Psalm 23
INTRODUCTION:
Well, today I want to take you to a very familiar passage of scripture. It’s certainly one of the most beloved passages in all of the Bible. Charles Spurgeon once called it, “the pearl of psalms.”
The passage I’m referring to is Psalm 23. That shepherd’s psalm.
Now, while we don’t know the exact details of when this Psalm was written, we do know that David wrote it, and most scholars believe it was probable later in his life — after many years had passed since his days in the pasture caring for sheep. It was probably penned sometime after his many struggles — only to have found God to be faithful and true.
From my experience, I can tell you this psalm is most often quoted during moments of loss — moments of death, and pain, and sorrow. And because of that, it sometimes gets the wrap as being a funeral psalm.
- But this psalm is more about looking up than it is looking down.
- It’s more about God’s promises than it is our pain.
- It’s more about His generosity than it is our loss.
- And, it’s certainly more about life than it is death.
In its opening line, Psalm 23 introduces us to it’s main character…and it’s not David, nor is it the rest of humanity (although you and I are included in the psalm), but rather — the main character in this psalm (and the Bible as a whole), is God. David reminds us that we don’t have to pray to an unknown god or a god of our imagination who hides behind the clouds. We have a knowable God, and He is the Lord.
In English he is called LORD. But the Hebrew version of this name is Yahweh. For He is the HOLY, ETERNAL and SELF–SUFFICIENT GOD.
Calling Him LORD, David is pointing us back to the beginning pages of scripture. So, just as God said to Moses, so David says to us, The “I am who I am” is my shepherd. And with that, David links his divine identity with the lowest and least among us. He is the God over all things…who has condescended to the lowest of rungs to care for David (and all of humanity). It seems a bit strange. But, David calls Him “the LORD…My Shepherd”. What a combination.
In the Ancient Near East, the role of a shepherd went to the least admired. In a large family, the youngest was usually assigned the role of the shepherd — forced to sleep with the sheep and feed the sheep and care for the sheep all hours of the day. Rarely a break. It was a dirty job. And so, shepherds were often despised and distrusted. They garnered no respect in society.
So it just seems strange that the HOLY, ETERNAL, and SELF-SUFFICIENT CREATOR would identify himself as a shepherd. Yet, the apostle John tells us that that’s exactly what God did — in the incarnation. He put on humanity and came close…literally “stepped down” from heaven, making His dwelling among us. And that’s what this psalm is about. God coming near. God promising to care for you and me as He did David. God choosing to SHEPHERD us.
MESSAGE:
So, if you have your Bible, turn with me to Psalm 23. As, David writes:
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Well, again — I believe this is a psalm of life — and a psalm filled with promises. And, I think it’s incredibly relevant for you and me. So, in the time we have left, let me highlight a few things for us.
THIS PSALM OFFERS YOU SEVERAL PROMISES!
And I want to point out four. These are stated by David as things we have much of — things we do not lack. But only because of the provision of our GOD SHEPHERD — or as Jesus would put it (in John 10), our Good Shepherd. So, David says:
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
David begins by alerting us to the fact that God is alive. So he uses this present-tense title. The “I am that I am.” Because, The Lord is alway present! He doesn’t say, the Lord will be…or the Lord used to be. Because He’s present (always). But he adds to this, “The Lord is MY shepherd.”
David doesn’t start out by singing, “The Lord is my father’s Shepherd . . . the Lord is my mother’s Shepherd . . .” Because, that won’t cut it. He is my shepherd.
This is a beautiful psalm, but it only works IF…the Lord is your shepherd. Right? The second half of that verse only works if the first half is settled. But, if the Lord is your shepherd, then you will lack nothing. And that’s because, He intimately cares for you, when you completely depend upon Him. It’s totally about relationship. If He is with His, He’s got you covered.
Listen, as a daddy, this makes perfect sense to me. Because, when my kids are with me, I pay for everything. It’s always been this way — and will always be that way. No matter how old they get, I pay. When they all come home (I have 4)…plus 2 additions and a grandbaby…but when they come home, Daddy pays.
In the same way, when God is your shepherd — when He is with you, he provides…and you lack nothing.
(I know we are only dealing with the first 3 verses — but look at verse 4 again…because it holds the key to really understanding this entire psalm. Hebrew poetry often buries the lead…hiding the thesis statement in the middle. And that’s exactly what David did here. In verse 4 we read:
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
And that’s the key — if the GOD SHEPHERD is with you…you want for nothing.)
