Psalm 23:2
2 He maketh me to lie down [rabats] in green [deshe'] pastures:
[na'ah] he leadeth [nahal] me beside the still [manuwchah] waters. [mayim] KJV-Interlinear
2 He
makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. NASB
He, God. He is the one
who causes, not makes as in forcing one to do something that he doesn't want to
do, but causes the mature believer to lie down in green pastures. These are
pastures of the choicest foods. The best of the best. God flys first class, never
coach. The meals prepared are those fit only for the Kings table. Solomon had a
never ending dining schedule. His guests came and went at their leisure, but
the tables were never empty. The foods and finest of wines were virtually never
ending.
We see in life many
examples of how one can live and of how one should be able to live. We see
examples of the very rich and the very poor. The former is of course the
preferred life to have. The 300 foot long yachts, the castles, the vacation
spots that only the extremely wealthy can obtain, the freedoms to come and to
go, to shop with no upper limits, to pursue ones fancies or hobbies at will.
The appearance of freedom from worry, freedom from trouble in the life, freedom
from the humdrum daily repetition that traps us all at times. This is the life
preferred.
The flip side of the coin
is the reality of this world. The extremely poor. This is where all of mankind
finds himself. All have burdens. All have sinned. All have to face the piper at
death sooner or later. No matter what one gains during life, it is lost at
death. Life in the jungle is always there to remind of ones helplessness. It is
always there to remind of ones uselessness in life.
So God in His sense of
humor, gives us a tease of seeing what the 'good' life could be. And He further
gives us Bible doctrine, the pastures of the best grasses, the best foods for
the soul, and, in addition to that, the blessings that go along with it (Bible
doctrine in the soul).
In heaven there are many
mansions. In heaven there are blessings that exceed ones imagination. Many of
us can imagine a great deal, but our imaginations are unable to perceive what
God has prepared for us. On earth we have blessings that exceed our
imaginations as well, but these are the imaginations of one who lacks Bible
doctrine. Spiritual growth is necessary in order to recognize ones blessings,
to have the capacity for them, and therefore, to appreciate them.
Bible doctrine is the
perfect food which the soul needs. The soul is constantly eating, consuming
whatever is available. Whether it digests the opinions of the world and is
deceived by them, or whether it digests Bible doctrine and therefore gains
insight and discernment to understand life, the soul is never idle. Even in
sleep, the soul is active if only in dreams, further digesting ones knowledge
or playing fantasy games.
He guides us beside still
waters, the still waters of comfort that remain still despite the raging of the
worlds problems around us. Life in this world is full of turmoil of one sort or
another. But the peace of God surpasses all things, is superior to all things.
The adversities and disasters that might befall us, whether great or small, are
really nothing, when we advance to spiritual maturity.
In spiritual maturity, in
that sphere of fellowship wherein God the Holy Spirit controls the
communication activities of the soul, wherein Bible doctrine provides the
foundation and framework of the basic structure of the soul, wherein the daily
application of Bible doctrine to ones life adds strength, spiritual muscle to
ones faith. The result? Peace, poise, a relaxed mental attitude, stability in
ones life and more, are the blessings that attend ones spiritual growth.
As we have seen before,
salvation is infinitely beyond no salvation. Likewise, spiritual maturity is
infinitely beyond spiritual immaturity. Just as an infant is no comparison to
the wise and wealthy adult. The infant has many limitations and is helpless.
The infant must be cared for by others and others direct all of the infants
affairs. While the wise and wealthy adult commands great freedoms,
discernment's, and choices.
So God shepherds us all,
seeing beyond our ability to see. Gods provision sees that we lack nothing. God
provides us with all we could ever want for nourishment and for decision
making. God guides our lives in times of trouble and provides the eye of the
storm where there is great quiet, peace, and prosperity despite the storms
raging.
