The Tupelo journal., 1903-11-13
I'll SUNDAY H o
Lesson in the international Series
for November IL, 1003-David's
Trust in God.

for November IL, 1003-Dayid's
Trust in God.
The Lesson T~ext-Psalm 90.
Cps. 23:1, 81 Jehovah is my shep-
herd" For hundreds of years the He
brews had been a shepherd nation.
They knew as we cannot know the rich
ness and beauty of this thought OF Je-
hovah as a shepherd. In trying to re-
alize what the Syrian shepherd was to
the sheep we must remember that the
Syrian pastures are not like ours, but
vast stretches of half barren land In
which streams are few and often dry,
and which are infested with wild beasts
and Arab robbers. With US sheep are
turned out to pasture and left to them
selves in perfect safety; but in the east
the shepherd literally lives with his
flock and shares their hardships and dan
gers with them. for only SO can he pro-
vide for them and protect them. Il shall
not want" The perfecttrust of one who
knows Gods care from experience. 1t
does not say: Il shall never want any
thing l cannot have" but rather:
whatsoever God sees is best for me,
/ know that He will do, for He loves
me-" HE maketh me to lie down in
green pastures" There are beautiful
green GASES In the most barren desert.
The Great Shepherd does not abolish the
desert, but helps us to find and to rest in
the GASES. 1t is when we follow Him
most closely that the truest peace is
found. "He leadeth me-" There is a
great difference between leading and
driving. In America we see sheep driven
about by a man who, as Henry van
Dyke says, seems to be little more than
a policeman to them" The Syrian shep-
herd leads, for in some of the pastures
there are poisonous weeds, and he must
be there first to remove them; he must
select the pasture with the greatest care.
and at the parting of the ways he with
his superior wisdom must choose the
right one, and because they nave grown
up with him and have never been disap-
pointed by him the sheep follow him
with implicit faith. Sheep have not
very much wisdom, blu they have
enough to follow the shepherd, and that
is sufficient. So we shall not want if
only we have wisdom enough to follow
our Shepherd. Beside still waters"
Literally waters of rest.
(Vs. 8, A. He restoreth my soul"
Or restores or refreshes me, for the He
brew word for life and sold is one. The
most faithful Christians need refresh
ing of spirit, and those who have wan
dered into dangerous, and therefore
forbidden places, need also to be re-
stored to the safety of the fold. Both
meanings are in this expression. THE
paths of righteousness" The thought
here is especially Of the human flock.
One would not naturally speak of right
GUS paths when referring to the sheep.
To the sheep they are the paths that
lead to what is best for them; they are
the same to us. Perhaps sometimes our
Shepherd leads us over stony ways; but
He does not do it for His own sake, nor
because He does not know the pain of
the bruised and bleeding feet, but be-
cause there is no other way by which
He can lead us out into the better life
that awaits us beyond. But we do not
suffer alone; He goes with us, and His
feet are wounded as well as our own.
And so we reach the better land through
the sacrifice and blood of our shepherd
ing Saviour. The shadow of death"
Or, deep darkness. "The psalmist has
not merely the experience of literal
doc th in wind hI1f oil cvnlrionnoC uhoro
the darkness is thick and profound.
(Vs. 5, g. Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine en-
emies:" The figure seems to change
here to that Of a meal at which the
psalmist thinks of himself as the pro-
tected guest of Jehovah. Foes he still
has, but they cannot harm him. 1t is
possible, however, as William A. knight
has shown, that it is a shepherd-psalm
to the very end, for in reality the shep-
herd prepares the pasture for the
flock in the midst of all kinds of dangers
and enemies" but they Craze upon it
in perfect security. Thou hast
anointed my head with OIL" A refresh
ing courtesy shown to guests in oriental
lands, or the bathing or amounting of the
bruised and weary sheep as it enters the
fold at night. The shepherd has the
horn filled with olive oil, and he was
cedar tar, and he anoints a knee bruised
upon the rocks or a side scratched by
thorns. And here comes one that is not
bruised, but is simply worn and ex-
hausted; he battles its face and head
with the refreshing olive oil, and he
takes the large two-handle cup and dips
it trimming full from the vessel of wa
ter provided for hat purpose. and he
lets the weary sheep drink. There is
nothing finer in the psalm than this.
Gods care is not for the wounded only,
but for the worn and weary also. He
anointeth my head with oil, my cup run
meth over.'"-W A. Knight. Il shall
dwell in the house of Jehovah forever"
Jehovah is my Shepherd; His house is
the fold. | shall dwell as l am dwelling
in His safe fold forever! A perpetual
fellowship.
Read in connection with this psalm
n1 " f.