And, to clarify, David details four promises that you can count on. Four things the Lord does for us — if he is our shepherd. And the first is:
- WE ARE PROMISED REST FOR OUR RESTLESS LIVES.
In verse 2, David says,
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
Sheep by nature are restless creatures. The late author and pastor, Phillip Keller was himself a shepherd for 8 years. During that time he observed the actions of both sheep and shepherds. One of the things he noticed was that sheep are typically restless, fearful, and distracted creatures. It’s like they have a sheep version of ADHD. Their just fidgety and nervous. Always moving, always distracted.
In addition, they’re also territorial. So they push each other and fight with each other, trying to establish dominance over each other…until…until their shepherd comes close. Keller states that when their shepherd comes near, the sheep settle down.
In like manner St Augustine said, “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.”
So, David says,
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
Let me point out one more thing about this — because it really amazing. In the Near Ancient East — finding a green pasture is not very likely. You’ll find rocks and dust and sprigs of grass…but not lush fields. Again, Keller writes, “Green pastures were the product of tremendous labor, time and skill in land use. Green pastures were the result of clearing rough, rocky land; of tearing out brush and roots and stumps; of deep plowing and careful soil preparation; of seeding and planting special grains; of irrigating with water and caring. If the sheep were to enjoy green pastures amid the brown, barren hills [of Bethlehem], the shepherd had a tremendous job to accomplish.”
And…He has to be working in advance. And that’s what He does! God is planning in advance for that time when you and I will need rest. In his omniscience, He is preparing a place of safety and care for our weary bodies and minds. A place of rest. And that place is most often found IN HIM. We find our rest in Jesus.
So, let me ask you — are you embracing that rest that He is offering? Are you looking to Him when you heart is troubled and your mind is restless? I challenge you to do that. I know you work with the Word of God as your occupation — but I challenge you to embrace the Word of God as your oasis of rest (as well).
But there’s an additional promise here in verse 2. And it’s this:
2. WE ARE PROMISED PEACE for our peace-less hearts.
Keller, like David observed that sheep are peace-less creatures. And one of the most contributing factors to their peace-less-ness, is their thirst.
If a sheep is thirsty it will not settle down. Agricultural studies have shown this to be true. What’s worse, is that in their craving for water — they will wander. They will leave the flock in search of water. They’ll look everywhere and anywhere for it. And as is often the case, a part from the care of their shepherd, a sheep will settle for any sort of water (be it dirty, polluted, or even stagnant and parasitic infested water). The problem is, when they drink from those sources, they often become sick and physically troubled.
To this, David says, the Divine Shepherd,
2 …leads me beside quiet waters,
So, he leads us to discover good water…life-giving water. Living water.
For a sheep, they will at times find water — but it will be moving at a quick pace. And while the water source may be good — the place and timing isn’t suitable for the sheep to drink. But they will try…often to their own peril. Because, as they wade in to drink, the rushing waters will saturate their wool coat and the weight can pull them down into the water, taking their life.
But you and I have a good shepherd.
In John 10, Jesus calls himself our Good Shepherd.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” — John 10:14 (NIV)
And I’m sure you will recall how in John 7, on that last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles (where the people were gathered in Jerusalem to worship for 8 days), Jesus stood up on that final day and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water shall flow from within them.”
John would tell us that He was speaking or foreshadowing the presence of the Holy Spirit. But, the point I’m making today is that it’s easy to get wrapped up in the search for things that can bring us peace — only to look in the wrong places and become sick by the polluted waters of this world. But Jesus offers us genuine peace in Him. Peace in His Word. Peace in the abiding presence of HIs Spirit within us…like fresh water flowing through our hearts and minds. That’s a promise to all who make Him the shepherd of their life.
Another promise the good shepherd makes — is that…
3. WE ARE PROMISED HOPE WHEN WE ARE HOPELESS.
Notice the words of verse 3. It’s there that David says,
“He refreshes (or restores) my soul.”
Some versions translate this as “He restores our soul.” As I understand it, this phrase in Hebrew can mean “to bring to repentance” — much like the work of the Holy Spirit, as He draws us close and leads us back to the place of health and wholeness in our walk with Christ. But, this Hebrew verb we translate as “restore” also has the idea of repairing or turning – as in, reversing or turning back; you might think of “returning something” to is former glory. Setting something back the way it was intended to be.
I have a friend named Ray who is among other things, a master craftsman. He’s an artist really. But one of his hobbies is taking old things and making them new. He takes antiques and restores them. He takes old coke machines that have long quit working, those with faded paint and runs of rust, and he refurbishes them. He restores them. He returns them to their prior state. He makes them function and work as they were originally created to do.
