VERSE 2
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters." The effect of the knowledge of Jesus as the Good and Great Shepherd is rest of soul in Himself and the quiet enjoyment of His love and grace. To know Himself is life—eternal life. To know His work is peace—perfect peace. "He maketh me to lie down." To sit down is to rest, but to lie down gives the idea of full, perfect, refreshing rest—complete repose. This is what the Shepherd provides—what He leads to; not, alas, what we always accept. We often wander in fields wherein is no pasture, and beside the troubled, not the quiet, waters. But this comes from occupation with self and unbelief, not from the Shepherd's hand and care. He would have the feeblest of His flock to be free from all anxiety as to the future. The Shepherd's thoughtful love is enough. He has charged Himself with the entire care of all who follow Him. We have only to watch the direction of the Shepherd's eye and confide in His unfailing care. "I will guide thee with Mine eye" (Psa. 32:88I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalm 32:8)) and "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)) are His own words. His sheep cannot want. They may often be greatly tried in their journeys through the wilderness, and often be ready to faint and fail because of the way; but we must remember that the Lord's grace never fails and that we must ever count on Him and what we have in Him. He is with us always, even unto the end. We may quietly rest in Him. He maketh us to lie down in “green pastures"—in the midst of plenty—we rest in the abundance of His grace; and He ever leads beside the still waters.
“The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want,
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.”
Peace, plenty and security characterize the portion of the Lord's beloved flock. "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Rev. 7:16-17. This beautiful passage, which so touchingly represents the Lord's delight in the sealed remnant of the Gentiles, will be literally true during the millennium of all who are faithful to "the King of glory." Psa. 24:1010Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalm 24:10). (Compare Isa. 49 with Rev. 7.) But it is also true now, in a spiritual sense, of every sheep and lamb in the highly favored flock of Christ. But knowest thou this blessed truth, O my soul, for thyself—is it thine own experience? It can only be known by the Word of God, and enjoyed in the heart by faith. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:77(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our rest and plenty are not natural and worldly, but spiritual and heavenly.
When the heart is simple all is plain and easy. We have heard the feeblest sing in the joyous sense of deliverance and with amazing heart, even before the pangs of the new birth were well over:
“He took me from a fearful pit,
And from the miry clay,
And on a rock He set my feet,
Establishing my way.
“He put a new song in my mouth,
Our God to magnify;
Many shall see it, and shall fear,
And on the Lord rely.”
Further on we learn the measure of our blessing is the Lord's own measure. "Because as He is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:1717Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17). "Whosoever drinketh of this water," pointing to Jacob's well, "shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." John 4:13-1413Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13‑14). The deepest well of human bliss may soon run dry, but the "living fountains of waters" have their spring in the heart of God, which can never fail. And again, "Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." John 6:3535And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35). And further still, as the foreign shoot that is grafted into the olive tree drinks of its richness and fatness or as the members of the body have nourishment ministered from the head, so are we vitally united to Christ and we feed on Him, both as to our heavenly and our time condition.
But in the passage before us it is rather the Lamb feeding us than we feeding on Him. "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters." Rev. 7:1717For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:17). Both are blessedly true; but the former agrees more fully with the strains of the twenty-third Psalm. He who laid down His life for the sheep and washed them from their sins in His own blood now feeds them and leads them with His own hand. What grace! What gentleness! To be protected and nourished, in our journey through the wilderness, by the very hand that was pierced for our sins, should fill our hearts with perfect confidence in our Shepherd, notwithstanding the manifold trials and difficulties of the way.
The great thing, undoubtedly, is to know Himself, and to know what we are to Him and what He is to us. What has He done in the past, what is He doing in the present and what will He do in the future to manifest His love? May not His great work be briefly summed up in this? When we had lost all—the soul, holiness, happiness and God—He not only brings the lost one back to God, but, oh, wondrous truth—truth fraught with complete blessedness—He recovers God for the soul! And this is all, for "God is love." 1 John 4:88He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8). He is the living God, the only source of the soul's life, holiness and happiness. Oh, what a truth! Who can estimate its blessedness? Dwell upon it, O my soul; only think—the soul recovered for God, and God recovered for the soul! What a recovery! Not, observe, that God needed to be reconciled to us; no, God never was man's enemy; on the contrary, He so loved us when we were in our sins that He gave His Son to die for us. And it is plainly stated that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." 2 Cor. 5:1919To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19). Nothing was needed to turn God's heart to us, blessed be His name! But the cross was needed that by it God might bring us to Himself. We, alas, were enemies to God in our minds by wicked works (Col. 1:2121And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Colossians 1:21)); but love triumphed in the cross; for thereby righteous reconciliation was accomplished, and man's enmity to God was slain. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." 1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18).
And now, mark well, my soul, in thy meditations, this inviting aspect of God's love toward us; it is well-fitted to quiet many a fear and comfort thee in any trouble—to fill thee, even now, "with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:88Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8). And mark, too, that word of exquisite tenderness which refers to the end of the weary journey through this vale of tears: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Rev. 21:44And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4). With His own hand He wipes away the last tear that shall ever dim the pilgrim's eye. And it has been said, It is better to have tears for Him to wipe away, than no tears at all. May we not call this the privilege of love, which the Father claims for all the children?