The Book of Psalms, Tehillim in Hebrew (תְּהִלִּים or תהילים
meaning "Praises"), commonly referred to simply as Psalms or
"the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim
("Writings"), the third section of the Hebrew Bible. The title is derived from the Greek
translation, ψαλμοί psalmoi, meaning "instrumental
music" and, by extension, "the words accompanying the music." The book is an anthology of individual
psalms, with 150 in the Jewish and Western Christian tradition and more in the
Eastern Christian churches. The
psalms are linked to King David, commonly referred to as The Psalmist.
The psalms have many many uses;
they were the primary text for worship in the time of Jesus. They provide worship, praise, solace
and peace.
Generally speaking, if anyone has
memorized a psalm, the first one to be memorized is the Twenty-Third. Its thoughts and wording have permeated
our language.
Psalm 23
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T
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he Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my
head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord for ever.
The Psalmist draws three
comfortable conclusions from three very comfortable premises:
God is our protector and keeper
So - He will
never keep any good from us, he will meet all our needs.
As our Shepherd, He will protect us
So
– As long as we follow Him, He will see no harm comes to our soul. For, 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. It is only bodily harm that can come to
us, for none, save God, can harm our soul. We all die, so what is that to us?
God’s Mercy is with us forever
So
– No matter what situation comes upon us, we are safe in God’s Hand. He will never leave us, never
ever. We are but sheep of His
Pasture and as long as we stay there, we are safe. Recall the words from Chapter 10, Verse 28 of the
Gospel according to Saint Matthew:
And fear not them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell.
The more often you read this
psalm, the more it will enter into your heart and soul to provide you with
comfort, strength, understanding and patience. Kind of like the Holy Ghost.
