The Good Shepherd Part 2 Psalm 23

Introduction

First before we begin, I would like to issue a public service announcement. Your bible contains 66 books. One of those books is the book of Psalms. There are 150 psalms with it. When we read an individual psalm, we only say Psalm not psalms =).

Psalm 23 is probably the most widely known entire chapter in the bible. It makes it’s way into sports, politics and movies.

It’s recited by everyone from George Bush to Tupac . It’s quoted in movies like Titanic, Bruce almighty. It’s in Japanese video games, and even star trek.

Everyone likes it. Why is that? One, it has pleasant imagery. Green pastureland. Bubbling brooks. Feasts and hospitality. Even the scary parts are only shadows. Two, it is inoffensive. There’s no talk of sin, wrath, repentance. And lastly, maybe most dangerously, it’s words when spoken aloud identify God as ours, even when He isn’t.

This one chapter, when isolated from the rest of scripture is found by our culture to be totally harmless and inoffensive.

For this reason, you’ve probably heard it at 90% of funerals you’ve attended. It doesn’t matter if the person in the casket knew God or not, Psalm 23 could be recited by all, a warm comforting blanket covering the sadness of it all.

Is that a good thing? Maybe you think “well, at least they’re quoting scripture”. But I’m not so sure.

The reason this makes me cringe is because Psalm 23 has become art- it has become a poem- it has become a hotel lobby painting.

Somewhere in the world, hanging on the wall of a house more expensive than mine, is an antique ships wheel. The owner proudly mounted his purchase on the wall, and then over the years it became decoration. The guests would remark how it’s worn handles and scratches proved it’s authenticity, and then it became decoration to them as well. But- that isn’t what a ships wheel is for. It was once in it’s life an object that men on it’s ship needed to live and make it home.

Psalm 23 has become that to many of us. Once when we heard it, we were struck by the beauty of it’s promises. But now it has become wall art and we can only hear it’s rhythm, not it’s power.

Prayerfully, I’d like us to read it together today and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus, OUR good shepherd in it.

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.

Pray.

Series Reminder:

So why are we here? Last week, Jesus told us that he came to give us life abundantly.

John 10:10 “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Like we discussed, that abundant life isn’t necessarily wealth, health and happiness. Instead, the abundant life He gives us one that a good shepherd gives His sheep. He anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows is abundance.

So we’ll find out in Psalm 23 what the abundant life is.

Next week we will resume with verse 11:

2. John 10:11 “11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

How is Jesus the Good Shepherd? What does the good shepherd do? Again, Psalm 23 will be our guide to understanding Jesus.

Verse 1

Psalm 23:1 ESV

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

“The LORD is my shepherd” is an extremely affectionate line. First, the word is LORD- YHWH. Not Moses or Samuel. God Himself.

David, the author of this Psalm himself was a shepherd. As a king, he writes this remembering the lonely nights in the fields, watching over his own flock. Now, David had lived a long a storied life. From his humble days in the fields, to his battle with Goliath, to his ascension as commander and then king, he has seen a lot. His life is far from an easy, straight path. He has been so hungry he asked for bread from the temple, he has been so desperate that he worked with philistines, and he has lost sons, both young and old as a result of his own sins. Yet, looking back he writes Psalm 23. He sees his life and notices that all along, God has been guiding him. Remember,

“I shall not want” is the obvious result of the fact that the Lord is my shepherd.

Hebrew poetry does this all the time, it’s called parallelism. Two lines that simply rephrase the same truth.

Proverbs 16:18 “18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

These aren’t saying two different things- they’re just rephrasing.

If a prince were asked “are you getting enough to eat”, he could answer, “the king is my father” and complete the answer. Even so, he says “the king is my father, I never go hungry.

Psalm 23:1 “1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Application: This is not a poem for the dead and dying, it is for the living. All the other 5 verses following this are just an outflow of the truth in verse 1. “The Lord is my shepherd.”

I want you to take a minute to look at your life. Look back at your life- the highs and lows, the relationships kept and lost, the victories and humiliations. Look back at your life and find the Shepherd in it. That is what David does in Psalm 23. He recounts his life and praises God saying- it was you all along. Do you see God there? Do you see His guidance.

