How
dear to the heart of the Shepherd
Is
the flock of His sheep;
With
tenderness and love
He
watches over those in His keep.
How
much do they love their Shepherd!
How
closely they stay by His side!
With
every footstep they follow,
To
forever with Him abide,
All
eternity wide.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
King David
of the Old Testament is one of my favourite heroes. His love for the God of
Israel inspired in me such admiration for him that his fall from grace has been
one of my biggest disappointments. At the same time, we are all sinful in this
most imperfect life called mortality so my heart aches for him.
His Psalms
are sublime and his testimony of the merciful heart of the Saviour shines
through like the rising sun from the east in the most popular Psalm of them
all. Psalm 23 titled The Lord Is My Shepherd is honoured by all of
Christianity throughout the world. We don’t know when this Psalm was written
exactly but the common consensus is that it was most likely written by ‘earlier
David’ because of the shepherd imagery which feels personal and natural for
someone who literally watched sheep.
When Samuel anointed David as the King of Israel, he did so with oil and “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David” (1 Samuel 16:13). David used this anointing in Psalm 23 as a symbol of protection from his enemies, mercy and comfort. There is an ancient and traditional practice that is an interesting parallel of this concept. It has to do with sheep and shepherds who anoint their heads with oil and this is why:
We are like
sheep; tormented, wounded, conflicted. Indeed we are sheep, of the greatest
Shepherd of all time who anoints us with oil of gladness, out of His great
mercy.
Today in
the Church the Melchizedek Priesthood holders consecrate olive oil before it is
used to anoint the sick or afflicted in need of healing, comfort, and protection.
The Church stipulates strongly that no other oil can be used for this purpose
(General Handbook 18.12). It has to do with the symbolic olive tree which is
the emblem of the House of Israel. The emblem includes two olive branches
flanking a temple menorah which the prophet Zechariah saw in a vision
(Zechariah 4:11-14). The olive branch is a long-standing symbol of peace,
reconciliation and hope, with roots in ancient Greek and Roman cultures. This
symbol has been carried throughout history and is still recognized today.
Have you
ever wondered why the olive tree? The research on this subject is extensive but
here is a summary: the olive tree is a symbol of longevity, prosperity,
indestructibility and generosity (relative to the fact that it produces
abundant fruit even when it is over a thousand years old. It is a living
testament to resilience, generosity and ancient wisdom. I once saw a picture of
an olive tree which was over 2,000 years old and I understood its significance
that is relative to the House of Israel.
In the Book
of Mormon, Zenos used
the olive tree as a powerful symbol of God's love and relationship with the
house of Israel (Jacob 5). The olive tree is an evergreen, meaning its' leaves
do not seasonally fade or fall. They are continually rejuvenated through
scorching heat or winter cold. It is however a sturdy tree which produces new
shoots from apparently dead roots. Its' gnarled trunk gives an impression of
travail, endurance and ancient life. Because of the unique quality of this tree
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland affirmed that "no symbol could serve more
powerfully and profoundly of God's expansive, constant, redeeming love - including
especially the love represented in the gift of his Only Begotten Son- than does
the olive tree." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p
163-64)
Can
you see the relevance of olive oil as the oil of gladness, that is expressed
from timeless olive trees, and the connection to the timeless House of Israel
who we are? Next time you read this Psalm, remember who your God is:
“The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon me….to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to
give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah
61:3)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
I looked up to You
When in my beginning.
I saw Your strength,
Your care, Your undying love,
And I knew only You
Could make up for what
I alone could not do.
You are my Shepherd,
You are my King,
You are my Holy Grail,
You are my everything.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
The Book
of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible. It features 150 ancient Hebrew
poems, songs, and prayers. It covers deep human emotions from sorrow to joyful
worship across five distinct sections.
The Psalms
are split into five separate books:
1.
Book
One (Psalms 1-41):
Mostly poems by David focusing on personal trials, trust and lament.
2.
Book
Two (Psalms
42-72): Focuses on deliverance, longing for God, and kingship.
3.
Book
Three (Psalms
73-89): Grapples with crisis, national pain, and the Babylonian exile.
4.
Book
Four (Psalms
90-106): Shifts focus to God’s eternal reign and comfort during hard times.
5.
Book
Five (Psalms
107-150): Celebrates restoration, features the Songs of Ascent, and ends in
massive praise.
BOOK ONE: There was not a king who loved the
God of Israel more than King David. When he conquered Jerusalem he brought the
ark of the covenant into the city ‘with gladness’ and led a procession of
Israelites playing instruments, shouting, singing and dancing ‘before the Lord
with all his might’ in praise of the God he worshipped (2 Samuel 6:12-15). No
king of Israel was more free from idolatrous inclinations or practices than
David. Because of this, he became the standard of excellence that all
subsequent kings came to be measured by.
David’s
valour and his accomplishments as a king were outstanding. His reign is known in the annals of
history as ‘the golden age of Israel’. His love for the God of
Israel can leave you breathless through the psalms he wrote about Him.
