Psalm 23: A Song Written by Experience

Psalm 23 may be the best-known chapter in the Bible.

It has comforted children, encouraged soldiers, strengthened missionaries, and brought peace to countless believers in hospitals and at gravesides.

But have you ever stopped to ask a simple question?

What gave David the confidence to write these words?

Psalm 23 was not written by a man who had lived an easy life.

David knew what it meant to stand alone in a field with nothing but sheep for company.

He knew what it meant to face a giant with only a sling.

He knew what it meant to run for his life while being hunted by King Saul.

He knew betrayal by trusted friends.

He knew the pain of personal failure.

He knew the heartbreak of family rebellion.

He knew victory.

He knew defeat.

He knew mountaintops.

He knew valleys.

Yet after all those experiences, David could still begin with these simple words:

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Those words were not the hopes of a young shepherd boy.

They were the testimony of a man who had walked with God through decades of joy, fear, danger, failure, forgiveness, and restoration.

Perhaps that is why Psalm 23 still speaks to us today.

It was not written from a classroom.

It was written from life.

Over the next several articles, we'll walk through Psalm 23 one phrase at a time and discover how David's own experiences helped shape one of the greatest psalms ever written.

My prayer is that as we follow David's journey, we'll also see the faithfulness of the same Shepherd who still leads His people today.

Preserved Through the Fire

 One of the things that has impressed me while reading the Old Testament chronologically is not simply the message of the prophets—it is the preservation of the Scriptures themselves.

Think about what Israel experienced.

The nation was invaded.

Jerusalem was burned.

The Temple was destroyed.

The king was carried away captive.

Thousands were deported to Babylon.

From a human perspective, this should have been the end.

History is full of civilizations whose writings disappeared with their kingdoms.

Yet Israel's Scriptures survived.

Jeremiah's prophecies were still available for Daniel to read in Babylon. Daniel writes:

"I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet..." (Daniel 9:2)

That simple statement speaks volumes.

The city was gone.

The Temple was gone.

But God's Word remained.

Years later, Ezra appears as "a ready scribe in the law of Moses." During the return from captivity, the people did not begin writing a new Bible. They returned with the Scriptures God had already given them.

That should encourage every believer.

Empires rose and fell.

Assyria disappeared.

Babylon fell.

Persia gave way to Greece.

Greece yielded to Rome.

But the Word of God continued from generation to generation.

Isaiah had already declared:

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

The preservation of Scripture is one of God's quiet miracles.

The Red Sea parted in a moment.

Fire fell from heaven in Elijah's day.

Christ rose from the dead on the third day.

Those miracles are dramatic and unforgettable.

But the preservation of God's Word happened quietly across centuries—through wars, captivity, exile, and restoration. Generation after generation copied, guarded, and treasured the Scriptures because God was faithfully accomplishing His purpose.

As I read chronologically, I find myself amazed that while kingdoms crumbled, God's Word did not.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons of the Old Testament.

Nations come and go.

Leaders rise and fall.

Temples may be destroyed.

Cities may become ruins.

But God's Word endures.

The same God who preserved His Word through the fall of Jerusalem is still faithful today.

History changes.

God's Word does not.

 

God's Final Word Is Hope

One of the things I've noticed while reading through the prophets is that they seldom end where they begin.

They begin with sin.

They warn of judgment.

They call God's people to repentance.

But somewhere in the message, almost unexpectedly, hope appears.

Isaiah repeatedly declares God's judgment, yet he also reminds us:

"For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

That phrase has caused me to stop and think. While it speaks of God's continuing dealings with Israel, it also reminds us that God was not finished with His people. He kept reaching out. He kept sending prophets. He kept calling them back.

Jeremiah follows a similar pattern.

In one chapter he pleads:

"Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths... and walk therein."

The people answer,

"We will not walk therein."

Then Jeremiah explains why. He contrasts lifeless idols with the living God who causes the vapor to rise, sends the rain, flashes the lightning, and brings forth the wind. The Creator is still calling His people to Himself.

The prophets never softened the consequences of sin. Judgment was real, and eventually Babylon came just as Jeremiah said it would.

Yet judgment was never God's final purpose.

Even Jeremiah, who watched Jerusalem fall, wrote of a coming restoration and a New Covenant for Israel in their Earthly Kingdom to come.

Then I thought about Paul's letters.

He follows much the same pattern.

Romans begins by exposing the guilt of the whole world.

Then comes the wonderful turning point:

"But now..."

Ephesians begins with mankind dead in trespasses and sins.

Then Paul writes:

"But God, who is rich in mercy..."

Again and again, Scripture refuses to leave us in despair.

God tells us the truth about our condition, but He also reveals His provision.

Perhaps that's one of the great themes of the Bible.

God's warnings are real.

His holiness is real.

His judgment is real.

But His mercy and Grace are also real.

His final purpose is being saved ( 1 Corinthians 1:18) from the second death (Revelation 21:8.)

As I read the prophets, I'm reminded that they are not simply books of doom. They are books of hope.

They teach us that God's warnings are acts of mercy, giving people opportunity to return before judgment falls.

And for believers today, our hope rests in the finished work of Christ.

The prophets looked ahead to God's faithfulness.

