Psalm 16 Bible Study

     To ancient Hebrews, the words of our Scriptures were the pop songs everyone knew, the history that defined their identity, even the after-dinner entertainment of the day.  In Bronze Age society stories and songs were the mass media of a pre-literate culture. If I wrote a song that you had never heard before, but used these three words, “Dandy,” “Doodle,” “Yankee,” you would immediately recognize a historical connection, even if what I was writing on the surface had nothing to do with history.

     This is the case with Psalm 16, I think. The three words that would have rung familiar to the ancient Hebrew listener are “portion,” “cup,” and “boundary.” Now, many modern translations may not even have these key words. The problem with many modern translations is they must make sense to people who may be Biblically illiterate. So publishers eliminate the very key words necessary to hear how the song would have been heard in the 10^th century BC and in later epochs. We know this happened to a huge extent during the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews in the 5^th and 6^th centuries BC.  The old language became less and less used and many people forgot the meaning of words. In fact, in Psalm 16 verse 6 there is a word with Babylonian roots, the word for “delightful” or “wonderful.” So, we know that the form in which we now read Psalm 16 comes from after the 5th Century, not from the pen of David.

     Is it possible for us three thousand years removed to know how Psalm 16 might have sounded in the ears of David’s contemporaries? The only way to even begin to accomplish this is to use the older texts of Scripture to interpret the newer ones. Four hundred years before David, in the earliest days of the Israeli national identity, portion, cup, and boundary would have triggered two thoughts: a covenant meal and land distribution. There’s no one verse in the Old Testament that mentions all three of these concepts. So we have to do a bit of detective work to see what two stories David may be linking up, either in his own inspired imagination or from something well-known in his time but lost to us.

     Portion and cup are words associated with a meal.  A servant received his or her portion of food and drink from the master. David sings this song to his God and Master, Yahweh. There’s only one sacred meal in which the worshipper of Yahweh had a “portion” and a “cup;” the peace offering detailed in Leviticus 3, 7:15-16, and 22:29-30.  The peace offering was how reconciliation occurred after two parties had a falling out. The peace offering initiated a covenant meal between God and sinners. 

     What about the concept of boundary lines changing or being assigned as an inheritance? This recalled two events that were inseparably linked in the Hebrew mind: first, the covenant ceremony led by Joshua at Shechem (Joshua 24); and second, the Jubilee legislation that provided for an a complete economic reset of all debts and deals as a reminder that the land belonged to Yahweh (Leviticus 25).  In Deuteronomy 15, there is some evidence that this reset may have occurred every seven years  in the earliest days of the theocracy. I think it entirely possible that David composed Psalm 16, out of the remnants of an ancient liturgy of covenant renewal, a shared meal, and the redistribution or reaffirmation of holy boundaries. Psalm 16:1 is pure covenantal language. “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Preserve me, O God, I refuge in you. I will do my part and you will do your part. It was the way every treaty was worded in the Bronze Age.

     When that ancient covenant liturgy was first made, Israel was not in the Promised Land of Canaan. They were on the other side of the Jordan, preparing to go in and take the land that belonged to other peoples, specifically, the Canaanites, a fierce and militarily superior nation. Why would David think about that portion, cup, and boundary? It may have been the time of the Feast of Covenant Renewal (later called Tabernacles or Booths) that David saw in the situation of those ancient Hebrews awaiting the conquest of Canaan, a picture of his own plight. Many of David's Psalms carry inscriptions of the historical context which occasioned the song. Many are from the time David is on the run from Saul. Psalm 16 carries no such historical reference, but it does picture a man on the run in verse 1, like an unintended criminal fleeing to the cities of Refuge (Deuteronomy 4:41ff.), needing safe sanctuary. This fits perfectly the time that Saul, King of the Jews, is pursuing David with the intent to kill the son of Jesse. But only David knows from the great prophet and priest, Samuel himself, that the Kingship has been withdrawn from Saul and given to David. So, here’s David, the rightful king, with no portion or cup from his Master, no inheritance at all, an outlaw with only God’s big idea and God’s Word and Presence to sustain him.

