Tf)e55ep6erd Pjafm 
 
 for Gbifdren 
 

 ^ ^/:^ 1900 A 
 
 I 
 
 BS 1450 .23 .B25 1899 
 Baldwin, Josephine L. 
 The shepherd psalm for 
 children 
 
David the Shepherd Boy Overcomes the Lion. 
 
v/ 
 
 The Shepherd Psalm 
 
 for 
 
 Children 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPHINE L. BALDWIN 
 
 New York Chicago Toronto 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 Publishers of Evangelical Literature 
 
Copyright, 1899 
 
 by 
 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 
 
Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Shepherd Psalm 5 
 
 II 
 
 God's Loving Caee 10 
 
 m 
 
 A Sky Full of Goodness 15 
 
 IV 
 Pebfect Peace 20 
 
 V 
 
 Strength for the Weak 25 
 
 VI 
 
 Guidance in the Right Paths 29 
 
 VII 
 Courage in Dark Places 35 
 
 VIII 
 A Voice in the Heart 41 
 
 IX 
 A Feast in Safety 46 
 
 X 
 
 Honor 49 
 
 XI 
 
 Blessings 54 
 
 XII 
 A Home in Heaven 58 
 
 Hymn 64 
 
 3 
 
I. THE SHEPHERD PSALM 
 
 OiS'E day little Ellen, while turning over 
 the leaves of a book that belonged to her 
 mother, found a pressed rose. She laughed 
 as she said, " How funny this faded flower 
 looks when the garden is full of lovely 
 fresh roses ! " 
 
 " Yes," her mother replied, " but, Ellen, 
 that withered rose is more beautiful to me 
 than any that grow in the garden, because 
 when I was a little girl about your age it 
 helped me to bear a great trouble." 
 
 5 
 
6 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 Of course Ellen wanted to know how 
 that could be, and her mother told her the 
 story. She had lost her father and mother 
 when a little girl, and was taken to a 
 strange place to live among people she 
 had never seen before. Ellen could under- 
 stand just a little about how lonely she 
 must have been, for once when she went 
 away from home to stay only a week she 
 cried every day because she was so home- 
 sick, and yet she knew she was going to 
 see her mother soon again. So she asked, 
 " Did you cry ? " 
 
 "Yes, dear, I cried very hard, and it 
 seemed to me I could never be happy 
 again. I went into the garden and threw 
 myself on the grass under the trees and 
 sobbed out loud, thinking no one was near. 
 Soon I heard the voice of a girl about my 
 own age, who begged me not to cry, and 
 asked what was the matter. "We seemed 
 to be friends in a few moments, for she 
 made me feel that she was sorry for me 
 and loved me. As she went away she 
 promised to call for me to go to school 
 with her the next day, and gave me the 
 rose she had in her hand, to make me re- 
 
The Shepherd Psalm 7 
 
 member, she said, that we were to be 
 friends, and that I was not to cry any 
 more. It did help me to be brave and 
 cheerful, and that is the reason I have 
 kept it twenty years. It seems beautiful 
 to me, and I love to look at it." 
 
 " It is beautiful, mother," said Ellen, as 
 she closed the book, gently, " and I love it 
 too, better than all the roses in the garden, 
 since I know its story and how it helped 
 you." 
 
 Long, long ago a poem was written 
 which I think is the most beautiful poem 
 in all the world. You might not think it 
 very wonderful if you were to read it over 
 without knowing anything about it; but 
 when you understand all that the words 
 mean, you will like it better; and when 
 you know that it has helped more people 
 when they were sick, or sad, or afraid, or 
 when they were dying, than any other 
 poem ever did, I am sure you, too, will 
 think it very beautiful. 
 
 Because it can be such a comfort to 
 those who read or learn it, I want to tell 
 you about it ; for if you have it safely put 
 away in your own mind it Avill be there to 
 
8 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 help you when you need it, and you will 
 have it ready to tell to some one else. 
 
 If you were to see it you might not 
 think it a poem, because the words do not 
 rhyme, and it is not always printed as 
 poems are. The reason it is different in 
 these ways is that it has been changed 
 into our language from another; for it 
 was written in the far-off country where 
 Jesus lived when He was on the earth, a 
 thousand years before He came, and in a 
 strange language that you and I could not 
 read at all. It was written to be sung in 
 church, and so is called a Psalm. 
 
 The name of the man who wrote it is 
 David, who, when he was a man was a 
 great king; but when he was a boy he 
 took care of his father's sheep. That 
 might have been an easy thing to do if he 
 could always have stayed near home with 
 them. But there was not pasture enough 
 near by, so he had to go away with the 
 flock for weeks at a time, and not only see 
 that they had plenty to eat and drink, but 
 protect them from the wild animals that 
 lived in the mountains. 
 
 He loved his sheep so much that when 
 
The Shepherd Psalm 9 
 
 a lion came and took one in his mouth, 
 David made him drop the sheep and then 
 killed him. He did the same Avith a bear 
 who tried to steal some of his flock. ^ He 
 was not afraid of the wild animals, so he 
 must have been brave ; he was watching 
 and ready to help the moment he saw a 
 sheep in danger, so we know he was care- 
 ful; and he was willing to risk his own 
 life to save one of his flock, which shows 
 that he was a loving shepherd. 
 
 When David wrote this Psalm, he 
 thought so much about the time when he 
 was a shepherd, and said so much about 
 the way a shepherd takes care of his 
 sheep, that it has been called the shep- 
 HEED PSALM. It lias a number too, and 
 is often called by that because of the place 
 it has among the Psalms in the Bible. If 
 you look for it there you will find that it 
 
 is the TWEIs'TY-THIRD. 
 
 ' I Samuel xvii. 34, 35. 
 
II. god's loving care 
 
 David was the youngest son in his 
 father's family, and while he was tending 
 sheep his brothers were away fighting in 
 the king's army. One day David's father 
 asked him to go and take some presents to 
 his brothers and to their captain. So 
 David left his sheep with a keeper and 
 started. "When he reached the place where 
 the army was encamped, he found that 
 King Saul's army was on a hill on one side 
 of a valley, and their enemies on the op- 
 
 10 
 
God's Loving Care 11 
 
 posite hillside. Looking across he saw a 
 very tall man come clown into the valley, 
 and heard him say in a loud voice, " I defy 
 the armies of Israel this day ; give me a 
 man, that we may fight together. If he 
 be able to fight with me and to kill me, 
 then will we be your servants : but if I 
 prevail against him, and kill him, then 
 shall ye be our servants, and serve us." 
 
 David was astonished that any one in 
 that army should dare defy God's people, 
 and yet he saw that every one in Saul's 
 army was afraid of the giant, and that no 
 one dared go to meet him. But David 
 was not afraid. He knew that God would 
 take care of any one who trusted in Him, 
 and that God was able to conquer even 
 such a giant ; so he wanted to answer the 
 challenge. Some one told Saul, who did 
 not seem at first to think that David was 
 big enough or strong enough to fight with 
 a giant. But David told him about the 
 lion and the bear that he had killed, and 
 then Saul said " Go, and the Lord be with 
 thee." ' 
 
 You know the story, I am sure, and can 
 
 ' I Samuel xvii. 
 
12 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 tell the name of the giant, and what David 
 used as a weapon, and how it all ended ; and 
 you can see how, when he was doing his 
 duty every day as a shepherd he was get- 
 ting ready to do this great work for his 
 king and his people. If he had not been 
 brave away on the hills where only God 
 could see, he could not have been brave in 
 the valley of Elah where the soldiers of 
 two armies Avere Avatching him, and where 
 the safety of his whole nation depended 
 on his success. 
 
