Delighting in God our Shepherd

In a bustling city park, a social experiment was conducted. A flock of sheep was brought in, along with several volunteers dressed in various professions - a businessman in a suit, a construction worker, a doctor in scrubs, and lastly, a simple shepherd in worn clothes.

As passersby gathered, curious about the sheep in the park, the organizers asked, "Who do you think is best suited to care for these sheep?" Most people pointed to the businessman, saying he'd have the resources to feed them. Others chose the doctor, thinking of the sheep's health needs. A few selected the construction worker, considering the need for shelter.

When the actual shepherd stepped forward, many were surprised. He approached the sheep, who immediately responded to his presence. He knew each by name, understood their needs, and effortlessly guided them. The sheep trusted him implicitly, following his voice and finding comfort in his care.

This scene left the onlookers amazed. and it was in that moment , They realized that appearances and worldly credentials didn't matter to the sheep.

What mattered was the shepherd's intimate knowledge, genuine care, and proven ability to provide and protect.

Today we are going to Look at God our Shepherd"

Friends it is a good thing that God is described as our Shepherd.

Our world often values outward appearances and worldly success, but God's qualifications as our Shepherd go far beyond these superficial measures.

We can delight in God as our Shepherd because, like the shepherd in the park, He is perfectly suited to care for us in ways that are unmatched by any one else or anything else in this world.

M prayer today is that as we look at Psalm 23 together We will all come to the conclusion that there is no other shepherd we want in our lives but the Good Shepherd -God Himself.

Turn with me in your own Bibles to our text

Psalm 23 (ESV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is one of the most well-known and beloved passages in the Bible.

It was written by King David, who had been a shepherd in his youth before becoming the king of Israel.

This psalm is believed to have been composed later in David's life, reflecting on his experiences both as a shepherd and as one under God's care.

I believe this was not a psalm written by a young boy laying on his back gazing up into heaven, It was written by man at the end of his hard life, looking back at how faithful God has always been even in the darkest of times and the deepest of valleys.

David Beautifully uses this metaphor of God as his shepherd to illustrate His loving care, guidance, and protection that He saw in every aspect of his life

Psalm 23’s enduring popularity stems from its comforting message and vivid, relatable imagery.

The psalm's depiction of God's personal care has brought comfort to countless people across centuries and cultures, making it a staple at funerals, in times of distress, and as a general reminder of God's faithfulness.

But church family dont let the repetition of this Psalm Cause you to miss the deep impact its truths have in our lives.

Lets Jump into this passage and See Why we can find such delight in God our Shepherd.

:::: PAUSE:::

David opens up in verse One by giving us ….

THE Foundation of our relationship with God

Psalm 23

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

This simple yet profound statement sets the foundation for understanding our relationship with God as his children.

David Proclaims that ‘The Lord- Yahweh himself, The Great I am from Exodus 3:14 , the all sufficient all knowing all Powerful God of the Universe, The One Who is not bound By time and space, the One Who declares He does all things for Our Good…. that’s the One who is my Shepherd!!!

“The one who is watching over my life is the God of the Universe … Beat That!!!!!”

And Because He is my Shepherd “ I shall not want- Meaning - there is nothing lacking in My life!!! My Shepherd God provides all that I need!!

Brothers and sisters, If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for Salvation You are in this same flock as David, & The who is caring for all your needs is this same all powerful loving God!

Friends do you understand that To have God as our Shepherd means we are under His constant watch and care.

Our Big idea today is this:

BIG IDEA: When God is Our Shepherd there is nothin g more that we need in this life!!

and in this truth We can delight in Him!

In the Next 4 verses David Is going to lay out a number of Reasons Why we lack Nothing when God is Our Shepherd. and then He wraps up this Psalm of praise with a Song of Delight in His God,

Look with me at verse 2

Psalm 23:2 (ESV)

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

the first reason David Gives us for Why we can say “I shall not want” is Because God My Shepherd Nourishes Me

1. I Shall not want because God Nourishes me

This beautiful verse is a testament to the care and provision that our Good Shepherd, Jesus, provides for us as his Sheep.

