WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:07.700 Alright. 2 00:00:09.200 --> 00:00:11.200 We are back on Psalm 23. 3 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:18.500 So we're going to take it up and verse 2 and there's a lot of other 4 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:24.900 things for the psalm to show us and teach us that we can highlight. 5 00:00:26.200 --> 00:00:33.000 I want to look at the next two verses together because notice what he 6 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:36.700 does in the next verses 2 and 3. 7 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:41.600 Is what I would call extending the metaphor. 8 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:46.300 So notice when he starts out with "The Lord is my shepherd, 9 00:00:46.300 --> 00:00:50.200 I shall not want" he doesn't switch to a different image. 10 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:56.700 He extends it so that we think about what he wants actually he directs 11 00:00:56.700 --> 00:01:01.800 our thoughts because remember even when I was asking you what comes to 12 00:01:01.800 --> 00:01:04.900 your mind, how do you make sense of that metaphor different things 13 00:01:04.900 --> 00:01:08.200 protection, guidance, help, comfort, safety. 14 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:12.700 All those kinds of pictures start to come to your mind. When he 15 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:13.800 extends the metaphor 16 00:01:13.800 --> 00:01:16.400 he actually directs your thoughts takes them in a certain direction 17 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:22.500 and that's what he does in verses 2 and 3. Now again just be aware that not 18 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:27.100 every psalm does that sometimes they will switch images quickly from 19 00:01:27.100 --> 00:01:29.100 boom, boom, boom. Just like in our hymn. 20 00:01:29.100 --> 00:01:30.400 That's that's second hymn. 21 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:34.000 You had the image of Jesus as high priest and then Jesus as king within 22 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:34.800 two lines, 23 00:01:34.800 --> 00:01:36.200 that's a switch in metaphor. 24 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:40.100 Alright. And we can handle it mentally because we're familiar with 25 00:01:40.100 --> 00:01:45.200 it, but it's really good to stop when you see that. And ask yourself, 26 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:49.500 how is this view of God different different from the metaphors? 27 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:54.300 Where does he want your thoughts to go when he uses one metaphor 28 00:01:54.300 --> 00:01:58.700 versus another or one kind of figurative language versus another. What 29 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:00.600 different parts of the story 30 00:02:00.600 --> 00:02:06.600 are you assuming or or hooking the text back up to and we'll see 31 00:02:06.600 --> 00:02:08.900 example of a little later in the psalm as well. 32 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:17.400 Sometimes the psalmist piles up metaphors. Like listen to this this 33 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:20.500 line in Psalm 18. 34 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:26.000 Yahweh is my rock my Fortress the one who delivers me my God my rock I 35 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:27.000 seek refuge in him. 36 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:32.800 He's not done yet, my shield and the horn of my salvation my high 37 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:33.200 place. 38 00:02:33.200 --> 00:02:35.800 You see how he piles up all those boom, boom, 39 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:36.000 boom, 40 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:36.200 boom, 41 00:02:36.200 --> 00:02:36.400 boom., 42 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:43.400 boom, boom in one verse. So mentally that means oh man, that's really taxing. 43 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:49.700 Slow down if you're going to meditate on psalm and and think 44 00:02:49.700 --> 00:02:51.800 about it and read it. Again 45 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:53.100 another thing to remember is 46 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:56.300 when we say Psalm in church. 47 00:02:57.600 --> 00:03:01.400 We don't have the mental space or time to be able to do that kind of 48 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:03.300 contemplation, which is why a lot. 49 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:08.200 But remember the psalm in the church service in a worship setting is 50 00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:13.200 being used a little differently than in private meditation or study on 51 00:03:13.200 --> 00:03:13.700 the Word of God. 52 00:03:13.700 --> 00:03:17.500 Alright, so just that's okay when that happens. 53 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:18.800 Just remember that in the church 54 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:19.800 we have different uses 55 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:26.000 for scriptural text and we can benefit from all those kinds of 56 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:26.200 things. 57 00:03:26.200 --> 00:03:30.000 So what we're talking about is the practice of really reading a psalm 58 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.900 as a conversation to you would be by definition of how we actually 59 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:36.200 meditate on a psalm. 60 00:03:36.200 --> 00:03:36.900 Okay. 61 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:41.600 So kind of just beware of that's why I'm practicing our reading the 62 00:03:41.600 --> 00:03:43.800 way I am today, okay. 63 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:47.900 But again notice 64 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:53.400 that as he extends the metaphor the "Lord is my shepherd, 65 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:54.400 I shall not want." 66 00:03:55.600 --> 00:04:00.000 Notice that as I interpret, the psalm this kind of what happens to me. 67 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:00.900 I 68 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.600 I think the verses 2 and 3 69 00:04:06.700 --> 00:04:10.600 are meant as further elaboration that point the Lord is my shepherd. 70 00:04:10.600 --> 00:04:14.300 What does it mean to be the Lord Shepherd and I do not lack anything 71 00:04:14.300 --> 00:04:20.390 or I shall not lack anything. Alright. So it's almost as if this is why or 72 00:04:20.390 --> 00:04:26.300 because you see kind of think that mentally he leads me or he makes 73 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:28.700 me lie down in green pastures. 74 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:38.000 He leads me by it's really a he leads by waters of rest, restful 75 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:38.600 waters. 76 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:40.400 He leads me, my soul 77 00:04:40.400 --> 00:04:46.100 he restores, he leads me on the right past on account of his name. 78 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:50.600 Alright. So he's telling you what does it mean if the Lord is really 79 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:56.800 your shepherd and then it follows that metaphor. Again one of the things 80 00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:59.000 you can do it again hook it to Israel's story. 81 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:02.400 So remember the Exodus God lead his people out like a flock. 82 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:09.800 And he led them safely through the Wilderness took care of their needs 83 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:15.500 and brought them to where he said he was going to bring them. So one 84 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:19.100 of the ways to start to interpret the images in this line is in light 85 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:21.000 of that story. 86 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:23.600 Okay, the Exodus account 87 00:05:24.700 --> 00:05:29.300 and then I'll give you my next on the 2nd. 88 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:34.600 But let me just strengthen that. Remember what Moses said 89 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:41.000 in Deuteronomy chapter 8. Deuteronomy 90 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:44.100 Remember are the sermons of Moses that he said on the east side of the 91 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:48.300 Jordan after the 40 years wandering before Israel enter the promised 92 00:05:48.300 --> 00:05:48.600 land. 93 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:49.800 Alright. 94 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:54.000 So one of the things that he does in Deuteronomy is start to remind 95 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:58.400 people of God's care in their past history and how he brought him to 96 00:05:58.400 --> 00:06:06.500 this point to enter the promised land. And there's this passage Moses 97 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:10.000 says "You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led 98 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.700 you these forty years in the Wilderness that he might humble you testing you to 99 00:06:13.700 --> 00:06:16.800 know it was in your heart whether you would keep his Commandments or 100 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:17.100 not." 101 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:20.900 And then he says "then he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with 102 00:06:20.900 --> 00:06:25.000 Mana, which you did not know nor did your father's know that he might 103 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:30.100 make you know, that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by 104 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:33.600 every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." "Then he says your 105 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:35.500 clothing did not wear out on you and your foot 106 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:37.600 did not swell these 40 years. 