September
7, 2015
Worship: All Creatures of Our God and King by
Francis of Assisi; The King of Love My Shepherd Is by Sir Henry Williams Baker
All Creatures of Our God
and King
Words: Francis of Assisi,
translated by William H. Draper
Music: "Lasst Uns
Erfreuen" Geistliche Kirchengesänge. Harmony by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ps 149:1
Topics: Adoration , Worship
All creatures of our God
and King
Lift up your voice and with
us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with
golden beam,
Thou silver moon with
softer gleam!
Refrain
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art
so strong
Ye clouds that sail in
heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise
rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find
a voice!
Refrain
Thou flowing water, pure
and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to
hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and
bright,
That givest man both warmth
and light.
Refrain
Dear mother earth, who day
by day
Unfoldest blessings on our
way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that
in thee grow,
Let them His glory also
show.
Refrain
And all ye men of tender
heart,
Forgiving others, take your
part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow
bear,
Praise God and on Him cast
your care!
Refrain
And thou most kind and
gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest
breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child
of God,
And Christ our Lord the way
hath trod.
Refrain
Let all things their
Creator bless,
And worship Him in
humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father,
praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit,
Three in One!
Refrain
(from Biblesoft Hymnal, PC
Study Bible electronic database Copyright © 2003-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All
rights reserved.)
1 The King of love my
shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
and he is mine forever.
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
and he is mine forever.
2 Where streams of living
water flow,
my ransomed soul he leadeth;
and where the verdant* pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.
my ransomed soul he leadeth;
and where the verdant* pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.
3 Perverse and foolish, oft
I strayed,
but yet in love he sought me;
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me.
but yet in love he sought me;
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me.
4 In death's dark vale I
fear no ill,
with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
thy rod and staff my comfort still,
thy cross before to guide me.
with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
thy rod and staff my comfort still,
thy cross before to guide me.
5 Thou spreadst a table in
my sight;
thy unction grace bestoweth;
and oh, what transport of delight
from thy pure chalice floweth!
thy unction grace bestoweth;
and oh, what transport of delight
from thy pure chalice floweth!
6 And so through all the
length of days,
thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.
thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.
United Methodist Hymnal,
1989
*Verdant – adjective - (of countryside) green with grass or other
rich vegetation. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=verdant
https://youtu.be/dKzF9WrBPaw - A beautiful contemporary rendering of the song sung by Sarah
Kroger. Not all the lyrics in the song are used and some verses have been
changed slightly and a few lines have been added.
https://youtu.be/b3GFVW6m9Qo - A version of the song sung basically to the original words of
the song (only changed the word ill to evil in verse 4) Maranatha Celtic. All but verse 5 are sung but it is
included in the musical interlude between verses 4 and 6.
A little Hymn Story here about this
hymn:
Origin: This beautiful hymn was
written by Henry W. Baker in London in the year 1868, and was based on David’s
23rd Psalm, “The LORD is my Shepherd”. Baker was the son of a noble English
Baronet and naval Admiral, yet he himself chose to become an Anglican vicar.
Over the period of 10 years, Baker sought to produce a hymnbook of songs which
reflected the grandeur of majestic worship to the King of Kings. His labour of
love became the hymnal, “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”, which after its publication
in 1861 became the leading hymnbook of the Anglican church in England. Indeed,
Baker became a prolific writer and contributor of Christian hymns, many of
which were published during his lifetime in several English hymnals. Baker’s
songs are most of all characterised by their tone of either cheerfulness, or
tenderness. At the end of his life, when Baker lay dying in 1877, his last
uttered words from his deathbed were a repetition of the 3rd verse of this
beloved hymn:
“Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His Shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me."
“Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His Shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me."
Witness:
God is so good in allowing me to
discover new songs on the internet. I first sang a song that came to mind by
Francis Assisi. It was a song I heard much while I was growing up. I would take
issue with him when he calls death “most kind and gentle” but the verse before
and after minister to me.
The second song I had never heard
before. I had Googled the words “contemporary songs based on Psalm 23”. This
was the first song listed in the first entry on Google. Ironically it is not a
“contemporary song” per se having been written in 1868, but when I read the
words I had to sing it. I was blessed by the hymn story as well.
Word:
|
2He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet
waters,
3he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the
right paths
for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk
through the darkest
valley,a
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my
enemies.
You anoint my head with
oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord
forever.
|
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 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. A Psalm of David. KJV |
I said I wanted to visit this phrase one more time before
I moved on. We spoke of the logic of this verse. Keil and Delitzsch say this,
He who has Jahve, the possessor of
all things, himself has all things, he lacks nothing; viz., kaal-Towb, whatever
is good in itself and would be good for him
(from Keil and Delitzsch Commentary
on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright ©
1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)
As we have seen from James, “all good gifts are from God”.