Look at the imagery we see here in this verse

He leads his sheep to Green Pastures and Still Waters

This picture evokes a sense of peace, abundance, and safety.

Green pastures represent a place where there is plenty of food to go around. Its a place of nourishment for all who are there.

Similarly, still waters suggest tranquility and refreshment, a place where the sheep can drink deeply without fear.

David is painting a picture of a place where the water is so Crystal clear- that just gazing into its depths quench your thirst.

Illustration: A few years back on a trip to Colorado Our family decided to hike up a 12,000 ft mountain. It all started out well at first But then as the day progressed it Got hot, and I was getting tired, And I had already drank the last of my water bottle.

All I could think about was getting more water. And I remember that moment when I started to hear the flow of small mountain stream running over the rocks up ahead. and I quickly went to where that stream was flowing, knelt down, and drank from that cool crystal clear water.

My body and spirit were refreshed. I was renewed, I was strengthened- I was nourished, and I was ready to continue on my difficult path.

Christian this is what Jesus Does for you and me, as our Shepherd.

He provides these green pastures and still waters. He knows our needs and leads us to places where we can find true rest and nourishment for our souls.

Jesus Doesnt just care for our physical needs; He alsocares about our spiritual well-being too.

think about it.

in John 6:35

John 6:35 ESV

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Jesus, is the Bread of Life

Just as a shepherd ensures his sheep have food, Jesus feeds us with the bread of life.

This means that He is what can satisfy our deepest spiritual hunger. He is what can nourish our weary souls,

Friends When we come to Jesus, He fills us with His presence, He leads us into His word, and He pours out His nourishment upon our lives.

Trans: not only does Jesus say that he is the bread of Life but in John 4:14 He says He is our Living Water

Jesus, the Living Water

John 4:14 (ESV)

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

" And in John 7:38 He promises that

John 7:38 (ESV)

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Jesus is the living water that quenches our spiritual thirst. When we drink from His truths we experience a deep and abiding satisfaction that nothing else can provide.

Do you see the Parallel of Jesus and the Words of Psalm 23:1-2

Psalm 23:1–2 (ESV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

Friends Just like a Shepherd leads his sheep to the food and water that they need to be nourished

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, feeds us with the bread of life and quenches our thirst with living water.

In Him, we find every nutrients we need to live out a fruitful Christian life.

. and in this truth we can delight in Him as our Shepherd, knowing that He will always see to our welfare.

# 2 I shall not want because God is the one who restores my broken soul..

2. I shall not want because God Restores me

look at our text. verse 3

Psalm 23:3 (ESV)

3 He restores my soul…

Aren’t you glad its not up to you to figure out how to restore your soul?

On our own without Christ intervening in our lives, the best we can offer is the hopelessness of this World

This verse speaks to the profound care and restoration that the Lord provides for His people.

The Hebrew word we translate as soul is “nephesh," It means the deepest part of your being.

Do you understand How big of a deal it is that God has the power and ability and desire to heal your deepest hurts and pains, those things that sem to always linger on in your life!

and whats even more overwhelming is that our Shepherd not only wants to heal your pain but he wants to restore you to the point where that pain in your soul is no longer there.

Illustration: Imagine an African dessert that is dry, cracked and devoid of life and hope. I mean this place looks, and feels , and even smells dead.

Now picture a sudden, life-giving abundance of rain that pours into this barren land transforming it into a lush, green oasis, now teeming with vibrant flowers and flowing streams.

it is this type of Radical transformation that David is speaking of in this text, He he talking about the depth of renewal and revival that Jesus offers us as His sheep.

Just as the rain brings new life to the desert, Jesus restores our souls, bringing vitality and renewal to our weary spirits. Something that is impossible for any one of us to do on our own.