107 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.700 I'm not sure what that means because they complain an awful lot about 108 00:06:42.700 --> 00:06:43.500 that kind of stuff. 109 00:06:46.200 --> 00:06:50.500 If it again, that's for a different discussion. "Know that in your heart 110 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:53.500 that as a man disciplines his son the Lord your God disciplines you 111 00:06:53.500 --> 00:06:57.800 for the Lord is your god is bringing you into a good land the land of 112 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:01.900 brooks of water, fountain springs flowing out. A land of wheat and 113 00:07:01.900 --> 00:07:05.900 barley a land which you eat bread without scarcity which you will lack 114 00:07:05.900 --> 00:07:06.300 nothing. 115 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:07.200 Okay. 116 00:07:07.200 --> 00:07:11.900 So notice that Moses describes in a longer hand the process of God's 117 00:07:11.900 --> 00:07:16.700 leading and how he took care of them that forms kind of a background 118 00:07:16.700 --> 00:07:22.500 for the it for me for the image of this text in which God. Notice that 119 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:26.600 the implications of the Lord being as being your shepherd. 120 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:32.600 And that you have everything you need or you shall not or in the 121 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:33.800 future you shall not want. 122 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:42.300 Is that his leading is a good leading that it leads you to two places 123 00:07:42.300 --> 00:07:47.700 that sustain your life that restore your life that take care of you. 124 00:07:47.700 --> 00:07:51.500 Okay. And Moses 125 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:54.200 tells them this. 126 00:07:55.900 --> 00:08:02.100 Even when they're in the midst of circumstances in which they argued 127 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:03.300 against it. In other words 128 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:06.400 it didn't look like I was taken care of them because they complain why 129 00:08:06.400 --> 00:08:09.300 don't we go back to Egypt at least we have food that we don't have 130 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:10.100 enough bread. 131 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:11.100 We don't have water. 132 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:14.300 You know, we're dying out here. 133 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:19.100 They had to trust that God was leading them and then when they got to 134 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:20.400 this point just reminded them. 135 00:08:20.400 --> 00:08:22.000 Hey, he got you to this point. 136 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.500 Okay. Now the reason I bring that up. 137 00:08:25.400 --> 00:08:32.290 Is because if we see our story in Israel's story and experience of our 138 00:08:32.290 --> 00:08:36.900 faith in life and similar terms, we can begin to ask ourselves 139 00:08:36.900 --> 00:08:44.000 if we identify with this portion of the psalm or not is his experience 140 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:49.400 our experience. Now notice that are hymns take that for granted in 141 00:08:49.400 --> 00:08:54.500 which they often describe the life of one of God's people in terms of 142 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:59.800 the Israel's Exodus and Wilderness experience, right? 143 00:08:59.800 --> 00:09:06.600 It's like those authors invite us to see the connections between their 144 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:08.100 story and our story. 145 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:11.900 So we very often say yes, we are as people 146 00:09:12.800 --> 00:09:16.200 who sometimes seemed to be wandering in the wilderness and yet 147 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:22.100 assertion of our faith is that God is leading us. Another point just to 148 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:33.000 reiterate is it often, very often, our Lives lack the visible sign post. 149 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:38.000 That God is in control of our lives. 150 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:38.700 Alright. 151 00:09:38.700 --> 00:09:43.900 So sometimes we feel I'm in the psalmist express this too, but just 152 00:09:43.900 --> 00:09:47.600 remember sometimes you wonder where God is in those moments. 153 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:49.300 Alright. 154 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:58.900 He doesn't so notice when he says the assertion of our faith God is in the one in control. 155 00:09:58.900 --> 00:10:02.900 He isn't the one leading us very often in our actual experience. 156 00:10:02.900 --> 00:10:05.800 You be hard to point that out. 157 00:10:05.800 --> 00:10:07.500 Okay, and I've lost my job. 158 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:10.100 I've lost my family. I've lost 159 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:15.800 a lot of things. I lost my health I mean you name it those kinds 160 00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:16.900 of things and yet. 161 00:10:16.900 --> 00:10:23.400 See for one of God's people the life of faith is that this is a 162 00:10:23.400 --> 00:10:29.600 truth that we hold to even when our immediate experience is contrary 163 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:30.800 seems contrary to it. 164 00:10:30.800 --> 00:10:34.100 So Israel in the wilderness was God always in control yes did they 165 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:36.600 always think he was very often not. 166 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:41.900 So they were had the same hard-heartedness and their experience was 167 00:10:41.900 --> 00:10:42.900 ours in that way. 168 00:10:42.900 --> 00:10:48.100 And so when you come across a little bit of text like this again, just 169 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:48.500 ask yourself. 170 00:10:49.500 --> 00:10:51.200 Am I identifying with it or not? 171 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:55.100 If so how and I'll I will as we conclude the psalm I have some 172 00:10:55.100 --> 00:10:58.300 concluding things that I wanted to come back to in relation to the 173 00:10:58.300 --> 00:10:59.300 whole psalm that will 174 00:11:00.400 --> 00:11:05.100 help you reflect on that in in a little different way. 175 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:06.000 Alright. 176 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:10.900 So what you don't have to do is overworked all those images and think 177 00:11:10.900 --> 00:11:15.300 that there's something secret behind the green grass and the restful 178 00:11:15.300 --> 00:11:19.000 waters and all those but think of the metaphor as 179 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.000 Oh think of life. 180 00:11:22.400 --> 00:11:23.500 let me put it to you this way. 181 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:26.100 I'll kind of give away my hand, but I'll do it anyway. 182 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:32.400 So one of the big metaphors that we use in for life is that life is a 183 00:11:32.400 --> 00:11:36.900 journey. Which suggests there certain places 184 00:11:36.900 --> 00:11:38.200 you should go certain places 185 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:40.400 you shouldn't go a certain places worth seeing. 186 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:45.600 The psalmist view so it's the psalms have that all over the place. 187 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:50.100 You know, you walk through life walk in a walking through life is 188 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:54.900 living it's a journey. Okay we all know that so this psalm takes part in that. 189 00:11:54.900 --> 00:11:58.300 Okay. This psalm 190 00:11:59.400 --> 00:12:06.500 the implication of the first three verses is not that we are leading but 191 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:07.600 that we are being led. 192 00:12:09.300 --> 00:12:14.200 Everybody say that we are being lead. That's a view of life 193 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:18.700 that is at odds with our natural instincts as sinful human people. 194 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:20.600 With our culture. 195 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:25.900 We are people again remember what the original sin was? 196 00:12:25.900 --> 00:12:30.400 You can be like God. We alwwant to be Gods ourselves or want to 197 00:12:30.400 --> 00:12:37.800 worship other gods or have other gods part of our sinful being is that 198 00:12:37.800 --> 00:12:39.900 we want to be in control, right? 199 00:12:39.900 --> 00:12:44.600 And of course our culture tells us all time. 200 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:48.100 Hey, you have to find your own meaning in life. 201 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:52.300 You are in charge of you. 202 00:12:52.300 --> 00:12:57.000 You are in charge of your own person your own happiness to see it's a 203 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:01.200 very so it's a very different perspective of life that you were 204 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:03.300 bombarded with everywhere. 205 00:13:04.300 --> 00:13:07.300 But you were being shaped by in the media TV. 206 00:13:07.300 --> 00:13:09.500 We're all being shaped by that. 207 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:14.000 The pressure is on to begin to adopt adapt ourselves to it. 208 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:18.200 And a simple human beings we do. 209 00:13:19.400 --> 00:13:20.500 We all do right. 210 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:23.500 We wonder we we worry that we're not in control. 211 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:25.000 We want to be in control. 212 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:27.700 We think we make decisions for our lives. 213 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:31.000 We have the right to do with our possessions what we want we have the 214 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:32.900 right on and on and on. 215 00:13:32.900 --> 00:13:36.300 Okay, this song presents a very different picture. 