Psalm 23
Notes
Transcript
Who is God to you?
God is love, God is just, God is redeemer
God is an absent Father, God is a question mark , God is nothing
Our experiences shape how we see God
David's experience as a shepherd
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Note the personal relationship. God is MY shepherd.
Four things that God as our shepherd does:
1. He refreshes our souls (vs. 2-3a)
1. He refreshes our souls (vs. 2-3a)
There are so many things that can wear down our souls. Busy-ness, conflicts, sin. Too many screens, not enough connection to nature.
Psalm 23:2–3a (NIV)
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul.
Makes me lie down = not forced, but provides the opportunities and reminders.
Our green pastures and quiet waters = Jesus
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
So what does this look like:
1) Contemplation leading to repentance.
2) Spending real, unhurried time in prayer, in silence, in the word of God
3) Practice the discipline of true Sabbath
Our shepherd refreshes our souls - well, he will if we will stop our scurrying about and our over-programming and lie down in the green pasture by the still water.
2. He guides us along the right paths
2. He guides us along the right paths
Psalm 23:3–4 (NIV)
3b 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.
The amount of books on leadership is simply staggering. And I get it - leadership is not just important, it’s really hard. But you know what’s also really hard? FOLLOWING. Because following requires trust.
But so many human leaders are in it for their glory, not God’s glory so it’s hard to trust them. We’ve seen massive mega-churches collapse because their leaders made it about them, not Jesus.
David realizes that God’s leadership is actually a reflection of his character. God’s name and God’s character are intricately related.
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord provides
El Shaddai - God the almighty
El Roi - God who sees - used by Hagar
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord who Heals
Jesus - The Lord is salvation
“He guides me for his name’s sake” means he guides me according to his character. And that means we can trust God’s leadership because unlike humans, God has not, will not, and can not do anything that violates his character. He guides us for his name’s sake.
Note where the path may lead: Even through the hardest times - But you don’t have to fear - our shepherd is with you!
The rod protects us from our enemies
The staff both is used to rescue when we go astray and used to gently realign us.
31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Our shepherd never abandons us - he is present with us through every season, leading us along the right paths for his name’s sake.
If you are going a season that feels like a dark valley - turn your eyes from the situation and look to our shepherd, Jesus who will guide you through that valley to the place of rest on the other side.
3. He prepares a table
3. He prepares a table
Psalm 23:5a (NIV)
5a You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
In this verse, the scene shifts slightly, but still significantly. Instead of us being sheep, we are now the guests of the shepherd and the motif moves from God’s leadership to God’s hospitality.
In middle-eastern hospitality, if I were to host you to my home, your safety and well-being would become my responsibility. So when David says that God our shepherd prepares a table for us, he is sharing deeply intimate language.
He’s saying, we are the beloved guests of God and that we can rest in him because he is protecting us.
We live in a world based on fear. Christians in the west are afraid of losing the social power and standing that has been our privilege for the last couple hundred years and that fear is causing us to act, what’s the word, STUPID.
There is a movement amongst some conservatives in the US to boycott the restaurant Chik-Fil-A because they have hired a director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. A related movement is about boycotting the TV show “The Chosen” which is a dramatic take on the life and teachings of Jesus because a cameraman displayed a PRIDE flag. They are actually cancelling Jesus now. And it’s all based on fear.
There is so much fear in our world today but God doesn’t call us to live by fear. He calls us to live by faith. Because Jesus prepares a table for us as our good shepherd, we have nothing to fear. So we can agree with the Apostle Paul when he says...
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our shepherd refreshes our soul, guides us along right paths, prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, and he...
4. He anoints our heads with oil
4. He anoints our heads with oil
Psalm 23:5b (NIV)
5b You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Church, I want to tell you something that you probably know. God loves you deeply. But I want to tell you something else that some of you may struggle with: God actually likes you.
Some who grew up in a performance driven home really struggle with this.
But our shepherd invites us to the table and he anoints our heads with oil. Biblically, the anointing of the head was a common symbol of welcome.
The story of the woman anointing Jesus’ feet in Luke 7
He failed in his welcoming to Jesus because he didn’t really like Jesus. But God our shepherd anoints us because he welcomes us into his presence.
2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
God’s love for us is so great, that despite all the ways we have failed him and all the ways we will fail him, he still welcomes us to the table, anoints us with oil, and provides for us so abundantly, that we will declare with David, “my cup overflows.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Psalm 23 ends with a statement of faith by David. Seeing all that God has done for him in the past and how God keeps on doing it, David declares:
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.
If God my shepherd has restored my soul before, he’s going to do it again. If God my shepherd has guided me in the past, I can trust his leadership in the present and for the future. If God has defeated my enemies when he rose from the grave, then I have nothing to fear from any person or circumstance. If God has proven over and over that he loves me, I can trust that God likes me and wants me to be in his presence, no matter what I’ve done.
Since God has done all these things, then surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. Not ease and comfort, but goodness and love. So when I am walking through the darkest valley, I don’t have to be afraid. God is with me, just ahead, leading the way. And right behind me? His goodness and love are there to make sure I don’t stumble too far.
Who is God to you? Is he your shepherd?
