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    Psalm 23: An Everyday Psalm
    Psalm 23: An Everyday Psalm
    Psalm 23: An Everyday Psalm
    Ebook78 pages1 hour

    Psalm 23: An Everyday Psalm

    By John Zehring

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    About this ebook

    Psalm 23 can mistakenly be considered a funeral Psalm, but John Zehring illuminates how it is an everyday Psalm. The Psalm affirms God’s comfort in the valleys of life but also guides the follower into a daily refreshment of the spirit. As one of the world’s greatest works of literature, the Psalm has the power to lead the reader into the very presence of the Divine. The book provides a verse-by-verse interpretation to bring illustrations about sheep and shepherds into the 21st century. Many translations are employed although the basis used is the poetically beautiful King James Version. “Psalm 23: An Everyday Psalm” lifts up each verse as a treasure to be employed on a daily basis by the person who chooses to own the credo “The Lord is my shepherd.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn Zehring
    Release dateJan 20, 2015
    ISBN9781311622921
    Psalm 23: An Everyday Psalm
    Author

    John Zehring

    John Zehring has served United Church of Christ congregations as Senior Pastor in Massachusetts (Andover), Rhode Island (Kingston), and Maine (Augusta) and as an Interim Pastor in Massachusetts (Arlington, Harvard). Prior to parish ministry, he served in higher education, primarily in development and institutional advancement. He worked as a dean of students, director of career planning and placement, adjunct professor of public speaking and as a vice president at a seminary and at a college. He is the author of more than sixty books and is a regular writer for The Christian Citizen, an American Baptist social justice publication. He has taught Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Educational Psychology and Church Administration. John was the founding editor of the publication Seminary Development News, a publication for seminary presidents, vice presidents and trustees (published by the Association of Theological Schools, funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment). He graduated from Eastern University and holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Rider University, and the Earlham School of Religion. He is listed in Marquis' WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA and is a recipient of their Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. John and his wife Donna live in two places, in central Massachusetts and by the sea in Maine.

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      Book preview

      Psalm 23 - John Zehring

      Psalm 23

      An Everyday Psalm

      John Zehring

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2015 John Zehring

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this eBook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

      Psalm 23:

      One of humankind’s greatest works of literature.

      The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

      He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

      He leadeth me beside the still waters.

      He restoreth my soul.

      He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

      Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

      I will fear no evil:

      for thou art with me;

      thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

      Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

      Thou anointest my head with oil.

      My cup runneth over.

      Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and

      I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

      Introduction

      "I never thought of Psalm 23 as anything but a funeral Psalm," the woman told me. That’s the only place I’ve ever heard it. No wonder. It is read at every funeral. It speaks about the valley of the shadow of death, comfort, and dwelling in the house of the Lord forever – which sounds like it is talking about going to heaven. But Psalm 23 is an everyday Psalm which you can employ to undergird your faith and your life. It is not about dying but about living fully, here and now. When you see interpretations of the verses later in this book, the verses will jump off the page and into your soul with excitement, meaning and direction for daily living. Please delete from your mind any notion that Psalm 23 is a funeral Psalm. It is a Psalm for you today.

      If I were asked What is humankind’s most inspiring work of literature? I would answer Psalm 23. I believe it to be the greatest piece of writing ever created. It is brief, only six verses. Sentences are short. Most of its words are only one or two syllables. Winston Churchill said Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all. Psalm 23 epitomizes the best of all words.

      If you were stranded on a deserted island and could take only one bible chapter with you, Psalm 23 would be a worthy choice. It is a systematic theology rolled into six verses. It tells about God and God’s relationship to people and to you. It is a deeply personal Psalm. Circle all the times it uses the first person singular pronoun – I, me or mine. Seventeen times! Indeed, you could say that Psalm 23 is all about me and God.

      Study Psalm 23, as this book will lead you to do, but also use it devotionally. Repeat it to yourself throughout the day, using it to center yourself. Use it as a prayer. Cling to it when times are difficult and whisper it in your heart when all is well.

      Many have influenced my understanding of the Psalm, but none so much as Phillip Keller in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Keller spent a part of his life keeping sheep, so he wrote about the Psalm from a shepherd’s point of view. So many of my thoughts emerge from his insights that I must credit his influence with making a major contribution to this work.

      I will use the King James Version because of its timeless beauty and familiarity. There are translations which provide a more accurate understanding of the meaning from the original language, like the New Revised Standard Version. The NRSV is probably the most accurate translation of any. There are also versions which provide a contemporary twist to the Psalm, like the Contemporary English Version or Eugene Peterson’s The Message. As an appendix, I include each of these for you to see and I favor them for teaching, preaching and writing, but when I utter the Psalm as a foundation for my own faith, I use the King James Version.

      I confess an inward desire to want to sell this Psalm to readers, to shout and use every superlative known to make it more attractive. Then I realize, as the greatest work of human literature, Psalm 23 speaks for itself. It does not need me to sell it or shout it. The softest whisper can grab the reader with the strongest of power, as it has done over the centuries. As you contemplate the verses, allow the work to speak for itself. Let it embrace you and soak into your soul. May it come alive as an everyday Psalm. May it become a faith statement as you, child of God, as you choose to say it and own it: The Lord is my Shepherd.

      John Zehring

      The Lord is my Shepherd

      This is the difference between knowing about God and knowing God.

      To say The Lord is my Shepherd is to utter the most powerful faith statement a person can make. Much as the word Islam means submission, a person of faith who declares The Lord is my Shepherd gives himself or herself over to management by Another.

      To recognize that you are the sheep and God is the Shepherd is a choice which goes against every fiber of our independent natures. Are we not inclined to desire to be the master of our fate and captain of our soul? Yet here in five words is a personal faith statement that

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