Shepherd King

David as a Shepherd

Instead of continuing in the life of David, I want to take a pause an examine one of the defining identities of David we are introduced to in these first 2 chapters (16 & 17) of David’s life.

In chapter 16, we are introduced to David when he is fetched from tending his dad’s sheep in the wilderness outside of Bethlehem.

Then in 17, David’s dad, Jesse, again pulls him away from the sheepfold to go deliver food to his brothers.

And as we looked at last week, David overhears Goliath taunting and threatening the Israelite army and is outraged. He is brought to King Saul, to whom he says that he will go and fight Goliath.

After saw doubts his ability, David points back to his time as a shepherd and says to Saul:

1 Samuel 17:34–37 CSB

34 David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”

David’s years as a shepherd were deeply impactful to him as a person. shaped him as a king, and, I think most importantly, shaped his relationship with and understanding of God.

As a Shepherd, David came to know The Shepherd.

So, it is no surprise, that David would write Psalm 23, his shepherd Psalm.

We don’t know when it was written, but it was likely written in the years we are about to read about in 1 Samuel as King Saul becomes increasingly jealous of David as he becomes more and more popular in Israel.

Or he writes later in his reign as King, when his rebellious son Absalom is chasing him seeking to kill him and take over the thrown.

Either way, in a dark and difficult season of life, David turns to God as his Shepherd, reminded of the work, the care, the attention, and the affection it took for him as a Shepherd.

So today, I want to spend some time looking at Psalm 23 and reflecting on David’s heartfelt prayer/song of praise for God as our Shepherd as it points us to Jesus who we know as our Good Shepherd (John 10).

Psalm 23 CSB

A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, 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 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

the beauty of the Psalm, especially David’s, is the authentic emotion that comes through.

You can’t read this psalm in a plain, drab sort of way. It must be read with emotion: joy, celebration, comfort, and adoration.

Notice David doesn’t say “the Shepherd” or “a Shepherd,” no he says “my” shepherd.

David has experienced, has interacted, has MET, God as his Shepherd and has thus experienced God in 5 clear and profoundly glorious ways.

David knew God our Shepherd as:

1) PROVIDER

David would have know the lands of Israel better than most, having led sheep through them for years.

He would have known the land to be mostly dry and rocky hills covered with sparse and tough grass, not ideal for sheep feeding.

Water was also sparse and sporadic, often based on the season or whether a certain area hod gotten rain and filled up and otherwise dry wadi or stream.

David would have know this and would have known what it took to lead sheep to a place of rest, fullness, and contentment.

A sheep that lies down in green grass is a sheep that is satisfied, secure, and serene.

It is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of their social behavior within a flock, sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.⁵ -- Phillip Keller

As David writes out these words, he is likely hiding in a cave, walking from one hiding place to another, or fighting another threat from someone desiring his death.

We read these words and assume David is writing about the idealized life we all have in our minds.

A life without need, without struggle, and without threats.

But that wasn’t David’s life, yet it was his hope and the fuel behind his faith.

We must read these words as a prayer that David prayed in the middle of his struggles.

He was reminding himself that God not only WILL provide, but IS actively providing for him.

He is a good God who cares deeply for His sheep (us).

It is so easy to doubt God’s goodness and His love for us when life doesn’t go how we want.

But what are we looking for?

David’s green pastures and quiet waters are obviously not cozy castles, huge buffet meals, and an army of soldiers guarding him from threats.

His rest is found in the Lord, his hunger is met in the Lord, and his worry is settled in the Lord.

2) GUIDE

David also would have been aware of the journey that was often required to find food, water, and safety for the sheepfold.

So when he speaks of “having what I need” and laying in green pastures, beside still waters, he would have know personally the journey that would require.

Sheep had to follow their shepherds from place to place in order to have food to eat, water to drink, and safety from threats.

Sheep are not the smartest of God’s creation, so their dependence on a shepherd is pretty comprehensive.

David felt this dependence with the Lord.

He knew that he didn’t have enough strength to conquer his enemies, enough skill navigate through the various struggles he faced, or the wisdom to know what was right.

He needed a shepherd, and God was his.

Jesus says in John 10-

John 10:27 CSB

27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.

What is the loudest voice in your ears?

It is social media, a news station, a friends group, or something else?