We look back to the cross and ahead to His promises still to come.

The darkness is real, but so is the dawn.

God's final word is hope. Hope in the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) a grace gift to us through our faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8.)

While the World Waits for Jerusalem's Peace

 Turn on the news any day of the week, and it doesn't take long to realize that the world is searching for peace.

Wars, political unrest, economic uncertainty, and conflict seem to touch every corner of the globe. Jerusalem, in particular, has remained at the center of world attention for thousands of years. The psalmist wrote:

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem..." (Psalm 122:6)

Yet the prophet Zechariah looked ahead to a time when Jerusalem would become "a burdensome stone for all people" (Zechariah 12:3). The city that represents God's promises will also become the focal point of worldwide conflict before God's plan for the end reaches its fulfillment.

As believers, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem because God has not forgotten His promises.

But while we wait for that future day, there is another peace available today.

Paul wrote to believers:

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6–7)

Notice what Paul does not say. He does not promise that the world will become peaceful. He does not promise that governments will solve man kind's problems or that every conflict will end during this present age.

Instead, he points believers to something the world cannot manufacture—the peace of God.

The headlines may bring anxiety, but God's peace guards the believer's heart.

The future peace of Jerusalem belongs to God's hands

The present peace of the believer belongs to God's grace.

Those are not contradictory truths. They are truths for different times.

One day, the Prince of Peace will reign, and Jerusalem will know lasting peace under her rightful King.

Until that day, believers can experience the peace of God in the midst of a restless world.

The world may be filled with turmoil, but our hearts do not have to be.

Perhaps that's why Paul wrote from prison, not from a palace, when he spoke of the peace of God. His circumstances were anything but peaceful, yet his confidence rested in Christ rather than in the condition of the world.

As you watch the events around you unfold, remember this: while the world longs for peace, the believer already knows the One who gives it.

The Prophet and the Canyon: What the Old Testament Prophets Could Not See

I once saw a powerful drawing that has stayed with me for many years.

It showed an Old Testament prophet standing on the edge of a vast, deep canyon. He was staring intently across to the other side — much like a person standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, looking at the breathtaking view opposite him.

On that far side, the prophet saw clearly the glorious scene God had revealed to him in prophecy: the Messiah reigning in Jerusalem, Israel fully restored as a nation, the earth filled with peace and righteousness, and the Kingdom age in all its splendor.

What the prophet could not see was the massive canyon a deep chasm that separated where he stood from the glorious future he was beholding.

That hidden canyon represents the Mystery — this present Age of Grace, the Church which is the Body of Christ. It was a truth that God kept secret from the Old Testament prophets.

The prophets saw Israel’s suffering and judgment… and then their eyes jumped straight across to Israel’s future glory in the Kingdom. They never saw the “canyon” of this present dispensation of grace that would come in between.

This simple drawing beautifully illustrates one of the most important principles in rightly dividing the Word of Truth: the difference between prophecy and the mystery.

In the coming posts in this series, we will look at:

• Why God hid this mystery
• What the prophets actually saw (and what they didn’t)
• How the Apostle Paul was given the revelation of this mystery
• What all of this means for us today

• First Coming
  • Isaiah 53
• Second Coming
  • Zechariah 14
• Millennium
  • Isaiah 11

in the valley:

• Ephesians 3:2–9
• Colossians 1:26

 

What If Hosea 5:15 Looks Beyond Assyria?

Bible prophecy often has a near fulfillment and a future fulfillment. Sometimes a prophet speaks to events in his own generation, yet his words seem to reach far beyond his own day.

Hosea 5 is one of those chapters that makes me stop and ask, What if?

The historical setting is clear. Ephraim turns to Assyria instead of turning to the Lord.

"Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian..." (Hosea 5:13)

History records that Assyria became the very instrument God used to judge the Northern Kingdom.

But then we read these remarkable words:

"I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early." (Hosea 5:15)

That little word "till" catches my attention.

Could Hosea be describing more than the Assyrian captivity? Could this verse also cast its shadow forward to a future day when Israel, after a time of great affliction, finally turns back to the Lord?

The next chapter begins with an invitation:

"Come, and let us return unto the LORD..." (Hosea 6:1)

Is that simply the prophet's call to his own generation? Or is it also a glimpse of Israel's future national repentance?

Other passages come to mind.

Jesus said:

"Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23:39)

Paul wrote that "all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:26), and Zechariah spoke of a day when Israel would look upon the One whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10).

I'm not writing this to be dogmatic. Rather, I'm inviting you to read Hosea again with these passages in mind.

What if Hosea 5 has both a historical fulfillment in Assyria and a prophetic horizon that reaches all the way to Israel's future restoration?

Sometimes the prophets speak like someone looking at distant mountain peaks. The nearer mountain is easy to identify. Beyond it, another peak rises on the horizon. From the prophet's viewpoint they appear close together, though centuries may separate them.

As you read Hosea, ask yourself: Is chapter 5 describing only the events of the eighth century B.C., or is the Spirit also pointing us toward a future day when Israel will once again seek the face of her Messiah?

I encourage you to search the Scriptures like the Bereans and see where the text leads.

Jerusalem Will Never Be The Same