You submitted questions and we offered some answers. Adam Rorrer joined me for a Q+A episode. We seek to offer Biblical and edifying responses. We've got everything from serious questions to a Frozen reference to determining if dancing is a sin and everything in between.

Timestamps for Questions:

This Psalm has reminded us that the Lord is our sufficient, restoring, and faithful Shepherd for every step of the journey. He is with us when we’re deciding where to go to school, what job to have, and who to marry. He is with us when the company accepts you and the girl rejects you. This life is a journey and we need a Shepherd who is with us through every hill, valley, canyon, and tragedy. He is and He will be with us forever. 

Verse 6 directs our gaze to this truth about the Lord - He will be our Shepherd forever.

Verse 6 of Psalm 23 stops looking at what the Shepherd has done or is doing and looks to the future. This is David’s emphatic conclusion, based upon the character of His Shepherd about what the future holds. Verse 6 declares that He will be our Shepherd forever in two ways: 

Every day is not a clear sky, the sun is shining 65 degrees. There are times when we walk into the valley of the shadow of death. A bad doctor’s report enters your inbox. That car T-bones your daughter out of nowhere. He decides that he doesn’t want to go through with the wedding. Anything can take you from green pastures and tumble you into the valley of the shadow of death. Your Shepherd is good, but that doesn’t mean there will never be bad times. 

The only thing we know about the valley of the shadow of death is that we will walk into it. You will go into this valley of deep darkness. 

How do we navigate it? How do we make it through? We have a good shepherd who is near. He is with us when we are in the valley.

How are you? This is a question we get asked on a regular basis and it is a question we ask on a regular basis. What is the typical response? “I’m doing good, how are you?” we may say we’re doing well or alright. The truth, however, is that we’re not always doing great. 

There are days, weeks, and even months at a time when we are mentally exhausted, physically tired, and spiritually downcast. It’s all part of this journey we are on that Psalm 23 describes for us. The journey doesn’t just have hyper-productive days when papers are being written, yards are being mowed, and books are being read. It also includes days where your brain is still on dial-up in a wireless world. 

We’re not always at our best, but our sufficient Shepherd is always at his best. He’s always at His best and because He is, He is our restoring Shepherd. We see this in verses 2 and 3 of Psalm 23. He is our Restoring Shepherd in two ways. 

The life of every believer is a journey. It’s not like driving on an interstate where you hop on one exit and just drive until you reach your next exit. It’s more like starting in a distant forest and climbing to the top of a mountain. That journey is not straightforward. It has twists and turns, uphills and downhills, peaks and valleys. It would be nice if our lives were an immediate ascent from salvation to heaven, but that’s not the case.

With all the twists and turns, predators and traps, how does anyone survive? 

How does anyone make it through this journey? 

We’re on this journey, but we are not alone. The Shepherd of Psalm 23, Good Shepherd of John 10, and Chief Shepherd of First Peter 5 is with you. The one who fed 5,000, turned water to wine, and journeyed with his disciples down dusty roads, green pastures, and into dark valleys is your Shepherd and He is with you. 

We’re going to study this Psalm over the next four episodes and behold the Shepherd of this Psalm. 

A little white lie is not a little white sin to God. He despises lying. He hates both the lying tongue and the false witness that speaks lies. So then, to break the ninth commandment is to do something that God hates. Satan deceived Eve in the garden by lying to her about the heart and Word of God. In John, Jesus called Satan the father of lies. To be a liar is to be as Satan-like as you can be and as un-God-like as you can be. 

God is not indifferent about lying. His Word is not indifferent about lying. You and I should not be indifferent about lying. Let's examine the ninth commandment to see what is meant by bearing false witness and how we can be a people of truth instead.

When you think about thieves, robbers, and burglars, you probably think about ski masks, crowbars, and getaway cars. It may bring up scenes of bank or house robberies. You may think of Marv and Al attempting to rob the McCallisters or Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Theft and stealing bring up these fancy escapades or intense moments in our minds. We think of thieves and robbers as being among the lowest of the low in society and as a group entirely out there. 

So you, like me, may wonder, why do I need to listen to an episode on the eighth commandment? Exodus 20:14 still says “Thou shalt not steal.” We may think “Okay, I’ve definitely got this one down. I can skip onto the next commandment.” You may not be robbing banks, stealing cars, and swindling grandmas so why would you need to listen to this? Better said - Why should you want to listen to this? 

A couple of reasons. 

First, it is the Word of God and all Scripture is given for our teaching and help (2 Tim. 3:16-17. This is obvious, but it cannot be overstated. We study the whole bible because we need the whole Bible to glorify God as His children. 

Second, we must remember that the Ten Commandments are far deeper and more pervasive than we realize. Every one is about exactly what they say, but they also have much more to say. 

Third, the section we are in shows us how to relate to our neighbor. Therefore, if we will love our neighbor for God’s glory we must know this commandment. 

Finally, and most important for this question, every negative commandment has a positive counterpart. 

So, we’re going to explore Exodus 20:15 from this angle - How can we obey this commandment? 

(A brief interlude from the 10 Commandments. I'll be back next week with the eighth commandment.)

Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days. At least, that’s what Timone and Pumba said in The Lion King. They boldly declared that it was possible to forget all of your worries and live a carefree life. Just ignore the trouble. Don’t pay attention to what worries you have. Sure, Simba you may be king soon, but just forget all of that and live with no worries. 

If we’re honest, that kind of life sounds nice. Wouldn’t it be delightful to lay aside all of our worries? Worry surrounds us and even engulfs us at times. Is it even possible? In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus declares that it is possible. It's possible to live without worry, not because forget our problems but because we trust God with all of our needs. We must remember who our Father is and what our purpose is if we will live a life free from worry.