If you do not, I have two options for you:

#1 He may not be yours. “The Lord is my shepherd” may not be true for you. What do you do if you’re here? Go through the gate. Go to Jesus, repent and make Him your Lord. The gate is open for all who would enter. There is no lock stopping you from getting in. In fact, the biggest obstacle that is preventing you from entering the gate, is the false notion that you are already inside.

#2 You may be lost. Sheep get lost, much like the parable parable of the lost sheep. What do you do if you’re here? Ask Him to rescue you. Call out to Him. Listen to the parable in Matthew 18:12 “12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”

Optional:

Philippians 2:9 “9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,”

Verse 2-3

Psalm 23:2–3 ESV

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.

Israel is an arid environment. Grassy spots and water are not in abundance. Shepherds would have to learn the land and bring their sheep to all the places they knew about.

On their own, sheep could die very easily in the desert environment.

Dr. Cyndi Parker teaches a class on Biblical Geography. In her presentation she has a picture of sheep in a field of grass in a paddock. This is what we think of.

She says “So, what is the role of the shepherd in this kind of environment? The role of the shepherd is to get you where you want to be. And then you don't need him, anymore. Right. Because what? What do you need? You can eat the greenery of the field. You have what you need. And the tendency then is to lie down and enjoy life.” ...…

But that isn’t what the Judean wilderness looks like. Instead it is a dry, desert environment. Where there was water- life, there were human settlements. So, the shepherds went out into places where there weren’t many green pastures or quiet waters.

pt. And then, “he makes me lie down in green pastures…” like he's that kind of protective entity around you that you can lie down? And, “in green pastures…” and you think, “where are the ‘quiet waters’? Where are the ‘green pastures’?” And you suddenly realize, not only is God's role as Shepherd more interactive and necessary for my survival, but I as the sheep, have to get up and follow my shepherd every single day, or I am going to die.

So, how do you live? You follow the shepherd.

Christians are given a new nature. And therefore our new nature requires a new diet.

When you were dead in your sin, what satisfied your appetite? It was sin. Whatever your preference was- fornication, idleness, lying or gossiping- that is what once satisfied you. The lies sustained you. The gossip entertained you. The anger bolstered your pride.

Now, disciples of Jesus, have you noticed those things aren’t as sweet/satisfying as they once were?

Thomas Watson wrote “Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet”.

You know you’re born again when sin no longer satisfies.

Instead, what is the diet? What God give you. What sustains you now? Holiness.

Matthew 5:6 “6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Holiness is the diet of the Christian. Your happiness is now directly correlated to your holiness.

Application:

Do you find yourself in want? Spiritual darkness, spiritual apathy. As C.S. Lewis puts it- a hole in your heart that nothing can stop up?

Perhaps it is because you’ve decided (even for a moment) that there is a path you can take that would give you more enjoyment than the Shepherd’s plan. Maybe it’s a sin that doesn’t seem so bad. If you pursue it, I promise you are leaving the path of the Shepherd.

Have you stopped following His voice?

No Christian ever looks back on his life and says, I’m glad to have followed my own path. No- we only look back and say, I wish I had followed Him all along.

‘You may think you know what you need—but you don’t. No sheep knows how to find green pastures in a wilderness. Only the Shepherd does. That’s why you follow Him.’

Psalm 23:2–3 ESV

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

How do I know I can trust Him? Well, what is God’s motivation in taking care of you? Because you are His- Psalm 23:3 “3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Isaiah 49:3 “3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.””

Verse 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.

What is this valley? David knows them well. In verse 3 God is praised for bringing us to still waters. In a desert environment, rain can not fall for weeks at a time, or it can fall all at once.

Water is found in the valley, often in places called wadis- dry river beds. But when it rains, these dried rivers turned valleys can fill up suddenly and flood the area. So yes, still water is a God-send for a shepherd.

Even so, it is often necessary for shepherds to go to the valley and brave the danger. Here, the shadows cast can hide all sorts of things- predators like wolves or even bandits. It is necessary to go through these valleys, yet they present danger.

It is necessary.

Darkness of all kinds are going to happen in our lives..…

What is our comfort?

The devil is a dangerous foe. So what does David find comfortable? That God is more dangerous.

Matthew 10:28 “28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Sennacherib, King of Assyria has Judah surrounded. Hezekiah receives a letter that says this:

2 Kings 18:33 “33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?”

What does he do? He runs into the temple and lays down the letter before the Lord, praying that God would deliver them.