     David sings about the covenant blessings of belonging body and soul to Yahweh. The LORD himself instructs David (Psalm 16:7) with the counsel of His Word. David knows the presence of God surrounding him; God makes himself real to David (v.8). While Saul threatens him with murder, David has an abiding joy and certain promise that the Holy One of his family will not be abandoned in the grave to rot (v.10). He has everything he needs while outwardly having nothing.

     How similar to Jesus a thousand years after David. He, too, was announced to be God’s King of the Jews, but he had nothing, no power, no title, and no prospects but death and suffering. Pilate asks, "You are a King then?" Jesus answers, "Are you saying this of your own accord or did you hear this from others?" Jesus is checking to see if the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in Pilate. But alas, no. So Jesus answers, "My kingdom is not from the world." Jesus' kingship is a different kind of King than Pilate could ever conceive. But look at the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, stricken, bloodied. What a King! Every one of his followers would desert him in his hour of need. But like David was preserved, so Jesus was preserved by God's covenant faithfulness.

     Between the resurrection and his ascension, Jesus spent hours in Bible study with his disciples, showing them how the Old Testament was really all about him. He must have pointed out Psalm 16 specifically, since Peter refers to it in his Pentecost sermon as prophesying the resurrection of David’s Holy Son (Acts 2:25-28). It's not hard to imagine our Savior praying the words of Psalm 16 in Gethsemane’s Garden and with Psalm 22 while hanging on the cross, a great song of abiding trust and confidence in the promises of God when it seems that all is lost.

     Jesus, on the eve of his great Exodus, transformed the Passover into the covenant-renewing peace offering meal of reconciliation in his body and blood. He knew the struggles of the flesh, being tempted in every way we are, yet without sin. When Jesus said, "As often as you do this you remember me," he's not talking about religious reminiscing.  We are actually participating in the same Kingdom building God was doing in ancient Israel, rehearsing the covenant faithfulness of God this side of Jordan's stormy banks. We are like David, awaiting an unseen inheritance that is ours by faith in the victory of Jesus over death and the grave. When it seems darkest, God is preserving us through the counsel of His Word, through the love of His saints, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, showing us the path of life, the fullness of joy, and wonder of permanence forever more.

Oxygen from Psalm 32 (Messiah's Confession)

Psalm 32 is a penitential song.  Twice we are told that David was deathly ill; once, after bringing the Ark into Jerusalem early in his reign and later after his adultery with Uriah's wife and conspiracy to murder Uriah.  David interpreted his sickness as a judgement against his cover-up of his sin.

Scholars say these texts are not Messianic because Christ' was sinless.  He didn't need to pray these confessions.  But I wonder if Jesus didn't learn to pray these prayers of repentance.  Why would he skip over these?  Why else did he submit to the baptism of John.  His sinlessness was not something he inherited from his virgin mother, but something He, like you and me, won by grace.

1 Oh, what joy for those
    whose disobedience is forgiven,
    whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
    whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
    whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
    my body wasted away,
    and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
    My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
    and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
    And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
    that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
    you protect me from trouble.
    You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
    I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
    that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
    but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
    Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!


Living Christ,

We confess Thy sinless life,
But how came you to this bless'd condition?
Was your moral clarity
from your mother's virginity
as say the Popes and all their clergy?

Or was your moral victory
helped by Thy unique divinity?
Was your flesh not quite like mine,
but virgin born and all divine,
Thy sinlessness mere shadowboxing?

Confessing Psalms cannot be
Messianic, scholars say.
"His sinlessness was existential,
not God-conferred, not penitential."
But what precludes Thy true confessing,
of temptation's downward pull?

Did You get sick and groan in pain,
wonder like all other Jews
who walked the Roman Galilee
if Father God might be displeased,
about some rancor in the heart,
an errant dream, a horrid thought,
some alm omitted, like the man
You passed each day at Beauty Gate?

