The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

David begins this Psalm by telling us that God is his shepherd. The God who created the universe and all that is within it is being compared by David to a shepherd herding sheep. David isn’t disrespecting the power or majesty of God, but rather David is identifying God’s character in a way that he himself best understands. David was once a shepherd. He knew all the effort, love and energy that went into taking care if sheep and he also knew the importance of the bond between a shepherd and his flock. Because of this, David was able to parallel shepherding a flock of sheep with Jesus shepherding his children. Not only does he equate God to be a shepherd, but he makes God out to be the best shepherd that ever existed. He gives God the quality of being a shepherd who is so perfect, that the sheep do not need anything. They are so well taken care of that they do not need anything at all. If sheep are left to themselves, they are one of the most helpless animals on the planet and therefore it is essential for them to have a good shepherd.

I’m here to let you all know today that Jesus is the best shepherd anyone could ever want or need.

Anyone who has ever tended sheep would know that the process is not easy. It takes a lot of time, love, care, and intimacy to complete. A shepherd has many key responsibilities that he must complete daily in order for the sheep to be content. If a sheep is not content, then he will not lay down to rest! The text tells me that Jesus fulfills all of responsibilities needed to make a sheep lie down in peace. There are four key things that must be satisfied in order for a sheep to lay down peacefully!

Firstly, a sheep must be free from fear in order to lay down comfortably. Sheep are easily frightened. Something as small as a bunny rabbit hopping around near them can send them into a giant panic. So, because of this, sheep must be calmed down and feel safe and secure before they can rest easy. This is where a shepherd would step in and insure that there is nothing around his sheep that would scare them and cause them to become terrified. He would go next to every sheep and pet them and calm them so that they would become comfortable and not afraid. The presence of the shepherd near them is enough to give the sheep peace. The shepherd is their peace!

The second thing that a sheep must be free from in order to lay down is friction within the flock. Just like many other animals, sheep have a culture of domination. The male sheep butt heads just like deer and other animals to fight for dominance. The biggest, strongest sheep is the sheep who is the dominant male. Because of these battles, often times sheep develop rivalries. These rivalries make it very hard for sheep to sleep in peace. Imagine every five minutes waking up to look over your shoulder to see if someone is trying to battle you for top spot. In order to stop this, the shepherd has to constantly be in the presence of his sheep. The presence of the shepherd brings calming relief to his sheep. When sheep are in the presence of their shepherd they tend to forget their contests and discontents and become more peaceful, restful and calm. The shepherd is the protector of his flock!

The third thing that a sheep must be free from in order to lay down comfortably is a freedom from pests. It’s impossible for a flock to lay down comfortably if they are being constantly harassed by flees, ticks and other insects. I know that I could not lay down peacefully if a bunch of mosquitoes were biting me all through the night. Similarly, sheep can’t sleep while being attacked. “A good shepherd is diligent to keep his flock free from these pests. Insect repellents, dips, and other methods of care are most important to the sheep’s health. The shepherd is in and among his flock, keeping a watchful eye for problems. He wants to catch them early so as not to allow them to spread or cause serious disease in the flock. He is there to provide relief for his flock.”

The final thing that a sheep needs to lay down comfortably is to be free from hunger. Sheep will not fall asleep if they are still hungry. They will continue to look for food until they are filled and content. A key part of a shepherd’s job is to ensure that his flock is well fed. Many times, this would not only include finding food for the sheep, but also planting food for the sheep to eat. This means that the shepherd would have to remove rocks and bush and plant grass. It means that he would have to till the land and water it every day to ensure that his sheep will have a place to eat. At the same time, the shepherd needed to have a place for the sheep to eat while he was growing a field. Finding food for his sheep was an intimate labor of love. The shepherd loves and provides for his flock!

Just like sheep, we need these things in order to feel comfortable. Without these things, our minds race and we become anxious. Sometimes we end up suffering from stress or anxiety because we do not have these things. But I came here to let you know that you don’t have to suffer from these things because every one of these conditions is fulfilled in Jesus.

· When you are anxious and afraid Jesus is your peace!

At the end of my Jr. year of college I began to suffer from anxiety. I was afraid of what the future held for me and I wasn’t sure whether or not I would have a job or be able to support myself after college. I used to come home from class and break down because I was anxious and afraid and I did not know how to deal with it. But then I would pray and whenever I let it go and talked to Jesus, I would feel peace. He heard my prayers. He started to work them out. He not only gave me peace, but he brought my family and I to Columbia to serve Him for his glory. Jesus not only brought me peace, but He brought my family security.

· When you feel like your in danger, Jesus is your protector!

