Dwell in the House of the Lord | Psalm 23:6
By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd.” This is a faith relationship, a life relationship. Verse 2 tells us that when the Lord is our shepherd, we will not lack in our physical nor spiritual needs. Verse 3 reminds us that when our souls fall into a stupor, the Lord will use different circumstances to rouse us and get us back on the path of righteousness. In verse 4, when we stray from the path, the Lord will use his rod and staff to discipline us and, at the same time, to comfort us, because our Shepherd will not leave us or give up on us. Verse 5 tells us the Lord’s way of shepherding us is different from the shepherds of this world. He wants to fill our cup to overflowing with blessings, but he allows our enemies to come before us. He allows this because, when we face our enemies, we grow more mature and more vigilant. Our encounters with the enemy become our spiritual food and they cause our cup to overflowing with blessings.
Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” The destination of God’s people is clear: we will live in the house of the Lord forever. The only way a sheep can dwell in the house of the Lord forever was for it to be offered as a burnt offering. But thank God, because the Lord Jesus died for us on the cross – because He sacrificed Himself on the altar and accomplished the great work of salvation for us – the system of offering sacrifices to the Lord is no longer needed; it has now been abolished. We can now come to God in peace. We can draw near to Him to worship Him. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1 to offer ourselves as living sacrifices because the Lord wants living sacrifices; there is no longer a need for dead offerings. May we all live before the Lord, under His grace, worship Him, and serve Him.
Church, in the face of this terrible epidemic, everyone is afraid of death. But the truth is that death is the destiny that awaits all men. We just don’t know when it will happen and how it will happen for each person. However, when the Lord is our shepherd, we know where we are going and we know what we will be doing when we get there. Psalm 23 tells us that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, where we will enjoy the goodness and the love of the Lord. May the Lord become your shepherd and may you follow Him all your life.
住在耶和華的殿中 | 詩篇 23:6
張國強牧師
詩篇23篇第一節告訴我們，耶和華是我的牧者，這是信仰的關係，這是生命的關係。第二節告訴我們耶和華是我們的牧者, 我們在肉身上,在靈性卜也必不至缺乏。第三節提醒我們當我們靈魂沉睡時的,神會藉著不同的環境使我們醒起來,使我們繼續行在義路上。第四節當我們偏行己路時,耶和華會用祂的杖與竿來管教我們,也是安慰我們, 因為這位牧者不會放棄我們不管的。第五節告訴我們神牧養我們的方法與世上的牧人不同, 祂要我們福杯滿溢, 但卻將我們擺在敵人的面前, 因為在敵人的面前, 我們的生命才會更成熟, 更儆醒；敵人成為我們屬靈的食物, 使我們福杯滿溢。
23:6 「我一生一世必有恩惠慈愛隨著我。我且要住在耶和華的殿中, 直到永遠。」這是屬神的人的終點站, 我們要住在耶和華的殿中, 直到永遠。一隻羊能住在神的殿中到永遠, 方法只有一個, 那就是將自己獻上為燔祭, 才可以永遠在神的殿中。但感謝神, 因為主耶子為我們死在十架上, 祂將自己獻在祭壇上, 成就了偉大的救恩, 從那一天獻祭親近主的制度取消了, 我們可以坦然來到神的面前, 親近祂, 敬拜祂; 使徒保羅在羅馬書 12:1告訴我們, 我們要成為活祭, 神不再須要死的祭, 祂要的是活祭, 我們要活神的面前, 一生一世在神的恩典下, 敬拜祂事奉祂。
教會, 在面對可怕的疫情下，人人都怕死, 但事實上按著定命, 人人都有一死。死是人人都結束, 只是不知道什麼時候發生, 也不知道是怎樣離世; 但如果神是你的牧者, 我們卻能知道一件事，我們去了那裡, 我們在那裡作什麼？詩篇23篇告訴我們，我們要到達耶和華的殿中，直到永遠，在那裡有神的恩惠與慈愛與我們永遠同在, 願今天耶和華成為你的牧者, 帶領你一生當行的路。