Are you drinking from restful or rancid waters?

September 22, 2015

Worship: The Good Shepherd by Fernando Ortega

I Am the Good Shepherd;
I lay down my life for you;
enter in.

I Am the Good Shepherd;
as the Father knows me,
I know you.

And no one can take you away.

You are the Good Shepherd;
you lay down your life for me;
enter in.

You are the Good Shepherd;
as the Father knows you,
you know me.

And no one can take you away.

https://youtu.be/5lpMma_eHHQ

Witness:

Today started off well enough. I had lunch with a brother and some good fellowship. However, when I went home, I began to feel weary, unlike yesterday when I had energy and got a lot done. When I am tired, my emotions also follow. I sat down in the afternoon and began to review what I had written so far on Psalm 23 only to be interrupted by an AT&T salesman selling cable, internet, and phone deals. I finally ate dinner, then decided that I just couldn’t go on and lay down and rested till now. It’s after nine o’clock and it's almost time to get ready for work. I rest in the fact that my Good Shepherd knows me and no one can take me away from Him, and no one can Him away from me! As I was writing that last thought I received two texts almost simultaneously, one from my wife wishing me a good night at work, and one from my daughter who lives next door wishing me the same and that she loved me. It was as if God was reaching out and saying to me, “I LOVE you and will be with you at work. In Me you have joy. Cheer up and rejoice because you are Mine and I am yours”.

WORD:

Psalm 23:2-4 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. KJV

Psalm 23:2-4 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. NIV

I don’t have much time left. It seems that I spend so much time thinking about the day and sharing it in witness that by the time I get to the WORD I don’t always have much time left. I want to share one thought that came to me the other day as I was looking at the word for the “water” in the Hebrew. I don’t know Hebrew so I am relying on those who do. Perhaps it is appropriate that I share this thought tonight because of how I have felt today.

The word for water in Hebrew is very interesting in its uses in the Bible. Commentators on this passage usually focus on the adjective “still” or “restful”. Pointing out that the water was not so still it was stagnant, making it unhealthy to drink nor too swift that the sheep were frightened by it. These are important observations. I thought of another type of water that symbolizes to me the waters that Satan offers. A water that is gross and has an awful stench, and yet how often we can drink of these waters when we let the devil lead us astray and we sink in the cesspool of despair because of it. The root word for water here is mayim (mah'-yim) and is defined as a: “dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine”.

 (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

 I apologize for bringing up this picture in your mind, but the figurative use as “urine” describes appropriately the waters Satan offers us. So the next time you want to be lead astray in your thoughts or feelings or actions, just think of the waters you are drinking!