 After the fighting was over Saul was so 
 pleased with what David had done that he 
 invited him to live in the palace. But in 
 a little while, when the people sang songs 
 of praise for Saul they put in David's 
 name too, and even gave David ten times 
 as much praise as they did Saul.^ That 
 did not please the king at all, and he be- 
 came very jealous, so that soon it was not 
 safe for David to stay where Saul was, 
 and he went away.^ But Saul had grown 
 to hate David so that he sent men out in 
 every direction to find and kill him, and 
 David had to hide in the forests and caves 
 
 * I Samuel xviii. 7. ^ i Samuel xix. 10-12. 
 
God's Loving Care 13 
 
 of the mountains for a long time. He was 
 often hungry and cold, and must have been 
 lonely and sad so far from all the people 
 and places that he loved. 
 
 I do not know surely, but I think that 
 some day when David was hiding from 
 King Saul he remembered the time when 
 he took care of his father's sheep, and 
 how carefully he watched to see that they 
 were not hungry or thirsty, and that they 
 did not get into danger. Then he thought 
 of himself, hunted by men who wanted to 
 kill him as the wild animals wanted to kill 
 his sheep, and perhaps down in his heart 
 he said, " I wish I had some one to take 
 care of me as I used to care for my sheep, 
 some one who loved me as I loved them." 
 
 But if he did think that, I am sure his 
 very next thought was, " Why I have ! 
 There is Some One who cares for me ; One 
 who is wise, strong, loving, — better than 
 an earthly shepherd ever could be." And 
 because David knew this he began his 
 Psalm with these words, " The Loed is 
 MY Shepherd, I shall not want." 
 
 To know that he was being cared for 
 all the time by his Heavenly Father must 
 
14 The Shepherd Psalm 
 
 have been a great comfort to David. 
 Earthly shepherds cannot always watch, 
 for they must sleep sometimes ; but in an- 
 other Psalm David says about the Lord, 
 his Shepherd, " He that keepeth Israel shall 
 neither slumber nor sleep " ; ^ so he knew 
 that every moment, day and night, the 
 Lord's loving care was over him. 
 
 That was a very pleasant thought for 
 David, but it would not help other people 
 very much if no one but David could have 
 this loving care. If you have ever seen a 
 flock of sheep you know that one shepherd 
 can care for a good many sheep and lambs 
 if they follow him. But the Lord, David's 
 Shepherd, has room for all the people in 
 the world, grown people and children too, 
 and He wants every one to come, and all 
 who hear to say "Come."^ So all who 
 love and obey Him have His tender care, 
 and each one may say for himself, " The 
 
 LOED IS MY ShEPHEKD, I SHALL NOT 
 WANT." 
 
 ' Psalm cxxi. 4. 'Revelation xxii, 17. 
 
III. A SKY FULL OF GOODNESS 
 
 A LITTLE boy whose name is Arthur, 
 wanted his pony to eat grass, but did not 
 want to turn him loose in a meadow for 
 fear he would not come to be harnessed 
 when the children wanted to go out rid- 
 ing. So a stake was driven into the 
 ground and the pony tied to it with a long 
 rope, and Arthur thought there was plenty 
 of grass in the space where the pony could 
 go, to feed such a small horse a long time. 
 
 But when he went out in the afternoon he 
 
 15 
 
16 The Shepherd Psalm 
 
 found that the pony was not eating, and 
 looking carefully he saw that all the grass 
 as far as the rope would stretch on every 
 side was eaten off close to the roots. 
 
 Arthur's father had been telling him the 
 evening before about David as a shepherd 
 boy. Arthur did not see then why David 
 would ever have to take the sheep away 
 from home, for it seemed to him that there 
 was grass enough in their one large meadow 
 for a thousand sheep, and he thought 
 there must have been a great deal more 
 grass than that on the hills right around 
 Bethlehem.^ 
 
 But when he took the pony back to the 
 barn he said to his father, "I do not 
 wonder now that David had to go away 
 from home with his flock. If we had four 
 ponies like Gypsy, I believe they could eat 
 all the grass in the small pasture, and it 
 certainly would take a great deal more than 
 there is in the large pasture for a flock 
 of sheep." 
 
 When the grass in the pastures near 
 David's home had been all eaten off by the 
 sheep, more must be found, and David 
 
 • I Samuel xvii. 15. 
 
A Sky Full of Goodness 17 
 
 would start out with them to look for it. 
 He would lead them first to the nearest 
 place he knew about where there was 
 good pasture, and he was glad when he 
 found a meadow where the grass grew 
 thick and green, because he knew that 
 there for a while his flock would have 
 plenty. 
 
 But sheep do not eat all the time, and 
 when they are satisfied they like to lie 
 down ; but after they have rested a while 
 they will be hungry again. So that David 
 would want his sheep to be all the time 
 where the grass grows soft and thick. He 
 would not like his sheep to lie down to sleep 
 in a dusty road, or among the rocks and 
 brambles of a mountain. The green pas- 
 ture would be the best, not only because it 
 would be a pleasanter place to lie, but be- 
 cause when the sheep woke up and wanted 
 to eat they would find the grass all around 
 them. David would have been glad to 
 keep his sheep in green pastures all the 
 time, for then they never would be hun- 
 gry and unsatisfied. 
 
 But David wanted more from his Shep- 
 herd, the Lord, than just something to 
 
18 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 eat. More than anything else he wanted 
 to be good, and yet he could not without 
 help, for he had no goodness of his own. 
 Our Heavenly Father, David's Shepherd, 
 has all the goodness there is, and a happy 
 thing for His children to know is that He 
 has " a whole sky full " enough for all the 
 people in the world " to be good with all 
 the time." 
 
 David knew this, and that when he was 
 in the mountains hiding from Saul, far 
 away from God's house, he was not far 
 away from God's goodness. He was like 
 the sheep who are asleep with the grass 
 growing all around them ; and he thought, 
 ^' God's goodness is all around me ; I can 
 have all that I need at any moment, wher- 
 ever I am." This is what he meant when 
 he said. He maketh me to lie down in 
 
 GREEN pastures. 
 
 A great many children, as well as grown 
 people, can say that, too, for themselves. 
 They love the Lord, they want to be good, 
 they have no goodness of their own, but 
 know that their Heavenly Father has so 
 much that He has plenty to give away. 
 They know that they need not go to 
 
A Sky Full of Goodness 19 
 
 church or any other special place to ask 
 for it, because whether they are at school, 
 at home, on the street, at work, or at play, 
 God's goodness is all about them, and they 
 may have all they need at any moment. 
 
 Can you imagine a sheep so foolish that 
 when he was hungry and in the midst of 
 a meadow filled with sweet grass, he would 
 not eat ? You may be sure that no sheep 
 would do that. Is it not strange, then, 
 that boys and girls, who know that their 
 loving Heavenly Father has goodness 
 enough for all, and wants so much to give 
 it to them, do not take it ? 
 
 Jesus said, " Blessed are they which do 
 hunger and thirst after righteousness : for 
 they shall be filled."^ Those who want to 
 do right will need to ask for goodness very 
 often, but if they love the Lord they are 
 all the time where His goodness is, and 
 they may be filled with it. That is what 
 these words mean : He maketh me to 
 
 LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES. 
 
 1 Matthew v. 6. 
 
IV. PERFECT PEACE. 
 
 When David had found pasture for his 
 sheep his work was not finished, for they 
 would need water as well as food, and he 
 would have to find a good place for them 
 to drink. Up in the "White Mountains in 
 our own country there is a stream which 
 comes dashing down, tossing itself over 
 rocks, and rushing along at such a rate 
 that people call it "Mad Kiver." The 
 sides in most places are very steep, and 
 the water makes a great noise as it tum- 
 
 20 
 
Perfect Peace 21 
 
 bles over its rough bed. Such a stream as 
 that would not be a good one at which to 
 water sheep, for it is too rough and would 
 frighten them ; some of the tender lambs 
 would get hurt on the sharp stones, so 
 we know that no shepherd would choose 
 such a place if he could find water more 
 quiet. 
 
