The Sovereign Shepherd

Introduction

This psalm is without a doubt the most popular psalm of all the psalms. This psalm is that coffee mug, tattoo, verse that is in a persons social media bio verse oftentimes.

This verse is often referenced in secular music and secular movies. Regardless of knowing the exegesis of this verse this is a popular verse that we see not only in christian culture but also pop culture, hip-hop, other genres of music as well, movies etc.

For many people this psalm fits there christian aesthetic. It looks good having it around, on decor, there hashtags it just fits.

Psalms for You Part Two

The words trip off the tongue of anyone who has had any kind of exposure to Christianity in their upbringing or culture. So the words might wash over us, giving us a warm religious feeling of comfort but without (necessarily) much or any understanding. In that case, need to press the intellectual and emotional “reset” button before coming afresh to this beautiful psalm. By the end of this chapter, I hope we shall delight in it with a greater depth, in Christ.

Like many others, this beloved psalm bears the simple title A Psalm of David. Most account it to be a psalm of David’s maturity, but with vivid remembrance of his youth as a shepherd. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “I like to recall the fact that this psalm was written by David, probably when he was a king. He had been a shepherd, and he was not ashamed of his former occupation.”

“Millions of people have memorized this psalm, even those who have learned few other Scripture portions. Ministers have used it to comfort people who are going through severe personal trials, suffering illness, or dying. For some, the words of this psalm have been the last they have ever uttered in life.” (James Montgomery Boice)

Charles Spurgeon referred to this psalm as the “Pearl of the Psalms”

This Psalm deals what theologians in regards to systematic theology calls “Theology Proper” which is a sector that deals with the attributes of God such as him being omnipresence, omniscient, omnipotence, and eternal.

Specifically in this psalm we are reminded of the sovereignty of our savior and Lord.

The psalm begins and ends with “the LORD”, the covenant God (23:1, 6). So the covenant that God has made with the king in David’s line (2 Samuel 7:11b–14) should be uppermost in our minds. This is not a psalm about some generic “god” but about the covenant God of the Bible story, and specifically the God who has made covenant promises to the king he has appointed (see Psalm 2).

Christopher Ash, Psalms for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2020), 53.

Read Psalm 23 “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The shepherd sustains. (vs.1-2)

It is a irony that scripture refers to Jesus as shepherd. Because a shepherd has to literally be on 24 hour watch and alert for his sheep.

In 2009 a article was released titled “400 sheep fall off cliff in Turkey”. In the article it said that “Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 metres to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived, newspaper reports said yesterday. Shepherds from Ikizler village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free, the Radikal daily said. The loss to local farmers was estimated at $74,000.”

So we have two instances here where sheep die because of their shepherd. Sheep are literally fully depended about the sustaining care and super vision on their shepherd. One shepherd according to the article committed suicide jumping of the cliff and 400 sheep followed him because they cling to there shepherd. Then you have a different shepherd that took a lunch break at the wrong time which lead to the sheep being unsupervised and hundred upon hundreds of sheep die causing all farmers around loose 74k.

Sheep don’t commit suicide, or not knowingly at any rate. They don’t deal with despair by leaping to their deaths. The problem with sheep is that they are dumb. Really dumb. They are committed to a leader, and so committed that they will follow this leader even at the cost of their safety. When the leader wanders off a cliff, so do the rest of the sheep.

Do you remember what Jesus says in Matthew 9 after he healed the man that was unable to speak then he starts roaming the city and villages sharing the gospel he spoke to the people and said in Matthew 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

It’s remarkable that the LORD would call Himself our shepherd. “In Israel, as in other ancient societies, a shepherd’s work was considered the lowest of all works. If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment…Jehovah has chosen to be our shepherd, David says. The great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me.” (Boice)

See we are helpless, sinners, were dumb we are sheep, and we need a shepherd to sustain us and that is exactly what Jesus does for us.

Spurgeon said that before a man can truly say, “the LORD is my shepherd,” he must first feel himself to be a sheep by nature, “for he cannot know that God is his Shepherd unless he feels in himself that he has the nature of a sheep.” He must relate to a sheep in its foolishness, its dependency, and in the warped nature of its will.

This was Davids disposition he knew how jacked up he was and he knew all that he had done and all that he had been through and makes this declaration personal when he says that The Lord is “MY” shepherd. He made it personal see its one thing to acknowledge The Lord as a shepherd but its a entirely different situation when you say The Lord is “my” shepherd.

Ann Wilson “My Jesus” reference

Charles Spurgeon said in his sermon on this passage that “ It is well to know, as certainly David did, that we belong to the Lord. There is a noble tone of confidence about this sentence. There is no "if" nor "but," nor even "I hope so;" but he says, "The Lord is my shepherd." We must cultivate the spirit of assured dependence upon our heavenly Father. The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, "My." He does not say, "The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock," but "The Lord is my shepherd;" if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. The words are in the present tense. Whatever be the believer's position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah.”

What really wrecks me about verse one is the second have when David says “I shall not want”.

In others words when you have Jesus, when you have the shepherd and hes your shepherd you have all you need. Is there some “I have Jesus so I have all I need” Christians in here this morning?

