Walking in the Old Paths

[Patzt]

WALKING IN THE OLD PATHS Jeremiah 6:16 By the late Jack Scott 12.  The Shepherd's Psalm-- Part (vi)

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads 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 You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

[/i][/b]


In our last essay on this beloved Psalm, we discussed the frightening experience of "The valley of the shadow of death." During the intervening time, some of us have walked in that dark vale. For me it was the stark reality of a beloved sister's death. For other friends, perhaps it was the discovery that a dreaded disease lurks within. Some may have suffered difficulties of a very personal sort. The heartaches which must be borne alone bring the darkest clouds and the deepest wounds.

Surely a beneficent Creator has so designed our world that the beauties of morning follow the darkness of night. The day breaks:

"When the dusky veil of the night is drawn
When clouds unfold and flee,
When song birds wake, and a saffron dawn
Steals over a silver sea."
Percy French

So it is in the spiritual sphere; when the dark clouds and chilly mists of the valley of death swallow us up we can peer through the darkness and see the warm lights of His banqueting house. By faith we can say with the Shulamite maiden:

"He brought me to the banqueting house, And His banner over me is love." (Song of Solomon 2:4).

It is surely by no mere coincidence that the Psalmist reflects on his journey through the dread valley and then in the next verse speaks of a prepared table. This is undoubtedly the banqueting table of love which the Lord Jesus Christ has prepared for His own. Here we renew and strengthen our fellowship and communion with our lovely King. In the place of His presence we enjoy the regal glory of the King of Kings. We bring joy to His heart and refreshment to our own soul when we see the King in His beauty. As we gaze upon the lovely thorn scared brow and nail pierced hands, our hearts crave to love Him more. It is here that our hearts are tuned to praise His Name.

In His banqueting house there is rest and nourishment for the tired and drooping spirit. It is there, too, that we can tell Him of the somber skies and the rugged roads we have been plodding and in His tender embrace, we learn the truth of Isaiah 40:31. "But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

We do not need to await the end of our sojourn in the dark land for He can "prepare a table in the wilderness", and He does this in the presence of our enemies. My! How the enemies of truth are confounded when they expect to find us overwhelmed by sorrow and fear and come upon us feasting with our lovely King Jesus and enjoying our propinquity to Him.

Finding himself in this position, David says, "You anoint my head with oil". (Psalm 23:5) This is most assuredly the same oil with which the King himself is anointed. In Psalm 45:7 it is called "The oil of gladness". The anointing of oil in ancient days was most significant for kings and priest were marked out by such a ritual. How astonishing it is to read that He has "made us kings and priests to our God, And we shall reign upon the earth." (Revelation 5:10)

Beloved friends, the blessings of our salvation are much more than an insurance policy for the next world.

"My cup runs over". Ah, this prepared table knows no rationing. There is a great affluence of spiritual things for us to feast upon. None need go away unsatisfied. These words call to remembrance Paul's epistle to the Ephesians 1:3-7: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

The prepared table is the daily provision for everyone who by faith in Jesus Christ has been saved by His abundant grace.




Jack Scott loved his Lord! He passed away on January 10, 2001 after a lengthy illness.
He is missed greatly by his family.

[Shammu]

Thank you Pat, I look forwards to each one, you post.

[Joey]

Pat

I have just started to read through these devotions and just had to write and let you know just how much i am enjoying them. They are just what i need to read/hear. Thanks for sharing them with us all.

In Christ
Joey

[Patzt]

Joey, thanks so much.  I'm truly happy that you are enjoying Jack's writings.  They are almost finished now.  He was right in the prime of this project when the Lord called him Home.

[Patzt]

WALKING IN THE OLD PATHS Jeremiah 6:16 By the late Jack Scott 13.  The Shepherd's Psalm-- Part (vii)

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads 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 You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

[/i][/b]


The man stood erect and perfectly still on top of a wee knoll.  At his feet impatiently sat two little border collies, their ears upright and their keen noses smelling the air.  Across the valley and high up on the slopes of the mountain beyond, small white objects dotted the landscape.  Half hidden in the green grass and purple heather the scattered flock grazed contentedly, unaware of the ominous stillness and the darkening sky.

