Take A Seat (Psalm 23)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
To start I want to paint a picture of why this chapter of Psalm is very important. Herman Bavinck does a great job laying this out in his work, The Doctrine of God.
“Herman Bavinck, in his work The Doctrine of God, lists the various ways God is described in the Bible. For example, he is compared to a lion, an eagle, a lamb, the sun, a light, a fire, a fountain, a rock, a hiding place, a tower, and a shield; the Bible also gives more personal and intimate images to help us comprehend the incomprehensible God. He is called a bridegroom, a husband, a judge, a king, a man of war, a builder and maker, a physician, and of course a father (Doctrine of God, 86–89). And yet another image appears in the Bible that portrays with wonderful clarity our Lord’s compassion and concern, his protection and guidance. It is the image of a shepherd—actually, the image is of a Shepherd-King.”
Before we dive into this chapter, I want to sort of explain Psalm 23 and give you a break down of what we see in this chapter. There are two sections and shift that we see here.
Section 1- v. 1-3:
This is a happy section. Everything is pretty good, right?
This section is cheerful. Imagine sitting down in green pastures beside still waters. Pretty nice life, isn’t it?
We also see in this section promises of God being fulfilled and described.
The Shift- v. 4-5a:
Here is the shift- we go from happy to this dark feeling verse
There is a valley of the shadow of death
fear and evil show up
enemies are mentioned
This is a shift from the happy theme we see in v. 1-3
Section 2- v. 5b-6:
Goodness and mercy are present
we are filled with and anointed with oil
we have a place to dwell in forever
Now that we have a basis of this chapter, let’s dive into it…
We have a Shepherd. (v. 1)
A shepherd is actually a neat description of who God is. David here gives a very clear, and in my opinion a very important, description of who God truly is. Why is this so important and clear? A sheep only has ONE shepherd.
As Christians, we only have one God- a Triune God, but one God. He is our shepherd.
God here, as the Shepherd does three things…
A. He gives us what we need.
The ESV Bible translates the Hebrew in v. 1 and says, “I shall not want.” I love how the New Living Translation Bible words this verse. It says, “I have all that I need.” The Message Bible translates it as, “I don’t need a thing.” Do you see the difference?
I’m not going to get into translations difference and disputes- I enjoy many versions and there are people much smarter than me that can answer those questions. In my opinion if you want the “most accurate” version of the Bible then invest in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek classes. All translations have their flaws, but they all share the same story- God is King, Jesus is Savior, Humans are sinners.
Whatever translation you use, the understanding is the same- we have everything we need. God doesn’t give us what we want, but what we need!
B. He leads us.
We see in these verse words like, “He makes me…”, “He leads me…”, “He leads me…”
God is who directs our paths. He walks with us in the good. He delivers us in the bad. He protects us from the wrong paths and guides us like a shepherd does.
Commentators say some powerful things about this verse. They say…
“The Lord also “leads [us] along the right paths for his name’s sake.” God gives constant and compassionate care. “He leads [NIV, “guides”] me.” He does not drive or coerce. He does not manipulate or trick. And he leads us right where we need to go: “paths of righteousness” (ESV).” We will talk about the righteousness in a second.
C. He gives us rest.
Rest in what? Righteousness. We rest in His righteousness.
There is a poem I want to read to close out this point, commentators deem it the “Psalm 23 Antithesis”
“The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done.
For my “ideal” is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.”
Thankfully, we have a shepherd who gives us what we need, who leads us, and who gives us rest.
2. We have a shield and a shelter. (v. 4, 6)
Verse 4 is probably the most known verse of Psalm 23. Many of you already have this memorized probably. This is not the verse I want to camp out on, but I want us to talk about it for a moment.
When we go through the hard times, we have a “shield” of sorts that protects us.