However, we cannot assume that all gifts that are good are provided to each and
every one of us. God will supply all our real needs, that is those, gifts or
needs that would be suited for our own personal situations. The believer should
understand that God gives only what is good for them. It may not be the same
“good” He gives to another one of His sheep. And “good” doesn’t always mean
“pleasant” as we will see later in this psalm. Often the good we need is a good
whooping and sometimes the good is not in the situation or life experience
itself, but in the good God brings out of it (Romans 8:28).
However, this is not the last thing I wanted to share, but
it is something that came to mind as I read the above portion from Keil and
Delitzsch. The final thing I want to share probably doesn’t really need to be
said, but I will anyway. Just because we are His sheep doesn’t mean that
provision is automatic. We live in a very narcissistic age where we think we
are entitled to many things without putting any effort forward towards
receiving them. Many sheep have the idea that because they are sheep God owes
it to them to take care of them. Many have been duped by “name it and claim it”
and the “prosperity gospel” teaching. As John Piper says of the latter, they
aren’t necessarily wrong, their timing is just off, because much of what they
desire will come in the future state of glory.
But I digress again. As God’s sheep we live as people who
gratefully receive from our gracious Shepherd. We live in patience and
expectancy, not with impatience, or a demanding spirit, or crass commanding. We
live with pure and obedient hearts and lives in reverent fear and love for our
Shepherd.
Ps 34:9-14 says:
Fear the Lord, you
his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but
those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me; I
will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life and
desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil and your
lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek
peace and pursue it. NIV
Psalm 87:11 says:
For the Lord God is a sun and
shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those
whose walk is blameless. NIV
Matthew 6:33 is a memory verse for many. I quote it as
well as the two verses before it:
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What
shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run
after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.
NIV
I do not think I need to say much more here. These verses
speak for themselves. However, I will leave you with some quotes from various
commentaries.
Psalms 34:10
[The young lions do lack and suffer
hunger] That is, they often do it, as compared with the friends of God. The
allusion is especially to the "young" lions who are not able to go
forth themselves in search of food. Perhaps the idea is, that they are
dependent on the older lions-their parents-for the supply of their needs, as
the pious are dependent on God; but that the result shows THEIR reliance to be
often vain, while that of the pious never is. The old lions may be unable to
procure food for their young; God is never unable to provide for the wants of
his children. If their needs are in any case unsupplied, it is for some other
reason than because God is UNABLE to meet their necessities. The word
"lack" here -
ruwsh
- means to be poor; to suffer want; to be
needy: Prov 14:20; 18:23.
[But they that seek the LORD] That
seek Him as their Friend; that seek His favor; that seek what they need from
Him. "To seek God" is a phrase which is often used to denote true
piety. It means that we wish to know Him; that we desire His friendship; and
that we seek all our blessings from Him.
[Shall not want any good thing] Any
real good. God is able to supply every need; and if anything is withheld, it is
always certain that it is not because God could not confer it, but because He
sees some good reasons why it should NOT be conferred. The real good; what we
need most; what will most benefit us-will be bestowed on us; and universally it
may be said of all the children of God that everything in this world and the
next will be granted that is REALLY for their good. They themselves are often
not the best judges of what will be for their good; but God is an infallible
Judge in this matter, and He will certainly bestow what is best for them.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic
Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights
reserved.)
Psalms 34:9-11
Those who fear the Lord (vv. 7, 9,
11) need fear nothing else, for this is the fear that drives out all fear
(112:1). When we fear the Lord, He provides all that we need when we need it.
Verse 9 is the Old Testament equivalent of Matt 6:33. "No good thing does
he withhold from those who walk uprightly" (84:11, NASB). God promises to
give us what is good for us and to cause all things to work together for good
(Rom 8:28). If we don't receive what we think we need, it means it isn't good
for us and we don't need it at this time. At this point, David may have
gathered the children and youths around him to teach them the secret of real
living. Peter quoted verses 12-14 in 1 Peter 3:10-12, and his instructions are
wise and workable.
(from The Bible Exposition
Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights
reserved.)
Psalms 34:10
The young lions. "The young
lions" are the symbol of powerful oppressors of the humble saints (Job
4:10-11; Ps 57:4; Ezek 38:13; 19:2-3).
They that seek ... - (Ps 84:11; Matt
6:32-33). The limitation is implied in Ps 34:19, that "many are the
afflictions of the righteous." They have the promise of "an
hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers,
and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal
"life" (Mark 10:30; 1 Tim 4:8).
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by
Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
That’s enough, if not too much, but
better to cover in abundance then in “want”.
J
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