We need to get back I got Jesus so I have all I need mentality. I remember watcing the faith and dependence on Jesus the Old Church mothers and church aunties had growing up in church. They didn’t have a lot sometimes they didn’t know how they were gonna get groceries, pay the light bill, get gas for there car but what thing was for sure they stood boldly in faith stood on business to the fact that they had Jesus so they had everything they needed and he would provide for them and sustain them.

“It is not only “I do not want,” but “I shall not want.” Come what may, if famine should devastate the land, or calamity destroy the city, “I shall not want.” Old age with its feebleness shall not bring me any lack, and even death with its gloom shall not find me destitute. I have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because “The Lord is my shepherd.” The wicked always want, but the righteous never; a sinner’s heart is far from satisfaction, but a gracious spirit dwells in a palace of content.”-Charles Spurgeon

Not only shall we not want but we have rest in him as well look at Psalm 23:2 “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

It does not say The Lord ask you, suggest, or recommend, it says he “makes you” lie down in green pastures. Some Christians just look so defeated, exhausted, feel like they are hanging on by a thread, going 100 mph always grinding always going.

I think of the term “get down or lay down”. I am thankful that every now and then Jesus will sit me down when I need to. Some of you need to slow down and just rest in christ for a second because you are only hurting yourself spiritually.

See the beauty of The Lord being our Sovereign shepherd is that he knows what we need better than we know what we need. The LORD as a shepherd knew how to make David rest when he needed it, just as a literal shepherd would care for his sheep. The implication is that a sheep doesn’t always know what it needs and what is best for itself, and so needs help from the shepherd.

Philip Keller (in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23) writes that sheep do not lie down easily and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid, they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are social animals, they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If flies or parasites trouble them, they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry, they will not lie down. Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.

He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters that's the kind of shepherd and savior we have. No matter how much life get to lifing we can look to him who is the prince of peace for a kind or rest and peace that the enemy can’t steal, the troubles of this life can’t disturb, and will never be withheld from us because He is ours and we are his.

2. The Shepherd restores. (vs 3-4)

David knew all to well what it felt like to need the restoration that the shepherd brings. David understood that his sin was many but the shepherds mercy is more and he constantly needed his restoring hand upon his life but do you know that.

A lot of people never get restoration because they won’t first admit that that's where they are in life and need it. We can’t even life a life of righteousness by which we are called to apart from the restoring hand of our savior who in fact is our righteousness.

“Are any of us low in grace? Do we feel that our spirituality is at its lowest ebb? He who turns the ebb into the flood can soon restore our soul. Pray to him, then, for the blessing—”Restore thou me, thou Shepherd of my soul!”-Spurgeon

Whats interesting here is that in the Hebrew the words “restores my soul” can also translate to “bring to repentance or conversion”.

I love this about Jesus because a good shepherd loves you where you are but loves you enough to not leave you there. See when you have Jesus you have a never ending fountain of sustaining, mercy, grace, restoration and because of that you will live a life of repentance.

True restoration always leads to repentance and righteous living. See the shepherd doesn’t just give you rest and restores your soul so that you can just do whatever you want its for his purpose and good pleasure. We as sheep are to live for him and have our eyes constantly fixed on Him. This is why the ending of vs 3 says “for his name sake” that's what all this is about. We are here for Jesus and without him we are like real sheep lost and helpless.

It is with Jesus and only Jesus are we then able to walk through those valleys without fear. There will be seasons when you not in the green pastures but in the valley and in those seasons we must remember that does not change whom we are, who we are, and all that is afforded to us in Christ Jesus.

See I lowkey appreciate the KJV translation of this verse the ESV says even though I walk but the KJV says “yea I walk”. That hits different for me because its not a matter of if a walk through a valley but rather the affirmative. Yea I walk through the valley, yea I’m in a horrible season, yea I’m in a hard season, yea I’m stressed, yes I’m anxious, yes I’m dealing with depression but we will not fear because Jesus is with us and he comforts us.

Good shepherd is always with his sheep with his rod and his staff protects and comforts his sheep.

When comfort is withdrawn, do not be cast down, but humbly and patiently await the visitation of God. He is able and powerful to give you more grace and more spiritual comfort than you first had.

Thomas à Kempis (Ascetical Writer)

See I don’t know about you but I need to be constantly reminded that Jesus is with me and that he fights for me.

I love what Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Often times the best way to fight through the valley is to remember that He is with you and that he fights for.

3.) The shepherd will never stop shepherding. (vs 5-6)

This verse ain’t about your haters family. Often this is used for haters theology. I’m not saying there is not people out there that are being used by the enemy to be against you but this verse is much bigger that that.

This verse is my type of carrying on with this allegory of a table being prepared in the presence of whatever the enemy is doing and the anointing oil is at the table that's when you know its going down and our cup overflows that ought to make you run a lap.

“When a soldier is in the presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: ‘Thou preparest a table,’ just as a servant does when she unfolds the damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace.” (Spurgeon)

“The good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies, we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God…Thou preparest a table… Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door, and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace. Oh! the peace which Jehovah gives to his people, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances!”-Charles Spurgeon

The shepherd not only sets the table but he promises that goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life and the only appropriate response from us is to dwell in his house forever family.

As Christians we draw from a never ending fountain of goodness and mercy and we can be quick to ask for it because he has promised to never withhold it from us.

“While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper story of the house of the Lord for ever.” (Spurgeon)