A Portrait of The Shepherd

Psalm 23 NASB95

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Ps 23

I was blessed and honored when the family asked me to preach his service. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him personally; I know he was a good man b/c he lives on in his children. The greatest legacy a man can leave is the character he instills in his children. Alex and Jennifer loved their father very much as did Lindsay and Corey. “Papa” as he was known to his grandchildren was loved and adored by them very much! And these things speak volumes of the man himself.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside cquiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Intro:

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I 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;

David of all people knew what a good shepherd looked like. After all, he like others of Israel’s great leaders learned how to lead by leading and caring for sheep. Moses was in the Midian desert tending sheep when God called from the burning bush; he led over a million grumbling, fault-finding, ungrateful people for 40 years. It was David’s protection of his father’s sheep that developed his skill as a warrior and a leader of the nation.

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

This 23rd Psalm is a portrait of Jesus prophetically painted by the pen of David.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

John 10:1-11

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

He wanted to pray all the time in the days before he died, just like Bro. Eaves.

Message

This is a psalm that is a comfort to many; it is many times printed on the back of funeral service bulletins.

Its a psalm that reminds us we are never alone b/c just as a shepherd watches over his sheep; God watches over us.

Sheep are virtually helpless w/out the shepherd. Three different places in scripture Israel was compared to “sheep which have no shepherd.”

No matter how independent we think we are; in reality we are helpless w/out the shepherd.

For it is God who gives us life, and gives us the strength and ability to work and provide for our families.

James 1:17

James 1:17 NASB95

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

He’s Our Provider (Vv. 1-2 ).

In v. 1 David said “I shall not want.”

In v. 1 David said “I shall not want.”

We shall not want for nourishment.

We shall not want for peace.

We shall not want for comfort.

The Bible Reader’s Companion Psalms 22–24

Sheep cannot survive alone in the wild, but must always be in the company of a shepherd. The Middle Eastern shepherd loved his sheep, gave each one a name, and cared for each one tenderly. Many a shepherd interposed himself between wild beasts and his sheep, and at night the shepherd lay down and slept in the single doorway to his sheepfold. Any enemy would have to pass him to attack his flock.

How marvelous then for us whom Scripture sees as sheep that God presents Himself as our shepherd. He leads us, protects us, and because He is always with us, we fear no evil.

Sheep cannot survive alone in the wild, but must always be in the company of a shepherd. The Middle Eastern shepherd loved his sheep, gave each one a name, and cared for each one tenderly. Many a shepherd interposed himself between wild beasts and his sheep, and at night the shepherd lay down and slept in the single doorway to his sheepfold. Any enemy would have to pass him to attack his flock.

How marvelous then for us whom Scripture sees as sheep that God presents Himself as our shepherd. He leads us, protects us, and because He is always with us, we fear no evil.

Shepherds not only lead their sheep, they also provide shelter for them, medication and aid in birthing.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be difficult days or times of duress, or turmoil, but it means that even in the midst of them we have the peace and comfort of God.

says that God “will keep at perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on Him.”

Jesus is our provider.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 14

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another aHelper, that He may be with you forever;17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another aHelper, that He may be with you forever;

These weren’t throw together meals either; he went through a great deal of trouble as he did w/ everything, b/c he believed anything worth doing was worth doing right.

Alex told me he even meticulously cut their pancakes a certain way so that it was easier for them to eat.

He Protects us (Vv. 3-4)

17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

He leads us.

When you lead someone or something, you by default are in charge of the security and safety of the one you lead.

God leads us in order to take us the safest and best way.

Like the Israelites coming out of Egypt.

- I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself,

Abraham was a family man, even uprooting his life to be w/ his children. He saw the need of a father’s guidance and leading in their young lives.

Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

The best guidance a father can give to his children is to lead them to Christ; to entrust them to God and His divine providence and care.

This is the testimony Abraham left his children; ask them and they will tell you he is w/ Jesus today, not hurting, not grieving, but rejoicing and at perfect peace.

He Protects us by His presence.

Sheep cannot survive alone in the wild, but must always be in the company of a shepherd. The Middle Eastern shepherd loved his sheep, gave each one a name, and cared for each one tenderly. Many a shepherd interposed himself between wild beasts and his sheep, and at night the shepherd lay down and slept in the single doorway to his sheepfold. Any enemy would have to pass him to attack his flock. How marvelous then for us whom Scripture sees as sheep that God presents Himself as our shepherd. He leads us, protects us, and because He is always with us, we fear no evil.

Sheep also have poor depth perception and will often baulk at dips or low places. In General sheep have a tendency to move out of the dark into well-lit places.

No matter how deep and dark the valley may be (valley of the shadow of death) we do not have to fear b/c He is always w/ us.

I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid What will man do to me?

I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

6 so that we confidently say,

I believe you can also safely say, what can anything do to me?

“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

This means you may pass through a valley of grief, but you are assured that grief will not consume you!

What will man do to me?

He Prepares us

He anoints us

The head of sheep is the one part of their bodies that is the most vulnerable to biting insects and pests. By anointing the sheep’s head w/ oil, the shepherd was preparing them to be able to graze in the lush grass w/out the irritation of insects.

Right in the midst of your grief God will prepare you if you let Him so that the weight of missing Abraham will not overtake you.

David said his “cup overflows.” When the Lord is your shepherd you never lack for any good thing.

The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

The Lord gives grace and glory;

Goodness and mercy don’t just follow lagging behind you; they literally chase after you seeking to overtake you!

With Jesus leading us and goodness and mercy chasing hard after us, we are surrounding by the presence of God.

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly

Finally, like Abraham you can dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Conc:

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For the most part the shepherd’s long days and nights in the field made for a lonely life. He entertained himself by talking to his sheep until they all recognized his voice (), by making music on a readily made reed pipe (Jgs. 5:16; see National Geographic Society, Everyday Life in Ancient Times [1953], p. 255). Often friends with their flocks would meet at a watering spot (, ) and would keep watch at night (). When they parted there was no difficulty in separating the animals, for each knew its own shepherd’s call (, , ). Each flock included about a hundred animals (cf. ; ). The shepherd was expected to count them, one by one, calling each by its own name (), both morning and evening, for he had to render accounting for any that were missing (; cf. , ). The responsible shepherd did not kill and eat his sheep, no matter how rigorous conditions might become (; , ; ). The shepherd’s devotion to his sheep becomes evident when contrasted with the behavior of the “hireling” who “cares nothing for the sheep” (): “the good shepherd,” if need be, “lays down his life for the sheep” (v 11). That a shepherd might not return alive from his sheeptending was well understood (cf. ). Shepherding was serious, demanding, and strenuous work. Nevertheless, the true or faithful shepherd was thought to have a disposition that was altogether admirable: thoughtful, tender, gentle, strong, resourceful in times of danger, but not hot-tempered.