Psalms: Jesus the Shepherd

Introduction

Open to Psalm 23. Psalm 23:1-6

Last time

Psalm 2 was a warning, Be wise you peoples of the earth

Jesus is the Lord with the rod of Iron

He crushes all that oppose him

He wheres a rob dipped in the blood of his enemies

He wields all power in heaven and on earth

He is the one appointed to judge the world in righteous

This Lordship of Jesus is often depicted on TV as the long haired lamb holding Jesus. The Jesus you don’t see on TV all that often is the blood soaked sword wielding king.

The reality is that the savior and shepherd Jesus is there to save us from the Warrior and Judge Jesus.

We are save from God, by God and for God

We are taking the time to remember this because this Psalm tonight is about the good Shepherd, in a culture that only wants to remember the lamb holding Jesus we need to be Christians that worship the Shepherd king.

Lets read

Psalm 23:1–6 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 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 goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy and Infallible

Lets Pray

Transition

If you would for a moment turn to John 10:11–18. John 10:11–18 We want to ground our understanding in scripture that Jesus is the Shepherd. I found it really interesting reading Calvin comment tart on this Psalm that he never mentions Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God’s shepherding his people.

That being said, it is with out a doubt the best way to understand this text.

John 10:11–18 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

English Standard Version

Ps. 78:52; 80:1; Isa. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:11, 12, 23; John 10:11; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4

The theme of God’s shepherding of his people is throughout the text of scripture. The pictures in this Psalm help us see the depth of the Shepherding God does for his people.

The Psalm is broken down into 3 parts, the first one is verse 1-3

Body

I shall not want

Psalm 23:1–3 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

YHWH is my Shepherd.

We want to know here the name of God, means that its not part of God that watch over but the whole Trinity, the Godhead.

The Father sent the son to save,

As we read the Son lays his life down for the sheep

and the Spirit seals us according to Eph 1:13.

I shall not want

Did Job have a Shepherd?

“Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15, ESV)

The ultimate not want is to be fully relent on God.

“He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

For his name sake.

The false gospel that says Jesus died for me, he died for the glory of God and you benefit for it.

He died demonstrating God justice and mercy are you are the recipient of that mercy.

Transition

Why could Job say though he slay me I will hope in him. The shepherd the can shepherd beyond the grave. Verse 4.

Fear No Death or Correction

Psalm 23:4 ESV

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

“valley of the shadow of death”

Jesus passed through death so we do not fear death.

“our rod and your staff, they comfort me”

“7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb 12:7–9, ESV)

We rejoice for the discipline of the Lord because it is evidence in this life time of our security

Transition

The eternal shepherd, we do not fear this life, we do not fear death, because we will always have the best from the Lord for ever.

All of my Infinite Days

Psalm 23:5–6 ESV

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Table before me in the middle of my enemy.

The banquet table of the King is always open for his people. We are feed with the heavenly bread, he body his blood.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (Jn 6:51, ESV)

Goodness and mercy.

“Having recounted the blessings which God had bestowed upon him, he now expresses his undoubted persuasion of the continuance of them to the end of his life. But whence proceeded this confidence, by which he assures himself that the beneficence and mercy of God will accompany him for ever, if it did not arise from the promise by which God is accustomed to season the blessings which he bestows upon true believers, that they may not inconsiderately devour them without having any taste or relish for them? When he said to himself before, that even amidst the darkness of death he would keep his eyes fixed in beholding the providence of God, he sufficiently testified that he did not depend upon outward things, nor measured the grace of God according to the judgment of the flesh, but that even when assistance from every earthly quarter failed him, his faith continued shut up in the word of God. [1]

“all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The days of his life are not to be understood as merely physical life, but they are that eternal life, that anyone eats of this bread has.

The brother or sister that sits in a Chinese prison right now if feed on the bread of life from the banquet table of the Lord and there is nothing the totalitarian despot who runs that country can do about it.

The all powerful King is the refugee for those that trust in him. This is what David said in Psalm 2. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Ps 2:12, ESV)

He fights for them

He dies for them

He feeds them

He keeps them

They have no fear of death,

No fear no want or need he is not sufficient for

Conclusion

As we conclude this evening have you considered this King, if you have is he your refuge. I am not just talking about those that are not of the faith, yes, if you have not made this king your refuge do that now, tomorrow may be to late.

I am talking to you saint that has been in the Lord for years and years. Have you armed your mind by daily remember where your refuge is.

Benediction

“The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Ps 121:5–8, ESV)

References

[1] John Calvin and James Anderson, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 398–399.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and James Anderson. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.