Musings and Contemplations

The Lord’s Covenant of Peace

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in continual godliness, that through your protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly serve you in good works, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019, Proper 22)

Ezekiel 34:23-31 NKJV
“I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus, they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’”
“You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

Jerome
A famine, a famine of hearing the Word of God, will never take place on the earth under a good shepherd descended from a famous stock, whose words are acclaimed by everyone and who sows peace on the earth.[1]

Augustine
O how blessed we are with such a possession and such a possessor! Because as well as him possessing us, we also possess him. He possesses us in order to tend us, and we possess him in order to tend him. But we tend him with worship as God, he tends us with cultivation as a field.[2]

Matthew Henry
Under [Christ], as the good Shepherd, the church would be a blessing to all around. Christ, though excellent in himself, was as a tender plant out of a dry ground. Being the Tree of life, bearing all the fruits of salvation, he yields spiritual food to the souls of his people. Our constant desire and prayer should be, that there may be showers of blessings in every place where the truth of Christ is preached; and that all who profess the gospel may be filled with fruits of righteousness. ^[3]

Psalm 23 Coverdale Psalter
The LORD is my shepherd; therefore, I can lack nothing. He shall feed me in green pastures and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort. He shall refresh my soul and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
Even 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 comfort me. You shall prepare a table before me, in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The Lord is My Shepherd

[1] Ancient Christian Commentary, Old Testament Volume 13, pp. 114-115.
[2] Ancient Christian Commentary, Old Testament Volume 13, p. 115.
^[3] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Eze 34:17.