Psalms 23

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

Shepherd – What is a shepherd?

·         a shepherd watches over his sheep, allowing them to move about and do what they want until they get into more trouble than they can handle and then the shepherd steps in to help

·        A shepherd provides water and food in the lean times but lets the sheep graze by themselves in the good times

…I shall not want

a want = to lack or to fail 

POINT

Because He is my shepherd, because He provides me w/ food, water and everything I need THEREFORE not only do I not suffer lack but because He is my shepherd, I literally cannot fail.

2.     He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

·        Green (color of growth and vitality)

·        Pastures – plural.  These pastures are the places in our lives.  These pastures are our homes, jobs, schools and everywhere we dwell.

·        My shepherd told me to lie down in these green pastures.  Why didn’t He just tell me to stand or sit in these pastures? 

                                                             i.      Because if I’m standing in the pastures I might look around and see the wolves outside the fields and become afraid

                                                           ii.      If I’m sitting then I can still look around and I might not be feeling too comfortable

                                                        iii.      But if I’m lying down then that means I’m stretching out in the field

                                                        iv.      It means I like where I’m at and I plan on staying around for awhile

                                                           v.      It means that I have no fear of anything coming up against me because while I’m down here lying in my pastures, My God, My Shepherd is watching over me!

…He leadeth me besides the still waters

·        Another version says He leadeth me besides the water of rest

·        Jesus tells us in John the 4 chapter that   the water He gives us becomes a perpetual spring within us watering us forever with eternal life.''

3.     He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

·        Just as God is a triune being made up of 3 parts, God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost so are each of us made of 3 parts: a. Flesh  b. Spirit  c. the soul or the mind. 

·        Once I put my faith in Him, He’s giving me back my mind.  That’s the kind of God I serve, the kind that takes care of every part of me. 

·        When He layed my in the green pastures, He took care of my body

·        When He led me besides the still waters, He took care of my spirit

·        And then when He restored my soul, He gave me back my mind and leads in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake!

4.     Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Verse 4 - Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Describe a normal valley

Describe the valley of the shadow of death = low places in our lives, dark places where we can’t see our way out.

But even though I may walk through a dark valley in my life, yet will I not fear.  Why is it that other people can be in the midst of a storm and ready to give up, ready to throw in the towel but the Christian is yet holding on?? Because the scripture says that thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  You may have never paid it much attention but why would David the writer have said that God comforts me with both a ROD and a STAFF?

A Rod (shevet) – in the Hebrew it means a club.  So a club in the hands of God is knocking out any enemy that gets too close to His sheep. 

·        When the spirit of depression comes around, God’s club knocks it out

·        When the spirit of fear comes around, God’s club knocks it out

·        When the dope dealer comes around, God’s club lets me say no way no how, get behind me satan

·        When the crack starts calling out to me in my dreams, His club can knock those dreams away

But He also gave me a STAFF

A STAFF (Matteh in Hebrew) literally means a walking stick.  So while God is knocking obstacles out of my path with His ROD, He’s leading through that dark valley with His stick.  He’s leading me out of:

·        every mess I thought I couldn’t get out of

·        out of homelessness

·        out of unemployment

·        out of every dead situation in our life

Verse 5 - And so if we remain stedfast in our faithfulness to Him and trust Him with all our might, never leaning to our own understanding, He’ll bring us through.  But He goes one step further.  Once He takes us out of those dead and dying situations, the scripture tells us that He preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies,  He anoints my head with oil, my cup runs over!

See God shows how He provided for us and protected us through the dark days of our lives but trouble don’t last always.  God will give us abundance and joy!!!

Even in the face of mine enemies, He starts blessing me with the desires of my heart.  He gives me a new home, a new car, money for school.  Bills start to come back paid in full. 

He anoints my head with oil!!  Annointing with oil is how kings are made.  David was anointed by Samuel.  So when God anoints our heads with oil, He’s telling us that He is the king of kings and because we are His children we are all royal princes and princesses so our tables will be full and our cups will run over with the abundance given to us!

V. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever! AmeN – SAY YES!!!

5.     Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

-Conclusion-

NO NEED TO FEAR