216 00:13:37.800 --> 00:13:42.100 It begs us to think about our story who we are in a very different way 217 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:43.600 being led. 218 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.500 Not leaving even when appearances don't look like that. 219 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:54.400 So the question is how it is true for me when you start think about 220 00:13:54.400 --> 00:13:54.900 like that. 221 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.000 I'll maybe sometimes it's not true. 222 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.100 What would it be? 223 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:03.000 Like if I actually live my life like this? 224 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:05.400 That's a real challenging question. 225 00:14:05.400 --> 00:14:10.100 What would my light what would change about my life see and that's the 226 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:13.000 kind of conversation that you don't have to have snap answers for but 227 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:18.700 it's things to contemplate to consider and to be in conversation with 228 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:19.400 others and with yourself. 229 00:14:19.400 --> 00:14:21.300 But again, it's it's kind of self-awareness. 230 00:14:21.300 --> 00:14:23.700 What is this? 231 00:14:23.700 --> 00:14:30.600 What is this chat this song challenging me severe do as far as my life 232 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:33.300 if I really understand. 233 00:14:34.400 --> 00:14:41.400 That I am one of God's people that my story is Jesus story is his real 234 00:14:41.400 --> 00:14:41.900 story. 235 00:14:41.900 --> 00:14:45.000 And if God is really my shepherd. 236 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.500 I'm not in control at all these sheep, aren't they control their being 237 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:52.400 lad and to trust that God leaves are good places, even when 238 00:14:52.400 --> 00:14:54.100 appearances look contrite to it. 239 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:59.600 You see that starts to show you the paradoxical nature of a life of 240 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:03.400 Faith the tension between the now and the not yet as a lived 241 00:15:03.400 --> 00:15:07.700 experience tension because whenever I think about this I start to 242 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:08.900 experience attention to myself. 243 00:15:08.900 --> 00:15:14.500 I really got to be the one leading but I don't know if I trust enough 244 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:16.700 that I need to be in control C. 245 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:22.000 I worry about all these things cuz I don't I'm not take care of me, 246 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.600 but I'm scared that bad things might happen and there's a mystery 247 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:28.200 there to a contradiction, right? 248 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:32.500 Not a contradiction of mystery of paradox the Christians live within 249 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:32.900 that. 250 00:15:34.300 --> 00:15:39.600 He asked he gives us reason and understanding and gifts and wants us 251 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:43.900 to live is creatures in this world to seek wisdom to seek his ways. 252 00:15:43.900 --> 00:15:46.000 But he also tells us it's a gift. 253 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:52.900 So he tells us that I'm going to take care of you doesn't mean you 254 00:15:52.900 --> 00:15:57.100 just sit in your house and expect to fall from heaven right to live as 255 00:15:57.100 --> 00:16:00.200 one of his creatures in this world in which he rules and controls all 256 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:05.000 things and he's giving you gifts expect you to use and cultivate for 257 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:08.400 your family for your neighbor to be a light to shine that he also 258 00:16:08.400 --> 00:16:11.000 tells you I'm in control of everything and everything is a gift and we 259 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:15.000 live within that Paradox rather than being bothered by it. 260 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:15.500 We 261 00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:18.500 Have to think about it. 262 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.200 It's all again. 263 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:24.100 It's another way to look at that the mystery of living a life of faith 264 00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:30.900 in the gospel with the kind of paradoxes and mystery and tension that 265 00:16:30.900 --> 00:16:33.200 goes with and you have to remember someone outside of the faith 266 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:37.300 doesn't have that same kind of tension see because if you don't 267 00:16:37.300 --> 00:16:40.300 believe that God exists, then you are on your own and then you have to 268 00:16:40.300 --> 00:16:44.200 find meeting where you can find it and you have to find success where 269 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:48.100 you can find you have to do what you can and want to sense of 270 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:52.400 meaninglessness starts to creep in which it does for a lot of people 271 00:16:52.400 --> 00:16:53.400 not everybody. 272 00:16:53.400 --> 00:16:57.700 How are you going to deal with that see and saw within the Christian 273 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:02.000 story we think about these things different and that's where the song 274 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:07.000 like this can be in the shape are some challenges that does that make 275 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.200 sense he started so that's how I'm going to start to be in 276 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.700 conversation with even the song like this. 277 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:16.700 Okay. 278 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:19.900 We stopped here and see if there's any thoughts or questions I can 279 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:20.700 help anyone with. 280 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:22.200 Yes. Are they contradicted especially by Jesus? 281 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:28.090 Yes. 282 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:34.100 That tension. And it's good to also be aware of that 283 00:17:34.100 --> 00:17:34.700 Oh, wait a minute. 284 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:38.500 Okay. There's this mystery Paradox within which I have to live but 285 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:39.600 kind of the end of the day 286 00:17:39.600 --> 00:17:43.200 I know I am actually being lead and how do I know that God has given 287 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:44.100 me his promise. 288 00:17:44.100 --> 00:17:47.300 When did he give it to you in your baptism and gives it to every time 289 00:17:47.300 --> 00:17:53.300 you take Holy Communion whenever you hear the absolution whenever you 290 00:17:53.300 --> 00:17:57.500 here it proclaimed from the pulpit. Promises over and over and the promise 291 00:17:57.500 --> 00:18:08.700 is actually what creates faith to begin to live within that promise. I take a look at my anxiety, which I shouldn't have, remembering 292 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:08.800 that take a lot of that away. 293 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:15.100 Yes, so notice that you're using the psalm in conversation of the 294 00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:17.100 psalm and your yourself aware. 295 00:18:17.100 --> 00:18:18.900 I'm really anxious about things. 296 00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:21.800 I don't like that I struggle with that. 297 00:18:21.800 --> 00:18:28.700 So yeah, so maybe at the psalm helps out this provides a little moment 298 00:18:28.700 --> 00:18:29.500 of respite for me. 299 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:30.000 Doesn't mean 300 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.300 you're never going to be anxious again, right? 301 00:18:31.300 --> 00:18:36.700 But this moment of I can be influenced by the voice of this psalm at 302 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:45.610 this moment in time. What so important in that as often as you can because as soon as I feel comfortable 303 00:18:45.800 --> 00:18:52.500 knowing that I'm trusting that the Lord is leading me my old self 304 00:18:52.500 --> 00:19:40.760 comes back as soon as I get comfortable and I start thinking I'm the leader again. Just crazy isn't it. 305 00:19:40.800 --> 00:19:44.600 When you said that people without this story or this confidence that no 306 00:19:44.600 --> 00:19:49.200 tension when life doesn't make sense, they've got to turn 307 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:54.400 their resource to something something but then I guess also explain 308 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:58.700 the zeal with which they sense they need to justify their choices, their existence 309 00:19:58.700 --> 00:19:59.900 the weight that is. 310 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:05.900 So that helps us number one be a little more sympathetic to their onslaught but 311 00:20:05.900 --> 00:20:15.300 also for us not to not fall prey to the same thing as we have to justify our existence or our God. God does not need defended 312 00:20:15.300 --> 00:20:17.000 we just need to be there as a follower. 313 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:20.200 Step back from the who need to 314 00:20:21.600 --> 00:20:23.800 justify themselves in the argument. 315 00:20:26.100 --> 00:20:29.300 Let's move on in a little in the psalm. 316 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:37.500 Notice that right at the end again you can stop over any of these phrases, but the last 317 00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:42.100 one verse three on a kind of his name. So he'll leads me on paths of 318 00:20:42.100 --> 00:20:48.200 righteousness, so you can translate that as right paths. 