Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. The metaphor of this poetic psalm (Psalm 23) changes from a sheep to a redeem a slave, after verse 5. Bible scholars believe that this psalm was written by the matured King David...
Category: Spiritual Guidance
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09 March 2022 – The Shepherd’s Staff – Part 5
Psalm 23:4a Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The Kidron valley in Israel, which is between the Mount of Olives and the Temple Mount, is called “the valley of the shadow of death”. It is a graveyard where the dead have been buried for many centuries. The word ‘Kidron’...
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08 March 2022 – The Shepherd’s Staff – Part 4
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Sheep are very timid animals and would flee from danger when they perceive threat. They have very little ability to defend themselves. They...
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07 March 2022 – The Shepherd’s Staff – Part 3
Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. While enjoying the fertile green pastures, the sheep would accidentally roll over on their backs with their legs in the air flailing. The old English shepherds called this “cast down”. Though the sight of the ‘cast down’...
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06 March 2022 – The Shepherd’s Staff – Part 2
Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. The main difference between sheep and goats is their feeding habit. Sheep graze on grass and plants close to the ground whereas goats are gluttons. Goats look for look for leaves, twigs, vines, and shrubs. Their agility and climbing...
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05 March 2022 – The Shepherd’s Staff – Part 1
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Psalm 23 is the most popular psalm read in weddings, funerals and celebrations. However, the modern mind struggles to understand the metaphor of God as the Shepherd and us humans as the sheep. Shepherding is not a common occupation like teaching, nursing or accounting. In...
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04 March 2022 – Musical Mysteries – Part 7
1 Samuel 18:6 When David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with other musical instruments. “Words I don’t really enjoy ‘cardio’, but I find activities like cranking up the music and dancing around...
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03 March 2022 – Musical Mysteries – Part 6
Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. “Words make you think a thought, Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.”- Yip Harburg. Music carries a message. Does your singing attract or annoy others? Paul...
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02 March 2022 – Musical Mysteries – Part 5
Numbers 21:17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing about it. “I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.”- William James. An upbeat happy song gives us a soul-lift. If we wait to feel good to sing, singing would be a rare occurrence in our tumultuous life. A cheerful...
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01 March 2022 – Musical Mysteries – Part 4
Exodus 32:19a When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned. “Classical music is the best, and cheapest, mind-altering drug in the world.”- Kamand Kojouri The music that we listen to can serve as a mind-altering medication or a mind massaging or manipulating drug. Dr. Annett Schirmer, Psychologist at...