Come Day 10 Come To Know: Digging Deeper
February 21, 2025
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Psalm 95:6-11
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know my ways. 11 So I swore in my anger, "They will not enter my rest."
The Original Intent
1) How does this passage point to Jesus Christ? (verses 6-11)
In verse 6, the psalmist calls us to worship and invites us to humbly stoop low in light of the “Lord our Maker” before painting a vivid picture of God as our good, kind Shepherd. This language and imagery would have been as familiar as breathing to the original readers of Scripture.
An ordinary and necessary role in the culture, God wove shepherds into His story over and over throughout Scripture. Jacob, Moses, David, the few on the hills outside Bethlehem who first heralded Christ’s miraculous birth, and many others served to point toward the perfect Good Shepherd, Jesus. The tender phrases the psalmist offered in this passage provide an intimate glimpse into the relationship made possible because of God’s shepherding heart and love for people.
His incredible, miraculous love for humanity is illustrated throughout Scripture and culminated in the birth, life, sacrifice, death, and triumphant resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd.
The Everyday Application
1) How does this passage point to Jesus Christ? (verses 6-11)
In the Western world, our idea of shepherding resembles cowboys or ranchers driving cattle. The image our minds evoke typically involves a shepherd driving his flock ahead of him, gently guiding those who fall out of line back to the flock with his staff. He may move from rear to side, but unless rescuing a wayward charge, we never imagine a shepherd anywhere but in a driving position to prod his sheep forward in the right direction. However, in the Middle East, the practice is very different.
The shepherd guides his flock, yes, but never from the rear, driving forward. Instead, he leads by walking ahead, calling out for his flock to come to him. His sheep know and recognize his voice, and they go to him. He does not need to walk behind the flock, nudging those who go astray back into the direction they were already going; they are looking for him because they know and trust him.
How good it would be for our hearts to fix this image in our minds permanently when considering our Shepherd, Jesus! Contrary to our self-focused desires, the reality is that our Good Shepherd is not waiting for us to forge our path, find our purpose, or lead the way in our lives; instead, He calls aloud through His Word and His people to lead us in the direction He has purposed.
He is not passively waiting for us to make the first step. He goes before us. Our part is to learn His voice and listen to it. When we know what His Word says, we will quickly recognize when the voices calling us oppose what our Father says and what His voice sounds like. By His grace alone, we can turn from those false shepherds and come to our Good Shepherd instead.
The Original Intent
2) What is the significance of the phrases “…we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care?” (verse 7)
Following the psalmist’s invitation to worship humbly before a majestic, regal Creator God, verse 7 highlights the intimate relationship possible for those who belong to Him.
“For He is our God,” reiterates His lofty status.
He is worthy of extravagant worship; there’s no question of His position.
In the same breath, “and we are the people of His pasture”, the psalmist wraps us in a rich sense of connectedness. We belong to God; we are His. Not only that, but the very things we need to survive also belong to Him. He has everything we need; He alone sustains us. (Psalm 55:22, Psalm 73:26, Philippians 4:19)
Then, tenderly, “the sheep under His care”, speaks of a love so gentle, attentive, and protective. The Lord God is our Creator, provider, and sustainer; HE cares for us. (Matthew 11:28, Matthew 10:29-31, John 10:11-13)
What stronger, hope-filled encouragement could one receive? The truth here is simple, but it is everything: there is a God. He created each of us. He knows us. He knows what we need. He gives us everything we need. He cares for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
The Everyday Application
2) What is the significance of the phrases “…we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care?” (verse 7)
When I think about God, His “big-ness” is challenging to articulate. His character and ways are so far above our own. He is revealed throughout Scripture and by His active presence in my life, but certain aspects of His character seem easier to accept and relate to than others.
His holiness, justice, compassion, and love are easier to accept at face value than the simple, intimate truth that He cares for me. For this reason, the phrase, “the people of His pasture” is among my favorites in Scripture. Each time I read or hear the words in this passage or in Psalm 100, my heart receives great encouragement and I feel intimately cared for. I belong to God.
As does the earth and everything in it.
The King of kings and Lord of lords is sovereign over all, including me, and I am His. I don’t need to worry about my needs because He sustains me and everything (and everyone) else. The weight of my circumstances, or the reality of what is happening for me doesn’t change, but when I am reminded that I belong to the Lord, our Maker, I can be calmed and at peace.
Creation belongs to Him, and He knows and cares for me. I can trust Him.
The Original Intent
3) What is meant by, “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah?” (verse 8)
The scene illustrated in verse 8 is first depicted in Exodus 17:1-7 when the Israelites grumbled against God in the wilderness. They were thirsty and undoubtedly tired from the journey so far. In their frustration, they grumbled and groused to Moses that they needed water, even blaming him for their predicament.
Moses’ response was to warn them that they should not test God, and with his words of conviction, the Israelites faced a choice: repent of their sin (complaining and lack of faith) against God or continue in sin.
In this instance, the Israelites did not repent. Instead, they hardened their hearts against Moses’ words and continued complaining about the lack of water allowing their disbelief of God’s good character to lead them into greater rebellion.
Just as Pharaoh had hardened his heart when Moses delivered God’s words to him, a short time later, their physical discomfort clouded their memory of God’s faithfulness. They would likely have objected to hearing it described as such, but they followed Pharaoh’s steps.
The primary point here is a critical exhortation: respond when you hear God speaking to you. Don’t delay. And secondary? Let’s consider carefully whether our hearts lean toward disbelief and complaints or worshipful trust!
The Everyday Application
3) What is meant by, “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah?” (verse 8)
From this perspective, it’s easy to pinpoint what we perceive to be the heart issues and inconsistencies in the Israelites’ behavior. Our questions add up quickly.
Were their memories really so short?
Did they forget how God provided for them day and night?
Did they not notice the cloud and the pillar of fire? The manna?
Did they not remember how awful slavery had been?
Our hearts lean so quickly to condemnation rather than reflection, don’t they? Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:3-5 illuminate our issue: Examine your heart and make sure you are not sinning before you point out someone else’s sin. (My paraphrase, not His)
When I reflect on my heart’s leanings, the distinction is not always so clear as my critical condemantion. Where am I “hardening my heart as at Meribah“? In what sphere have I become weary of waiting or discomfort? Where have I resigned myself to bitterness, envy, or complaints?
I may not be in a literal wilderness, but certainly, there are relationships, seasons, and even stretches of time when my heart feels as dry and dusty as the Israelites’ feet undoubtedly were. Lord, convict me of sin and lead me in righteousness. Help me diligently study your Word so I will know and recognize Your voice. I want to respond and repent each time You call me.
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