319 00:20:49.600 --> 00:20:57.200 Or paths that lead to righteousness okay or something similar, but then 320 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:59.800 he says for the sake of his name. 321 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:03.900 When you see for the sake of his name? 322 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.400 What is he talking about and again if you know kind of a 323 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:16.200 larger biblical story, how do you make sense of on account of his 324 00:21:16.200 --> 00:21:16.800 name? 325 00:21:16.800 --> 00:21:19.000 How what how would you put that in other words? 326 00:21:19.600 --> 00:21:23.000 On the account of his reputation, right? 327 00:21:24.800 --> 00:21:25.400 Good. 328 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:29.300 So yeah, I remember you going to Deuteronomy Moses talk that language 329 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:32.300 in one place is where I'm going to put my name, that's not 330 00:21:32.300 --> 00:21:38.000 symbolic, but it's kind of who he is and in a very substantial way 331 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.400 good. So notice on account of his name 332 00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:48.700 we think the Gloria attached to his name the reputation his name reveals 333 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:54.800 who he is what he has done. And so notice that he's going to do all 334 00:21:54.800 --> 00:22:00.000 this leading why? So that his name is honored. 335 00:22:00.800 --> 00:22:06.900 So that he fulfills the promises that are implicit in the name. 336 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:12.800 He's a God who is made certain promises to Israel who has done certain 337 00:22:12.800 --> 00:22:14.200 things for his people. 338 00:22:15.800 --> 00:22:22.400 And if he doesn't deliver on those things it is his name him that is 339 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:22.700 injured. 340 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:28.400 So again notice Moses uses that argument remember when God wanted to 341 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:32.900 destroy Israel, especially after the golden calf incident. Moses said 342 00:22:32.900 --> 00:22:35.500 will what will the other nations think if you led your people on the 343 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:39.400 desert just to kill them, see. On account of your name. 344 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:44.000 Alright, he promises to be faithful to his word. 345 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:49.100 He's a faithful God. And so it's just a little thing there that's worth 346 00:22:49.100 --> 00:22:53.200 contemplating and again part of his hooking it back up to the larger 347 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:54.400 story again. 348 00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:57.700 And what's the significance of his his name? 349 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:05.300 And how does that offer comfort and peace to us is well, okay. 350 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:07.000 Alright. 351 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:07.100 Yes. 352 00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:15.200 That could be really run in the direction of for the glory of God really 353 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:18.500 intend you in the Calvinist direction, so to speak. 354 00:23:18.500 --> 00:23:34.800 But when you tie back to the narrative back to how Moses used the Lord's why should the nations say. You destroyed them whatever it makes it a more cruciform. Yes, it really does. 355 00:23:34.800 --> 00:23:37.800 Alright, so we go to the next line. 356 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:42.200 When you see the words even though what are you do this is just a 357 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:43.700 little mental game for you. 358 00:23:43.700 --> 00:23:47.600 Even though what are you already doing in your mind as soon as you see 359 00:23:47.600 --> 00:23:47.800 that? 360 00:23:47.800 --> 00:23:49.200 What are you thinking? 361 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:52.400 How do you even though those words even though. A contradictory statement 362 00:23:54.600 --> 00:24:00.100 Okay, you're kind of anticipating that there may be one situation, but 363 00:24:00.100 --> 00:24:04.400 then there's something else that's going to contradict it or overcome 364 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:06.300 it in a different way. 365 00:24:06.300 --> 00:24:10.200 So notice again stop and think 366 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:11.500 what am I doing as a reader? 367 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:16.800 Oh even though I'm anticipating this kind of switch that's going to 368 00:24:16.800 --> 00:24:19.800 happen in the middle of the clause. I just like to capture those little things. 369 00:24:19.800 --> 00:24:22.200 Okay. So then 370 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:25.700 he is sticking with the same metaphor, right? 371 00:24:25.700 --> 00:24:33.500 Even though I walk in some of your translations may have a very dark 372 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:36.900 valley or some like King James valley of the shadow of death. 373 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:41.600 When you see that again notice 374 00:24:41.600 --> 00:24:43.700 what kind of figure of speech is he using? 375 00:24:45.100 --> 00:24:46.700 A metaphor right? 376 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:48.400 So what is he connecting? 377 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:51.600 What is he calling a very dark valley? 378 00:24:53.300 --> 00:24:56.100 What's. Death would be one thing definitely right 379 00:24:56.100 --> 00:25:00.700 that's the darkest valley of all and we are very often think of 380 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:06.700 death as entering a very dark tunnel or a very dark valley right? 381 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:09.700 Even in our language today good. What else comes to your mind? 382 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:10.900 Not being with God. 383 00:25:12.600 --> 00:25:15.000 What's that? Not being with God, good. 384 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:17.200 So very dark place. 385 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:22.200 Remember we use as a structural structural structural metaphor 386 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.800 in our own language light is good, 387 00:25:23.800 --> 00:25:24.500 dark is bad. 388 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:26.700 Same thing in the scriptures. 389 00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:29.200 Light is good dark is bad. 390 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:32.100 So rescue comes in the morning right after a dark night. 391 00:25:32.100 --> 00:25:39.100 If you look at Exodus, we won't do this for Exodus 14, you know, when 392 00:25:39.100 --> 00:25:42.300 God that parted the waters and crossed them at the break of day. 393 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:44.200 Alright. 394 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:48.600 Remember there's a couple stories in the Old Testament where the 395 00:25:48.600 --> 00:25:53.800 troops of the enemy were Jerusalem's Gates and God 120.000 and 396 00:25:53.800 --> 00:25:56.100 in the morning, they got out of there all gone. 397 00:25:56.100 --> 00:26:01.000 When did Jesus rise from the dead? Break of day. 398 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:10.600 See, so you have this metaphor that is informed by the story got 399 00:26:10.600 --> 00:26:11.600 Israel's story as well. 400 00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:14.600 So dark, light, dark, light even in our language. 401 00:26:14.600 --> 00:26:19.900 So dark notice death, but a lot of people will see in that deep 402 00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:24.500 depression, trouble, distress in this life. 403 00:26:24.500 --> 00:26:32.800 Okay, so notice the psalmist is aware of the difference between 404 00:26:34.600 --> 00:26:39.900 appearance or how appearances can deceive her appearance and reality can be 405 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:40.500 two different things. 406 00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:44.200 They can be disconnected from each other because he said above and he 407 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:48.100 leads me and all these good places but then he says wait a minute 408 00:26:48.100 --> 00:26:51.000 sometimes it's going to look as if he's leading me through a really 409 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:52.000 really bad place. 410 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:53.900 Mainly we have to die. 411 00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:55.100 Our loved ones have to die. 412 00:26:55.100 --> 00:26:56.600 We get sick. 413 00:26:56.600 --> 00:27:03.000 We suffer trouble, see? So you see in the the move from 3 to 4 414 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:09.400 verse 4 actually kind of deals with that appearance reality disconnect 415 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:14.500 that we are kind of assuming right because he admits yes there are 416 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:15.300 dark valleys. 417 00:27:16.300 --> 00:27:20.200 Just because God is leading you in all these good places doesn't mean 418 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:22.300 you're never going to face a dark valley. 419 00:27:22.300 --> 00:27:23.100 So you see what I'm saying? 420 00:27:24.300 --> 00:27:27.800 That's why that even though becomes important because you're already 421 00:27:27.800 --> 00:27:31.000 anticipating that there's going to be a way through the dark valley 422 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:34.100 even though, even though I walk through the darkest valley. 423 00:27:35.700 --> 00:27:37.100 Not will I fear evil? 424 00:27:37.100 --> 00:27:37.600 Okay. 425 00:27:37.600 --> 00:27:42.900 So again notice the same thing with between inverse 2, 3 and 4 holds 426 00:27:42.900 --> 00:27:45.000 with that first part of verse 1. 