them back to safety in the fold. Sometimes the shepherd had to use the staff to trip up the sheep so they wouldn’t go astray. So it speaks to us of the Lord’s guidance. Interesting, is n ’t it, th a t the Psalmist should say that these things “comforted” him? Who likes to be corrected? Few of us can stand a great deal of criticism, even if it’s justified. Verse 5 of Psalm 23 tells us, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” Frankly, I would much prefer it if David had said, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of the angels,” or at least with my friends. Who wants to eat in front of his enemies? Yet this verse clearly shows us that God’s love is so great it protects us even in the dark circumstances of life. He is bound upon His Word to supply our every need. “No good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly.” Man so wearily searches for satisfaction finding only broken cisterns. The only contentment in life is in the Lord Himself. I t was Augus tine of old who declared, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, 0 Lord, and we are restless until we rest in Thee.” Our enemies are there because they want to starve us out.
not in any way touch the faculties of the soul. The Word of God assures us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So while the shadow cannot hurt, it can frighten, and fear is the by-product of distrust. How to overcome the fear is quite a natural question. Under score the challenging phrase, “for Thou art with me.” A little girl was going to undergo an operation. It was a serious illness nnd although she tried to be brave she was frightened. The doctor as sured her that they would make it possible for her mother to be by her side in the operating room. The anx ious frown on her face turned to a smile. She explained to the kindly physician, “It’ll be all right now, Doctor, as long as Mommy can hold my hand.” Yes, in the darkness of our life, God’s always there to hold our hand and to take us through. The last part of this fourth verse suggests, “Thy rod and'thy staff they comfort me.” These were two instru ments used for entirely different pur poses. The rod was used as a weapon to strike down any adversaries. We’re all familiar with the policeman’s night stick. The rod was something like that. It was heavy, the end often weighted with rocks or sharp metal pieces covered by a leather bag. It could certainly kill if the Shepherd needed to wield it in this manner. The rod is an emblem of authority. Moses used his rod in this manner, showing the power of the Lord. The responsibility of keeping your soul is God’s. There is therefore no need for fear. What a comfort i t is to realize that there is somebody al ways watching over us! Christ as sures us, “My sheep shall never perish, neither shall any man [or devil] pluck them out of my hands.” The staff was sometimes called the shepherd’s crook because at one end was a curved, twisted piece. We’ve all seen pictures of it. It was used to pull back wayward sheep, lifting them out of thickets, and bringing
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland, Biola president, makesa selection of food from the new foun tain which has recently been opened in the Student Union Building. The facility serves about 100 people and Is used by students, staff and faculty.
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