Or was Thy sinless life apace
won as mine -- by Father's grace;
not the lopsided victory
of One possessed of purer flesh,
but by confession, if not of sin,
of human need to come clean within;
if not of pride, of drives inside
the mind of our true Emmanuel?

How else comes our sanctification
from sin's awful domination
if not that we confess
the allure of sin to flesh
but sin not, beat temptation,
yield, obey Thy Spirit's pull
into Thy praise-filled hiding place?

So may I pray as perhaps with Thee,
"God be my guide, my bit and bridle."
Let me follow Thee Whose title
to the Baptist was declared,
rising from repentance water,
Beloved Son, well-pleased Confessor!
Be my health and heavenly treasure.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 31 (Besieged)

Psalm 31 is a powerful song which, like Psalm 22,  was most likely on the Savior's lips as he endured the rejection of the chief priests and the pain of Golgotha Hill.  Indeed, the last words of Jesus upon the cross are found in verse 5.  David probably wrote the words in thanksgiving for his having survived the siege of his city by enemies.  But the words clearly describe the faith of the Righteous One (v.18).


1 Yahweh, I have come to you for protection;
    don’t let me be disgraced.
    Save me, on account of your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to listen to me;
    rescue me quickly.
  Be my rock of protection,
    save me to the mountain fortress.
3 You are my rock and my fortress.
    For the honor of your name, lead me, guide me.
4 Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,
    for I find protection in you alone.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit.
    Rescue me, Yahweh, faithful God.
6 I hate those who worship worthless idols.
    I trust in Yahweh.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your covenant love,
    for you have seen my troubles,
    and you know the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to my enemies
    but have set me in a wide open place.
9 Be gracious to me, Yahweh, for I am in trouble.
    Tears blur my eyes.
    My body and soul are withering away.
10 My life finishes with grief;
    my years in sadness.
   My punishment has drained my strength;
    I am wasting away from within.
11 I am scorned by all my enemies
    and despised by my neighbors—
    even my friends are afraid to come near me.
   When they see me on the street,
    they run the other way.
12 I am shunned as if I were dead,
    a broken pot.
13 I hear the many rumors about me,
    and I am surrounded by terror.
   My enemies conspire against me,
    plotting to take my life.
14 But I am trusting you, Yahweh,
    saying, “You are my God!”
15 My destiny is in your hands.
    Rescue me from those who persecute me.
16 Shine on your servant.
    In your covenant love, rescue me.
17 Don’t let me be disgraced, Yahweh,
    for I call out to you for help.
   Let the wicked be disgraced;
    let them lie silent in the grave.
18 Silence their lying lips—
    those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the Righteous One.
19 How great is the goodness
    you have stored up for those who fear you.
   You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
    blessing them before the watching world.
20 You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
    seclude them in your tabernacle
   away from contentious conspirators.
21 Praise Yahweh,
    for he has shown me his covenant love
    in the city under siege.
22 In panic I cried out,
    “I am cut off from all help!”
   But you heard my cry for mercy
    and answered my call for help.
23 Love Yahweh, all you his covenant people!
    For Yahweh preserved the faithful,
    but he repays the prideful with interest.
24 So be strong and he will strengthen your heart, 
    all you who put your hope in Yahweh.


Psalm 31 -- DKB Interplation


God our Father:

What terrors did Your Christ confront
to set his people free
from the besieged citadel
of hell masquerading as Your church.

Dying on Skull Hill that Friday
Which pain the more excruciating?
Rome's cursed crucifixion
or priestly rejection and denunciating?

Rome did not betray our Christ.
Romans did not shout "Crucify!"
Pilate offered Him release,
the Mrs. warned in sleepless dreams.

It was His friends who rejected Him,
scribes and elders on the church board,
those who felt their power threatened,
they betrayed and killed their Lord.

Religion's full of worthless idols
before whom the pious pray,
laying siege to God's elect
with rituals as strong as chains.

As though by these religious acts
we might earn some extra merit.
Christ's work is never finished     (John 19:30)
according to Constantinian clerics.

None but self-righteous can devise
such tortures of the soul,
to deprive of hope and wealth,
even those who've lost their health.

