23 to her young son every night. When the small child entered kindergarten, he wanted to walk to the nearby school with his friend. So as not to discourage the young lad, she agreed. However, she asked two friends to follow the boys in a car.
One day the child’s friend realized someone was following them and pointed it out. The little boy who heard his mother’s teaching of Psalm 23 every night replies with childlike innocence. “Oh, never mind that’s Shirley Goodness and her friend Mercy.”
Nowadays, I think of that verse in a different light. I expect goodness and mercy to follow me with as keen an eye as those two ladies in the car.
Likewise, a Psalm 23 bible study like this one keeps our focus heavenward. Every Christian’s everlasting joy is to inherit a place with Jesus for all eternity. When you finally lay down for the last time, the sorrows, joys, struggles, and journeys fade from memory. The reason is—not because you’re dead—but because God resurrects you to life.
Where can you get a better deal than that? Where is there a closer bond than between the Good Shepherd and His lambs? Nothing compares.
Here’s more about the book:
Does life seem like a network of mazes that never lead you to your destination? Your days may seem aimless and pointless. Sunsets aren’t so glowing and you tire of well-doing. Living in a broken world can cause any Christian to grow weary.
Psalm 23 Bible Study, The Lord As My Shepherd, identifies how to stay on the same route your Shepherd travels because the author of Psalm 23 trusted God.
In his younger years while tending sheep, God was David’s intimate companion. He followed God’s voice to safe harbors. Those cherished exchanges drew David back to God’s protection every time he stepped away from God.
If David took pathways in the wrong direction, all he had to do was remember how his Shepherd provided spiritual nourishment and guidance. He knew, just like sheep, we’re inclined to go our own way, even as God lovingly nudges us closer to Him.
This book, Psalm 23 Bible Study, The Lord As My Shepherd, answers Psalm 23 Bible study questions like these.
Do you long for more contentment but take detours away from God?
Are there muddy streams and broken cisterns you need to sidestep?
Do you veer from paths of righteousness and long for mountaintop experiences when stationed in life’s dales and basins?
To be precise, the book relays that the Shepherd/sheep connection is one continuous path of assurance—a path God wants to shepherd. Author Betsy Wise focuses on Psalm 23’s message line by line to reveal its meaning. Spirit-filled revelations reveal the importance of staying on His best paths by remaining in your Shepherd’s embrace.
Get your copy here.