When David is saying “he restores my Soul” He is proclaiming that God our Shepherd cares so deeply about us that his restoration reaches the deepest parts of our being, reviving us completely and abundantly.

Friends this is what Jesus’s invitation in Matt 11 was all about

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus invites us to come to Him in prayer, casting our burdens at His feet. and when we do, He promises to give us the rest and renewal that penetrates our souls.l

Church We can delight in our Good Shepherd because he willing offers rest to all who come to Him.

verse 3 Continues

Psalm 23:3 (ESV)

….He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

3. I shall not want because God Leads for me

You know, when we talk about God leading us on the right paths, it's not just about Him pointing the way.

It's more like He's walking with us, gently guiding us.

He's not pushing us around or tricking us - He's leading us to where we need to be, to do what's right in our lives.

Think about it like this:

God's Word is like a flashlight for our life's journey. It helps us see where to step next. And it's not just about doing the right things, but doing them with the right attitude.

Do you understand this is one of the main reason Jesus Gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. To lead us in the paths of righteous.

He is that voice in your heart that keeps saying’ Come on Trust me, I know the way. I promise this is whats best for your life.

Now, here's the really cool part - God does all this "for His name's sake." What does that mean?

It means that he is the one who empowers your life- to do What God has cammanded you to do. To live your life for the glory of God!

I love the phrase God does all things for our Good and for His glory!

As our Shepherd God is leading you down the most right Path- the path that is best for your life. The Path that will grow you the most in your walk with Him, the path that bring you to the nutrient you need to become stronger in yoru faith, the path that will lead you to the rest that your soul desires.

~and Because He is the one who is doing the work- He is the one who will receive the glory!!!

Through His sheep He proclaims to the world "I'm going to guide this person, and when you see how it turns out, you'll see how good and great I am."

Friends God wants to use your life to proclaim His goodness to the world,

This should change everything about how we approach life and prayer. Instead of just asking God for stuff, we should start saying things like:

"God, use me to show how awesome You are."

"Help me be more like You so others can see Your goodness."

"Keep me from messing up so Your name stays honored."

It's pretty amazing when you think about it. Our Shepherd isn't just providing for us - He's inviting us to be part of showing His greatness to the world. +

That's the kind of Shepherd we have! and in this we can find our delight in Him!

verse 4 says Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

4 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.

4 I shall not want because God Comforts Me

David has a profound thought Here!!!

Bad things still happen to Good people!!

Being with Jesus doesn’t mean there will not be dark times in your life!

These valley’s are those moments when we just cry out saying I dont understand, and I cant figure out how to get out of where I am at!

Life often leads us through these dark valleys. These are times of uncertainty, fear, and even danger.

Maybe you're in such a valley right now - facing a health crisis, dealing with a broken relationship, or struggling with financial hardship.

Friends it is In these moments, that is is easy to feel alone and afraid.

it is in these moments when we are tempted to give up and walk away from our Good Shepherd

but understand David went through many of these valleys of the shadow of Death in his own life, and it’s because He saw how faithful His shepherd was even in these hard times that he penned the next words. "I will fear no evil."

How can he make such a bold claim in the face of darkness?

He gives us the answer "for you are with me."

You see, the comfort that allows David to say "I shall not want" in verse one, doesn't come from the absence of hardship in his life.

It doesn’t come from having every possession he ever wanted, It doesn’t come because He Was a king

It comes from the peace He had knowing that God was always faithful especiallu when Life was too hard.

What an amazing reminder we can see from David-

Our Good Shepherd doesn't always lead us around the dark valleys - sometimes He leads us through them.

Because in all of His sovereignty He knows that spending some time in that valley is what is best for our lives.

He knows that if we were to never go through these trials we would never grow deeper in our faith and dependency on Him.

He knows that without the valleys of the shadow of death we will never be able to fully see and understand his faithfulness in our lives.

David goes on in this verse to mention God's rod and staff.

