Psalm 23

Read this to find out:

Amazon.com: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (9780310291428): W. Phillip Keller: Books

Leads sheep to water and pasture?

Exial said:

The lord is my shepherd.

What does a shepherd do?

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they provide.

(I shall not want) meaning I will want for nothing.

Exial said:

Ok, shepherds provide for their flock. For a time.

But what is the ultimate fate of a shepherd flock? What are sheep raised for? Their meat, milk and wool.

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I believe your missing the point of the analogy. The writer of this psalm is trying to connect to a people who understand what it is to be a shepard, because most of the people who lived then, either heard sheep themselves or they supported or were supported by the Harding of Sheep. If you look at only the surface you will see the immediate connection between God and the Shepard here, and us and the Sheep. But the Psalm goes beyond that and connects to those who heard sheep. In that they can understand why, the shepard would go to such lengths to care for sheep, they would have been able to see and understand the compassion and great care that goes into looking after a flock. Even to the point of death for the shepard.

As far as to the reason why It is not like it is now. they did not heard sheep just to slaughter them for meat. Yes some where but it was usually only the ones who tended to lead the flock astray, the one that got badly maimed or hurt, or if it was to be set aside for a sin sacrifice. Sheep or any live stock really were far too great a commodity to just simply eat. The primary reason they were kept were for their wool and milk. If a shepard ate all of his sheep he to would soon die as well.

Exial said:

Ok, shepherds provide for their flock. For a time.

But what is the ultimate fate of a shepherd flock? What are sheep raised for? Their meat, milk and wool.

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Aye, and they were sacrifices too.
Humans too have things to offer, and ultimately these are can be used in 'presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice' (Rom. 12:1). If you want to push the analogy of the shepherd that far, otherwise it's showing the caring aspect of God in providing, guiding, protecting, sheltering.

Exial said:

Ok, shepherds provide for their flock. For a time.

But what is the ultimate fate of a shepherd flock? What are sheep raised for? Their meat, milk and wool.

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The possibility of getting "slaughtered" definitely exists for those who will truly follow where Christ leads them, but, even then, it is wrong to say that it is their "ultimate fate" for a resurrection awaits those who follow Christ, regardless of what manner of death they face.

Matthew 10:16-39 "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him shall I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

Being "led in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3) could definitely get one killed.

Jesus sends forth His disciples as sheep amongst wolves.

He instructs His disciples to take up their cross which was symbolic of the type of death they might face for following Him.

A man's foes, according to Jesus, could verily easily be those of his own household and he might even suffer death at their hands.

Even then, however, it is still not the "ultimate fate" that you described.

At best/worst, someone can only kill a Christian's body, but they cannot kill a Christian's soul.

For the Christian, having been indwelt by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, the same hope is present, even in the face of such potential "slaughterings".

Paul spoke in a similar fashion, when he said:

Romans 8:35-39 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I know full well what it's like to "accounted as sheep for the slaughter" as it was written both here and in Psalm 44:22 from where Paul quoted.

One need to simply follow Christ in such a sin-sick world and persecution will immediately follow.

The servant truly is not above His Lord.

Much of the world hated Jesus when He walked the earth and still hates Him to this very day.

Should it be any different for His disciples, then?

Exial said:

Ok, shepherds provide for their flock. For a time.

But what is the ultimate fate of a shepherd flock? What are sheep raised for? Their meat, milk and wool.

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Did you get this from a recent youtube video by any chance?

Anyway psalms are poems and the words should be understood as they were written to be understood in their context.

Exial said:

Ok, shepherds provide for their flock. For a time.

But what is the ultimate fate of a shepherd flock? What are sheep raised for? Their meat, milk and wool.

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Lame, lame, lame, Exial. The line in question is a metahpor, a poetic connection between two different things to make a certain point. "The Lord is my sheperd" makes the point that the Lord takes care of the psalmist and provides for his needs. You, apparently thinking yourself to be extremely clever, have found that if you extend the metaphor to a completely different topic, it ceases to be a good metaphor. However, this line of attack is not as clever as you think it is. In fact, it's not clever at all. Any metaphor could be poked at in a similar manner, and lesser minds than yours would suffice for the task. When Shakespeare compares his lover to a summer's day, he's not saying that his lover will be gone in 24 hours, nor would there be anything clever about suggesting he was.

So, like I said, lame, lame, lame. Especially for somebody who spends so much time bragging about his own supposed intellectual prowess and putting down others for their supposed ignorance. The fact that you'd try such a silly argument suggests that you may be out of your league here.

Exial said:

Ok, shepherds provide for their flock. For a time.

But what is the ultimate fate of a shepherd flock? What are sheep raised for? Their meat, milk and wool.

Click to expand...

Take your head out of the 21st centuary and put it a couple of millenia ago.

The raising of sheep is necessary - it is wealth, currency, food, and clothing.

It also taught people how to care for others, how to protect from danger, how to depent on God for their survival.

All of the Patriachs of Israel - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as Israel's most famous King, David were shephards.