I’m going to read what Russell Moore says about this verse. He breaks it down very well (much better than I can)
He says…
“Heroic figures in Scripture are often pictured as heroic slayers of dangerous animals, like David or Samson.… [In] the shepherd imagery of the Bible … [t]he shepherd’s primary duty is to protect his flock from predators, by fighting them off. That’s why the Psalmist is comforted by the Good Shepherd’s rod and staff. It’s not that they look cool and shepherd-like. It’s that they are used to knock the teeth out of wolves and big cats.… [T]he shepherd-warrior imagery in the Bible is then applied to the Davidic king of the people of God: “The good ruler, like the bold shepherd, devotes himself, to exterminating predators whenever and wherever they can be found.” (“Where the Wild Things Are, Part One”)
This is how God is our shield in times of darkness and the valley of death. God is willing- He DID this- to lay down His life for us.
When we face these trials we can have no fear because our Shepherd, our Shield, is with us. We can face these giants as David did in 1 Samuel 17:45–47
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
When we face our giants we can shout like David did, “I come to you in the NAME of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel! I cannot fail!”
No matter what we do, no matter how much we backslide and ask for forgiveness, no matter where we go, no matter how much we suffer, GOD IS THERE!
Not only did we have a shield, we have a shelter. David closes Psalm 23 by saying in verse 6, “… and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
The commentators comment on this verse by saying, “For some, Psalm 23 may recall images of a funeral. Psalm 23 can certainly comfort us at a time of death. However, a careful and balanced reading of Psalm 23 will reveal it is not about death. It is about life! It is not about dying. It is about living (now and forever!). It is life more abundant as described by the good shepherd Jesus in John 10:10. He laid down his life that each believer may have life, eternal life, a God-quality kind of life, a life lived in his presence forever.”
When we understand who our Shepherd is, we live eternally with Him. We have no death, no sickness, no harm, no failure. We have eternal life with Him. But how does this happen? This leads us to our final point….
3. We have a seat. (v. 5)
Close your eyes and imagine for a second this open field. Now in this field imagine you in the center of it. On your left you see this massive army of ten thousand soldiers come up. On your right, there comes another of equal size. Behind you comes another of the same size. Then in front of you, there is the same size army coming. A battle horn blows and the battle commences.
**Picture of battles from photos** (Endgame, Battle of the Five Armies, etc)
Now, imagine in this gift there is a man just waving at you saying, “Come sit down with me! I have a seat for you!”
That’s what Jesus does for us. In this giant battle called life, Jesus is calling out to us saying, “Come rest with me! Come sit down and have a meal with me. I will protect you.”
I love how the Message Bible phrases this verse… “You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.”
Not only is it a one course meal. It isn’t a two course me. It isn’t a three or four. It isn’t even a five course meal! This meal is unlike anyone has ever had before. But the important thing is this meal…
It is IN THE PRESENCE of our enemies. It isn’t on the hill watching the battle. It isn’t on the shores of the beach far from the fight. It isn’t in the comfort of the church building. It isn’t in the comfort of our own home. No! It’s right there in the presence of our enemies.
Why? We sit down with Jesus in the presence to show our enemies who our Lord is. So, who is at this table?
This table is special, there are only two seats. It’s a table for two, and only two. It might look something like this (SHOW TABLE FOR TWO PICTURE)
The only people allowed at this table is you and Jesus. There are no other seats. No other plates. No other cups. Just two- you and Jesus.
This is perhaps the most important verse of this whole chapter because it shows who our Lord is. He is so mighty, so powerful, so wonderful, so merciful, so graceful, so forgiving, so loving, so awesome that He sets the table in the presence of our enemies.
See, pastor of Passion City Church Louie Giglio says it this way… “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Himself. Left Heaven. Came in a manger. Died on a cross. Rose from the grave. Defeated sin. Defeated death. Defeated Satan himself. Just to sit down at the table with us.”
Before our history was recorded, before we took a breath, before we were thought of, Jesus prepared our table for us.