He simply says “Your rod and your staff - they comfort me”

The rod was used for protection against predators, It was a sturdy club that the shepherd could use to beat off anyone or anything that wanted to attack His sheep, while The staff, with its curved end was meant for guiding and rescuing the sheep.

Sometimes the path the shepherd chose for the sheep was steep and difficult of the sheep to navigate, and at times a sheep would lose its footing and fall of the path, When this would happen, the shepherd would d use that staff to reach down into that crevice and pull the sheep back onto the right path.

In the midst of our dark valleys, We can find comfort knowing that the sovereign God of the Universe is the one watching out for our souls

God understands that it can be hard for us to stay faithful, He knows that this world is throwing out every temptation it can to get us to leave the right path, He knows that Satan Hates you as his follower and wants you to fail, But He does not leave us alone-

Our comfort even in the darkest valleys is knowing that its not up to us to find our own way-

Our comfort comes from believing the truth that God himself provides both the protection and guidance we need to stay on the right path.

and in this truth We can delight in God Our Shepherd.

In verse 5 We move from the picture of a shepherd caring for his sheep to that of a gracious host preparing a banquet.

CHRIST OUR King, who is ALSO our Shepherd in the fields and valleys, invites us to His table and into His home.

He leads us from the open pastures and treacherous valleys to a place of safety and satisfaction.

Psalm 23:5 (ESV)

Did you notice God is the one who prepared the table Not David; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

5 I shall not want because God Honors me

David declares, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." This demonstrates that even when surrounded by adversaries, God provides for His sheep.

This provision is not just for sustenance but also for honor and celebration.

While enemies watch, God nourishes and exalts his sheep.

This act of divine hospitality is a powerful statement to both us and our enemies:

God wants his sheep to be assured that even in the dark valleys He is still providing for them,

And To our adversaries, this is a testimony of God's favor and faithfulness.

While they intend to harm us, God protects us. While they would leave us in want, God abundantly provides for us.

God wants the world to see How Good it is when is the one leading in your life!

David continues, "You anoint my head with oil. My cup over flows

In ancient times, anointing with oil was a ritual of hospitality, symbolizing honor, friendship, and celebration.

David is proclaiming that His Good shepherd has provided so much for his life that it is overflowing.

The Lord's blessings are generous and lavish, far beyond our needs.

Our Shepherd ensures that our cup is always full to the brim, overflowing with His goodness.

its In the presence of such abundance, our enemies' threats become insignificant.

They fade away in the light of the Shepherd’s overwhelming goodness and care.

When we trust in God’s guidance and provision, we can live confidently, knowing that we will lack nothing.

and Our lives become a testimony of God's faithfulness to those around us.

The point of this verse is that, Our enemies and challenges may remain, but they cannot overshadow the abundant blessings and protection God offers us as His sheep.

And in this abundance of provision that God offers us freely We can find our delight In Him

BRING IT HOME

David Begins this Psalm With the Proclamation “ the Lord is My Shepherd I shall not want.”

and then He goes on to give us 5 Reasons we can live a life without want because God is our Good Shepherd.

(LIST THE FIVE REASONS AGSAIN)

Did you notice who carries the responsibility in this relationship

The Lord makes me lie down

the Lord Leads me to still waters

the Lord Restores my weary soul

the Lord leads me down the right path

THh Lord is with me driving out fear

the Lord comforts me

the Lord prepares a table and honors me.

I believe that as David Rehearsed all that His good Shepherd does in his life- verse 6 Flowed from a heart that was delighting in a God who was His Shepherd.

Listen to what He says

Psalm 23:6 (ESV)

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Friends When God is your Shepherd He pours out his goodness and mercy into your life.

His goodness is giving you what you dont deserve but exactly what you need

His mercy is rescuing and forgiving you even when you keep sinning against him.

We have a Shepherd who does all things for our and and for His glory

Friends this week find your delight in your Good Shepherd.

PRAY