Signs of the coming storm were not lost on the lone shepherd standing on the knoll. He raised his whistle to his lips and the two dogs stiffened their posture.  At the first blast, they were off like a shot from a gun.  Further blasts caused the two noble creatures to make a wide circle around the still unconcerned sheep.  On they went until they passed even the most distant sheep.  Continuing to obey their master's whistled commands, they slowly, gently, began to move the reluctant sheep towards their master.

Not one sheep missed the attention of the two dogs.  The dogs, although decisive in their work never once nipped at the heels of their charges.  The sheep began to move faster, showing signs of fear, they moved now as one body towards the shepherd as if to seek his protection from the dogs.

It is true that the shepherd could never accomplish his task of caring for the sheep without the help of his beautiful obedient dogs.  It is just as true that the relationship between dogs and sheep would be very different without the presence of the shepherd.  You see, untrained, uncontrolled, border collies can be very vicious, and very frightening.  These loving gently creatures have a natural instinct to kill sheep by tearing their throats open with razor sharp teeth.  Can we wonder that their presence drives the flock to the shepherd?

An old Scottish shepherd-preacher once said "God has twa dogs.  The yin He calls 'Goodness' and the ither He names 'Mercy'."

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. (Psalm 23:6)  Indeed so it is, that God's goodness and mercy are often needed, yet seldom truly desired.  Surely it is our fears, trials and yes, our conscience that drives us to the Good Shepherd and the protection of His presence.

It was the goodness of His grace that first showed us our sin and waywardness.  It was His mercy that drove us to see Christ as the only Saviour of Sinners, and it is His goodness and mercy that keeps us close to His side.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)

Christians all accept the fact that through the eternal ages they will dwell in God's house.  Few realize that by faith we can enter that place of blessing while still living down here.  In the epistle to the Ephesians we learn that God has already made us to sit in heavenly places.

And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)

We can appreciate our position as urged on by "Goodness" and "Mercy" as they are seen in the circumstances of life and we flee away to the peaceful, protective presence of our Shepherd.

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree: that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (I Peter 2:24-25)

To dwell in the house of the Lord is to live continuously in His presence.  Brother Lawrence (author of Practicing the Presence of God) learned while doing the most onerous and menial of tasks, to practice the presence of God and so can we.  If during our trials and temptations, our illnesses and the dark nights of our souls He came to visit us and bless us would we feel differently?  Of course we would; temptations would fly away, sorrows would abate and psalms of blessing would move our lips.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'.  So we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do unto me" (Hebrews 13:5,6)

Yes, indeed we who are His, we who have been redeemed by His precious blood look forward with joy to our eternal home.  But we do not need to wait until we arrive above to enjoy the courts of Heaven; for we can dwell there now even in the midst of our wilderness journey.

Truly we can begin to enjoy, even down here the wonder that I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Assured of His presence, and the comfort of His home, both now and for all eternity, the believer can well heed St. Paul's injunction to Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice. (Phil. 4:4)

These words to the Philippians were written by Paul while he sat in chains in a cruel Roman prison. Even there the Lord Jesus Christ was real to Paul; even there He knew the nearness of the risen, triumphant Saviour King. May we also dwell daily in the light of His presence.






Jack Scott loved his Lord! He passed away on January 10, 2001 after a lengthy illness.
He is missed greatly by his family.

[nChrist]

Sister Pat,

I give thanks that God is still using Jack's work for JESUS. I pray that many will find peace with God and help in their daily lives with these beautiful devotions. Brothers and Sisters in Christ know that nothing about the Gospel of God's Grace is ever wasted.

Love In Christ,
Tom

I Peter 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

[Patzt]

WALKING IN THE OLD PATHS Jeremiah 6:16 By the late Jack Scott       14.  John's Announcement

 

 
The preacher was a rugged looking man.  His face was burnt brown with exposure to the relentless Judean sun.  Dressed as he was in a camel hair tunic encircled by a leather belt, he struck the figure of a manly sort of man.  His message to the gathered crowd was in keeping with his no nonsense appearance as his voice echoed across the river on whose banks he stood in sandled feet.

