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Puffery is the noun form of puffing. Puffery is extremely common in retail advertising. It is an entirely subjective and exaggerated claim about a product or a service. It is worded so that no right thinking person would take the claim literally. In the paragraph that follows I will list a few familiar claims for you to read. In each of these claims, I will leave our a word or two for you to fill in. Among the puffery that is involved there will also be one true, but incredible claim. See if you can fill in the blanks, and at the same time, spot the claim that is not puffery.

“When you say ______, you've said it all.” “You're in good hands with _______________.” “_______ has a better idea!” “The ________ is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” “Nothing cleans like ______.” I don't want to insult your intelligence, but since these articles are read by people with such a wide range of cultural backgrounds, I will fill in the blanks for you; they are Bud, Allstate, Ford, Lord, and 409. Now to the second part of the challenge; which one incredible statement among the group is literally true? Answer: The fourth statement, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. This is our focus Psalm for today. From the revered King James Version, it reads:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

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.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalm 23.1-6).

The claims are incredible, but they are all true. The fact that there is figurative speech involved does not lessen the veracity of the statements which the psalmist made. While the Lord is not a literal shepherd, He does literally see after ALL the cares of His creation and sees that none of His own go with out that which they need. After the extended figures regarding the Shepherd and His work, the psalmist closes with the following affirmation: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” The promises in the body of the psalm could be taken as physical promises, but more than likely they are spiritual in nature. Regardless of that, the most notable promise is the last one – “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

In the most realistic way, if one could not say, “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever,” there is no way he could say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” If the objective of every believer – an eternal home with God – be not realized, every other objective is of no consequence. Or, to say it another way, “If we miss heaven, we have missed it all!”

The twenty-third psalm could well begin like this: “Since the Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Everything that follows actually goes without saying. If the first affirmation be true, then all the rest follows. It is not puffing to say, “When you've said God, you've said it all.” Neither is, “You're in good hands with God,” nor, “God has a better idea!” You could even say, “Nothing cleans like God,” and be absolutely truthful. God is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1.3) and that's not puffery!

Questions:

1. Can figurative language be truthful? Is there a difference in saying, “I believe all the Bible to be literal,” and “I literally believe all the Bible”?

2. To what needs of the sheep does the shepherd attend? To what needs of humanity does God attend?

3. What would it mean to dwell in the house of the LORD forever?

4. What other advertising slogans could actually describe God when His name is substituted for the usual product name?

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

The Second Sin