 But some animals are afraid to drink 
 even in a good place. I had a saddle horse 
 who had travelled a long time on a hot 
 day and was very thirsty. Finding a little 
 brook going so softly through a meadow 
 that you could hardly see it move at all, I 
 guided her to it thinking she would be 
 very glad to have some of the cool water. 
 She did want it, but Avhen she felt her 
 feet sinking into the soft earth at the 
 edge, she was afraid and drew back. I 
 had to coax her a long time before she 
 could get courage enough to go to the 
 water. I knew it was a safe place, and 
 that if she did not drink then it would be 
 a long time before she could have any 
 water. That is the reason I took her in 
 what seemed to her a dangerous place. 
 When she did obey she found just what 
 
22 The Shepherd Psalm lor Children 
 
 she most needed, and was much more com- 
 fortable and contented afterward. 
 
 I do not know whether David's sheep 
 were ever afraid to drink where he wanted 
 them to, or not ; but I do know that he 
 AYOuld not ask them to go where he was 
 not willing to go himself. He led his 
 sheep, and to do that he had to go first 
 into every place where the flock went. 
 He led them in the best places for them 
 to go, and when they needed a drink he 
 led them by still water, such as we have 
 in our picture. Perhaps the sheep did not 
 always think it was the best place, but 
 they would follow because they loved and 
 trusted their shepherd, and when they did 
 follow the}^ found that their wants wer<, 
 satisfied, and that they were safe. 
 
 David had a great deal of trouble in the 
 part of his life when Saul was trying to 
 kill him, but it was not the worst kind of 
 trouble that any one can have. If a voice 
 in the heart says, " You have been doing 
 wrong," then there is no peace or comfort 
 until the wrong has been forgiven. But 
 David knew he had done nothing to Saul 
 that he ought to be sorry for. He knew 
 
Perfect Peace 23 
 
 he had done his duty, and that he loved 
 the Lord, his Shepherd, and so in his heart 
 he had peace and happiness, even when 
 his body was cold, or hungry, or thirsty. 
 
 One time when the prophet Isaiah was 
 writing a song to help his people to trust 
 in God, he said, " Thou wilt keep him in 
 perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on 
 Thee : because he trusteth in Thee." ^ And 
 that is just about what David thought 
 when he said "He leadeth me beside 
 
 THE STILL WATERS." 
 
 He was having a hard time, and the 
 way seemed rough and not always safe, 
 but because the Lord, his Shepherd, was 
 leading him he knew it must be all right, 
 and he was ready to follow obediently; 
 and because he did, his Heavenly Father 
 gave him peace and comfort. 
 
 Very often little people get into trouble 
 by being disobedient, and there is no cure 
 for that except coming back to the loving 
 Heavenly Father and asking for His for- 
 giveness. But sometimes those who are 
 trying to do right seem to have a hard 
 time, and for them there is a message in 
 
 1 Isaiah xxvi. 3. 
 
24 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 these words that David said. Kemember- 
 ing what a kind, wise, loving Guide is 
 leading, they will know He would not take 
 them in an unsafe place, and they will find 
 peace in thinking, " He leadetii me be- 
 side THE STILL AVATERS." 
 
V. STREi^GTH FOR THE AVEAK 
 
 One time a father and his little boy had 
 to travel over a road after a heavy snow- 
 storm. The boy's mother hated to have 
 him undertake the journey, for no one had 
 gone that way since the storm and no 
 paths had been cut ; but the boy said, " I 
 shall be all right, mother, for father will 
 be with me : " and so they started, the 
 father going ahead and the boy following, 
 stepping in the tracks which his father 
 made. That was the only way the little 
 
 25 
 
26 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 fellow could walk at all, the snow was so 
 deep ; but even with the help that his 
 father gave him by breaking the way, he 
 soon grew very tired. Still he struggled 
 on and did not complain; but after a 
 while he could not go another step, and 
 sank down in the snow, calling to his 
 father as he fell. Of course 3^ou know 
 what his father did. He took him in his 
 arms and carried him, very glad that he 
 had strength enough for two, and did not 
 let the tired boy walk again until he was 
 so rested that he wanted to try his own 
 strength once more. 
 
 "When David took his sheep out and was 
 looking for pasture for them, they often 
 had to travel a long way before he could 
 find a good place for them to stay ; and if 
 the road was dusty and the day hot, very 
 often a lamb would get so tired it would 
 faint and drop down. The shepherd was 
 always watching, because he knew that 
 the lambs were not very strong, and when 
 one fell he would pick it up and carry it 
 in his arms, as that father did his little 
 boy, and as the shepherd in our picture is 
 doing, until it was strong enough to walk 
 
Strength for the Weak 27 
 
 again. David was sorry, I am sure, when 
 one of his flock lost its strength so as not 
 to be able to walk ; but he was always 
 glad to give such a tired lamb the help it 
 needed, and would not make it walk again 
 until it was able and willing to do so. 
 
 In trying to obey God's rules David 
 grew tired sometimes, and he knew that 
 then he v»^as like the weak, fainting lamb. 
 He knew, too, that the Lord loved him 
 a great deal more than he had loved his 
 tired lamb, and that when his strength 
 was gone God would give it back to him. 
 He said, ''He eestoreth my soul." 
 This sounds hard to understand, but it 
 means just this : " When I am tired, so 
 tired that I cannot walk in the right way 
 any longer. He will forgive me and give 
 me back my strength to do right." 
 
 Children often find it hard to be good, 
 and sometimes get so tired trying that 
 they even think, " It is no use. I have 
 wanted to do right and have tried every 
 day, but I keep doing wrong. I am 
 just discouraged and cannot try any more." 
 
 It is not easy to obey God's rules, and 
 no one could walk in the right way an 
 
28 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 hour alone. But because their Heavenly 
 Father is always near to help the fainting 
 ones, to give strength to those who are 
 weak, and courage to those who feel that 
 they must give up trying, even the small- 
 est children may " behave wisely in a per- 
 fect way." ^ 
 
 Isaiah said, " The everlasting God, the 
 Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, 
 fainteth not, neither is weary. He giveth 
 power to the faint ; and to them that have 
 no might He increaseth strength." ^ So 
 the weakest child who loves God may say, 
 " I am not afraid to try to walk in the 
 right way, for my Heavenly Father is with 
 me; and when I am tired and faint He 
 will give me back my strength." He ke- 
 
 STOEETH MY SOUL. 
 
 1 Psalm ci. 2. 2 Isaiah xl. 28, 29. 
 
VI. GUIDANCE IN RIGHT PATHS 
 
 The wisest man who ever lived says, 
 " A good name is rather to be chosen than 
 great riches," ^ and he also saj^s, " Even a 
 child is known by his doings." ^ 
 
 I once heard a man tell a carriage dealer 
 whom he met on the street, that he wanted 
 to buy a carriage of a certain kind. The 
 dealer said, " I have just the sort that you 
 want." 
 
 " Who made it ? " asked the man. The 
 dealer told him. 
 
 1 Proverbs xxii. I. sproverbs xx. II. 
 
 29 
 
30 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 " I will take it," he said, as soon as he 
 knew the price. 
 
 I was very much surprised, and said to 
 him afterward, " How did you happen to 
 buy a carriage that you had not seen ? I 
 should think you would want to look at it 
 so as to be sure that it is all right." 
 
 " Oh no," he said, " I know it will be 
 right. I know the man who made that 
 carriage, and he could not make a poor 
 one if he tried." You see that carriage 
 maker had a good name in his business. 
 
 Every one who does any kind of work 
 has, among people who know him, either a 
 good or a bad name as a workman. Chil- 
 dren in school are known as good or poor 
 scholars according to the way they do 
 their work ; that is, they " are known by 
 their doings " : and the ones who have a 
 good name are trusted and honored, and 
 make their teachers and parents happy. 
 
