Category: general revelation

  • Psalm 23: Do You Know Him or Just About Him?

    Five Valais Blacknose sheep with curly white fleece, black faces, and black knees and feet stand close together on green grass, facing the camera. Iluustrating a reflection on PSalm 23

    Lately, my social media feeds have been filled with videos of Valais Blacknose sheep. These black-and-white sheep, especially the romping lambs, are incredibly cute and make me smile (but please don’t send more of them). I have no idea how cost-effective or profitable raising them is, but if I were a shepherd, I might be tempted to keep a few, just because of the cute factor.

    The thoughts of sheep and shepherds bring to mind one of the world’s best-known Bible passages.

    The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

    He makes me lie down in green pastures.

    He leads me beside still waters.

    He restores my soul.

    He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

    Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

    You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 ESV

    Even many non-believers can recite these familiar words. Many people turn to them in times when they need comfort. The images are clear, and the text is theologically rich. I can’t begin to imagine how many times I’ve heard or read this little passage, or seen it referenced in some way.

    Yet only recently did I notice something about Psalm 23 that may be obvious to others. A pronoun change.

    It’s obvious that David knows of the Lord. The first few verses talk of Him; then the pronoun changes to something more relational. He becomes you. David not only knows of the Lord; David knows Him and has a relationship with Him.

    Everyone knows something about God, whether they acknowledge it or not. Romans 1:20 is clear that we are without excuse. Yet only a relatively small number truly know Him and have a relationship with Him. There is a vast difference.

    I know many things about famous people, present and historical, but I’m not actually friends with them. I can’t knock on their door at any time of day or night and be welcomed with open, loving arms. I can’t expect them to be ready to help me, bring me comfort or just be there to talk to.

    Knowing about God is very different than actually knowing Him and being in a relationship with Him.

    Do you know Him or just about Him? He’s calling you into relationship today.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I only recently noticed that, partway through Psalm 23, David stops speaking about the Lord and starts speaking to Him. He’s calling you to know Him too, not just know about Him.

    TAKEAWAY

    In Psalm 23, “He” becomes “you.” David didn’t just know about the Lord; he knew Him and had a relationship with Him.

    Everyone knows something about God, and Romans 1:20 says we are without excuse. Yet relatively few truly know Him.

    You can know plenty about famous people and still not be welcome at their door. Knowing about God is very different than knowing Him, and He’s calling you into relationship today.

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  • In the Beginning

    Gleanings had an inauspicious beginning. I had decided to try writing, and I knew that doing so would require writing regularly. So, on January 1, 2001, I committed to writing a short daily devotional online at a site that let anyone post. 

    This was in the days long before things like blogs existed. I managed to do it, and some people even read it. It wasn’t the best of Gleanings, but it was a start that carried on for nearly 4000 issues before I hung up my writing spurs for a while.

    The Bible starts, of all places, in the beginning of the story.

    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1 ESV

    Those few words start the initial revelation of God and His plan of redemption for fallen humanity. They are also very controversial words.

    What God? When was the beginning? Hasn’t the universe always existed? Surely there is no God. How long did it take? How did He do it? Isn’t that just another myth? … and so on.

    I’m not even going to attempt to answer those questions this morning. Some of them are quite valid questions, and some of them involve logical fallacies. All are beyond the scope of the short space we have.

    “In the beginning” tells us that there was a point when the material universe as we know it did not exist, and yet something (someone) was there. Even good science affirms that; I may disagree with their explanation and their time frame, but they acknowledge there was a time of nothing.

    God created. This says so much about God. He is complete in and of Himself, yet He must also be a God of incredible power and creativity. He conceived of something that had never existed, in its myriad forms. Then He made it happen on a mind-blowing scale.

    This wasn’t a child making something with Lego or Playdough. He created a universe so vast that NASA says it is at least 28 billion light-years across. Traveling at the speed of light, it would take 28 billion years to get from one side to the other. I can’t fathom the speed of light, let alone traveling 28 billion years. Let’s just leave it as God created something so big that we can’t fathom it.

    He put into place all the laws of physics and mathematics that govern how the material world functions. He created life and everything needed to sustain it. 

    Things that we take for granted, like daylight and oxygen and gravity, were made from nothing.

    He created the heavens and the earth in all their vast array. He put life here on this little blue planet. 

    All of that is incredible. Even if we knew nothing other than the beginning sentence of the Bible, we would have enough to ponder and marvel about for eternity.

    Of course, we know that the God who reveals Himself in the Bible didn’t just create the world, wind it up and let it go. He stays intimately involved in the lives of His creation, and He loves us.

    It is no wonder that the Scriptures themselves declare God and His Word as marvelous in many places.

    As Christians, we also have a second beginning. We are born again into a Living Hope. That is a miracle on par with the creation of everything. People often cry out that they want to see a miracle. Every time a sinner is reborn as a believer and given the righteousness of Christ, there is a powerful new beginning and a miracle of incredible power.

    Until next time, take some time to ponder the God who is so powerful and creative that He spoke everything into existence. The same God who brings wretched, depraved sinners out of bondage into freedom with Him forever.

    May He forever be given the honor and glory due His name.

    Blessings,

    Kevin

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    SUMMARY

    I look back at Genesis 1:1 and marvel that God spoke the heavens and earth into existence out of nothing, creating a universe so vast we can’t even fathom its size. That same all-powerful God gives every believer a second beginning, a new birth into a living hope through Jesus Christ.

    TAKEAWAY

    Genesis 1:1 declares that God created the material universe from nothing, revealing His limitless power and creativity.

    The vastness of creation, at least 28 billion light-years across, points to a God far beyond our ability to fully comprehend.

    Salvation is a second beginning, a miracle equal to creation itself, when a sinner is reborn into new life in Christ.

    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone) 

    All contents, “Gleanings From the Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2026 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, “Gleanings From the Word.” All rights reserved.

    From Gleanings From The Word (Kevin Corbin, 2001– ), a Scripture-based devotional work.

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