What then these mumbling priests?
What good these religious yokes?
The institution's only purpose --
preserve the stories of faithful folk.

And when these tax-free shelters run
a muck of truth and lose their passions,
let them be anathema!
Pronounce Ichabod o'er their ashes.

Let me find Your holy comfort
in this sweet sustaining song,
when disgraced and when rejected,
when persecuted for no wrong.

Comfort me with strength sublime
Shelter me within your grace,
and when the siege of life is done
set me on Your wide open place.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 30 (Morning Dance)

Although this Psalm probably was composed for the dedication of David's palace (not the Temple), it also speaks wonderfully to Messiah's resurrection.  What David may have meant metaphorically, Jesus experienced on that first Easter.

1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
    You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you restored my health.
3 You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
    You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
    Praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.
6 When I was prosperous, I said,
    “Nothing can stop me now!”
7 Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
    Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
8 I cried out to you, O Lord.
    I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
9 “What will you gain if I die,
    if I sink into the grave?
   Can my dust praise you?
    Can it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
    Help me, O Lord.”
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!


Psalm 30 (NLT)

Risen Christ:

I would lose all thought of self,
dance and sing, cavort with joy,
see the morning eclipse mourning,
stand in solidarity with saints,
know forgiveness reaches me,
prompts repentance, grace unleashed;
practice for the new Earth morning
when I see you face to face.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 27&28 (Time-stream)

27:14 Wait expectantly for the Lord.  
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait expectantly for the Lord.


28:1  I cry to You, Yahweh, my Rock.
    Do not be silent to me,
    for if You are silent, I might as well be dead.


28:2  Hear the voice of my supplications.
    I lift my hands toward your holy throne (lit. oracle).


28:6  Blessed be Yahweh because he has heard 
    the voice of my supplications.


28:7  Yahweh, my Strength, my Shield,
    My heart trusted in him and I was helped.
    My heart rejoices. I praise him in song.


28:8   Yahweh is the fortress of his people.
    the saving strength of his Anointed.


28:9   Save your people.
    Bless your inheritance.
    Shepherd them and lift them up forever.




Holy and Awesome God:


When we pray and intercede
for ourselves and those in need
we, in this created time-stream,
speak to You who dwell outside of time,
lift our hands toward Your Throne;
we, carried along as day to day,
the time-stream makes its inexorable way
to where You dwell and wait for us
at the confluence of our ever-rolling tide
and your eternal Now.


Down the time-stream we all float,
some on rafts and some in boats,
all adrift in one single current;
somewhere ahead the waterfall
will capsize and sink us all.
But You, like the eagle, fly above
this river's frenzied fate
and cast Your light through the blue gloom,
translucent spears of infinity.


You know how time will end, indeed
it has already ended as You decreed.
We live in Your past tense (as it were),
this world and all therein,
rush toward your uniting
of all things under Your Christ.      (Eph. 1:10)
This is revealed: we have already died,
our lives hid with Christ in Heaven. (Col.3:3)


So, if our prayers are already answered,
we need not wait for the flow we measure
in months and years to reveal your will.
You are not slow nor need cajoled
by years of fruitless prayer.
Teach us how to pray the prayers
You have already answered,
and, like David, realize mid-song
that You were working all along
to bring glory to Your Christ.


What then are our supplications?
Why should we pray for daily bread,
for Kingdom come when Your outcome is assured,
You having fixed the day and hour
this river flows no more to sea
but flows to Thee at Earth's Renaissance?
Prayers are bubbles in the time-stream,
made of spirit, they ascend
to surface where You reign
and mingle with the praise of saints
in Heavens' rarefied atmosphere.


Answered prayers reveal your presence,
objectify a more dimensioned place
than we could e'er conceive;
bequeath to us a higher aspiration,
stream-bound mimes could ne'er deduce,
a destiny greater than the final plunge,
a Rescue at our final moment,
and buoyant rise in Heaven's skies.


Amen.

