Denise Noeby Denise Noe
First published in Spring, 2009, Volume 6, Issue 1, The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.
Lizzie Borden’s instructions for her funeral service stated that she wanted two readings from the Holy Bible given at the simple ceremony that was held to mark her passing. One passage she named was from the Old Testament, and the other, a chapter from the New. This may have been just happenstance or could have reflected Lizzie’s desire to give equal weight to the part of the Bible that Christians tend to see as the foundation of their faith and the part that they view as its consummation.
Psalm 23 and John 14 were what Lizzie wanted read at her funeral. Why did Lizzie choose these particular readings? There is no way to answer that question with certainty but her having done so merits a close examination of these choices in a journal dedicated to Lizzie Borden and the mystery that surrounds her.
Since this particular Whittling is about the Bible, I think it is only fair to readers of The Hatchet that the author state at the outset her beliefs—or rather lack of them. I am an atheist who was raised as a Christian. I respect the Bible for its literary, cultural, and historical value. Indeed, I recently completed the project I had set for myself of reading the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, from cover to cover. I have no wish to give offense with this Whittling, or even start a debate about religion since that would be extremely inappropriate to the mission of The Hatchet.
“The Lord is my shepherd”
The Book of Psalms is one of the most famous books of the Old Testament. The Psalms were originally written as songs and are some of the most beautifully poetic parts of the Bible. Both Jewish and Christian tradition holds that most or all of the Psalms were written by David.
Often called The Shepherd’s Psalm, Psalm 23 is one of the best known parts of the Bible—and for good reason. It is a short Psalm so it will be no hardship to reproduce it in full here before analyzing it. The following is taken directly from the King James Version of the Bible.
PSALM 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
This Psalm is one of the most powerful of all the Psalms in its language and imagery. Its description of the deity as a shepherd is a metaphor that sets a mood that is warmly reassuring in its ideal of the narrator as someone being conscientiously looked after and cared for. “I shall not want” suggests that trust in that deity leads to a state in which the narrator feels needs met and, thus, is relieved of worrying about even the possibility of deprivation.
The second verse instantly brings to mind splendid images of nature that represent tranquility. It also reinforces the concept of God as a shepherd and leader, the narrator as a grateful follower and beneficiary of the deity’s generosity and caring.
“He restoreth my soul” indicates how God functions to replenish the narrator in times of psychological exhaustion. The second clause of this verse is the first part of this Psalm to mention morality. It indicates that the narrator is led to morally proper conduct by the deity and hews to that conduct for love of the “shepherd.”
The fourth verse recalls the nature imagery that is so strong in the first verse but refers to its opposite in mood. Tranquility is “green pastures” and “still waters,” while terror is a “valley.” It is possible that the “valley of the shadow of death” refers to death itself, and asserts the narrator’s confidence in the face of a fearful reality that necessarily “shadows” all members of the human species. It is also possible that it refers—perhaps at the same time—to dangerous events in this life. In either case, the narrator asserts a steadfast confidence, trusting in the Lord to protect.
“Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” is a line to give a reader pause. Why would these items be of comfort?
Perhaps a modern reader will even wonder what is meant by the words “rod” and “staff” in this verse. The words probably refer to the same item. Repetition is a common attribute of poetry and The Shepherd’s Psalm is poetry at its finest.
Dictionary.com gives an array of definitions for the word “rod.” Among them is “an instrument of punishment or correction; figuratively, chastisement.” It would seem that this type of rod is not that which is referenced, as chastisement seems absent from the comforting mood of Psalm 23. However, the rod of chastisement can be seen as something that does in fact give comfort as it is so important to properly set limits to human behavior. Loving discipline may be what is referred to in this verse.
Another definition given of a “rod” is “a wand, staff, or scepter carried as a symbol of office, authority, power, etc.” The rod in which the narrator of Psalm 23 finds comfort may well be a rod symbolizing power and representing the supreme authority of the Supreme Being. Since that Being is viewed as benevolent and caring, the rod of authority is a source of comfort.
Dictionary.com includes a similar definition for a “staff” as “serving as a symbol of office or authority.” It also tells us that a “staff” is something that “supports or sustains.” It is likely that the words in this Psalm are meant to convey both a sense of authority and a related sense that a person’s psychological equilibrium is supported and sustained by a caring authority.
Perhaps most relevant to The Shepherd’s Psalm, the rod or staff is a tool used by shepherds to herd their flocks. It might strike some readers as odd that the narrator takes comfort in being viewed as a sheep. We often use the term “sheep” derogatorily to refer to people who stupidly follow a leader. However, in the context of Psalm 23, the comparison seems to speak of the trust that the sheep places in the shepherd. Dr. James Tedder, pastor of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Church of the Open Door, observes, “Sheep are by nature skittish and part of their security are the protection and assurance of the rod and the staff.”
If the author of The Shepherd’s Psalm was David, one might wonder why this extraordinary personality, who slew the giant Goliath with a slingshot and rose to become King of Israel, would compare himself to a nervous, skittish animal. This is not hard to understand. David was courageous, but courage is not the absence of fear, but acting despite one’s fear.
