Week Three | Blessed By Being Protected By Jesus

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Blessed Online Biblical Study
Reading Assignment – Chapters 5 & 6
Listen to the Audio version | Reading Time: 5 minutes

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The Lord is my Shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

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.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the House
of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23, ESV

Yea, I know we’re studying Revelation, but bear with me here.

I remember standing in front of a chalkboard in a Sunday School classroom at Warwood United Methodist Church at the age of maybe 8 or 9.  We would read the words on the board and then turn around and try to recite them.

Round and round we’d go until we were dizzy from spinning and the number of words swimming in our heads.  But eventually, it stuck.

The 23rd Psalm was written by the shepherd-king David.  The very same shepherd-king that slew a giant.  And his poetic words are the very first pieces of Scripture that I put to memory.  They are also the six verses that have served as my life vest as I’ve battled with my own giants named anxiety and depression.

Members of our community got to experience the power of these six verses, as I used them as a torch to lead the way, like a shepherd guiding my flock through the crowded and anxiety-inducing streets of downtown Nashville on a Saturday night in the summer of 2021.  

“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.”

These words give me hope and provide a sense of calm over me like nothing else can.

Being Protected By Jesus

The book of Revelation used to intimidate me.  So much so that I convinced myself until my mid-twenties that it wasn’t something that I needed to bother studying.

So as I read Nancy Guthrie’s words on pages 118-120 in her book, Blessed, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the words of Revelation were nothing to fear.  For He is with us.

Maybe it’s just me and my affinity for David’s words, but I couldn’t help but see several parallels between Psalm 23 and Revelation 7:14-17.

Psalm 23, ESV

Revelation 7:14-17, ESV

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the LORD forever.

“These are the ones who died in the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Parallels from the OT and Revelation

Psalm 23	Revelation 7
“I shall dwell in the House of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)	“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.” (Revelation 7:15)
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6)	“And He who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.” (Revelation 7:15)
“I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)	“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore.” (Revelation 7:16)
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Psalm 23:4)	“The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.” (Revelation 7:16)
“The Lord is my Shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)	“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd.” (Revelation 7:17)
“He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:2-3)	“And He will guide them to springs of living water.” (Revelation 7:17)
“Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)	“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

Not only was David a shepherd-king, but the Lord called him, “a man after God’s own heart”.  How beautiful is it that the words of the elder, before the throne of God, echo David’s psalm, now fulfilled by the Lamb?

Our Shepherd, the Lamb

Nancy Guthrie wraps up these sentiments so well on Pg. 120 of Blessed,

“We can expect to enjoy the presence and provision
of Christ forever in a cleansed creation.

This is a poetic picture of what all who have been marked by the blood of the Lamb, all who have been sealed to Christ by the Holy Spirit, all who have patiently endured the tribulation of living for Christ in a hostile world, can expect.  We can expect that we will not only be protected in the final judgment; we will enjoy the protective presence of God for all eternity.  Nothing and no one will be able to harm us.  All of our needs will be provided for.  All the pain of the past will be wiped away—not through an impersonal declaration but personally and lovingly, as God himself will wipe away our tears.  We’ll be safely in the fold of our shepherd, the Lamb.”

Nancy Guthrie, Blessed, pg. 120

What a blessing, to have the knowledge, deep within us that Jesus will tend to us as His flock.  To provide for us, to shelter us from harm, and to ensure that we’re safely ushered into eternity.

TODAY WE LEARNED:
1. Reading Revelation is nothing to be afraid of because Jesus is with us.
2. There are many parallels between Psalm 23 and Revelation 7:14-17.
3. We, who believe in the Lamb, are blessed to be part and protected in His flock.

ANSWER THIS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW:
Does this revelation of David’s words echoing from the throne room of God change the way that you read John’s letter to the 7 churches of Revelation?  How does this change the way you chase after God’s heart in the here and now?