Reflections on Psalm 7

¹ I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.
    Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
² If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,
    tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
³ O Lord my God, if I have done wrong
    or am guilty of injustice,
⁴ if I have betrayed a friend
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ then let my enemies capture me.
    Let them trample me into the ground
    and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude

⁶ Arise, O Lord, in anger!
    Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
    Rouse yourself for me in your instructed justice!
⁷ The congregation of the people surround you.
    Rule over them from on high.
⁸     The Lord judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O Lord,
    for I am innocent, O Most High!
⁹ End the evil of those who are wicked,
    and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart,
    O righteous God.

¹⁰ God is my shield,
    saving those whose hearts are true and right.
¹¹ God is an honest judge.
    He is angry with the wicked every day.

¹² If a person does not repent,
    God will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
¹³ He will prepare his deadly weapons
    and shoot his flaming arrows.

¹⁴ The wicked conceive evil;
    they are pregnant with trouble
    and give birth to lies.
¹⁵ They dig a deep pit to trap others,
    then fall into it themselves.
¹⁶ The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
    The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

¹⁷ I will thank the Lord because he is just;
    I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

One of the great deficiencies of the Constantinian Church is its complete failure to help heal the wounds it so often helps create.  Check the churches with buildings and budgets and inevitably you find a history of conflicts, splits, name-calling, even lawsuits among members and other churches.  The New Testament house church had many of these same problems, but the apostles stepped in and put an end to lawsuits and factionalism.  Today with churches on nearly every corner of the typical American town, conflicts are typically solved by the loser slinking away to unite with another fellowship.  He or she rarely gains closure on the conflict that drove them out of the last church and consequently the believer becomes less open and more cynical of Churchianity. 

Psalm 7 seems to be part of a liturgy for re-establishing the reputation of an individual who has been falsely accused and found innocent.  The first two verses introduce the theme that someone is tearing his life apart, threatening his reputation and no one has stepped forward to clear his name.  So, he calls upon Yahweh.  In verses 3-4 he swears to his innocence and allows that if he is at fault in any way, he will bear the penalty.  He calls for Yahweh to arise and be his judge before the assembly of his people.  In verses 8-11 he prays for his persecutors (that their wickedness would end) and affirms the power of Yahweh to deal with the mischief-maker.  The song ends with thanksgiving and praise for the righteous justice of Yahweh Most High.

I think this liturgy may have formed the basis of the prayers of the New Testament Church in Acts 5 and 12.  The Church prays for Peter and the Apostles immediately after they are unjustly thrown into prison.  They take to heart the powerful truths of Psalm 7.  Their reaction is not to complain or file a lawsuit or quit the congregation.  They pray, recognizing that God is the only solution to the problem.  There was probably intense soul-searching as they studied their Scriptures. In Psalm 7:6 the literal Hebrew says:

“Arise, Yahweh, in your anger,

Rise up! My enemy rages.

Raise yourself for me in your instructed justice.”

Where does Yahweh instruct but in His Word?  The New Testament church made the Scriptures the basis of their prayers, not their wounded pride or off-balance emotions.  Verse 7 says, “The congregation of the people surrounds you.”  There is a coming together around the Word to discern God’s will.

This is why Paul can write, “In all things, give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18, Ephesians 5:20); in good times and bad, because God is sovereign and working all things together for good to them elect in God's grace (Romans 8:28).  

How I wish I had discovered these truths six months ago when I became the personal target of a bishop and his confused priest.  Instead of taking things into my own hands, Psalm 7 instructs us to turn to Christ who, if I am innocent, will be more out-raged at the church’s compromised witness than I could ever be, and at the same time, work healing for all parties.  Eventually the Holy Spirit pulled me back from the edge of wanting revenge by speaking clearly to me in a dream (well, he spoke to me in Greek and I had to translate it the next day).  But Christ was true to His Word.  He warned me back, confirmed He would handle this in His way, and showed me cause for intercession, praise and thanksgiving rather than bitterness, revenge, and hostility.   

If you have been falsely accused, here are the steps Psalm 7 suggests for handling your response.