 Some people were once riding in a stage 
 coach through the Rocky Mountains. The 
 night was dark and rainy, and the roads 
 were very rough, so that the coach rocked 
 from side to side, and the people inside 
 were very much frightened, expecting 
 
Guidance in Right Paths 31 
 
 every moment to be upset. A little girl 
 began to sob, and even grown people were 
 ready to cry with fear. But a gentleman 
 said, " There is not any serious danger. 
 Our driver is the best in the mountains. 
 He is very careful, has been over the road 
 hundreds of times, and has never had an 
 accident. This is a bad night, but with 
 such a driver I feel sure we will get 
 through safely." 
 
 When they heard this the passengers 
 were comforted right away. They were 
 ready to trust a driver w^ho had such a 
 good name, and he did take them safely to 
 their stopping-place. 
 
 We may be very certain that David had 
 a good name as a shepherd, and that any of 
 his father's neighbors would have been will- 
 ing to trust their sheep to his care. He must 
 have had the name of being kind, wise, 
 brave, careful and strong. And yet he 
 could not always know how to choose the 
 best way to go. Suppose he came to 
 a place where the road branched off in 
 two ways as it does in our picture ; if one 
 looked just as safe as the other, and he 
 had never been over either, he could not 
 
32 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 tell which would be the better for him to 
 take. If a great many ^Yi\d animals had 
 come at once after his sheep, he might not 
 have been strong enough to drive them 
 away, or to keep them from killing some 
 of his flock. 
 
 No earthly shepherd, however wise and 
 loving, could always know just what it 
 would be best to do for his sheep ; and the 
 strongest would some time grow weak and 
 sick. But the Lord, in whose care David 
 wished to be, could see all the way that 
 he must take, from the beginning to the 
 end. Not only all the goodness but all 
 the wisdom in the world is His, so that He 
 is called All- wise ; He has so much poAver 
 that Almighty is one of His names ; and 
 the Bible says, God is Love. David had 
 learned to trust his earthly father, and 
 many people that he knew who had a good 
 name ; but how much more could he trust 
 his Heavenly Father, his Shepherd, whose 
 name is so great and holy ! "Whenever 
 David thought about the Lord's name, he 
 would think, " My Guide knows all things, 
 has all power, and loves me with an ever- 
 lasting love ; He could not lead me in any 
 
Guidance in Right Paths 33 
 
 wrong way ; " and because he knew this, 
 he said, He leadeth me in the paths 
 
 OF EIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HiS NAME'S 
 SAKE. 
 
 If a flock of lambs and sheep were wise 
 enough to tell what they wanted, and 
 could choose their own shepherd, they 
 would certainly be very careful in select- 
 ing one. Months at a time Avhen they 
 were away on the hills, their safety and 
 comfort would depend on their guide, for 
 they are more helpless than most other 
 animals and cannot take care of them- 
 selves at all. 
 
 But lambs and sheep cannot choose 
 whom they will follow. They must take 
 the shepherd that is put over them, 
 whether he is wise and good, or careless 
 and unloving. 
 
 For children, who, like the tender lambs, 
 need constant care, and cannot find the 
 right way alone, there is only one Shep- 
 herd who is wise and great and loving 
 enough to lead them safely. Thousands 
 of children have heard His call, and are 
 following Him. They and all who pray 
 as David once did, " For Thy name's sake 
 
34 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 lead me, and guide me 'V niay joj^fully say 
 each day, He leadeth me iis" the paths 
 OF righteousness for His name's 
 
 SAKE. 
 
 * Psalm xxxi, 3. 
 
VII. COURAGE IN DARK PLACES 
 
 A PARTY of missionaries were in a ter- 
 rible storm on the China Sea. The ship 
 rolled, and the great waves broke over it 
 until even the captain thought that the 
 ship and all on board would be lost. Early 
 in the evening all the lights w^ent out 
 because they could not be kept burning 
 when the ship w^as tossed about so violently. 
 This darkness made the night seem more 
 fearful. But the ship weathered the 
 storm, and when the daylight came again 
 
 36 
 
3G The Shepherd Psahn for Children 
 
 the vrind went down, the sea became more 
 quiet. Through all that night one little 
 girl on board did not show any sign of 
 fear, and when the danger was over some 
 one asked her how she could be so brave. 
 "Why," she said, "as long as the lights 
 were there I could see my father near me, 
 and after the lights went out he held my 
 hand, so I knew he was there, and I am 
 never afraid where he is." 
 
 When two mountains are as near to- 
 gether as these in our picture, the valley 
 between gets very little sunshine, and to 
 any one going into it on a warm, bright 
 day, it would seem both cold and dark. 
 In Scotland there is such a valley which 
 the peojDle call the Pass. JSTear it lived a 
 shepherd who for thirty years had watched 
 his flocks and pastured them on one side 
 or the other of the mountains through 
 which the Pass gave a road. This man 
 knew about the Lord, David's Shepherd, 
 and all his life he loved and followed Him. 
 
 But there came a day when Donald was 
 too sick to go out with his sheep, and 
 when the doctor said that he would never 
 be able to go again. Then Donald's 
 
Courage in Dark Places 37 
 
 friends found that he was afraid. It 
 seemed very strange that a man who had 
 followed the Good Shepherd so many 
 years should have any fear. The minister 
 could not understand it, but when he 
 talked with Donald he found that he really 
 was afraid, so he said, 
 
 " Donald, have you ever taken your 
 sheep through the Pass on a sunshiny day ? " 
 
 " Many times," was the answer. 
 
 "How did they act?" 
 
 " They were afraid." 
 
 " Why were they afraid ? " 
 
 " Because it was dark in the Pass." 
 
 " What did they do ? " 
 
 " They crowded close to me, so close I 
 could hardly walk," said Donald, smiling 
 as he remembered it. 
 
 "What makes it so dark in the Pass?" 
 
 " The shadow of the mountain." 
 
 "While you were in the shadow with 
 your sheep, did you think that the sun had 
 stopped shining ? " 
 
 " 'No, I was sure it had not." 
 
 " You knew it was shining brightly 
 when you went into the shadow, and that 
 when you came out on the other side you 
 
38 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 would find it shining there. Donald, why 
 can you not be as wise as your sheep were ? 
 You are in the shadow now because you 
 are passing through a valley. You led 
 your sheep through the Pass because you 
 wanted to take them to a better pasture ; 
 and so the Lord, your Shepherd, is leading 
 you to a far better place through the val- 
 ley of the shadow of death. It seems 
 dark to you, but you have been living all 
 your life in the bright sunshine of God's 
 love, and in a little while you will be 
 where it will shine more brightly than 
 ever. "Why will you not do as your sheep 
 did with you, and get close to your Shep- 
 herd? If you do that you will not be 
 afraid any more." 
 
 Donald saw then that he had been 
 thinking only about the dark, and had 
 forgotten the Leader, who was with him 
 even there ; so he went very near to his 
 loving Heavenly Father in prayer, asking 
 for help in his weakness, and as soon as he 
 did this he found the darkness growing 
 less and his fear all gone. In a little 
 while he had passed beyond the shadow 
 of the valley into the happy home that 
 
Courage in Dark Places 39 
 
 the Lord had ready for him, where there 
 never will be fear, or pain, or shadows of 
 any kind.^ 
 
 David had seen his sheep many times in 
 dark places when they were afraid unless 
 they could hear his voice and know he was 
 near ; and the way they trusted him, even 
 in such places, taught him to trust the 
 Lord, his Shepherd, always and every- 
 where. He knew that some day he would 
 have to pass through the valley of death ; 
 but he knew that his Heavenly Father 
 would be leading him as he walked that 
 way, and Avith Him so near he would not 
 be afraid : and that is the reason he could 
 say, Yea, though i walk through the 
 
 VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I 
 WILL FEAR NO EVIL ; FOR ThOU ART WITH 
 ME. 
 
