This morning reading from Psalm 95
! Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”

The first part of this psalm (vv.1-7) reminds me of a song. The 2nd part reminds me of a related text from Hebrews 3:7 and the idea of rest… why the Israelites did not have the rest that God promised them.. it’s because of their unbelief and disobedience.

As I read the psalm again this morning, i see the keyword: being sheep and key verses are vv. 7-8 – these are transitional verses which connect the 2 segments. Sheep are obedient creatures of their Shepherd – which is why they enjoy rest and good pasture.

Food for thought: Am I enjoying rest in God’s pastures today? Do I bow and worship my Lord, God, and Maker? Do I hear the voice of my Shepherd? Is my heart pliable and obedient to his call?

The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. Help me Lord to know and obey your voice always. Amen.