The Meaning of Green Pastures
Most of us know that views about Scripture, and God for that matter, change throughout church history. How people were encouraged by Scripture changed too—just like when you read a familiar passage and see things you haven’t seen before because your situation has changed in that season.
Consider for a moment the familiar line from Psalm 23:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
The Matthew Bible was a masterpiece and overcame every obstacle to its publication in 1537. It was the crucial link in the evolution of the English Bible as we know it. It combined the translation work of William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, and John Rogers, with the latter compiling and publishing the work under the pseudonym Thomas Matthew. This assumed name came to identify the translation. Scholars believe this work offers the foundation that guided future iconic English translations, such as the King James and the Geneva Bible.
Tyndale translated much of the Old Testament but was martyred before he could finish. Coverdale and Rogers completed the remaining books, including Psalms. Their version of this line introduces an entirely new concept into where God is leading us in the beginning of the psalm.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Matthew Bible reads, “He feedeth me in a green pasture.” The verse reimagines what is actually happening in the green pastures. Instead of lying down to rest, the sheep are fed. Here the shepherd sustains his flock. This translation lingered into the Great Bible published in 1539, where the verse read, “He shall feed me in a green pasture.” However, by the 1560 and 1599 printings of the Geneva Bible, the words began to look more familiar to modern English readers as “He maketh me to rest in green pasture.”
These may seem like small variants on the same theme, but they drive us to different applications. What is being provided by the shepherd: food or respite?
Am I fueling up or am I calming down?
An over-emphasis on rest leads means I may fail to prepare for difficult times. The Matthew Bible itself was born out of adversity and had a very realistic understanding of what the Christian could count on in this physical life.
On October 6, 1536, William Tyndale was strangled and burned for translating the Bible into English. Coverdale and Rogers went to great lengths to assemble his writings and complete the rest of the work, drawing on five different languages.
All of this took place in a Europe fractured by the onset of the Reformation. Rogers was captured and burned in 1555 under the horrific reign of Queen Mary I, more infamously known as Bloody Mary. In that world, the sheep desperately needed food. This food was the Word of God.
Feasting on Scripture was not a new idea. Church Father Augustine wrote about the idea a thousand years before. Yet it had renewed meaning during this period.
During the Reformation, there was a rise in the numbers of Protestants identifying with images of a suffering Savior. This was a direct result of their anticipation of suffering also. It was biblical. It was expected. For them, the Christian life was defined by action in adversity. They weren’t expecting rest this side of heaven.
What they valued was sustenance.
They relied on God as the chief supplier of their needs, the one who fueled them to move forward. They were [literally] dying as part of the supply chain in God’s battle for truth. They saw this line about pastures as closely connected to the adjacent promise they would lack nothing. They were soldiers in the army of the King, not residents at his retreat center. Their life experiences provided a certain filter for the words of Psalm 23.
What do we hope to gain from having God as our shepherd?
What do we expect?
Each of us need fueled up. We can’t give away what we don’t have. We can’t be ready for adversity if we are looking for rest when we need spiritual food.
Feed yourself the Word of God. Feed the people around you the Word of God. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has offered it to each of us. It is a resource for whatever struggles you are facing. It is hope in darkness. It is clarity in confusion, and it is the only food that will satisfy hungry souls.
Read more in:
Lost Shepherd: What Believers Once Knew About Psalm 23 that the Modern World Has Forgotten