 This is a beautiful part of David's 
 Psalm, and one that we would like every 
 one to know about, because some day all 
 the people who are living in the world 
 must go through the valley of the shadow 
 of death, and they would be so much hap- 
 pier if they could know that the darkness 
 
 ^ Revelation xxi. 4. 
 
40 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 is only a, shadow, and that they need not 
 have the least fear if they are where their 
 Heavenly Father is. Though they cannot 
 see Him, He will be near, and then, even 
 the most timid can say. Yea, though 
 
 I AVALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE 
 SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL ; 
 
 FOR Thou art with me. 
 
 .^^Y 
 
 
VIII. A VOICE IN THE HEART 
 
 Whenever David went out with his 
 sheep he carried a rod and staif, such as 
 we see in our picture. The rod with its 
 heavy end was used to protect the sheep 
 from wild animals, and you can see how 
 much easier it would be for a shepherd to 
 frighten away or kill a lion, bear or wolf 
 with such a club as that, than it would be 
 for him to do it without any weapon at 
 all. 
 
 The staff he used in many different 
 
 41 
 
42 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 ways. It was long, and if he saw a little 
 lamb turning from the right path, he 
 would stretch out the staff to guide it 
 back. But sometimes the lamb would not 
 obey, or even come when the shepherd 
 called, but would run away, and not see- 
 ing the danger, fall over the edge of a 
 steep place, where it would lie frightened 
 and unable to help itself. Then the shep- 
 herd, reaching down with his staif, could 
 hook it gently around the lamb and draw 
 it back to safety. When they were at 
 home and went into a fold every night, 
 the she^^herd held his staff at the gate of 
 the fold, so low down that each one of the 
 flock as it passed under would touch it. 
 In this way the shepherd counted them 
 and if one was missing he would go to 
 look for it, after shutting the rest up safely 
 in the fold. 
 
 If the sheep could have understood, it 
 would have been a comfort to know that 
 their shepherd had something besides his 
 two hands to protect them with, however 
 strong he might be. Any lamb who had 
 fallen over steep rocks would be glad to 
 think that his shepherd had a staff with 
 
A Voice in the Heart 43 
 
 which he could reach and draw him back. 
 And if some lamb that had wandered from 
 the flock when trying to have his own 
 way could know about such things at all, 
 he would think, as he lay out in the dark- 
 ness and cold alone, "When the rest of 
 the flock pass under my shepherd's staff as 
 they go into the fold, he will miss me, and 
 then he will come to look for me," and 
 that thought would comfort the little 
 lamb who had done wrong and was sorry, 
 and very anxious to get back to his kind 
 shepherd's care and to the safe fold again. 
 
 Sheep and lambs could not understand 
 much about these things, but David knew 
 all about the rod and the staff, and had 
 used both many times. He knew that 
 Satan was always watching, trying to 
 destroy those who Avere following the 
 True Shepherd; but he knew, too, that 
 the Lord's strength is like a mighty rod, 
 which protects all who love Him, and it 
 was a comfort to David to know that he 
 could trust in that strength much more 
 than the sheep could trust in the shepherd's 
 rod. 
 
 Do you remember the story of Daniel, 
 
44 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 and how Satan tried to make him stop 
 praying to God ? ^ He could not have 
 kept on in his own strength, but the Lord 
 helped him with His strength so that he 
 was able to do what was right even though 
 he knew he would be put in a den of lions 
 for doing it. 
 
 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego 
 trusted in God, and in His strength they 
 were brave enough to say, " Be it known 
 unto thee, O king, that we will not serve 
 thy gods, nor worshij) the golden image 
 which thou hast set up."^ They were 
 thrown into a fiery furnace, but the Lord 
 whom they served Avas Avith them there. 
 
 Satan wants to ruin the souls of people 
 by getting them to do wrong, but God's 
 power protects and saves those under His 
 care, from the evil that Satan tries to do 
 them. 
 
 When a child starts to do wrong he 
 hears what seems like a little voice in his 
 heart saying, "Don't do that! That is not 
 right." If he goes on and does the wrong 
 thing, he hears that same voice, saying, 
 "You have done wrong! Are you not 
 
 » Daniel vi. 2 Daniel iii. 18. 
 
A Voice in the Heart 45 
 
 sorry ? Go and tell your mother about it, 
 and promise her that you will not do that 
 again." That voice God has put in every 
 child's heart to do for him what the shep- 
 herd's staff does for the sheep : to keep 
 him from turning to the wrong way, and 
 to bring him back from the wrong way 
 when he is disobedient. 
 
 David had such a voice in his heart, and 
 knew his kind Heavenly Father Avas using 
 it all the time to keep him in the right 
 way, or bring him back to it ; and because 
 he liked to think about this, and about his 
 Shepherd's strength, he said, "Thy eod 
 AND Thy staff they comfort me." 
 
 All who are glad that their Heavenly 
 Father will protect them from harm, and 
 guide them every day in the right way, 
 who like to hear and obey the voice in 
 their hearts, and to know that God has 
 put it there, think just as David did about 
 these things, and they too can tell what 
 they feel by saying, " Thy rod and Thy 
 staff they comfort me." 
 
■^ II— ll ■ . - L ' 
 
 
 
 Vv 
 
 IX. A FEAST Ij^ SAFETY 
 
 A CERTAIN shepherd had a pasture up 
 on the side of a mountain where he often 
 took his sheep. Around it on three sides 
 were very thick woods in which were 
 many wild animals. Generally they came 
 out of their hiding-places only at night to 
 look for food, but at certain times in the 
 year they were so hungry that they came 
 to the edge of the forest in the daytime, 
 ready to seize and carry off any sheep or 
 lamb that came near where they were. 
 The shepherd knew that then it was not 
 
 46 
 
A Feast in Safety 4Y 
 
 safe for his flock to wander about the field, 
 and yet they must be fed. So he made a 
 crib something like the one we have in our 
 picture, and filling it with grass called his 
 sheep and lambs around it ; and there they 
 could eat in safety, for he was near to pro- 
 tect each one. The wild animals looking 
 out from the woods could see them eating, 
 but dared not come near to harm them. 
 ISTo doubt the sheep would rather nibble 
 the grass where it grows, but when their 
 enemies were so near they would be glad 
 to have it put where they could eat it with- 
 out being in the least afraid. 
 
 Perhaps David was thinking of some- 
 thing like this when he wrote, "Thou 
 
 PREPAKEST A TABLE BEFORE ME ITT THE 
 PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES." God had 
 
 prepared a table for him filled with His 
 goodness, His mercy and His love, and 
 though Satan would not want him to have 
 any of these things, he could not keep him 
 or take him away from the feast. 
 
 But David was more to his Heavenly 
 Father than a sheep is to his shepherd. A 
 sheep cannot talk to the shepherd, but 
 David could and did talk with God many 
 
48 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 times every day. So when he thought of 
 God's table spread for him, he thought 
 about it not so much as the food a shep- 
 herd prepares for his sheep, but rather as 
 a feast made ready for a friend, — a friend 
 who could understand the giver's kindness, 
 speak his thanks and tell his love. 
 
 It is wonderful to think of David as be- 
 ing loved and cared for by the Lord, his 
 Shepherd, as an earthly shepherd cares for 
 his sheep. But it is much more wonder- 
 ful to know that David could also be God's 
 friend, and talk with Him. 
 
 God's table is spread all the time for 
 His friends. Jesus said, "Ye are my 
 friends if ye do whatsoever I command 
 you," ^ and all who obey the Lord are His 
 friends, and have a place at this feast. 
 Satan tries to keep all mercy, goodness, 
 and love away from every one, but each 
 guest at the Lord's table will have plenty 
 of everything good, and can say to the 
 Giver of every good and every perfect 
 gift,^ "Thou prepakest a table be- 
 fore ME IN THE presence OF MINE 
 ENEMIES." 
 