In the middle of my Sophomore year in college I got my first car. It was a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. I loved that car and I had already started to fix it up and make it look good. I got tints on the windows and was looking to get a stereo system for it. I had big plans for it, until one fateful Wednesday night when I was taking one of my friends to Walmart and I got into a car accident. A car had pulled out of a gate and I swerved off the road to avoid that car. I ended up in a ditch that had a concrete sewer drain in it. Both my passenger and I were in immediate danger. I had literally hit a concrete wall head on going 45 MPH. Truth be told I should probably be dead or at least hurt. I ended up walking away from that car crash without a single scratch! Jesus is my protector! How many of you have been through a situation where you know that if it wasn’t for Jesus you might not be here right now? Because Jesus is a good shepherd he protected me from death and I know He will protect you!

· When your going through a situation Jesus is your relief!

I have asthma. Asthma is a condition that effects your lungs and therefore your ability to breathe easily. Most people with asthma have an inhaler and often struggle to do sports and other activities that take a lot of physical effort. As a kid I used to feel it way worse than I do now, but whenever I would have gym class or whenever I got sick I would have an asthma attack. Basically, I couldn’t breathe, and I would get rushed to the emergency room. And I remember one time sitting in the ER and praying asking God to bring me some relief and within 15 minutes I was able to breathe better and the doctors sent me home. When your going through your problem and it feels like there is no help, Jesus is your relief!

· When you are in need He is your provider!

I graduated college about a month and a half ago. Praise God! And my wife and I had been praying about where we would go next, and the Lord directed us to come down to Columbia. We didn’t have the finances to make this move. I didn’t have the experience driving a U-haul with a car on the back. We didn’t have a place down here to stay. We were in need of so much, BUT GOD made provisions for it all. My mother was unable to fly out for my graduation, so instead she sent me the money that she would have spent on a ticket to come out and see it live. This was just enough for us to be able to complete the move. Isn’t He good? But his goodness didn’t stop there. I was terrified to drive the U-haul down with my car on the back because not only did we have to get the 20 foot model, but also I had never tried to reverse a truck with a trailer on the back and I failed every single practice run. I was scared that I would get trapped in a gas station if I stopped for gas, BUT GOD provided stations along the way that were big enough that I did not have to back up to get out. But again God’s goodness does not stop there! When we arrived in Columbia we got an apartment and the apartment complex had sent us pictures of the apartment we were supposed to get. The apartment we got did not match the pictures that they had sent us, so we decided not to stay in those apartments. So we still had the U-haul loaded with all our stuff and we drove around trying to find a better apartment to live in. BUT GOD is so good that we found an apartment complex that fit our needs and was move in ready the same day. And God’s goodness didn’t stop there! They had a move in special where if we paid our security deposit they covered the first month’s rent! Isn’t God good? When you need Him the most Jesus is your provider!

When we trust in Jesus and continue to follow him like sheep following a shepherd, He will constantly supply our needs. He will be our Peace, our Protector, our Provider, and our relief. But even though we know that Jesus is all these things and more for us, sometimes we stray away from our shepherd!

In verse 4 we see the first instance of David straying from his shepherd. The text is worded “even though I walk.” This shows that the action is being performed by David and it is not being led by Jesus. All this time while David was following Jesus, Jesus was leading him to the green pastures and to the clean water and on righteous paths. While Jesus was leading, David was walking on the good paths laid out for him by the good shepherd, but still, David strayed away. I realized in that moment that as sheep we do not know how to lead ourselves to green grass and clean water. All we know how to lead ourselves to is the valley of the shadow of death!

If you know anything about valley’s then you would know that they have high ground and low ground. David is using the idea of a valley to represent how he is feeling in that moment. Back in 1 Samuel chapter 16, David was anointed to be King of Israel. This wouldn’t seem out of place except for the fact that Israel already had a king by the name of Saul. Normally new kings don’t get elected until the old king either gets thrown out of power or dies. So when Saul caught wind of David’s anointing to be king, Saul naturally felt that his rule was threatened and like any other king, he wanted David to be killed. So many scholars believe that this psalm was written while David was running for his life from king Saul which is why David references the valley of the shadow of death.

Imagine every day looking over your shoulder to make sure that the kings men aren’t trying to kill you. David is an exile in his own country. Everywhere that he goes in Israel has the potential for his death. And everywhere that he goes outside of Israel also has the potential to kill him because he is an Israelite. David is caught between a rock and a hard place. He is literally running for his life and fearing death every step of the way. But here is the beauty in the text.

Remember how earlier I mentioned that valley’s have low ground and high ground? Well the text talks about the shadow of death. I was thinking about what it takes to cause a shadow. There needs to be light and there needs to be something blocking the light, but the light still manages to get through the object that is blocking it. I’ll demonstrate.