Turn to Luke 24:13-27
That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus in this moment on the road to Emmaus literally goes through the entire cannon of the Bible. He basically tells the two guys here…
“I was there in the Garden with Adam and Eve! I was there with Noah during the flood. I was there with Joseph when he was sold into slavery. I was there when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. I was there when Moses parted the Red Sea. I was there when David faced Goliath. I was there when Meshack, Shadrack, and Abindigo were in the fire. I was there during the plaques. I was there with the Judges. I was there with Daniel in the lions den. I was there with Ezra and Nehemiah as they rebuilt the temple and city. I was there!”
THIS is why we sit with Jesus. We sit with Him because He has been, He is, and He always will be! So sit with Him today!
It doesn’t matter if we are busy, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we are hurting, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we are happy, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we are mad, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we are annoyed, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we are overfilled, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we are tired, sit with Him.
It doesn’t matter if we sing “Then sings my soul” or “Hallelujah praise the one who set me free”
It doesn’t matter if we sing “Just as I am” or “Here I am Lord, send me”
It doesn’t matter if we sing “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine” or “Jesus over everything”
It doesn’t matter if we sing “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty” or “Worthy is the lamb who was slain”
It doesn’t matter if we sing “So I’ll cherish that old rugged cross” or “Because of Christ I am alive”
It doesn’t matter if we sing “Count your many blessings name them one by one” or “I’ve witness your faithfulness”
It doesn’t matter if there is light or no light.
It doesn’t matter if there is a band or a choir.
It doesn’t matter if there is an electric guitar or an organ.
It doesn’t matter if we have a sanctuary or a fellowship hall.
It doesn’t matter if we have 5,000 people or 5 people.
It doesn’t matter if we have a children ministry or a women’s ministry.
It doesn’t matter if we have a church app or no app.
It doesn’t matter if we have a nice logo or no logo.
JUST. SIT. WITH. JESUS.
When we come into worship we worship because we WANT to sit at the table with Jesus.
When we come into worship we worship because God is worthy of it all!
He is God.
He is the King of kings.
He is the Lord of lords.
He is the Alpha.
He is the Omega.
He is the Beginning.
He is the Last.
He is Abba.
He is Adonai.
He is Elohim.
He is El Roi.
He is El Shaddai.
He is Immanuel.
He is Jehovah.
He is Jireh.
He is Rapha.
He is Rohi.
He is Messiah.
He is the Prince of Peace.
He is the Lord of Hosts.
He is the Creator.
He is our Comfort.
He is the Mighty One.
He is the I AM.
He is Savior!
He is friend.
He is Yahweh.
SO SIT WITH HIM!
So sit with Jesus! We can get so caught up in this or that or our own wants that we forget why we sing. We forget why we worship. We forget that worship is NOT for us but for the KING! JUST SIT WITH JESUS!
So the invitation is simple. Just sit with Jesus. We’re going to have a different type of invitation. Patty is going to come play, but we’re going to do it differently. Here’s how it’s going to work:
We have these little chairs (HOLD UP A CHAIR) in the baskets on the stage. If- and ONLY if you are willing to say, “You know what, I’m choosing to sit with Jesus. I’m letting go of what I want. I’m going to sit with my shepherd. I’m going to worship Him no matter what.”
If that’s you, during invitation come get a chair. After you get your chair you can kneel down at the alter and pray, or go back to your seat and pray. We’re going to spend a little bit of time just praying over sitting with Jesus everyday.
You may be in the room saying, “I don’t know how to sit with Him. I don’t know Him.” That’s easy. All you have to do is say, “Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I invite you into my life to change me. I believe you died on the cross and rose three days later. I am choosing to meet with you each and every day to walk in your statues.” If you pray that, come get a chair and tell me after. We want to rejoice with you!
Maybe you’re here and you want to join our church. I’ll be down here at the alter, you can come talk with me about that.
I’m going to pray, and then you respond how the Lord leads you.