 * John XV. 14. 2 James i. 17. 
 
X. HONOR 
 
 There are many different ways of 
 showing honor to people who deserve it. 
 In that book of the Bible which tells the 
 story of Esther and is called by her name, 
 there is a story also about Mordecai, a Jew, 
 the cousin of Queen Esther. He had a 
 high oiRce in the service of Ahasuerus, the 
 king, and he found out that two of the 
 chamberlains who had become angry about 
 something were planning to kill the king. 
 This Mordecai told to Esther, and she told 
 
 49 
 
50 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 the king; and so his life was saved and 
 the wicked men were put to death. Gen- 
 erally any one who did such a service as 
 this for a king was rewarded in some way, 
 but Mordecai was not. The king seems 
 to have forgotten about it until one night 
 when he could not sleep and had the book 
 brought in which had been written down 
 all the things that had happened during 
 his reign, that it might be read to him. 
 "When the part was reached that told about 
 Mordecai and the two men who wanted 
 to murder the king, Ahasuerus said, " What 
 honor and dignity hath been done to Mor- 
 decai for this ? " The servants answered, 
 " There is nothing done for him." ^ Then 
 the king ordered his chief prince to put 
 some of the royal garments upon Mordecai, 
 place the crown upon his head, mount him 
 upon one of the king's own horses and 
 lead the horse through the city, saying to 
 every one as they went along, " Thus shall 
 it be done to the man whom the king 
 delighteth to honor." 
 
 Every American boy and girl knows the 
 story of Hobson, and the dangerous task 
 
 > Esther vi. 3. 
 
Honor 51 
 
 he and the men with him undertook. All 
 the men on the different ships of the fleet 
 knew what was going to be done, probably 
 none thought those who went would live 
 to see home and friends again, and yet 
 they wanted to go. Only a few could be 
 chosen, and all felt that it would be a great 
 honor to be among those few. It was an 
 honor, as it always is to be trusted to do a 
 hard thing. When Hobson came back to 
 this country people everywhere showed 
 that they honored him for what he had 
 done ; but the greatest honor he ever had, 
 or could have, was when his country 
 chose him to do the work that has made 
 his name famous. 
 
 The Lord chose David to do a hard thing 
 when He let him, a mere boy, try to kill a 
 great giant w^hose body was covered with 
 armor ; and in being chosen for this work 
 he was honored above every one else in his 
 nation. 
 
 I was once invited to a dinner party to 
 meet a lady whom I had never seen but 
 wanted very much to know, having read 
 several books that she had w^ritten. At 
 the house there were so many strange peo- 
 
62 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 pie that I could not tell on going into the 
 parlor which one was she. But in a mo- 
 ment we went into the dining-room, and 
 then I found out right away. JSTo one 
 pointed her out to me, but I knew that the 
 guest for whom the dinner was given, the 
 one to whom special honor was to be 
 shown, would sit at the right hand of the 
 person who gave the dinner. So, when I 
 saw who sat in that place I knew she was 
 the one who wrote the books that had 
 given me so much pleasure. 
 
 In the time when David lived they had 
 a different way of showing honor to a 
 guest. When all the people who had been 
 invited were seated at the table, the host 
 would go to the one whom he wished most 
 to honor, and pour some oil on his head 
 from a horn such as we have in the picture. 
 So by anointing his head with oil he said 
 to all the people there, " This man I have 
 reason to honor, and I wish you to honor 
 him too." 
 
 You remember that when David said, 
 " Thou preparest a table before me 
 IN the presence of mine enemies," he 
 thought of God as his Friend, as well as 
 
Honor 53 
 
 his Shepherd ; a Friend who had invited 
 him to a feast, and whose guest he was. 
 But he was even more than that ; he was 
 an honored guest, and that is what he 
 means when he says. Thou anointest 
 
 MY HEAD WITH OIL. 
 
 The Lord, David's Shepherd, is called in 
 the Bible the " King of kings." He is the 
 King as well as the Heavenly Father of 
 those who serve Him. He puts His own 
 garment on those whom He honors, " the 
 robe of righteousness,"^ and He crowns 
 them with "loving-kindness and tender 
 mercies."^ Mordecai was the only one 
 whom King Ahasuerus delighted to honor 
 by letting him wear the king's robe and 
 crown, but the King of kings honors all 
 who love Him, so that each one has the 
 same right that David had to say, Thou 
 
 ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL. 
 
 » Isaiah Ixi. lo. » Psalm ciii. 4. 
 
 ..~_.f2 
 
XI. BLESSINGS 
 
 Helen came into the house one day 
 with a very cross, discontented look on her 
 face, and throwing herself in a chair she 
 said, " Grace Colgate has everything nice, 
 and I never have anything ! Her father 
 gave her a boat last summer, and it is the 
 prettiest row-boat on the lake, and now he 
 has given her a pony and cart, and I can't 
 even have a bicycle." 
 
 " Grace's father has plenty of money and 
 can give her many things that your father 
 
 54 
 
Blessings 55 
 
 cannot afford," answered her mother, 
 gently, " but you ought to be glad that your 
 friend has these pleasures even if you can- 
 not have them. Come, now, let us see how 
 many you have ! There is an empty glass 
 and a pitcher of water. We will call the 
 glass your life, and as we think of blessings 
 you can pour in the water, and we will 
 see how full your life really is of good 
 things ! " 
 
 Helen was amused with the idea, but as 
 she went to the table she said she was sure 
 that the glass would not be half full. As 
 her home, food, clothing, school and friends 
 were spoken of, Helen poured some w^ater 
 into the glass, but suddenly she stopped 
 and said, "Why, I have you, mother!" 
 and quickly filling the glass to the brim, 
 she added, '' There isn't room to show how 
 glad I am that I have you," and throwing 
 her arms around her mother's neck she 
 asked to be forgiven for having been so 
 unthankful. After they had talked it all 
 over together, Helen said, " When I was 
 thinking about Grace's pony and boat I 
 thought she ought to be a very happy girl, 
 but now when I remember that she has no 
 
66 The Shepherd Psahn for Children 
 
 mother everything seems different. She 
 has blessings, but the ones I have are 
 greater." 
 
 The Bible savs, "A faithful man shall 
 abound with blessings." ^ David was a 
 faithful man, and he had so many bless- 
 ings that he could not tell how many. He 
 had more than his life full, he thought, so 
 he had to say My cup runneth over. 
 
 But those who love God now and are 
 faithful to Him, have one blessing in their 
 lives that David did not have in his ; the 
 greatest Gift that God ever gave to this 
 world. The verse which tells about it 
 says, "God so loved the world that He 
 gave His only begotten Son, that whoso- 
 ever believeth in Him should not perish, 
 but have everlasting life."^ 
 
 It is easier for those who want to follow 
 the Lord, David's Shepherd, to do so now 
 than it was for David, because Jesus has 
 lived on the earth to show the way ; and 
 it was Jesus who taught all people that 
 He and His Father wanted the children to 
 come, as well as the grown people.^ So 
 
 1 Proverbs xxviii. 20. « John iii. i6. 
 
 3 Matthew xix, 14; Mark x. 14; Luke xviii. 16. 
 
Blessings 
 
 57 
 
 with this great Gift of God's love, and all 
 the other blessings in their lives, all of 
 God's children ought to say even more 
 gladly than David did, My cup kunjN'eth 
 
 OVER. 
 