2 Kings 19:35 “35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”

God’s power is our comfort.

Verse 5

Psalm 23:5 ESV

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Verse 5 is an outflow of verse 4-

The Valley of the Shadow of Death is dangerous because it contains enemies. Even so- look what God does. He prepares a table before me.

The imagery in verse 5 and 6 change from that of a sheep to a guest at a feast. God loves us so lavishly, David has to change analogies. Now, he writes to God directly “You”.

He treats us better than a sheep can be treated, so the imagery changes, too. Now, the valley turns into a feast in His home.

Even now, in the middle or near east, hospitality is the measure of a man’s greatness. The countries we think are most scary- Lebanon, Syria, Iraq have a culture of extreme hospitality. Vendors will often give tourists free food, or invite visitors into their home. They’ll give them their best food and treat them well. In David’s time this was the case too. The hospitality of a man’s table was what spread his fame. It wasn’t how much you owned that impressed people, but how well you treated your guests.

Kenneth Bailey wrote: “The greatest of hosts prepares the most lavish of feasts for the lowliest of creatures.”

The master of the house would host these lavish feasts, but he wouldn’t prepare the food himself.

Except here- it is God YHWH, Jesus, who prepares the table for us. Not only the host, but the servant of the table.

Matthew 20:28 “28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

Notice who the enemies are, though- “my” enemies, not His.

But- what we shouldn’t do is look at the table before my enemies as arrogant bragging. The feast is an open table. My enemies are here, yes, but the table of Christ is open to them, too.

Jesus often ate at tables just like these. Remember “the Son of Man has come eating and drinking.”

Matthew 9:10–11 “10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?””

David Gibson- “It isn’t that the enemies of Jesus are those who do bad things. Or that His friends are those who do good things. The enemies of the table are those who don’t think the seated guests should be allowed. They’re our enemies, because they disapprove of people like you and me.”

Application:

Jesus sides with us. Our enemies become His enemies because of the lavish way He serves us. Know that He is willing to do that for you. You may have accusers on every side. Awful, terrible, sinful, murderous people will be seated at the feast of Christ. We will see people there we think should never have been invited. But- by the blood of the covenant, they are forgiven and given a seat at the table. And thank goodness for it- because your sin is no less awful. And still, Jesus has forgiven you and seated you at His table.

Anointing your head with oil, serving you wine, washing your feet are all things a guest receives from a truly hospitable host. Jesus doesn’t employ any servants to do these things, though. Jesus prepares the table, Jesus anoints your head, and the dust from your face, and Jesus pours the cup of blessing.

Verse 6

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.

So far we have learned that

If God is my Shepherd,

2-3. then He will guide me

4. safely through danger

5. ,and will serve me blessings

6. forever in His house.

Scholars of Hebrew are quick to point out this one word “follow” is not quite adequate to explain the idea.

The Goodness and Mercy following the psalmist aren’t primordial spirits, they are God’s own attributes. God Himself is Goodness and Mercy.

The term “raw-daf” רָדַף does mean follow- but the strongs concordance points out it means to purse, chose or in other words “run down”.

In Exodus 14:9 “9 The Egyptians pursued רָדַף (radaph) them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.”hole life.

There will be times when everyone is mad at you, and you will be mad at you. And then, doggedly, God’s goodness and mercy find you. Sometimes, it feels good to mope around and feel sorry for yourself. And maybe you don’t want to hear how much you’re loved and forgiven because you don’t feel like you deserve it right now. And even still, Goodness and Mercy find you and embrace you all the same.

Doesn’t it feel good to give up sometimes? But no, despondency and self-pity are not privileges the Christian has, because our God pursues us Himself.

רָדַף

Look at the last promise there- I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Ephesians 2:5–6 “5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

Forever includes now, you know! We are presently seated at the feast the Lord prepares for us even now. The seat is yours- you just aren’t sitting there right now.

Imagine you’re at a feast and get up to use the restroom. Someone comes by to ask your neighbor “is anyone sitting here?” Well of course not- look it’s empty! But that’s not what they say, they say “yes, someone is sitting there, they will be back shortly.”

IF Jesus is your shepherd, you are presently seated at the table. Your plate is ready, your chair has your name, and the Lord “goes now to prepare a place for you in His Fathers house. He says I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3

Charles Spurgeon says “Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. “A servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the son abideth ever.” 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 forever.”