Provision

INTRODUCTION

Last Sunday, we started our series on Psalm 23.

We talked about the fact that David identified the Lord as his shepherd.

The theme for our first message was trust.

Without trust, you have nothing.

Who do you trust when you are in need in life?

Who do you trust when things get rough or need provision and guidance?

At the end of verse 1, David tells us that he would lack nothing because the Lord is his shepherd!

What is he speaking of?

Today, we will examine what David meant when he said he would lack nothing.

The title of the message today is PROVISION.

What does the great shepherd provide?

We will begin with an insightful article in the May 13, 1955 issue of Good Housekeeping, entitled "The Good Wife's Guide."

The Good Wife's Guide featured tips on how to please their husbands when they come home from work.

Here are some excerpts:

Have dinner ready.

Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return.

This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs.

Prepare yourself.

Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives.

Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh looking.

He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Clear away the clutter.

Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

Over the year's cooler months, you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by.

Your husband will feel that he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.

After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children.

Take a few moments to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and, if necessary, change their clothes.

They are little treasures, and he wants to see them play the part.

Minimize all noise.

At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise from the washer, dryer, or vacuum.

Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

Make the evening his.

Never complain if he comes home late, goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you.

Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order, and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.*

(WWW.SERMONCENTRAL.COM)

Don't shoot the messenger!

Big Idea of the Message: God sees our needs and provides for them at the right time with the right purpose.

Let's read Psalm 23 together.

Our focus will be on verses 2-4 today.

Psalm 23:1–6 (NET 2nd ed.)

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water.

3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation.

4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me.

5 You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full.

6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life.

SERMON

I. The Shepherd provides the necessities for one's life.

Let's revisit verse 2.

Psalm 23:2 (NET 2nd ed.)

2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water.

If I am in his care, then all anxiety may be dispelled.

The provision afforded is summarized in verse two—green pastures … quiet waters.

The shepherd sees to it that the flock is provided sustenance, protection, and rest.

Sheep need a lot of help to survive each day.

Sheep do not appear to be the brightest animals on the planet; they have no real defense and would not do well alone in the wild.

Due to their strong flocking instinct and failure to act independently of one another, sheep have been universally branded "stupid."

But sheep are not stupid.

Their only protection from predators is joining and following the sheep before them.

If a predator threatens the flock, this is not the time to act independently. (https://www.sheep101.info/stupidsheep.html)

A sheep depends on the shepherd to provide the necessities for life.

Sheep will go into a field and eat all the grass until it is gone, then they will stay in the same place looking for more even when the grass is gone.

Some studies suggest sheep are not as dumb as people give them credit for.

The first part of verse 2 is often translated as the shepherd making or letting the sheep lie down in lush pastures.

The NET translates the passage; HE TAKES ME TO LUSH PASTURES.

Any person who knows anything about sheep knows that they will never lie down when they are hungry.

Therefore, the scene here is the green pastures where the sheep have eaten their fill, and they lie down when no longer hungry.

The sheep will not rest until their belly is full.

The shepherd finds a lush place for the sheep to eat, leads them to the place, and allows them to eat, allowing them to rest.

The shepherd does not force the sheep to lie down but provides a place where peace and rest are possible!

The second part of verse two tells us that the shepherd also leads the sheep to refreshing water!

Animals love running water.

I know that cats love running water.

We have a fountain for ours, and we used to keep a bowl of water out.

They rarely, if ever, drank from the bowl.

Running water is less likely to be stagnant.

The shepherd does not lead the sheep to just any pool of water but rather to RUNNING, refreshing water.

God provides as He sees fit, not based on our desires.

As our Shepherd, God takes care of the necessities of life.

This is critical in understanding the Psalm because God's goodness and love are woven throughout.

The Psalm makes clear that God is the satisfaction of every kind of need, so the affirmation could never mean only religious yearning.

Who do you depend upon for your needs in life?

The sheep were entirely dependent on the shepherd.

The sheep did not have to worry about if they were going to eat and drink; they needed to follow the shepherd, and eating and drinking resulted.

We understand this thought for those who grew up in a healthy home.

As I said before, when I opened the cabinets or refrigerator as a kid, there was food!

When I turned on a light switch, there was a light.

When I turned on the TV, there was baseball!

My closet had clothing, and my room had baseball equipment.

I did not worry until I became a teen and then started looking at what other kids had and would feel somehow that what I had was not good enough.

In my childhood innocence, I did not worry about my jeans or shoes' brand; I did not care.