 
^•n^— >—•«'?■ 
 
 QlVESni 
 
 Goodness j/. Comfort 
 
 Peace ^^^^^x. Plenty 
 
 OTRENCTH -^^^^^^^^DArfTT 
 
 Guidance .f^^^M^iHoKOR 
 
 CoURAOr^^'^ ^# ■^^'DL£55INGS 
 
 '""-^ Heaven 
 
 ^J 
 
 XII. A HOME IN HEAVEN 
 
 In this Psalm David has told us of many 
 things that the Lord, his Shepherd, gave 
 him. First of all David knew that the 
 Lord Avould give him all the goodness he 
 needed, and because he could have it at 
 any time, he was like sheep who are lying 
 down with grass all around them. Often 
 he had hard things to bear that would 
 have troubled him very much if the Lord 
 had not been leading him. But as He 
 
 58 
 
A Home in Heaven 69 
 
 was, David found jpeace^ which was lil^e 
 the quiet where still waters flow, and he 
 tells us about it by saying, He leadeth 
 
 ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS. Often 
 
 David fainted when trying to walk in the 
 right way, and had no strength left to be 
 good with any longer. Then his watchful, 
 loving Shepherd gave him strength so that 
 he could go on, and that made David so 
 happy that he was very glad when he said. 
 He restoeeth my soul. 
 
 Some animals, when they have been over 
 a certain road many times learn the way so 
 that they are able to go alone ; others can 
 find their way to one place from another 
 even though they have never been that 
 way, by a power which God has given 
 them. But sheep can do neither of these 
 things; they can never be trusted to go 
 alone, but must be guided and led always. 
 People who want to walk in the right way 
 must have a Shepherd to guide them, be- 
 cause they are like sheep about this and 
 cannot find the way at all alone. David 
 needed guidance^ and knew the Lord would 
 guide him, and because of the names by 
 which his Shepherd was known, he said, 
 
60 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 He leadeth me in the paths of right- 
 eousness FOR His name's sake. 
 
 People are very often afraid in the dark, 
 but David did not think he would be ; in 
 fact he felt so sure he would not be that 
 he tells us, Yea, though I walk through 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, 
 
 I WILL FEAR NO EVIL. But he did not 
 say this because he was such a brave man 
 that he thought he could go through the 
 valley alone without fear. He expected 
 to have courage^ but not of himself. Like 
 every good thing that he had, it would 
 come from his Shepherd, and the reason 
 he would have no fear is because his Shep- 
 herd would be with him. 
 
 It gave David comfort to think of his 
 Shepherd's great strength and of the voice 
 that David could hear each day in his 
 heart warning him not to go into wrong 
 ways. At the table of his Lord he found 
 aplenty ^ and though enemies might be near 
 he knew his Shepherd would be nearer, 
 and so he would have safety. The Lord, his 
 friend as well as his Shepherd, had given 
 David honor ^ too, and so many hlessings 
 that his life could not hold them all, which 
 
A Home in Heaven 61 
 
 is just the way God has promised to bless 
 those who keep His commandments/ 
 
 All these gifts from the Lord David had 
 found in his life when he wrote this Psalm ; 
 and because he meant to keep right on fol- 
 lowing where the Lord led, he felt sure he 
 would always have them, and so he said, 
 Surely goodness and mercy shall 
 
 FOLLOW me all THE DAYS OF MY LIFE. 
 
 When David was away from home with 
 his flock, the sheep and lambs had to 
 spend the nights out of doors in all kinds 
 of weather, because there was no fold into 
 which they could go. But when they 
 came back home they would find there a 
 fold such as we have in our picture, with 
 its thick walls and strong gate to keep 
 them safe, and a covered place for rainy 
 weather. Do you not think they would 
 be very glad to get into the fold ? 
 
 David had something better than com- 
 ing home to such a fold to think about. 
 David's Shepherd, the Lord, has a beauti- 
 ful place ready for all the people who love 
 Him. It is a Citv with walls and twelve 
 gates. God's book says that the founda- 
 
 > Malachi iii. lo. 
 
62 The Shepherd Psalm for Children 
 
 tions of the walls are garnished with all 
 manner of precious stones, and the gates 
 are of pearl.^ Into that home no sorrow, 
 nor tears, nor pain can ever enter, but 
 there will be songs, and joy, and gladness 
 forever. David knew that this home was 
 waiting for him just the other side of the 
 valley through which he would pass some 
 day, and he called it The house of the 
 LORD. You and I call it heaven. 
 
 So you see he was talking of his life 
 here when he said. Surely goodness ats^d 
 
 MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS 
 
 OF MY LIFE ; and he was thinking about 
 his home in heaven when he added. And I 
 
 WILL DAVELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD 
 FOREVER. 
 
 Because these gifts from the Heavenly 
 Father are not for David alone, the words 
 in the heading of this chapter are printed 
 so that each one who reads them may say, 
 — not " David's Shepherd gave him," but 
 " My Shepherd gives me " all these things. 
 Is it not a happy thought that every one 
 may have such blessings ? Of course only 
 those who love the Lord and obey Him 
 
 1 Revelation xxi. 19-21. 
 
A Home in Heaven 63 
 
 can have them, but He wants every one to 
 follow Him, and all may if they will. So in 
 ending the study of this Psalm, I will say to 
 you what Paul once wrote to some people 
 whom he loved very much and wanted to 
 help : " Be ye followers of God as dear 
 children." ^ 
 
 Then, if you are His followers, these 
 last words of the Psalm will tell how 
 happy the years that are coming to you in 
 this life will be, and how sure you are, 
 when they are over, to have a home in 
 that City which has no need of the sun nor 
 the moon to shine in it, for the glory of 
 the Lord is the light of it : ^ Sueely good- 
 ness AND MEECY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL 
 THE DAYS OF MY LIFE ; AND I WILL 
 DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LOED FOE- 
 EVEE. 
 
 1 Ephesians v. i. 2 Revelation xxi. 23. 
 
Like Obedient Lambs. 
 
 J. L. B 
 
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 J. W. C. POOL. 
 
 
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 i^21 
 
 Like obedient lambs, who follow 
 
 Where their shepherd leads each day, 
 
 We will follow God, our Leader, 
 Gladly His commands obey. 
 
 With God's goodness all around us. 
 
 We no want can ever see ; 
 When we walk in darkest shadow, 
 
 Close beside us He will be. 
 
 Goodness, mercy, honor, blessings, 
 God will give, if we are true : 
 
 And a home with Him forever 
 
 When our journey here is through. 
 
 64 
 
Suggestions to Teachers 
 
 WHO WISH TO USE 
 
 , The Shepherd Psalm for Children^ 
 
 AS A BASIS FOR 
 
 Oral Instruction 
 
 BY JOSEPHINE L. BALDWIN 
 
 The plan of preparing an explanation of " The 
 Shepherd Ps aim for Children'' originated in a 
 desire to put it in such shape that teachers of 
 primary and intermediate classes, and those of 
 Junior Epworth Leagues and Junior Christian En- 
 deavorers, would find it suggestive when teaching 
 the Psalm as a lesson supplemental to the regular 
 international lesson, or to the topic of the day. 
 Later it seemed wise to so change the character of 
 the presentation that the book could be used as a 
 gift book to be put directly into the hands of the 
 child. This made necessary the introduction of 
 various Bible and other stories in order to main- 
 tain the interest of a child reading alone, which it 
 would not be essential or wise to introduce when 
 teaching the Psalm orally. 
 
 The purpose of this leaflet is to outline the gen- 
 eral method which the writer would use in teach- 
 
 * Copyright, 1899, by Fleming H. Revcll Company. 
 
 i 
 
ii Suggestions to Teachers 
 
 ing, and to intimate what portions of each chapter 
 of the book as printed she would omit in oral in- 
 struction. These are not expected to be taken as 
 an)rthing but suggestions ; for no work of this 
 kind should be slavishly followed by individual 
 teachers. Each one will naturally adapt her pres- 
 entation to her own class, and draw illustrations 
 from her own experience and reading where the 
 ones given in the book do not serve her purpose. 
 
 Primary unions, where it has not been done, 
 will find the teaching of this Psalm as a supple- 
 mental lesson for five minutes each session until it 
 is finished, exceedingly helpful to the teachers. 
 It should be taught in every primary class at least 
 once in two years. 
 