427 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:49.900 So does this mean you know, he will guide me and all these good 428 00:27:49.900 --> 00:27:55.500 places, but now it doesn't look it's not going to be it's not that way 429 00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:57.300 but in the future it is yes, that's true. 430 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:01.400 Does it mean that even now he's leading me in good places even though 431 00:28:01.400 --> 00:28:02.300 it doesn't look that way. 432 00:28:02.300 --> 00:28:03.600 Yes, that's true. 433 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:09.900 I will not fear evil does that mean I really am afraid now, but I 434 00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:10.600 won't be in the future. 435 00:28:10.600 --> 00:28:11.700 Yes. 436 00:28:11.700 --> 00:28:12.300 That's true. 437 00:28:12.300 --> 00:28:17.500 Can you use this as something to strengthen your faith? 438 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:21.400 I will not be afraid even though I really be afraid yes, that's true. 439 00:28:21.400 --> 00:28:30.500 You see the kind of many-sided, many-sided reality of our truth. 440 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:35.600 It's a beautiful thing as we live in that tension now and not yet the 441 00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:37.400 paradox and mystery of the Gospel. 442 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:44.000 Our hopes verses our present reality all those concepts all those kind 443 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:48.400 of dichotomy. We're saved and yet sometimes it feels like we're 444 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:49.800 unsaved. 445 00:28:49.800 --> 00:28:51.200 Saved versus unsaved, now versus 446 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:56.500 not yet. History and eschatology interpenetrating time folding in on 447 00:28:56.500 --> 00:28:56.600 itself 448 00:28:56.600 --> 00:28:58.100 that's our Christian experience 449 00:28:58.100 --> 00:29:00.600 and that's what the psalmist is giving us. 450 00:29:00.600 --> 00:29:03.700 So even though that I will not fear now. 451 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:04.400 Be careful what happens in 452 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:05.500 the next line. 453 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:09.000 (Hebrew)Ikea time ID for you were with me 454 00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:11.000 Okay. 455 00:29:12.900 --> 00:29:15.800 (Hebrew)Shift mesh on tecca. 456 00:29:15.800 --> 00:29:18.000 You're rod and your staff (hebrew) Hema. 457 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:19.300 Yonaka Muni. 458 00:29:19.300 --> 00:29:20.600 I'm just impressing you. 459 00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:24.900 They will they will comfort me. 460 00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:27.400 Okay can look at that. 461 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:33.800 I just did that, that's ridiculous. I love the language actually because something happens in the first phrase. 462 00:29:33.800 --> 00:29:39.000 I want you to see what happens grammatically or syntactically in this 463 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:42.100 part of the psalm that will continue through the rest of almost the 464 00:29:42.100 --> 00:29:44.800 rest of the psalm versus the first half what happens when you see it. 465 00:29:44.800 --> 00:29:46.500 There's a switch there's a switch. 466 00:29:48.800 --> 00:29:50.000 Set out loud you got it. 467 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:53.800 Notice he switches from third person to second person. 468 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:57.900 He has been talking about the Good Shepherd. 469 00:29:57.900 --> 00:30:03.300 And now he talks, now what happens? To the Good Shepherd for you are 470 00:30:03.300 --> 00:30:06.900 with me see the switch capture the switch. 471 00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:08.200 Why does he do it? 472 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:13.900 He start talk goes through talking about about the Lord to to the 473 00:30:13.900 --> 00:30:14.400 Lord. 474 00:30:16.300 --> 00:30:17.500 What happens inside you? 475 00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:20.400 What are you doing when you start to interpret? Think about that. 476 00:30:22.600 --> 00:30:24.200 Okay, good. 477 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:24.800 What else? 478 00:30:25.800 --> 00:30:26.900 Yep, you're giving it to God. 479 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:32.400 Notice that second person speech is much more intimate than third 480 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:37.600 person. Speaking to something someone you assume that person is a lot 481 00:30:37.600 --> 00:30:40.700 closer to you than your speaking about someone. When you're speaking 482 00:30:40.700 --> 00:30:44.800 about someone depends on what you're saying you hope they're not in 483 00:30:44.800 --> 00:30:49.000 ear shot but when your speaking to something you you're assuming 484 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:52.100 Oh they can hear me. So notice where is God? 485 00:30:52.100 --> 00:30:58.000 Where is God in this line? Right there with him at what point in his 486 00:30:58.000 --> 00:30:59.300 life. 487 00:30:59.300 --> 00:31:03.600 The darkest point in his life, even though I walk through the darkest 488 00:31:03.600 --> 00:31:04.500 valley, I won't fear why? 489 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:05.900 Oh you're with me. 490 00:31:07.300 --> 00:31:12.300 So notice I don't say that's that in a triumphal way. 491 00:31:12.300 --> 00:31:13.600 Yes you with me. 492 00:31:13.600 --> 00:31:15.400 It's more like, oh you're with me. 493 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:22.100 I don't fear why shouldn't I fear because you're with oh. And your rod and your staff 494 00:31:22.100 --> 00:31:26.400 they comfort me notice the word that the David deliberately uses. 495 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:27.400 They comfort me. 496 00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:33.000 Why because when I am in the dark valley I need the comfort of the shepherd. 497 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:36.400 So what are the rod and staff do they make sure that the Sheep are on 498 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:36.900 the right path. 499 00:31:36.900 --> 00:31:42.700 They guide the sheep they make sure if one's has fallen into a thicket 500 00:31:42.700 --> 00:31:44.000 or someplace. 501 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:51.500 It's the crook of the of the staff that brings the sheep back, right? 502 00:31:51.500 --> 00:32:00.100 So the rod and the staff are the comfort, you comfort me. It's a beautiful line. 503 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:04.700 And again goes between the you know, all these the whole thing these 504 00:32:04.700 --> 00:32:09.500 the certain the verbs here can be understood and just slightly 505 00:32:09.500 --> 00:32:13.700 different ways, but they're all coherent within our Christian Story 506 00:32:13.700 --> 00:32:19.000 the framework of of our beliefs. And so we can identify with them in 507 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:24.800 various and different ways, depending on how you read that line your 508 00:32:24.800 --> 00:32:27.100 think about what the psalmist is trying to do. 509 00:32:27.100 --> 00:32:29.200 And of course, this is a nature poetry in general 510 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:33.700 that's why it's so powerful lights are idiom of prayer and and song 511 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:35.300 and meditation. 512 00:32:35.300 --> 00:32:35.800 Okay. 513 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:41.100 So I can't yeah, you can't see this so much in English. 514 00:32:42.800 --> 00:32:45.900 But he uses those the you and they 515 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:54.900 in a in a kind of emphasizing position for you are with so if 516 00:32:54.900 --> 00:32:59.100 you're speaking it or if you're writing and you write in italics, I 517 00:32:59.100 --> 00:33:03.800 will not fear why cuz you, you, you are with me your rod and your staff 518 00:33:03.800 --> 00:33:05.800 they comfort me. 519 00:33:06.700 --> 00:33:07.800 Why do they comfort him? 520 00:33:07.800 --> 00:33:09.800 Cuz they can't see where they're going. 521 00:33:09.800 --> 00:33:14.300 It's as if their way as being well even sheep like them see what's in 522 00:33:14.300 --> 00:33:14.800 front of them. 523 00:33:14.800 --> 00:33:23.000 But sometimes we can't see anything. And you all know that by experience probably. The way seems 524 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:29.900 totally, totally clouded, but we're being led, we're being led. 525 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:33.600 And that's the life of faith, okay. 526 00:33:33.600 --> 00:33:34.800 Alright. 527 00:33:34.800 --> 00:33:48.900 Yes. I have a question about something. Because the Hebrew the valley of deep darkness or a very dark valley and yet the common translation is shadow. 528 00:33:48.900 --> 00:33:54.700 So is this shadow received by us as being deep and very dark but is this 529 00:33:54.700 --> 00:33:59.700 the shadow and we're being for being mesmerized by something 530 00:33:59.700 --> 00:34:05.100 that is an allusion and not real. So no, it has to do with the word 531 00:34:05.100 --> 00:34:07.800 itself. 532 00:34:07.800 --> 00:34:11.000 I don't want to get into a big technical explanation with the word is 533 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:11.600 made up of 534 00:34:13.300 --> 00:34:17.300 two words the first word means shadow. 535 00:34:19.100 --> 00:34:21.600 The second one is spelled like it means 536 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:25.400 death in Hebrew, okay. 537 00:34:26.700 --> 00:34:30.500 The trouble is there are other words in which 538 00:34:32.890 --> 00:34:35.390 I don't know how to do this without pronouncing Hebrew and I don't want to do 539 00:34:35.390 --> 00:34:35.500 that 540 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:40.700 I've done that enough. But with different vowels remember is not written with 541 00:34:40.700 --> 00:34:41.200 vowels. 542 00:34:42.200 --> 00:34:46.700 So depending on the vowels, you can translate shadow of death or dark 543 00:34:46.700 --> 00:34:47.200 valley. 544 00:34:47.200 --> 00:34:52.000 That's the different now just remember it doesn't really matter 545 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:55.600 because it's the whole phrase is the metaphor. 