When we get older, we learn not to be thankful for our blessings; we grow jealous of others.

God provides what you need when you need it.

Let's go to verse three.

Psalm 23:3 (NET 2nd ed.)

3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation.

III. The Shepherd provides direction for one's life.

Almost imperceptibly, verse 3 introduces a transition of thought.

He restores my soul may be taken to mean "He restores my vitality," and read in connection with the green pastures of verse 2.

But here it is, introducing a new verse and a new thought.

Elsewhere the expression indicates the restoration of the soul that results from walking according to the "law of the Lord" (Ps 19:7), and that is its meaning here.

The Lord is my guide for life.

He restores my soul by guid[ing] me in the paths of righteousness; otherwise, I will perish. (College Press Commentary).

Psalm 19:7 (NET 2nd ed.)

7 The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the Lord are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.

When God provides, He also renews your strength.

Some translations soften what is said here by translating the verse to say "refresh" instead of "restore";

"The verb here refers to 'repentance' or ‘conversion.'' 

In this context, the "restoring" or "bringing back" of the sheep "Pictures the deeper renewal of the man of God, spiritually perverse or ailing as he may be." [Coffman Commentary Series]

Part of the restoration process is giving one direction for life.

The right paths refer to the paths that lead one to pasture and wells of water, the things we need to be strengthened.

This passage speaks of God's providential guidance!

David is confident that God directs him to paths that will benefit him.

David TRUSTS God enough to know that God will need to lead him down the path to destruction.

Think about all the mistakes you made in your life.

Were those mistakes caused by following the path God sought to direct you, or were they because you followed your own path that finally caught up with you?

The end of the verse says he leads us down the right path for His reputation.

It would not look good for God to take us in and lead us to ruin.

In the context of the metaphor, the shepherd who led his sheep to death and destruction would not find employment.

When you follow God, it will never lead to your destruction!

Let's move to verse 4.

Psalm 23:4 (NET 2nd ed.)

4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me.

III. The Shepherd provides His presence in one's life.

When God is our shepherd, we will have to endure difficulties in life, but God will be walking with us during those times!

The way the NET translates this verse catches the flavor of the verse.

This passage not only refers to the worst case but also includes any time when danger lurks.

The shepherd metaphor in this reference envisions an occasion when the shepherd might be required to lead his sheep through some dangerous, forested valley, where lions and other enemies of the sheep were lurking. Still, the presence assured the safety of the sheep of the shepherd.

In the human application of it, the soul that trusts in the Lord will most surely pass through many dark valleys, even that of death itself at last; but no fear will be felt because the Lord will be with his own, "Even unto the end of the world."

Matthew 28:18–20 (NET 2nd ed.)

18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

When the shepherd had to lead the flock in dangerous surroundings, they had no fear because the shepherd was with them.

The disciples would be going through some difficult paths; they needed to know that Jesus was with them and He was still with us!

The last part of the verse speaks of the rod and staff.

The rod was a short oaken club for defense; the staff was a longer pole used for climbing or leaning upon it.

Eastern shepherds still carry both.

God's all-around provision is both unwavering and without equal.

Verse 4 describes God's care for all his sheep as a rod and staff wielded by the shepherd. VanGemeren explains, "The shepherd's care is symbolized by the 'rod' and the 'staff' (v. 4c).

A shepherd carried a 'rod' to club down wild animals (cf. 1 Sam 17:43; 2 Sam 23:21) and a 'staff' to keep the sheep in control.

The rod and staff represent God's constant vigilance over his own and bring 'comfort' because of his personal presence and involvement with his sheep".

(Willem A. VanGemeren, "Psalms," in Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, The Expositor's Bible Commentary 5 [Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991], 216, Logos).

The staff of a shepherd is critical to the well-being of the sheep.

The shepherd's staff was used for leading the sheep, protecting the sheep, and correcting the sheep.

The rod and staff were reminders of the shepherd's presence to the sheep!

The shepherd used these implements to assure the sheep of his presence!

CONCLUSION

We don't always appreciate God's timing, yet we proclaim His time to be perfect.

When David speaks of God's intentionality in leading him beside refreshing water, resting in green pastures, and setting us on the path that will lead us to glorify his name, it's because God knows what we need in life so that we'll have it to the full, as he desires for us.

Our Application point today is this.

God's intentions for us are good.

He is always watching out for us and working for us to provide what we need.

We must be attentive to what he is doing in our lives.

Whether we realize it or not, God is making sure that we rest when we need it, eat when we're hungry, and make the most of the life he has given us.