 In this arrangement it is intended to teach the 
 Psalm in twelve lessons of about five minutes 
 each. It contains so many distinct ideas that 
 children could not grasp any if several were pre- 
 sented at once ; and this is the reason for dividing 
 it up into such small parts, and making it extend 
 through a whole quarter of the year's work. 
 
 By far the best method of making the children 
 understand about a shepherd and his sheep, and 
 fixing the attention on the special subject of each 
 day's lesson, is by means of such simple black- 
 board illustrations as are placed at the head of the 
 chapters. They should be on the board before 
 the school opens, as the children will then talk 
 
The Shepherd Psalm for Children iii 
 
 together about the picture ; those that understand 
 what they see will explain to those that do not, 
 the whole class will become familiar with the de- 
 tails, and will not have their attention distracted 
 from the lesson to the picture, as would be the 
 case if it were seen for the first at the moment 
 when it is used in the teaching. 
 
 If the teacher positively cannot draw even a 
 simple picture, and cannot find some friend to do 
 it for her, by watching magazines and papers she 
 can find pictures of shepherd and sheep, of ** still 
 waters" and "green pastures," and other scenes 
 similar to those in the book. Cut out and mounted 
 attractively, or even unmounted and pinned on 
 the board, these may serve the purpose ; but black- 
 board sketches would be better, even though 
 crudely drawn. 
 
 If the class is familiar with the sand boards 
 many of the lessons could be illustrated by using 
 it with florist's moss for grass, and such trees, 
 sheep and shepherd as can be bought in any toy 
 store. But to a class not accustomed to the sand 
 board, its introduction to them in so fascinating 
 a form would make it certain that they would not 
 learn anything from the lesson taught, because 
 wholly occupied with the object. 
 
 A valuable aid toward the committing of the 
 words of the Psalm to memory by those who 
 have not learned them, is in the use of pictorial 
 
iv Suggestions to Teachers 
 
 cards which contain the entire Psalm, but are 
 divided into ten parts by gilt lines upon which 
 they are to be cut apart.^ When the first sentence 
 is taught the part containing it is given to each 
 child, with a blank card the size of the complete 
 pictorial card. As the teaching progresses, they 
 receive other parts and paste them in regular 
 order on the large card. The words, which are 
 the subjects of the tenth and eleventh chapters in 
 this book, will be found on one card, but should 
 be taught separately, and the card given with the 
 second one. When the Psalm is finished the 
 scholars will have an appropriate picture formed 
 of the separate parts, each of which seems com- 
 plete in itself. The giving of these cards is an in- 
 cidental stimulus to good attendance, and makes 
 it quite certain that none able to attend will miss 
 the teaching of any week. 
 
 Since there are so many ways in which we can 
 show to children the tender love of Christ, " the 
 Good Shepherd," is it not best to make this beau- 
 tiful revelation of God's care, guidance and loving 
 kindness refer solely to the Heavenly Father? 
 Many who are now teachers have said that their 
 conception of God in childhood was that of an 
 avenging deity, "angry with the wicked every 
 day," but from whose wrath and punishments 
 
 • These may be obtained of the Fleming H. Revell Company. 
 ("Dissected cards for the 23d Psalm" — 25 cents for a package of 
 so^3 cents apiece.) 
 
The Shepherd Psahii for Children v 
 
 Christ was ever trying to shield them. No child 
 in this day is apt to have so extreme an impres- 
 sion made upon him, but there is danger along 
 this line which may be avoided by using this 
 Psalm to bring early to the minds of the little 
 ones a just conception of the Lord, who said of 
 old to His servant, ** I have loved thee with an 
 everlasting love." 
 
 With intermediate classes or mission bands, and 
 other organizations whose members are above the 
 primary age, many of such illustrations as should 
 be omitted for the little children, might be used. 
 The Scripture verses and references, inserted to 
 stimulate the child who reads to look for them, 
 and so become more familiar with the Book, will 
 be of little use in teaching small children, except 
 where such verses are already familiar to them. 
 
 For children eight years of age and under, in 
 the second chapter the reference to Goliath should 
 be omitted entirely, as the great interest that chil- 
 dren always have in the story would hold their at- 
 tention to it to the exclusion of the real lesson to 
 be impressed. In the sixth chapter the story of 
 the carriage maker has too much to do with busi- 
 ness to be understood perhaps by such young 
 children. In the seventh, the story of the ship 
 should be left out, as that of the shepherd is as 
 much as can be comprehended, and that alone 
 will best illustrate the text. The references to 
 
vi Suggestions to Teachers 
 
 Daniel and to the three men in the fiery furnace 
 in the eighth, and to Hobson in the tenth, should 
 not be used for the same reason as that given for 
 omitting the story of Goliath. Of course in this, 
 as in all other primary teaching, no fact should 
 be directly stated that can be drawn from the chil- 
 dren by questions. These lessons will be found to 
 afford unusual scope for questioning, and lessons 
 presented in that form will have a vivacity and in- 
 terest which can never be given to a printed page. 
 
 In the third chapter will be found the quota- 
 tions, "a whole skyful of goodness," and ''good- 
 ness enough to be good with all the time." These 
 are from Miss Peabody's "Lectures to Kinder- 
 gartners," and the lecture in which they are found, 
 "A Psychological Observation" should be read 
 by every primary Sunday-school teacher. It can 
 scarcely be equalled as a pattern for the presenta- 
 tion of a new religious idea to a child. 
 
 The hymn in the back of the book embodies 
 the chief thoughts in the teaching, and is in- 
 tended for use in connection with it. For the 
 reason mentioned, I would not have the children 
 sing '' Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us," while 
 learning this Psalm. If another hymn is desired, 
 there is a very good one, especially for children 
 above the primary age, in '* Welcome Songs for 
 the Sabbath-school," No. i, page 7.^ 
 
 ' Published by Fleming H. Revell Company, price 15 cents. 
 
For Work Among Children 
 
 Practical Primary Plans. For Sabbath School Teachers. 
 By Israel P. Black. Illustrated with diagrams. i6mo, cloth, 
 
 $I.OO. 
 
 Object Lessons for Junior Work. Practical Suggestions, 
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 The Children's Prayer. By Rev. James Wells, D.D. 
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 Bible Stories Without Names. By Rev. Harry Smith, M.A. 
 With questions at the end of each chapter and the answers in a 
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 Object Lessons for Children; or, Hooks and Eyes, Truth 
 Linked to Sight. Illustrated. By Rev. C. H. Tyndall, Ph.D., 
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 Attractive Truths in Lesson and Story. By Mrs. A. M. 
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 Pictured Truth. A Handbook of Blackboard and Object 
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 Conversion of Children. By Rev. E. P. Hammond. A 
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 Gospel Pictures and Story Sermons for Children. By 
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 Nbw York : 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago : 63 Washington Street 
 Toronto : 154 Yonge Street 
 
The Home and Children 
 
 Child Culture in the Home. B3? Martj^ B. Mosher. i2mo, 
 
 cloth, $1.00. ' 
 
 " Rarely has so helpful a book on the moral education of children 
 appeared. The emotions, the senses, the will, as well as the train- 
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 sidered.''— T/te Oui^ooA. '• . -•. 
 
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 Eighth thousand, i2mo, cloth, $1.00. 
 
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 Any mother having prayerfully read this heart message of a true 
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 Contents: Duties of Husbands. Duties of Wives, Duties 
 
 of Parents. Duties of Children. Duties of Brothers and Sisters. 
 
 The Duty of Family Worship. The Method of Family Worship. 
 
 A Home for Every Family and How to Get It. 
 
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 Independent. 
 
 Flemings H. Revell Company 
 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago : 63 Washington Street 
 Toronto : 154 Yonge Street 
 
Date Due 
 
 
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