Sorta like this…
Metaphors and analogies are a theologian’s best friend. Well, maybe that’s overstating it but you get the idea—imagery from everyday life frequently helps communicate difficult concepts. When trying to get a specific point across, it is often necessary to draw on parallels from more familiar, mundane things. I remember really struggling to understand quantum mechanics, until someone encouraged me to think of it as a ball bouncing around in a box. Using that simple illustration, various aspects of quantum theory became, if not understandable, at least more manageable.
And so it is with everyone who turns to the Scripture to meet and learn about God. There is no end to our sovereign God, no limit, no edge where you can finally say you’ve grasped all there is to know. The depth, breadth, height, and beauty of our Lord is boundless—trying to understand it all is far above our natural, created, limited abilities. And so, our God graciously speaks to us in ways that we can grasp, often using images, figurative language, metaphors and similes. Through these, we are able to have a fuzzy, yet truthful, grasp of the Lord we worship.
Word-pictures for God are most prevalent in the book of the Psalms. Perhaps it is in the nature of poetry itself or in the emotive character of the songs or simply in the imagination of the human authors… whatever the reasons, there are literally hundreds of metaphors and analogies describing God, His character and person in the Psalms.
So very often, the psalmist uses familiar objects and concepts to emphasize the strength, power, dependability, and security of the Lord. God is described as being like a Shield, a High Tower, the Rock, a Refuge, and so many more. The strength of the Lord, His victory in battle, His salvation for His people are all spoken of in metaphorical language. God is like these things, and so, so much more! The Mighty Fortress of Psalm 46 communicates God’s steadfast love for His people, His strength, security, and power. Nothing can stop the plans and purposes of our Lord! These powerful, dominant, “strong” images set our minds at rest when we are confronted by the confusion and struggles of this world—when all seems to be crashing around you, there is nothing like being reminded that our God is the Rock of our Salvation, a Stronghold for His people.
But the Psalms also bring forward another aspect of the Lord, and the use of metaphor and analogies again enliven our minds to the depth of our God. For God is not simply described in “power” images, but also in surprisingly tender pictures: the love and care of a gentle mother (Psalm 131:2); the compassion of a dutiful father (Psalm 103:13); the best part of a blessing (Psalm 16:5-6); and, of course, the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23; 80:1, 100:3). There are many aspects to each of these images—there is power and authority in the Shepherd, oh, yes, indeed! But, the overall picture is one of care, empathy, and kindness. The security and strength of the Mighty Fortress is also the gentleness and compassion of the Shepherd.
It never does us good to focus on one aspect of biblical revelation to the neglect of others. Keying in on God as King is a must—but not so much that we lose sight of the equally biblical presentation of our Savior as Brother. The plethora of metaphors, similes, and analogies used by the authors of the book of Psalms help us see the vastness of our God and the endless love and devotion He has for His people.
As you prepare for worship this week, read Psalm 23 and do it multiple times.
1. What is your experience with shepherds? What do you know about them and their work?
2. What do you know about shepherds in the Bible? When and
where are they spoken about?
3. What does it mean that one has no “wants” if God is our
shepherd? Are we without desires the more we become a Christian?
4. The Psalms are poetry, and poetry communicates via
emotion as often as through content. What are some emotions the author is
trying to evoke with his words? What emotion does the author himself have?
5. This Psalm is frequently used at funerals as part of the
comfort offered to God’s people. What is comforting about this Psalm?
6. As always, we can distort scripture to our ends instead
of God’s design. What possible distortions of this text would be possible? In
other words, where could someone “overplay” the ideas listed in this Psalm?
7. What other areas of life could one use this Psalm in
ministry? Imagine a situation where a friend is in need… where/how could Psalm
23 be useful?