Some of the biggest fights Pam and I have had have been over me using GPS in places she knows really well.

It isn’t that I don’t trust her knowledge, but there is something about the sweet, robotic voice google manufactured and put into my phone that I am comforted by as I navigate the busy roads of Jacksonville, FL.

Though that might not be the best analogy and likely will get me in trouble later, Jesus’s voice must be the loudest voice in our ears and in our soul, guiding and leading down the right paths for His glory and our good.

Even in the darkest of valley’s, God is leading us, that is if we are listening.

3) PROTECTOR

You can hear in David’s words to Saul, he knew first hand what it meant to protect sheep from danger.

There is a clear connect between David’s words in 1 Samuel 17:35, Psalm 23:4, and Matthew 18:10-13

Matthew 18:12–13 CSB

12 What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

David went after the one sheep who wandered away from the sheepfold, and with his rod and staff, he would fight off lions and bears in order to save and protect even the one sheep.

David could stand up to Goliath not because he trusted in his own ability or strength, but because he knew the strength and power of the Lord.

“God is never exhausted,” Albert Barnes says, “is never weary, is never inattentive. He never closes his eyes on the condition of his people, on the wants of the world.”

The God of heaven is your undistracted Protector, even in all the normal, everyday worries and weights and trials you endure.

Though God is holding the entire universe in motion, even still he is holding and protecting you. He is your undistracted Protector and your affectionate Father who is intimately aware of both the distant erupting stars and the instant his children are distressed. The One who “keeps” the stars in their courses is the One who “keeps” you “both now and forever.” — Bradley Gray

4) DEFENDER

The visual David presents in verse 5 is so powerful.

Imagine a table with chairs all around it.

As you sit down and look around you see all enemies and struggles you face in life seated around the same table.

Maybe there are people around the table (David was likely thinking of a few)

Or maybe it is sickness, doubt, depression, anxiety, anger, addiction, bitterness, hurt, or something else.

Those things that make us feel defeated, insignificant, unlovable, or abandoned.

And then the Lord comes and stands behind you, places His hands on your shoulders, anointed your head with oil, and says “this is my beloved son/daughter, who I knit together in their mother’s womb, who I have watched over can cared for all of their life, who I came to earth to die for, and who I have called to follow me. None of you have won, you are defeated, you have no place in his/her life, he/she is mine.

The Lord Jesus is our defender, conquering our enemies with His blood, by His grace, and through our faith.

As David flees from his enemies, he knows His Good Shepherd will be his ultimate defender.

5) SHELTER

Finally, David knows the value of shelter for sheep. A place of safety and security. A home.

To “dwell in the house of the Lord” is what Jesus had in mind in John 14 2

John 14:2 CSB

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

Our home is with Christ, complete, lacking in nothing, whole, and full in Him, FOREVER.

And for those with their faith firmly in Jesus, nothing can separate us from that promise.

Not Death, not life, not angel or demon, not struggle or ease, not prosperity or poverty, not danger or sword, not anything in all creation can separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD, our shepherd.

On this journey of faith, we must constantly remind ourselves and one another, that we have a home that is not made of wood and stone, but is found in the satisfying presence of the Lord.

The Journey of Faith

It is easy to say that the Lord has been our Shepherd in the past, it may not be so easy to say that He is our Shepherd in the present, and will be our Shepherd in the future. Yet we have nothing to do with the future except to follow in the path of humble trust in the Lord, and of obedience to His Word. It is not for me to sit down, and make a plan of all I mean to do next week, or next month, and so on through all my life.

I have no right to forestall my troubles, or to begin to calculate my future wants. I am bound to live in simple dependence upon God, who sends just enough manna for each day, but no more. If I am in any dilemma, if I am in any difficulty, if I do not know which way I should take, had I not better go and tell my Heavenly Father so, and ask Him to direct me?

I must remember that I am not my own shepherd, and that I am not to guide myself any more than the sheep is to guide itself, but that I am to look to my great Shepherd, to watch for indications of His will, and to receive those indications either from His Word, or from His providential dealings with me, or from the operations of His gracious Spirit within my heart, and then I am to follow where God leads me, having nothing to do with the making of the road, but only following the Lord my Shepherd wherever He leads me. — Charles Haddon Spurgeon