The image in the fifth verse of a table prepared with a feast again brings us an image of the deity as a source of replenishment. The idea of such a feast prepared in the presence of one’s enemies evokes the sense that one need “fear no evil” when trusting the Lord.
Then we come to the verse in which the Lord anoints the narrator’s head with oil. This is an act carrying great significance to ancient peoples, which the Bible has brought into our contemporary consciousness even as the specific custom of “anointing” has long since passed. In the era that the Bible was written, people were often officially consecrated to a religious or a high secular office by the application of oil to their heads. Modern people can still experience that “anointing” in a metaphorical sense and believers in general may feel themselves “anointed” to their Lord’s service.
“My cup runneth over” may refer to a cup in which anointing oil is held and from which it is poured. It may also symbolize the idea of being filled and overflowing with love.
The final verse of Psalm 23 echoes the assurances found in the previous passages and asserts security both in this life and the possible afterlife. “Goodness” in the final verse could refer to pleasant things, reflecting the sense of tranquility and security that the narrator of this Psalm feels, and at the same time, indicate an adherence to what the Psalmist regarded as the most upright moral principles. While the first part of the verse holds promises for this life, the second tells of those for a life after it.
John 14 is considerably longer than Psalm 23 so it will not be quoted in full here. However, it certainly can be analyzed. Like the verses of Psalm 23, some of those from John 24 are among the best-known statements of the Holy Bible.
“I am the way, the truth and the life.”
The mood of John 14 parallels that of Psalm 23 in being one of comfort and reassurance. However, it differs from the Psalm in that it appears to set forth some of the basics of this specifically Christian creed.
Much of John 14 consists of direct quotations from Jesus Christ. “Red letter” versions of the New Testament set these quotes apart from others by printing them in that vibrant color.
The chapter begins: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” This verse appears to set down the basis for Christianity: a special relationship between Jesus and God, a relationship so tightly knit that to believe in one is to believe in the other.
The second verse says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions” and “I go to prepare a place for you.” Thus, Jesus is leaving those who are listening to Him but He will be busy since he must work to “prepare a place” for them, that place having the majesty of a mansion.
In verse 6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” With this statement, Jesus asserts His absolute importance in the scheme of things and his role as the only bridge to the “Father” who is presumed to be God.
Throughout John 14, Jesus repeatedly describes Himself and His Father as enjoying a uniquely intimate tie. Verses 10-12: “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than these shall he do: because I go unto my Father.”
Soon after making the above statements, Jesus talks of the “Comforter” who will be sent to those who believe in Jesus. This Comforter is specified in a still later verse to be the “Holy Ghost.”
As with Psalm 23, the overall message of John 14 is one of comfort and reassurance. However, in sharp contrast to the tranquility of the Psalm, John 14 ends with a clear but concise call to action when Jesus says, “Arise, let us go hence.”
Why did Lizzie want Psalm 23 and John 14 read?
Lizzie Borden’s choices for readings at her funeral service gives us no basis for thinking her a Biblical scholar of any sort. They do indicate familiarity with some of the better known Biblical passages. They also tell us that she wanted the mood at the service marking her death to be one of comfort and quiet optimism. Finally, they suggest that she had good taste in selecting chapters of the Bible that are especially powerful in both language and imagery.
In looking at the Bible chapters that may have been especially significant to Lizzie, we find ourselves reviewing a Psalm that is treasured by Jews and Christians for its lovely description of the caring relationship between the deity and the believer, and that may be cherished even by those of us who are neither Jew nor Christian for its poetic power and resonance.
We also find ourselves examining a passage from the Old Testament that is of special importance to Christians for what it sets out as the basic tenets of that religion. It is also a passage that is notable for its combining sayings of comfort and reassurance with those of assertion and activity.
Many people would not like to think of themselves as having much in common with Lizzie Borden. Some see her as the murderer of her father and stepmother who was able to get away with these horrible crimes. Even people who do not believe she was a murderer may not find her a pleasant or admirable character.
Nevertheless, her apparent valuing of the Biblical passages this essay has explored reinforces that truth that she was human and a person who appreciated beauty, yearned for deep meaning in life, and hoped for a life after the one we know ends.
Regardless of her involvement or lack of involvement in the Borden murders, Lizzie Borden was a human being. Her choices of Bible passages to be read at her funeral show that she was also a person possessing qualities that were normal as well as some qualities that were admirable.
Works cited:
Dictionary.com. 1 December 2008 <http://dictionary. reference.com/browse/rod>.
The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, Authorized King James Version, Red Letter Edition, Jimmy Swaggart Giant Print Commentary Edition, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana [no publication date given].
Koorey, Stefani. “Lizzie’s Funeral.” Email to the author. 5 December 2008.
Tedder. Dr. James. “Re: Denise Noe on Psalm 23.” Email to the author. 12 December 2008.