546 00:34:55.600 --> 00:35:01.600 And so we say this at the grave of people who have died and Job uses this 547 00:35:01.600 --> 00:35:08.200 same word in reference to death within metaphors referring to death. 548 00:35:08.200 --> 00:35:11.700 And it's a common metaphor even in our language quite apart from Psalm 549 00:35:11.700 --> 00:35:12.200 23. 550 00:35:12.200 --> 00:35:16.400 That death is the darkest place of all dark place, right when you see 551 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:16.500 it. 552 00:35:16.500 --> 00:35:20.600 We see it all of us almost unconscious and so the metaphor 553 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:26.300 makes thoughts come to your mind about what experience it's referring 554 00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:30.700 to. Does that make sense? Where does Job make reference? Oh there are several 555 00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:32.800 I don't have them at hand I would have get them after class. 556 00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:33.400 I'm sorry. 557 00:35:33.400 --> 00:35:37.300 Job 16 is I think one of them Job 3 probably yeah. 558 00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:42.200 Since we're dealing with this psalm Phillip Keller has that psalm 559 00:35:42.200 --> 00:35:42.900 shepherds of Psalm 23 560 00:35:42.900 --> 00:35:52.200 Look at Psalm 23 with all these external images and stuff. I think he makes the rod a rod of discipline. 561 00:35:52.200 --> 00:35:59.200 Whereas were. I don't tend to think of it simply because of the context, obviously those are sometimes to keep the sheep in line. 562 00:35:59.200 --> 00:36:05.200 But notice the word comfort tells you it has a certain turn that it 563 00:36:05.200 --> 00:36:05.500 wants you. You're talking about multi elements 564 00:36:07.100 --> 00:36:09.800 wrestling with the paradigm and the ambiguities, but in that case 565 00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:15.100 there might be a right or a wrong way to let the psalm lead you again. 566 00:36:15.100 --> 00:36:21.100 Yeah, again from our perspective 567 00:36:21.100 --> 00:36:23.400 I don't know anything about how sheep are shepherded. 568 00:36:23.400 --> 00:36:27.600 So it's hard for me to even kind of talk too much about how those are 569 00:36:27.600 --> 00:36:27.800 used. 570 00:36:29.100 --> 00:36:32.100 ..experience and interpret through that lens how and I was just wondering how? 571 00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:43.500 I don't that is a good question. The we have to say I don't understand it fully. And really at the end of the day the psalm never exhaust its meaning for us. 572 00:36:43.500 --> 00:36:46.400 You know me Luther said you always have to be humble in our 573 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:47.600 interpretation of the psalms. 574 00:36:47.600 --> 00:36:51.200 He said that in his preface to psalms because it's always something we 575 00:36:51.200 --> 00:36:53.300 don't see that someone else may see that's the beauty of it 576 00:36:53.300 --> 00:36:53.900 I think so. 577 00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:54.500 Yeah. 578 00:36:54.500 --> 00:36:58.500 Alright. So now let's get to the second part. 579 00:36:59.900 --> 00:37:01.100 And what happens? 580 00:37:01.100 --> 00:37:01.900 Okay. 581 00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:02.600 Let's look at this line 582 00:37:02.600 --> 00:37:03.200 carefully. 583 00:37:03.200 --> 00:37:08.800 You arrange me you arrange before me a table before my enemies you 584 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:11.600 arrange before me a table before my enemies. 585 00:37:13.700 --> 00:37:16.400 What has notice that he has switched images? 586 00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:17.500 What's the image that? 587 00:37:18.900 --> 00:37:20.800 he's giving you now. 588 00:37:24.100 --> 00:37:25.400 God is a host. 589 00:37:26.700 --> 00:37:30.500 Notice God is a host now instead of a shepherd. 590 00:37:30.500 --> 00:37:32.600 So he switches he has switched images. 591 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:36.800 So he wanted you to think about God as a shepherd in the first part 592 00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:40.500 of the psalm on the second part of the psalm is oh God is now a host. 593 00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:46.000 Notice that's still a more imminent intimate portrait of God. 594 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:47.300 Okay. 595 00:37:47.300 --> 00:37:48.700 Alright. 596 00:37:51.200 --> 00:37:53.800 I'll save my next question for the next line, but 597 00:37:54.900 --> 00:37:55.900 something else here. 598 00:37:57.900 --> 00:38:00.700 So you arrange before me a table, 599 00:38:02.600 --> 00:38:04.000 before my enemies. 600 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:05.000 Alright. 601 00:38:06.500 --> 00:38:09.800 What parts of the story 602 00:38:11.300 --> 00:38:12.900 are you hooking this up to? 603 00:38:12.900 --> 00:38:17.100 Okay, let me just kind of talked about that for a second by starting 604 00:38:17.100 --> 00:38:18.900 with my last question first. 605 00:38:20.200 --> 00:38:27.400 Picture this line in your mind and tell me where spatially now you see 606 00:38:27.400 --> 00:38:28.400 the enemies. 607 00:38:29.400 --> 00:38:30.500 Visa V. 608 00:38:30.500 --> 00:38:37.100 the person. You arranged before me a table before my enemies. Where? 609 00:38:37.100 --> 00:38:42.900 Where are the enemies located in your mind in this picture versus the 610 00:38:42.900 --> 00:38:44.600 speaker of the psalm, the voice in the psalm. 611 00:38:44.600 --> 00:38:49.500 How do you see them? That's why I want you to think about. What is your mind 612 00:38:49.500 --> 00:38:56.600 doing as you try to picture this picture image this picture language 613 00:38:56.600 --> 00:38:57.700 in your mind. 614 00:38:58.500 --> 00:39:01.000 Where are the enemies visa v people? 615 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:04.500 You know, I'm already trying to leave you down some Garden Path that I 616 00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:06.100 say it again. 617 00:39:10.500 --> 00:39:13.800 Everyones got their arrows pointed at you and there you are dining. 618 00:39:13.800 --> 00:39:14.700 Okay. 619 00:39:14.700 --> 00:39:18.800 So one way to picture his is that you're on the inside and 620 00:39:18.800 --> 00:39:23.900 they're on the outside looking on right spatially. Good. Kay. The picture is at the table with you. 621 00:39:28.700 --> 00:39:33.700 Ah the pictures at the table with you. 622 00:39:34.600 --> 00:39:35.700 I'm glad you got that 623 00:39:35.700 --> 00:39:37.100 it's usually a minority view. 624 00:39:41.100 --> 00:39:45.900 Now in our ways of reading do you want to think this is a problem 625 00:39:45.900 --> 00:39:52.000 right or wrong don't think that way. The question really is what and this 626 00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:55.400 is what really important to the first point what part of Israel's 627 00:39:55.400 --> 00:39:56.300 story 628 00:39:56.300 --> 00:40:01.500 do you hook the line up to in order to make sense within the context. 629 00:40:01.500 --> 00:40:06.900 The answer once again is they're both possibly right. 630 00:40:06.900 --> 00:40:10.500 Because part of Israel's story remember is that 631 00:40:12.700 --> 00:40:15.000 God is going to save his people. 632 00:40:16.200 --> 00:40:20.800 And the wicked are going to be judged. You see in the oracles against 633 00:40:20.800 --> 00:40:21.500 the nation's. 634 00:40:22.400 --> 00:40:27.500 You see it in the Exodus the entrance into the land of Canaan. 635 00:40:27.500 --> 00:40:32.300 So both in narrative and prophecy God's going to destroy every enemy 636 00:40:32.300 --> 00:40:35.900 and of course in the New Testament that carries itself out to the 637 00:40:35.900 --> 00:40:40.800 enemies of the Gospel and finally death else itself. 638 00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:45.600 Okay, that's one stream and that's one way to hook the line in. But 639 00:40:45.600 --> 00:40:51.500 remember there's this other part of the prophecies in the Old 640 00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:58.300 Testament story in which Israel is a blank to the nation's. A what? 641 00:40:59.100 --> 00:41:03.000 A blank to the nation of Israel is a blank to the nation's. 642 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:05.600 A light to the Nations. 643 00:41:08.700 --> 00:41:16.000 Remember the servants psalms that the servants path the servants 644 00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:17.800 mission is 645 00:41:18.900 --> 00:41:25.200 to all people and remember and Isaiah the vision is of the nation 646 00:41:25.200 --> 00:41:27.900 streaming to Zion. 647 00:41:28.700 --> 00:41:29.400 Right. 648 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:37.400 And so again that true God's going to judge the enemies those who 649 00:41:37.400 --> 00:41:40.900 opposed to him those who refuse to submit to him. 650 00:41:40.900 --> 00:41:47.200 But it's also true that the Gospel is for all people all nations and 651 00:41:47.200 --> 00:41:50.400 you should know that very poignantly because you have been grafted 652 00:41:50.400 --> 00:41:51.300 into that story. 653 00:41:51.300 --> 00:41:55.500 You were once far off have been brought near by the by the blood of 654 00:41:55.500 --> 00:41:59.600 Christ you see and so the the line cuts both ways. 655 00:42:00.700 --> 00:42:02.800 And that's why I kind of love that 656 00:42:03.900 --> 00:42:08.800 image, so so what part of the story going to hook it up to. Notice I 657 00:42:08.800 --> 00:42:13.000 problematize it but it's a delightful problem because now your vision 658 00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:15.000 is kind of expanded of the kingdom of God and salvation. 659 00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:17.600 Don't think of it as a problem to be solved. 660 00:42:17.600 --> 00:42:20.400 I got to tie this line to a chair and beat the meeting out of it 661 00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:20.700 somehow. 662 00:42:21.800 --> 00:42:27.600 Okay, because again in our habits of interpreting or making sense of 663 00:42:27.600 --> 00:42:28.200 the psalmist. 664 00:42:29.300 --> 00:42:33.700 The story that we are apart of is an expansive rich mysterious 665 00:42:33.700 --> 00:42:34.700 beautiful story. 