Latest / Fifteen Minutes With Fritz - Where Scripture Meets the Sidewalk / Bob Ross, The Joy of Painting, and Psalm 23

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Bob Ross, The Joy of Painting, and Psalm 23 · Fifteen Minutes With Fritz - Where Scripture Meets the Sidewalk

• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Last week we just scratched the surface of the incredible twenty-third psalm.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: In this week's Fifteen Minutes with Fritz podcast, we're gonna dive a little deeper because the picture this psalm paints for us deserves a little more scrutiny.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: When I read this psalm I am reminded of a Bob Ross painting.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: For those of you who aren't familiar with him, Bob Ross hosted a television show in the nineteen eighties and nineties called The Joy of Painting, where he created complete works of art in the span of a thirty minute episode.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Most of his paintings were peaceful wilderness scenes with majestic mountains, puffy white clouds and tranquil babbling brooks.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: How is this like Psalm twenty three?
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well instead of using bright colors and different textures, Psalm twenty three uses vivid descriptive language to paint a scene that is peaceful and tranquil, and it provides encouragement for us in the daily grind of a life.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: First, let me read through these six verses and maybe you can even close your eyes and let the words paint the picture in your mind's eye.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: He restores my soul.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Your rod and your staff they comfort me.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Now I would love to go verse by verse and unpack what David wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: But our purpose today is to find encouragement for the daily grind of life.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: So let's start by painting with some broad strokes that bring comfort and peace when we're feeling troubled.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want is a good place to start.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: Other modern language translations of this verse are even better.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord is my shepherd, I don't need a thing.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: These are good reminders that God provides for us.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: There are other phrases like lying down in green pastures and leading beside quiet waters.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: These are calming words.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: David addresses our souls in verse two, reminding us that only God restores it to its Eden like condition.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: And he reminds us that God will provide us, will guide us on a righteous path according to verse three.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: And in verse four I'm told that I have nothing to fear because God is with me.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: I can write these and other phrases from this psalm and put them up on my refrigerator as a constant reminder that God is with me wherever I find myself.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: But there is more to be found beneath the surface of this psalm.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: When we peel away the first layer of this word painting, we discover a whole new level of comfort and assurance that reminds us that Psalm twenty three was not written by a mere man, but by the creator of the universe.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Let me give you a few examples.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: On the surface the phrase he makes me lie down in green pastures seems like a positive statement.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: But to be honest, making me lie down in a green pasture doesn't necessarily bring me the peace I desire.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: I can still feel anxious in a green pasture.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: We have to remember, however, that throughout this psalm David is comparing us with sheep, and sheep are anxious animals that won't rest until they feel completely secure.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: And just bringing them to a green pasture wasn't enough.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, the shepherd had to create an environment that made the sheep feel safe.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Then and only then would they rest.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: To bring this thought out, David used a special form of the Hebrew verb which emphasizes the work of the shepherd.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: That the shepherd actively created a new environment that enabled the sheep to feel secure and finally find rest.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: It went far beyond just leading them to green grass.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: The shepherd had to make sure they felt safe.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: God does the same for us.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't just force us to lie down in a green pasture and then walk away.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: He actively creates the conditions that make us feel secure, allowing us to find complete rest.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Let's look at another example, this time in verses two and three.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: My translation, the NIV says He leads me beside quiet waters, and he guides me in paths of righteousness.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Another popular translation, the ESV, says He leads me beside still waters, and he leads me in paths of righteousness.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Even the trusty old King James Version uses leadeth in both phrases.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: So which translation is correct?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: And does it really matter?
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, as it turns out, it does matter, and the NIV captures the nuances by using leads and guides.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: And David, the shepherd king, understood these differences perfectly.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: When David wrote he guides me in paths of righteousness, he used the same special form that he used in the previous example, where the shepherd caused or created the right environment for rest and for rest.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: In this case, the word guides emphasizes that the shepherd causes me to travel on the right path.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: You see, if left to themselves, sheep will travel the same paths over and over until they actually erode the hillside into a dangerous, dusty, rut filled pathway.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: Knowing this, the shepherd causes them to take a different path, purposefully steering them out of their destructive pattern.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Our good shepherd does the same for us.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: He guides us out of our old destructive habits and into a safe, new, righteous path.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: He causes us to take new, unfamiliar but safe paths.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: What about leaving us beside quiet waters?
