Night 2 VBS 2026: Psalm 23:2-3

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (KJV)

Summarizing Night 1

We are sheep who have gone astray, each to our own way.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd.

We have a responsibility to repent and believe in Jesus Christ upon hearing the Gospel.

v. 2 “He makes me to lie down...”

The Lord is our Shepherd, He is in control.

SN: The LORD knew how to make David lie down, just as a physical shepherd would care for his sheep in the pasture. We as sheep don’t know how to care for ourselves, despite thinking we know best. We need a Savior, our Shepherd to provide our every need and care for us.

Sheep will not lie down until 4 conditions are met:

1. They will not lie down if they are afraid.

2. They will not lie down if the other sheep are not also lying down.

3. They will not lie down if flies or parasites bug them.

4. They will not lie down if they are anxious about food or are hungry.

SN: Rest comes because the Shepherd has met every need. Are you afraid? Are you worried about what other people are doing? Flies and parasites often represent sin. Is there sin in your life that is bothering you and hindering your rest? Are you anxious about life circumstances? I tell you, if you come to the throne of grace, to the Savior, all these needs can be met in Christ Jesus. You who are afraid, or anxious, or sinful, come to the Savior and have your sins washed away. Have every need met in Jesus Christ alone.

v. 3 :He leads me beside still waters”

The Shepherd knows when we need green pastures and when we need the still waters.

SN: The green pastures and still waters are representative of God’s grace and His commandments. If we receive God’s grace and walk in His commandments, these are the green pastures and the still waters that the LORD leads us to.

John 4:7–14 “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

SN: Our Lord calls it living water. Living water! The substance is not keeping us alive, rather it is making us alive. The Lord does not give us this water just to refresh us, but it regenerates us. Who knows what regeneration means? Regeneration is when God looks at us, dirty sinners, who love all the bad things of the world. Cussing, selfishness, lust, alcohol, all the bad things. God takes that bad heart, regenerates us by a work of the Holy Spirit, and makes us to have a new heart that wants the good things of the world.