pastures;
he leadeth me beside still waters."=

They tell us that it is a very difficult and well-nigh impossible
thing to get a sheep that is hungry to lie down in a pasture, or that
is thirsty to drink by turbulent waters. A hungry dog will, but not a
hungry sheep. The sheep described in this verse, then, are such as
have been fed and satisfied in richest pastures, and whose thirst have
been slaked in quiet waters. Doubtless the mind of the Psalmist is
going back to such scenes in his own shepherd life when he had led his
flock into rich, green pastures, sought out for his sheep some quiet
watering-place, or had so manipulated the flow of turbulent waters as
to make them flow smoothly.

The writer of this Psalm is seeking to illustrate spiritual truths from
his own experience as a shepherd among the hills of Judea. He is
spiritualizing his soliloquy. He thinks of the cry of God's people for
the satisfaction of the soul's hunger and thirst; he sees the necessity
for such feeding and nourishment if there is to be a walk of obedience
"in the paths of righteousness."

Spiritualizing this verse, we may say that the "green pastures" and
"still waters" refer to the spiritual nourishment which the child of God
receives as he waits upon God in the study of His Word and prayer. There
can be no spiritual strength sufficient to walk in "paths of
righteousness" unless time is taken to "lie down" in the "green
pastures" of the divine Word by "the still waters" of prayer. To "lie
down" is the first lesson the Great Shepherd would teach His sheep. Not
lie down after you are tired, but before. "Lie down" that you may have
strength to walk in "the paths of righteousness." One of the hardest
commands for the soldier to obey is to wait in the trenches. He would
sooner "go over the top."

It is generally recognized as being a very difficult thing to get God's
people to thus "lie down." They will do almost anything and everything
else but that. They will run, walk, fight, sing, teach, preach, work, in
a word do almost anything and everything except seek seasons of quiet
and periods of retirement for secret communion with God and quiet soul
nurture.

Most of our favorite hymns indicate this attitude. They are militant,
working, active hymns: "Work, for the night is coming," "The fight is
on," "Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war," "Stand up, stand
up for Jesus," "Steadily marching on, with His banner waving o'er us,"
an