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: David used a different verb form here.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: This one emphasizes intensity, meaning the shepherd is forcing the sheep to go to quiet waters.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: Seems a bit odd.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: Why would the shepherd have to force the sheep toward quiet waters?
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: You would think that thirsty sheep who remember can't find water on their own without the help of their shepherd, would be content with being led to water of any kind.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: But that's not the case.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: If the shepherd leads them to a rapidly running stream, they will not drink from it, because they are instinctively afraid of rapidly moving water.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Even though they're thirsty and tired, they will just stand there and look without taking a drink.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: No, the shepherd needs to find quiet waters for his sheep before they will drink.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's important not to overlook this detail when we're looking for relief from our circumstances.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Our shepherd knows what we need and he promises to lead us there.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: He won't give us any old solution, he leads us to the perfect one.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: Here's another example.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: He restores my soul.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: The root form of this Hebrew verb means to turn around or to turn back.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: The picture here is the shepherd rescuing a cast sheep, one that is rolled over onto its back in a small depression.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: This may not sound like much of a problem, but as a shepherd David understood how big a predicament this was for the sheep sheep.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: A sheep has a top heavy body that combined with its heavy fleece means it cannot roll back over onto its legs.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: It flails with its legs helplessly up in the air until circulation is cut off and it dies from suffocation or is eaten by predators.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: The sheep is unable to turn itself around unless the shepherd intervenes.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: And it wasn't a matter of just flipping the sheep over and sending it on its way.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: The shepherd would roll the sheep onto its side and rub its legs vigorously to restore circulation until it could stand on its own feet again.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: You see the similarity?
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Restoring our soul required our shepherd to take a drastic, take drastic action, dying on the cross to save us from our sins.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, the root word for restore is the primary Hebrew word for repentance in the Old Testament, i.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: e.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: turning back to God.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Listen to this quote.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: This emphasis means that God does not merely whisper instructions to you from afar.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: He performs intensive spiritual resuscitation.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: He breathes life back into your exhausted soul, pumping strength back into your inner being when you are spiritually on your back and entirely unable to help yourself.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: He thoroughly brings back or completely reclaims the wanderer.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: God doesn't just open the gate and hope you wander back.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: He intensively tracks you down, untangles you, and carries you back into fellowship.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: What a great picture of our salvation.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: One more and we're done.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: Now this is a nice phrase, but admittedly it didn't exactly jump out to me.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: I thought about tying it into our discussion from last week that sheep can actually see behind them because of the shape of their pupils.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: But there's much more here.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: I like to read verses in various translations because sometimes their differences reveal subtleties in the original language.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: In this case, all the major translations say basically the same thing.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: But one translation, the New English translation, was slightly different and it caught my eye.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: It says surely goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all the days of my life.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: It turns out that David used a word that is usually associated with someone being chased or pursued by their enemies.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, it was used to describe how King Saul pursued David, relentlessly chasing him throughout the countryside.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: But instead of describing an enemy, David combined it with something positive goodness and love.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Listen to a commentary I read online about this verse.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: By pairing a hostile word like hunt or pursue with goodness and mercy, David flips the script.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: In verses two and three you were following the shepherd, but here in verse six, goodness and loyal covenant love become the hunters.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: They are aggressively chasing after you, tracking your steps and overtaking you.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: You cannot escape God's blessing.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: It is actively pursuing you.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: You see how that changes the tone of the verse?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: God's love relentlessly hunts us down from behind.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: And that paints a much more encouraging picture than simply looking behind us and seeing goodness and love following us.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: No, God's love relentlessly hunts us down from behind.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: So next time you're feeling down and out, open up your Bible to Psalm twenty three and let David paint you a picture of God's never ending provision for us.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: He does more than just put us in a green pasture to lie down in.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: God actively creates an environment of peace so we can rest.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: God guides us and leads us.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: The path he puts us on is safe for us, and the destination is exactly what we need.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: God saved us from an impossible situation.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: We were dead in our sins, destined for an eternity without him.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: But he found us, took us in his arms, fixed our sin problem by sending his son to die on the cross, thus restoring us to himself.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: And even now he actively pursues us with his love and his goodness in order that we might live abundantly for him.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: Lord, your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: It speaks to us when we skim along the surface and when we dive into its depths, it continues to declare how deep the Father's love is for us, how vast beyond all measure.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: That He should give His only Son to make a wretch his treasure.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: Open our eyes that we may see wonderful things in your word.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord bless you and keep you.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: This is the end of our podcast, but it's not the end of our story.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening.