Psalm 23 — 24
earth is the one He has chosen to be His own special sphere of activity. Clarence Benson called the earth "the theater of the universe," for on it the Lord demonstrated His love in what Dorothy Sayers called "the greatest drama ever staged." He chose a planet, a people, and a land, and there He sent His Son to live, to minister, to die, and to be raised from the dead, that lost sinners might be saved. The earth is God's, everything on it and in it is God's, and all the people on the earth are God's, made in His image and accountable to Him. The divine name "Lord" is used six times in this psalm. "All the earth is mine" (Ex. 19:5), says the Creator, but in His goodness He has shared it with us. He is "possessor of heaven and earth" (Gen. 14:19, 22), and we are guests on His planet, stewards of all that He gives us to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17) and to employ. This stewardship is the basis for the way we treat planet Earth and protect the treasures God has shared with us. Anything we give to Him, He has first given to us (50:10–12; 1 Chron. 29:14). Paul quoted 24:1 in 1 Corinthians 10:25–26 to remind believers that all food was permitted to them (see also Mark 7:14–23; 1 Tim. 4:3–5). The place of "water" in the creation is seen in 104:5–9; 136:6; Genesis 1:1, 6–7, 9; 49:25; Exodus 20:4; and Deuteronomy 33:13.
injured, or sick from eating a poisonous plant. To the hurts, he applied the soothing oil, and for the thirsty, he had his large two-handled cup filled with water. He would also apply the oil to the heads and horns of the sheep to help keep the flies and other insects away. The sheep knew they were safe, and they could sleep without fear.
In the Father's House—Eternity (v. 6) As the shepherd lay each night at the door of the sheepfold, he looked back over the day and gave thanks that the Lord had blessed them with goodness and mercy. As an old man, David looked back over his long life and came to the same conclusion. In spite of his sins and failures, he had been followed by goodness and mercy, which is the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 8:28. "Surely" means "only." As David looked ahead, he knew he would be in heaven—the Father's house—forever. This isn't a reference to the temple, because the king didn't live in the temple. Furthermore, nobody could live there or anywhere else forever. Jesus used this vocabulary to speak about heaven (John 14:1–6). The things that perplex and disturb us today will all be clear when we get to heaven. We will look back and see "only goodness and mercy." Under the old covenant, the sheep died for the shepherd, but under the new covenant, the Shepherd died for the sheep—and we shall meet our Shepherd in heaven! "For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17 nkjv).
We Are Worshippers Who Experience His Grace in Redemption (vv. 3–6) Psalm 15 is a parallel text, and both psalms emphasize the fact that to worship God means going up higher. God's Son sits on the throne in the heavenly Zion (2:6), and the mercy seat on the ark was God's throne in the earthly Zion. The Levites carrying the ark had to be ceremonially clean, and God's people must be clean if they wish to worship the King and please Him. "Clean hands" speak of righteous conduct (Isa. 1:15–16, 18) and a "pure heart" of godly character and motives (Matt. 5:8). "Vanity" refers to the worship of idols ("worthless things") and "swearing deceitfully" to all kinds of deception, especially false witness in court.