666 00:42:34.700 --> 00:42:37.900 So you have the oracles of the nations in Isaiah, but also the promise 667 00:42:37.900 --> 00:42:41.800 that no the nations are going to participate in the wonderful 668 00:42:41.800 --> 00:42:44.100 salvation of God has for Israel. 669 00:42:46.100 --> 00:42:50.900 Hey, everybody, kind of get me then you go to the next line. 670 00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:55.500 You a anoint. 671 00:42:55.500 --> 00:42:58.800 I guess the best way to translate that. You and anoint with oil my 672 00:42:58.800 --> 00:42:59.500 head. 673 00:43:00.700 --> 00:43:04.300 My cup is overflowing. 674 00:43:06.400 --> 00:43:09.700 Okay you anoint with oil my head. 675 00:43:09.700 --> 00:43:15.700 My cup is overflowing. Who in the Old Testament. 676 00:43:17.100 --> 00:43:18.100 is anointed? 677 00:43:19.100 --> 00:43:23.600 Kings are anointed, right prophets or anointed, 678 00:43:25.200 --> 00:43:26.800 priest are anointed. 679 00:43:28.500 --> 00:43:31.200 So hook it back up in the story. 680 00:43:31.200 --> 00:43:38.100 What does that tell us about the status of the speaker in this psalm? 681 00:43:38.900 --> 00:43:42.100 Is the status of the speaker in this part of the song low or high? High. Notice that here not guest but 682 00:43:47.600 --> 00:43:50.800 honored guest. Notice if that's a little different than being a sheep 683 00:43:50.800 --> 00:43:55.000 that you assumed you were in the previous section. 684 00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:56.000 Okay. 685 00:43:56.000 --> 00:44:00.500 So the implication is not implied. 686 00:44:00.500 --> 00:44:06.200 It's it's the interpretation that we are thinking of as we think of 687 00:44:06.200 --> 00:44:10.200 this line in Israel's story you anoint my head with oil oh kings are 688 00:44:10.200 --> 00:44:15.400 anointed. We know this because we know that story, okay, priests are 689 00:44:15.400 --> 00:44:15.700 anointed. 690 00:44:15.700 --> 00:44:16.500 We know this. 691 00:44:16.500 --> 00:44:21.700 These are the people that are honored in society. And what does God call 692 00:44:21.700 --> 00:44:25.500 Israel, but a royal priesthood and what does Peter use your royal 693 00:44:25.500 --> 00:44:27.400 priesthood a holy nation, God's own people. 694 00:44:28.100 --> 00:44:34.600 Right, boom, boom, boom. So notice we can identify with the beliefs of the 695 00:44:34.600 --> 00:44:39.600 author of this line because that's the story which we are apart. And we 696 00:44:39.600 --> 00:44:42.900 can begin and then to think of our some so there's been this reversal 697 00:44:42.900 --> 00:44:49.000 of your sheep being led now to guest and the host is the Lord 698 00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:49.200 himself. 699 00:44:51.000 --> 00:44:54.800 And he's the one arranging the table, okay. 700 00:44:56.000 --> 00:44:59.900 I'll ask you something else about the section but I just want you to see I'm 701 00:44:59.900 --> 00:45:04.900 working through the imagery and then helping us see ourselves as part 702 00:45:04.900 --> 00:45:05.300 of the story. 703 00:45:05.300 --> 00:45:08.900 So notice that the all these all help you bridge the gap and they help 704 00:45:08.900 --> 00:45:13.300 you to a begin to identify with what the author is saying in a very 705 00:45:13.300 --> 00:45:15.100 deep way. 706 00:45:15.100 --> 00:45:16.000 Okay. 707 00:45:16.000 --> 00:45:18.700 All right. 708 00:45:18.700 --> 00:45:28.200 So then we go to the final line. "Surely goodness and mercy" now some of you 709 00:45:28.200 --> 00:45:31.600 may have a note on this the King James has will follow me. 710 00:45:33.300 --> 00:45:37.100 But really in the Hebrew text and some of your translations may have this and it 711 00:45:37.100 --> 00:45:39.800 should be have it really I don't know why more translation don't. 712 00:45:39.800 --> 00:45:40.500 Goodness 713 00:45:40.500 --> 00:45:45.900 and first of all that word translated that translates as mercy and I think 714 00:45:45.900 --> 00:45:50.100 when you read it, it was love. The word is that famous Hebrew word 715 00:45:50.100 --> 00:45:54.700 keshet which means faithfulness. It was too big to translate with one English 716 00:45:54.700 --> 00:45:59.200 gloss, but that's a very famous word. That that's one of those 717 00:45:59.200 --> 00:46:03.300 abstract terms that you fill with Israel's story and got keshet of the 718 00:46:03.300 --> 00:46:06.800 covenant word. Oh that when you think it when you hear God gives his 719 00:46:06.800 --> 00:46:10.700 keshet to Israel, you think of the promises that he made and how he 720 00:46:10.700 --> 00:46:14.300 brought them about see one unpack it much like we unpack towards 721 00:46:14.300 --> 00:46:19.700 salvation with a story which we are apart. You guys see that so that is 722 00:46:19.700 --> 00:46:23.600 a word laden with a packed with meanings. 723 00:46:23.600 --> 00:46:27.700 Okay, but the word instead of follows is pursue. 724 00:46:28.900 --> 00:46:31.700 I don't know if some of your translations have that or have a note at 725 00:46:31.700 --> 00:46:32.000 the bottom 726 00:46:32.000 --> 00:46:36.600 that says pursue. I know some of them do all right, and that's what you 727 00:46:36.600 --> 00:46:36.800 should do. 728 00:46:36.800 --> 00:46:40.500 And notice how that gives a whole different force to the line. 729 00:46:40.500 --> 00:46:41.500 Why do they use the word follow? 730 00:46:42.500 --> 00:46:45.100 King James, King James put that in. 731 00:46:46.200 --> 00:46:48.800 So notice yes. So the point is 732 00:46:49.900 --> 00:46:56.100 that yeah, it's not so it keeps the image in the right place because 733 00:46:56.100 --> 00:46:59.300 it's not that his love and grace follow us. 734 00:46:59.300 --> 00:47:01.700 It's that we're running away and he pursues us. That's the main thing. 735 00:47:02.500 --> 00:47:10.400 Which he pursues us and that's a lovely picture because it is that you 736 00:47:10.400 --> 00:47:13.200 know, when you think of the story of Israel God was always pursuing 737 00:47:13.200 --> 00:47:16.500 people after their hearts all the time all the time he wanted 738 00:47:16.500 --> 00:47:21.200 their hearts and they all committed idolatry. 739 00:47:21.200 --> 00:47:25.900 IE adultery which is how the prophet Hosea especially but other 740 00:47:25.900 --> 00:47:30.400 prophets talk about Israel running away, you know, you ran to other 741 00:47:30.400 --> 00:47:35.200 lovers boom, boom, boom. This guy for pursue, pursue, pursue and notice how it 742 00:47:35.200 --> 00:47:39.700 personifies goodness and tested, goodness and grace. Personifies 743 00:47:39.700 --> 00:47:43.800 give them gives them these abstract terms more of a personality more 744 00:47:43.800 --> 00:47:44.400 substance. 745 00:47:45.300 --> 00:47:52.400 And we know that that substance comes to us, especially in what Jesus 746 00:47:52.400 --> 00:47:57.900 did for us in coming to us dying and rising and then in the work of 747 00:47:57.900 --> 00:48:04.600 the Holy Spirit who comes to us takes our heart hearts and begins to 748 00:48:04.600 --> 00:48:07.200 make them his own. 749 00:48:07.200 --> 00:48:15.000 Alright. So surely again notice how that that last verse in the psalm 750 00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:20.400 starts to come to a climax it brings everything to a climax. 751 00:48:20.400 --> 00:48:24.600 So if all what come what came before it is true. 752 00:48:24.600 --> 00:48:25.700 Then here we go. 753 00:48:25.700 --> 00:48:31.200 Surely if this is all true his goodness and his grace or his 754 00:48:31.200 --> 00:48:35.300 faithfulness or however you translate his mercy will pursue me all the days 755 00:48:35.300 --> 00:48:41.900 of my life. Our Lord as an active of God after our hearts like The Hound 756 00:48:41.900 --> 00:48:45.200 of Heaven, you know, that that poem that kind of takes 757 00:48:45.300 --> 00:48:50.300 imagery and I will dwell in the house of the Lord. 758 00:48:50.300 --> 00:48:55.500 Okay, from what I told you earlier notice the house of the Lord has 759 00:48:55.500 --> 00:48:56.000 huge significance. 760 00:48:58.000 --> 00:49:02.300 In our story and our identity the Old Testament a place where God was 761 00:49:02.300 --> 00:49:06.800 present with his people the house of the Lord. And remember that the 762 00:49:06.800 --> 00:49:10.300 temple and the Tabernacle was made after what pattern? 763 00:49:11.500 --> 00:49:17.300 The pattern that God showed Moses and Solomon right on them in heaven. 764 00:49:17.300 --> 00:49:21.000 So notice that there's the interpenetration of the vertical and 765 00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:25.400 horizontal in the Tabernacle or Temple. So in a very real sense 766 00:49:26.800 --> 00:49:32.200 when Israel went to worship at the at the sanctuary, it was a sense 767 00:49:32.200 --> 00:49:34.800 that they were at the Gate of Heaven. 768 00:49:34.800 --> 00:49:40.300 So you know what the Ark of the Covenant is called both the throne and 769 00:49:40.300 --> 00:49:41.300 the footstool of God. 770 00:49:43.600 --> 00:49:49.400 So you're in sacred space when you were at the sanctuary. 771 00:49:49.400 --> 00:49:56.400 Alright. So to dwell in the house of the Lord cuts both history and 772 00:49:56.400 --> 00:50:00.300 eschatology because remember in the new heavens and new earth the New 773 00:50:00.300 --> 00:50:00.600 Jerusalem. 774 00:50:00.600 --> 00:50:07.700 Okay, and remember that in our part of the story the place becomes the 775 00:50:07.700 --> 00:50:08.200 person. 776 00:50:09.700 --> 00:50:14.600 Right. The place the sanctuary becomes the person in Jesus. 777 00:50:14.600 --> 00:50:16.100 Alright. 778 00:50:18.500 --> 00:50:25.600 And so in our sanctuary in our church, the Word comes to meet us and 779 00:50:25.600 --> 00:50:26.500 to serve us. 780 00:50:26.500 --> 00:50:31.800 Alright. So you begin to think when you just see the house of the Lord, how 781 00:50:31.800 --> 00:50:32.100 am I 782 00:50:32.100 --> 00:50:33.300 how is that relevant to me? 783 00:50:33.300 --> 00:50:34.200 Yeah. 784 00:50:34.200 --> 00:50:38.200 It's talking about the sanctuary in Jerusalem, but it's also talking 785 00:50:38.200 --> 00:50:42.500 about the Heavenly sanctuary in which you know, we will participate. 