Like wise, David is saying, God does the same. He takes us in our brokenness and refreshes or restores our souls.
I really think David was probably referring to the way a shepherd will take a sheep that has fallen and upset, or reset him back on his feet. When a sheep becomes cast, or cast over (meaning they are flipped over on their side or back), then their bodies begin to almost immediately start producing unhealthy gases.
Sheep are like cattle and deer — in that they have a stomach with 4 compartments. Each has a different function in breaking down the food they eat. One chamber is called the RUMEN (this chamber takes up about 75 percent of the stomach space. And it functions to break down the grasses that the sheep eats. But this stomach produces a lot of gases as the grass ferments. And so, when a sheep is cast, or turned on it’s side or back…those gases begin to fill the other chambers and spaces within the sheep. And they build up so much pressure — that they can eventually rupture and kill the sheep.
So, when a sheep is cast — the only real solution is a shepherd. He comes to them, puts his arms around them, and lifts them up. Sound familiar?
It should, because that’s what Jesus does for us. In John 9, Jesus did this to a young boy who had been tormented by an evil spirit. Helpless to address his own need, Jesus intervenes. He commands the spirit to be gone, and then finding the boy left (as though dead, collapsed on the ground), the scripture says, Jesus lifted him up!
And that’s what Jesus does for us too. He finds us when we are cast down and low in heart — and wraps his arms around us, lifting us up and giving us hope in our hopelessness.
Have you found that to be true?
He lifts us up when we are down.
Well, lastly, David tells us…
4. WE ARE PROMISED DIRECTION IN OUR AIMLESSNESS.
The final promise He offers in this first part of Psalm 23 is found in the final words of verse 3, where David says,
3 …He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Yet another promise of His divine care.
David is telling us that our GOD SHEPHERD…the GOOD SHEPHERD has promised to lead us forward, out of the confusion that sin brings, out of the mess that rebellion brings, and out of the disarray that enters our lives when we live without conviction and purpose. But during those times — if we will yield our will to His, our good shepherd will lead us into paths of righteousness — or more literally, ruts of righteousness.
Ruts are deeper than just paths. Ruts are those well established and trusted lanes that have been long developed and divinely defined as right (by our good shepherd). And man…don’t we need that in our lives? Because after all, as Isaiah said, “we are like sheep who have gone astray, each to our own way.”
We are like sheep, self–assertive, strong willed, easily distracted, often confused, self–destructive wanderers. And like sheep, we are prone to wander aimlessly? Sometimes, dangerously. That’s just what sheep do.
In 2005, in Eastern Turkey — there were 1500 sheep gathered together by a group of shepherds. At one point in the morning…the shepherds carelessly turned away from their sheep to prepare breakfast. The problem was — no one was left to watch the sheep. After just a short time alone…the massive herd was distracted. It happened as one of the small lambs wandered away from the herd and then leaped over a rock. The problem was that the on the other side of the lard rock was a deep ravine. In his wandering — the lamb wandered to his death. The problem though, was that almost immediately, another sheep followed. And then another…and then another. In the end, more than 400 more sheep followed that 1 small lamb before they were stopped by the shepherds. The loss that day was estimated in 2005 at $74,000. That would be $120,000 in today’s economy. That’s a major loss!
Sheep have the tendency to wander — and so do we. That’s why we need a shepherd! Because He will lead us. He will keep us from wandering. And He’ll guide us down the RIGHT PATHS in life. And I do love that God calls us sheep and not cattle. Because cattle are driven — but sheep are led.
But the big question today is: Are you (and I) submitting our lives to his guidance? Are we really following the paths that He has established for us? Are we trusting His guidance — at all times, even when it doesn’t make sense to us?
Have we really submitted to His leading — are we allowing Him to be our Good Shepherd?
If so, then keep yielding to Him. Keep following Him. And keep trusting Him to fulfill these good promises in you (and your life). But if not, start today. Surrender yourself fully to Him. Believe and confess Jesus as Lord (as Jehovah—the ETERNAL and SELF-SUFFICIENT GOD). And start following Him today.
As John 10:10 says, He is a good shepherd who has laid down his life for you. So remember His promises:
Jesus is our rest when we are restless,
He’s our peace when we are peace-less.
He’s our hope when we are hopeless.
And. He’s our direction when we are aimless.
Would you bow your head and let me pray for you?
— CLOSING PRAYER —