1.  Recognize the situation for what it is (vs.1-2).  The first stage of grief at a broken relationship is denial (“This isn’t really happening.”)  When someone attacks your reputation falsely, it can rip your life to pieces, like a lion tears a piece of meat.

2.   Examine your part and accept what you probably had coming (vs. 2-5, 8).  Confess where you are at fault and ask God to do whatever spiritual surgery is required in your own heart.

3.  Go to the Word of God (v.6).  Read Psalm 7 again and again.  Let it guide your confessions and prayers for one whole week.  Do this before you react to the persecutor.

4.  It may sound like a cliche, but let go and let God (v.8-16).  You can’t change other people in any effective or authentic way, but God can.  Realize that God is your Judge.  This doesn't necessarily mean God finds you innocent or guilty in this situation.  Old Testament judges were warriors who delivered God’s people from enemies.  Let God do the fighting while you do the praying.

5.   Do not gloat when the liar falls into his own trap (v.15-16).   Boasting is never allowed in our faith, except to boast in Christ (1 Cor. 1:31).  Be ready to forgive, not because you want to put the relationship back together necessarily (sometimes that’s not wise), but because you want to be found in the righteousness of Christ and not in your own.

6.  Be thankful that you have learned a lesson in faith (v.17).  God is true to His Word always.  Anyone who wants to live a Christian life will be persecuted (see 2 Timothy 3:12).  Jesus promised that we will get into trouble, but in the midst of it, we will find wonderful joy and radical happiness. 

Oxygen from Psalm 23 (Sheep to Sonship)

It is nearly impossible to think of a Bible passage with more universal appeal and known by so many as Psalm 23.  This Shepherd song is taught to children and frequently read at funerals as witness to God's faithfulness from cradle to grave and beyond.  As I prayed and meditated on this wonderful text, I saw something for the first time; that the rest and restoration implies that the sheep have been on a long, tough journey.  We often picture this shepherd moving through vast fields of green with lush flowing streams, but the word-picture David uses is that of the "oasis," a rest stop surrounded by desert and paths of righteousness that lead through Death Ravine. The Psalm recognizes the strain and temptations of life, but praises God for His all sufficient grace.

The LORD is my shepherd.

I have everything I need.

He makes me recline in an oasis of vegetation.

He leads me to resting places by water.

He restores my being.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

on account of his name.

Even if I go into Death Ravine,

I shall not fear evil because

You are with me;

Your club and your staff comfort me.

You are arranging before me a table,

in front of my foes.

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup runs over.

Yes, goodness and covenant love shall purse me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

(Psalm 23 -- DKB translation)

Shepherd of Souls:

You call us by name and we hear Your voice,    (John 10:5, 18:37)

those of us who, by Your sovereign choice,

are herded together into Your flock,

into your sheepfold, safe on the Rock.

Like the good shepherd who cares for his sheep,

You provide everything freely we need:

rich food to empower our long journeying;

rest in this desert beside hidden springs.

Your Word is our food, Your Spirit the water,   (Mt. 4:4, John 7:38)

springing within us as sons and daughters.

Guide us forever in paths that You please,

sparing us from so much we don't need.

You feed us and lead us for Your name's sake,

and nothing we do earns us Your grace.

You sought us and found us in Death's Ravine

when other false shepherds had fled from the scene. (Ez. 34)

You calmed us and healed us and banished all fear;

your power and presence are always so near.

Your club and your staff protect us from evil

permitting us peace in the midst of upheaval.  (John 16:33)

Thank You that You do not leave us sheep

but raise us to sonship Your promise to keep.  (John 1:12)

You spread out the banquet, the homecoming feast,   (Luke 15:11-24)

anointing my head with unguent sweet.

It's all so lavish, so full, overflowing,

even our Enemy cringes at knowing

how much You love us, how much You care,

Your covenant love and goodness to share.

Oh Jesus, Good Shepherd, stay close to my side,

for wandering is this sheep's natural incline.

And then from within, transform my sheep ways,

and make me Your son in Your house for always.

Amen.