Turn off Lights and Do Shadow Puppets

In order for a shadow to be cast, there needs to be a light source and something that is blocking the light source. The light must be coming from the high ground of the valley for a shadow to be cast into the valley. And it makes me think. Who is the only person in the bible that claims to be light? In Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world. So I’ve come to the conclusion that the shepherd is on the high ground shining the light down on us to help us get out of our shadow valley.

But then I also got to thinking and realized what exactly is blocking the light from reaching the bottom of the valley. When David decided to stop following the shepherd, he stood in the way of the light. The light is still there, but the decision that David made is what is blocking the light and casting the shadow. How many times do we make the decision to block out God’s light and cast a shadow on our situation? Do we choose to walk down the wrong path and without our shepherd and find ourselves in darkness? Sometimes our decisions affect our ability to see the light that the shepherd is casting! But I am so glad that the story doesn’t stop there!

The text goes on to say that David will not be afraid of this shadow because he knows that the shepherd is still with him. Sometimes we gotta get to the point where we just know that the shepherd is still there. No matter how bad it seems. No matter how hopeless the situation. No matter what bill is due or what problem happens to the car, we need to get to the point where regardless of what is happening, we learn to trust the shepherd.

1. When your down and out, Trust the shepherd

2. When your broken hearted, Trust the shepherd

3. When your bills are due and you don’t have the money, Trust the shepherd

4. We think we are standing in the shadow of death, but really we are standing in the shadow of the shepherd!

Always remember that sheep feel most secure and safe when they are in the presence of their shepherd. So even when your enemies attack you when you are at your lowest point, we can trust our shepherd to protect us. The text tells me that the rod and staff comfort me. These two items were commonly used tools by shepherds. The rod was used to protect the sheep from danger. So, if a wolf or a lion or a bear would try and attack the sheep, the shepherd would step in and beat the animal with the rod. This is why when we see the rod of the shepherd, we should be comforted because we know that Jesus our shepherd has the tools and equipment needed to protect us from the enemies.

But Jesus goodness doesn’t stop there!

The text tells me that Jesus sets up a table to eat with me in the presence of my enemies. There are two key reasons why Jesus would do this. This first is to offer David an invitation to walk with his shepherd again. As we saw, David had stopped walking with his shepherd and had wandered into the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus was still with him and continued to provide for him and protect him while he had his valley experience, but now Jesus is formally inviting David back into a relationship with Him. Jesus is setting up a feast for David because David started to walk with his shepherd again. This was a representation of Jesus accepting David back into the flock!

The anointing referenced in the text was not equated to the anointing of a king, but rather was a common practice in this time period in which a king would anoint his guests forehead as a sign of welcoming them to the feast. It was done because often times travelers would have cracked, or scratched skin and the oil made their faces glow. This glowing is a physical representation of the joy that you feel when you come into the presence of Jesus!

Now the second thing that stands out about the feast is the fact that Jesus sets it up in the presence of enemies. This is a reference to military times. How many people here have served in the military or seen combat? Have you ever stopped in the middle of a fire fight to set up a table and eat lunch? Well essentially this is what Jesus is doing for us. We may be in the middle of our battle, or the middle of our valley, but Jesus is setting up a place to have fellowship with us. Jesus wants that one on one time with us and He refuses to let anything or anyone stand in the way of His one on one time. So in order to do that, He calms your situation and protects you from your enemies and allows you to sit with Him at the table in the middle of active combat.

Isn’t He Good?

And for this reason I believe David was able to write the rest of this Psalm in which he tells us that surely goodness and mercy will follow him. Even though David is in the valley now, even though we are in the valley now, we need to understand that when we reunite with the shepherd, He has the power to make sure that only goodness and mercy follows us.

· Sometimes the goodness that follows you may not look like the goodness you expected

· Sometimes the goodness that follows you may not be that new car

· It may not be that new job

· Sometimes the goodness that follows you is the fact that He woke you up

· The fact that He put food on your table

· The fact that you have clothes on your back

· Sometimes the goodness that follows you may not be the goodness that you expected, but that doesn’t make it any less good!

My favorite text in the bible is found in and it tells me that all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His will!

I’m gonna close on this. Do you love God? I mean really love Him? Because He really loves you. Enough to work the intimate little details out in your life. David realized just how much God loves him and He loves God back. We see this in the final verse of the Psalm. “I will live in the house of the Lord forever!” A strong claim. There’s something significant about it too. When sheep are asleep, the shepherd sleeps with them. He doesn’t leave them out in the field and go to the house to sleep! He stays by their side 24/7. I think it’s so beautiful that Jesus wants to stay with us 24/7! 365! And He has opened His house for every one of us. Isn’t it beautiful? And all we have to do to live in His house forever is to continue to follow Him. In His house there will be no mortgage or rent to pay because Jesus paid it all with His blood on the cross. In His house there will be no tears or fears because we find our peace and comfort in Jesus.