In the Christian Science Bible Lesson January 16, 2012 Issue

Love is our shepherd

For the lesson titled "Love" from January 23-29, 2012

By Michael Hamilton

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The opening verse of Psalm 23 (citation 1) may be the best known words in the Bible, and thanks to this Bible Lesson on “Love,” all six verses of this powerful healing text can be better understood. The six sections of the Lesson lead the reader through the psalm verse by verse, and a corresponding citation from Science and Health explains: “In the following Psalm one word shows, though faintly, the light which Christian Science throws on the Scriptures by substituting for the corporeal sense, the incorporeal or spiritual sense of Deity: . . .

“[Divine Love] is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 577–578, cit. 1).

The book of Psalms takes its name from the ancient Greek word psalmoi, which designates instrumental music and the words that accompany it. In Hebrew it’s called “The Book of Praises.” Psalm 23 is important to both Jews and Christians, and its authorship is attributed to King David. In it, God is portrayed as a shepherd (verses 1–4) and as a gracious host (verses 5 and 6). Psalm 18 (Section V, cit. 20) is also attributed to David, who was a shepherd in his youth; its poetry may point to his exploits and to his agility.