786 00:50:42.500 --> 00:50:49.100 It's talking about the sanctuary that became incarnate with whom we will 787 00:50:49.100 --> 00:50:54.800 dwell at the end of time. It's talking about the earthly sanctuary between 788 00:50:54.800 --> 00:51:01.300 the now and not yet the church as the New Jerusalem and then which is 789 00:51:01.300 --> 00:51:09.200 ahead pointing towards the future eschaton, everybody see that. So that whenever 790 00:51:09.200 --> 00:51:13.000 you see a reference to the sanctuary of the Lord and his delight, 791 00:51:13.600 --> 00:51:17.300 like David and Psalm 27, all he want his only wish is to dwell in 792 00:51:17.300 --> 00:51:20.600 the house of the Lord. Who wants to stay in church all their life see 793 00:51:20.600 --> 00:51:23.900 but when you see the significance of the house of the Lord 794 00:51:25.400 --> 00:51:31.000 in that way, then you can begin to see its importance and relate 795 00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:31.200 to it. 796 00:51:31.200 --> 00:51:35.500 So I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 797 00:51:35.500 --> 00:51:40.200 Now notice that the English translation says forever and all the sudden 798 00:51:40.200 --> 00:51:42.100 by the end of psalm, you know, it's not hyperbole. 799 00:51:43.500 --> 00:51:47.200 You assume oh forever means forever doesn't mean just for a long time. 800 00:51:47.200 --> 00:51:52.700 Because the psalm has prepared you for that if if the Lord is your 801 00:51:52.700 --> 00:51:56.500 shepherd leads all these good places. If in the darkest valley you don't have 802 00:51:56.500 --> 00:51:59.800 to fear evil cuz he's going to be with you. If he's the host that sets 803 00:51:59.800 --> 00:52:05.300 the table and anoints you and you have this exalted position and surely 804 00:52:05.300 --> 00:52:07.300 he's going to pursue you all the days of your life. 805 00:52:08.400 --> 00:52:13.200 What else can it be? See how it leads you to that conclusion. In our 806 00:52:13.200 --> 00:52:13.500 language 807 00:52:13.500 --> 00:52:17.200 sometimes forever just means you know I waited in line forever. Were using 808 00:52:17.200 --> 00:52:21.700 hyperbole, but here notice that you assume how he's being dead 809 00:52:21.700 --> 00:52:21.700 serious 810 00:52:23.100 --> 00:52:27.400 forever means forever. Sometimes in the Bible forever just means a 811 00:52:27.400 --> 00:52:31.800 long time but here you have been formed or lead 812 00:52:33.000 --> 00:52:34.700 I would assume to that conclusion. 813 00:52:34.700 --> 00:52:35.500 Now. 814 00:52:35.500 --> 00:52:39.600 I have to tell you that an academic scholar would not come to that 815 00:52:39.600 --> 00:52:42.200 conclusion given the language in the text. 816 00:52:42.200 --> 00:52:44.400 Okay, because they read the text very differently. 817 00:52:44.400 --> 00:52:48.800 These are words were using to live by see that and my argument are 818 00:52:48.800 --> 00:52:52.200 out has been all this is not just a historic text that we have to 819 00:52:52.200 --> 00:52:53.100 puzzle out. 820 00:52:53.100 --> 00:52:58.500 This is a text we live by God is speaking to us in this text. 821 00:52:58.500 --> 00:53:03.100 He's trying to influence us in this text, shape us, mold us change us. 822 00:53:03.100 --> 00:53:08.400 Alright. And so we've been engaging our conversation with that in 823 00:53:08.400 --> 00:53:08.800 mind. 824 00:53:08.800 --> 00:53:12.500 I have one big other question asked and then we'll take a break 825 00:53:12.500 --> 00:53:12.700 here. 826 00:53:12.700 --> 00:53:14.800 Alright. So think about 827 00:53:16.000 --> 00:53:19.300 the two parts of the psalm think about the division of the psalm. 828 00:53:23.300 --> 00:53:26.500 So the first part of the psalm is about the shepherd and the second part is about 829 00:53:26.500 --> 00:53:27.000 the host. 830 00:53:29.900 --> 00:53:31.200 How do you 831 00:53:32.700 --> 00:53:35.300 see those two parts 832 00:53:36.500 --> 00:53:39.500 in temporal sequence with each other. 833 00:53:39.500 --> 00:53:40.300 How do you put them together? 834 00:53:41.400 --> 00:53:42.200 Is that a clear question? 835 00:53:42.200 --> 00:53:50.100 In other words is the is the first part of the psalm talking about your 836 00:53:50.100 --> 00:53:51.200 present experience. 837 00:53:52.500 --> 00:53:54.900 And the second part of the psalm I'm talking about your future 838 00:53:54.900 --> 00:53:55.900 experience. 839 00:53:58.200 --> 00:54:01.600 So that the present experience so you can think about the psalm like 840 00:54:01.600 --> 00:54:01.900 this. 841 00:54:01.900 --> 00:54:04.400 He's is my shepherd. 842 00:54:05.200 --> 00:54:11.100 He's leading me now as I go through the dark dark valley 843 00:54:11.100 --> 00:54:12.700 he's with me even the darkness 844 00:54:12.700 --> 00:54:17.700 I fear no evil, cuz he's with me he comforts me and then boom on the 845 00:54:17.700 --> 00:54:18.300 other side of that. 846 00:54:18.300 --> 00:54:20.200 He arranges a table for me. 847 00:54:20.200 --> 00:54:23.200 So in the eschaton at the end of time in the last times 848 00:54:24.200 --> 00:54:28.600 we're going to be part of this great banquet. And our status is going 849 00:54:28.600 --> 00:54:32.200 to be changed and we're going to be kings and priests that reign and 850 00:54:32.200 --> 00:54:36.400 rule over all things and enjoy all the blessings of Salvation, right? 851 00:54:36.400 --> 00:54:43.900 You can actually look at it that way because the promises of God for 852 00:54:43.900 --> 00:54:47.800 what's going to happen in our Salvation are pictured in those terms. 853 00:54:47.800 --> 00:54:52.900 So again as well as we think about the psalm and the rest of story that could be 854 00:54:52.900 --> 00:54:53.200 true. 855 00:54:53.200 --> 00:54:58.600 Right. It could also be that they're both pictures of the present. 856 00:54:59.600 --> 00:55:04.000 Here's one way to think about your shepherd being leads and here's a 857 00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:07.300 second you arranged before me a table you anoint my head with oil. 858 00:55:07.300 --> 00:55:08.700 How is that true now? 859 00:55:08.700 --> 00:55:13.600 Well Holy Communion is a foretaste of the feast to come. When we come 860 00:55:13.600 --> 00:55:15.500 here, we hear those words of forgiveness. 861 00:55:15.500 --> 00:55:22.000 Peter already says you are a royal priesthood a holy nation God's Own 862 00:55:22.000 --> 00:55:25.900 people by virtue of our relationship with Jesus we're heirs of all 863 00:55:25.900 --> 00:55:28.700 things and so on and so forth. 864 00:55:28.700 --> 00:55:29.200 Right? 865 00:55:29.200 --> 00:55:34.000 Some people have thought the first one is about the future. 866 00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:39.500 So if you go that way, I know in the future I'm not going to lack, you 867 00:55:39.500 --> 00:55:41.400 know, he's going to leave me where he wants me to go. 868 00:55:41.400 --> 00:55:45.800 And when I walk to that that dark valley of shadow of death, I don't 869 00:55:45.800 --> 00:55:47.500 have to fear evil for you will for your comfort me. 870 00:55:47.500 --> 00:55:51.600 And now in the present you arrange a table before me etc. 871 00:55:51.600 --> 00:55:53.300 That's not very many people. 872 00:55:53.300 --> 00:55:56.000 But what I'm challenging you to do is see 873 00:55:57.100 --> 00:55:58.600 that the temporal sequence 874 00:56:00.100 --> 00:56:06.400 is multiple because time and space for us have actually folded in on 875 00:56:06.400 --> 00:56:14.500 each other and keeps us within the the kind of paradox and mystery of 876 00:56:14.500 --> 00:56:16.700 our Christian Life in the walk of faith. 877 00:56:16.700 --> 00:56:22.200 That is so beautiful and lovely and mysterious for us to contemplate 878 00:56:22.200 --> 00:56:26.900 and think about when we think about a relationship with God, okay. 879 00:56:28.500 --> 00:56:30.800 Anyone have any final thoughts or questions? 880 00:56:30.800 --> 00:56:31.400 Yes. Our pastor has told us in Bible study that God stands outside of time. 881 00:56:39.700 --> 00:56:44.900 She said her but her pastor told her that God stands outside of time. Could you speak to that. 882 00:56:54.100 --> 00:56:57.500 Well, I was just yeah, I mean I was just say God is the Lord of time 883 00:56:57.500 --> 00:57:04.600 and and he's in control that and when he came to our world, he 884 00:57:04.600 --> 00:57:10.400 came into our time and space now what it will be like in the last day 885 00:57:10.400 --> 00:57:12.000 what will our sense of time be? 886 00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:13.000 I don't know. 887 00:57:13.000 --> 00:57:16.700 I think it probably won't matter. 888 00:57:16.700 --> 00:57:22.300 I think it did on the new heavens and the new Earth. 889 00:57:23.800 --> 00:57:28.100 Probably the, well you guys all know this cuz you either you're like 890 00:57:28.100 --> 00:57:32.600 me have no hair gray hair that the sense of time passing starts to 891 00:57:32.600 --> 00:57:37.400 press on you the older you get you realize my time is growing short 892 00:57:37.400 --> 00:57:44.100 and you use kind of sense the passage of time differently than I did 893 00:57:44.100 --> 00:57:45.000 when I was young. 894 00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:50.500 I thought I use to think, ah 30, what the heck I never get to 30, I don't care 895 00:57:50.500 --> 00:57:51.300 that's way away. 896 00:57:51.300 --> 00:57:51.800 Now it's 897 00:57:51.800 --> 00:58:03.900 like I wish I was 30 again. So that whole idea of and actually when if you if you 898 00:58:03.900 --> 00:58:06.400 start to talk to a physicist about what time is. 899 00:58:07.600 --> 00:58:09.500 People who study those things. 900 00:58:09.500 --> 00:58:09.800 I read 901 00:58:09.800 --> 00:58:12.200 I read a book a couple books about that. 902 00:58:12.200 --> 00:58:15.100 I only understood half of them cuz they're written by physicists. 903 00:58:15.100 --> 00:58:18.400 But the mystery of time is deep. How do we sense time? 904 00:58:18.400 --> 00:58:23.400 What is time? Is a huge mystery anyway. We perceive it as a straight 905 00:58:23.400 --> 00:58:28.100 line, but what fascinates me about the physicist as they complicate it 906 00:58:28.100 --> 00:58:31.100 they say that's not necessarily the case time is relative, 907 00:58:31.100 --> 00:58:36.300 for example. You know time passes more quickly when you're at sea 908 00:58:36.300 --> 00:58:39.800 level than when you're high for example, so that's why you know, 909 00:58:39.800 --> 00:58:42.900 you've seen those pictures of a guy in a spaceship and his twin 910 00:58:42.900 --> 00:58:46.500 brother on Earth the guy in the spaceship travels then comes back and 911 00:58:46.500 --> 00:58:54.300 he's 20 years younger than his see okay so time is a great mystery. God is 912 00:58:54.300 --> 00:58:57.000 the master of that and I can't speak to anything else. 913 00:58:57.000 --> 00:58:58.400 I'm going to give you guys all a break. 914 00:58:58.400 --> 00:58:59.300 If you have questions 915 00:58:59.300 --> 00:59:02.700 please feel free to ask me to come up and talk.