For days now, he had been preaching to the people who assembled from various parts of the province and each day the message was similar.  It was quite unlike the sermons heard every Sabbath in the local synagogues.  This preacher cared not for the empty praise of men, nor did he Pharisee-like exalt himself above the level of the people.  Praise and personal aggrandizement might be sought by the professional teachers and synagogue rulers, but John the Baptist cared only for the Glory of his God.

His message spoke of coming judgment on the nation and of One who was much greater than himself who would soon come to deliver the repentant.  At the close of each sermon people who repented of their sinful ways would be given the opportunity to come and be baptized in the river to mark their change of heart and thus prepare themselves for the coming of Messiah and His kingdom.

One day a group of religious leaders came down from Jerusalem and asked for baptism but the preacher refused.  He could somehow see beyond their outward puritanical appearance and into their hard unrepentant hearts.  There could be no baptism without a change of heart and a transformed life.  Without these it would be a meaningless ritual.

An interesting and profitable time could be spent examining the birth, life and death of the preacher but a greater than John the Baptist beckons for our attention today.  John pointed this One out for us.  One momentous day He made His way through the congregation in the river valley and walked with decisive steps toward the Baptist.  By the power of the Holy Ghost, John recognized the one who approached.  Pointing to Him he called out with clarion voice, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.   John 1:29.  John had effected the greatest introduction ever performed by mortal man.  He had finally answered the heart cry of Isaac on Mount Moriah, "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Genesis 22:7. The Lamb who would fulfill the promise of thousands of lambs slain on the great altars of Tabernacle and Temple was revealed that day to the sinful sons and daughters of Adam.  The old Temple service would soon end, the need for it eliminated and a new and living Way into the presence of the Holy made plain.


The Lamb would accomplish what the Temple lambs could only foreshadow.

Isaac Watts wrote well:

Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace,
Or wash away one stain.

But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
Took all our sins away,
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.

By faith we lay our hand
On that dear head of Thine;
With broken, contrite hearts we stand,
And there confess our sin.

We now look back to see
The burden Thou didst bear,
When hanging on the accursed tree,
And know our guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice,
And sing His endless love.

[/color]

Have you trusted the Lamb of God to take away your sins?  There is no other way to be made fit for the Kingdom of God.  Will you join in the grand chorus of heaven to sing heaven's song?

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing.


Blessing and honour and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne
And to the Lamb, forever and ever.[/color]

Revelation 5:12,13

I am a dreadful singer.  My mother once told me that I sang as sweetly as a crow.  I am not hurt by this.  I recognize it as being true, but one day I will be able to join in that glorious song, because the Lamb has shed His blood for me.  What an anthem we will raise up there.  Will you be joining us there or will you be weeping and wailing among the eternally lost?
If you have not done so before you need to come in repentance and like John acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, as the Saviour slain for your sin.

Those of us who are His by faith must surely seek daily to worship and glorify the Lamb who is worthy of all praise and honour.  Let us join hearts and hands to extol His Name.  Let us say "Lamb of God our souls adore Thee."

Those who sing the great refrain "Worthy is the Lamb" will be from every people and tongue and tribe and nation.  There will be no racial prejudice, for all will be one in Christ.  Surely this is what the Baptist meant when he said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)  For all the redeemed of every color and tongue will join as one in praising the Savior in the eternal ages.



Jack Scott loved his Lord! He passed away on January 10, 2001 after a lengthy illness.
He is missed greatly by his family.  

[nChrist]

AMEN SISTER PAT!

Sister Pat, these precious messages from God's Word are a blessing to me and many others. I simply have to say again "Thanks for sharing with us."

I have no doubt at all that God will continue to use these messages for many years to come. God's Word and the things of the LORD are timeless.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

[Patzt]

Thanks Tom...

There's only one left of the Walking in the Old Paths.  I read it for the first time the day after Jack's funeral.

I'll share it in a couple of days.