King David
is traditionally celebrated as the ancient world’s premier lyricist and the
“sweet psalmist of Israel”. He started as a young shepherd in Bethlehem, using
quiet hours outdoors to play stringed instruments and craft early melodies. His
skill on the harp or lyre earned him a spot playing for King Saul to soothe the
king’s troubled moods. That was the beginning of his stint as the second king
of Israel.
Biblical
accounts note that he designed and built new musical instruments for worship
settings. As king, he organized the musical worship of Israel. He appointed
Levites to be musicians and singers in the service of the tabernacle (1
Chronicles 15:16). His talents included composition and performance of music.
He is credited with inventing musical instruments for four thousand porters who
praised the Lord with them (1 Chronicles 23:5).
I was going
to list David’s many accolades praising the God of Israel but just one tells everything
about his love for Him and his trust in His salvation:
“The Lord
is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my
cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psalm 23)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
You feed my
soul as I meet You
At the
sacramental table.
The bread of
life, the living water,
Give me strength to endure
and tell me I am able.
With parched
lips I drink
So I will not
thirst like before,
With eagerness
I eat
Your body
given forever more.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
I love words. I love them because they are an expression of one’s soul. Among all the words in the scriptures, Psalms is the book that offers such words; words of beauty, praise, comfort, and faith…..to give peace for turbulence and a salve to the troubled heart. They also do something greater….they praise God. The most touching way Psalms were ever used for such a purpose was by Christ himself at the most soul crushing time of His life.
Imagine the Saviour travelling with His disciples to Jerusalem for the last time for the Passover and explaining to them His forthcoming death and they…..”understood none of these things” (Luke 18:31-34). He knew that road to Jerusalem well, He had travelled it many times before but that day when He travelled it, it would have been the loneliest and most excruciating of all. He was alone in what He was about to face…and nobody understood.
How gracious and kind He was to His disciples for their lack of understanding even under strain of profound emotion. The Sacrificial Lamb of God would for His last meal partake of the pascal lamb to commemorate His own death at the Last Supper. Imagine the irony of this also that escaped His disciples.
So oblivious were they of the Saviour’s anguish and advancing stress of the Atonement and so pre-occupied with selfish ambition that they fell into “muttering dispute among themselves over the matter of individual precedence, possibly as to the order in which they should take their places at table, over which triviality scribes and Pharisees as well as the Gentiles often quarrelled” (James E Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p 595) Luke 14:7-11; 22:24-30).
With sorrowful earnestness yet loving kindness, Jesus proceeded to teach them that the greatest among them is he that serves and so He washed their feet, even the feet of him who would betray him (John 13:1-20). The burden of this betrayal played on the Saviour’s heart so much that He quoted Psalms in fulfilment of this act: “He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9)
Yet as heavy hearted as He was at the end of the Last Supper, Jesus sang. Psalms were sung anciently at the Passover, in particular 116, 117 and 118. It goes without saying that the Saviour would have sung these particular Psalms with His disciples. Psalm 118 is a Messianic Psalm with a powerful theme of “His mercy endureth forever” which is repeated five times (vs 1, 2, 3, 4, 29). But that is not all. Upon closer reading, this Psalm testifies of the Saviour’s sacrifice. In verse 16 we read: ‘The right hand of the Lord is exalted.”
Imagine Jesus rising to His feet and singing this about himself and His ultimate sacrifice:
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O lord I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalms 118:24-29)
The latter part of verse 27 testifies of the Saviour’s Atonement further. The ‘horns of the altar’ in Moses’ tabernacle symbolised Jehovah’s might and power to save. When the officiating priest put sacrificial blood on the horns, it signified that forgiveness can only come through Him and His power.
Often a person accused of wrongdoing would flee to the tabernacle and hold onto the horns claiming asylum until he was tried and found guilty. The horns powerfully symbolised salvation. ‘Binding the sacrifice with cords’ can only mean the Saviour’s sacrifice was bound to the horns of the altar and did indeed symbolise that salvation comes only through Him. Likewise, the sacrificial lamb would have been bound with cords as it was being sacrificed upon the altar. Imagine the Saviour singing this Psalm about himself prior to going to His death as the sacrificial lamb of God. It makes you want to weep…..
Matthew records the end of the Last Supper as such: “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30). I wonder if the words of these Psalms rang in the Saviour’s mind as He proceeded to His death.
Those of us who have in the depths of our
souls gratitude for His merciful sacrifice will shout from the rooftops this
praise of His name: “O PRAISE THE LORD; all ye nations: PRAISE HIM, all ye
people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord
endureth for ever. PRAISE YE THE LORD.” (Psalm 117)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
Your
lessons, so piercing
And
so raw
Leave
me spent
As
I exhale the hurt and let it go;
Your
wisdom prevails
And
tutors me when I need it most;
You
are the healer who saves
The
broken hearted and the lost.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
