I was watching a webcast of Dallas Willard (being interviewed by John Ortberg) today and heard him say something that caught me off guard. Professor Willard told Ortberg that he had grown up on a sheep farm. I tried to confirm this through google, but was unsuccessful. Willard spoke of the sheep farming experience in the context of Psalm 23.
Imagine being privy to knowing exactly how people in Old Testament times would have heard and understood nuances and back stories behind the words that we have no clue about in the 21st century. Well, Dallas Willard helped me to understand some context of Psalm 23 that will help me as I meditate on this Scripture in the future:
Verses 1 & 2 read-
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.
These are encouraging words that help us to seek peace within our spirit during times of trouble. However, how much impact do these words have if green pastures and quiet waters are somewhat foreign to our every day environments?
He makes me lie down in green pastures- Dallas Willard explains that a sheep will only lie down in a pasture on one condition. It must be well fed and feel completely satisfied before it will lie down. Getting into the mind of the sheep, it’s as if it has everything it needs for the moment and hasn’t a care in the world. It is at peace, experiencing the joy that a sheep can know, and is now willing to lie down and rest.
He leads me beside quiet waters- Here, Willard explains that there is again only one way for a sheep to respond. A sheep will only be led to water that is calm and still. It will refuse to go near a rushing river.
So, next time we read and meditate on Psalm 23, let us remember the wisdom behind the words. Look to the sheer peace the well-fed sheep must feel as he lays down to rest and look to the Lord for that same sense of peace. Don’t let anyone or anything lead you to the threatening, rushing water. Instead, know that there is danger in such paths and that you must seek the quiet waters because the Lord, your Shepherd, will only lead you to such peaceful water.
May you put your trust in God to be the Shepherd that knows you and would leave the 99 in the pasture so that he may come to seek you and bring you back into the flock rather than become lost, misguided, or forgotten. As it is written in verse 6, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” May it be true for you beginning right now.
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