The Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd The longest and most elaborate of all the psalms is the hundred and nineteenth. It is arranged in twenty-two sections, or shorter poems, each representing a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The general theme is the character of the righteous man, his virtues, and his devotion to God’s law. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.” Through the study of the Law comes wisdom. “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.” Yet toward the close of the psalm the weakness of mankind overwhelms the poet. Of what avail is all his wisdom, without higher aid? He falls back upon the favorite metaphor of the psalms, looking upon himself as a helpless lamb gone astray, and cry...
