The Lord, My Shepherd King

“Building Our Lives on Bedrock” #4 July 28, 2019 GWB “The Lord, My Shepherd King” - Psalm 23 - In ancient Israel every family owned at least a few sheep, and so someone in the family had shepherd duty. Rachel, Jacob’s future wife, was a shepherd. David was a shepherd as a boy, watching over his father’s sheep. Flocks were wealth—before bank accounts. Unfortunately, sheep are animals that amble along and are easily lost, or are led astray. And so it was that God was thought of as the shepherd of his people. “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock” (Ps. 80:1). And thus, Israel’s kings were also “shepherds.” David, who was first a shepherd and later king, meditates on our relationship with God. His poem, Psalm 23, is bedrock for us today. I. The Lord, my Shepherd Psalm 23:1-4 1. The shepherd’s work was hard—enduring the sun’s heat by day and cold nights alone, away from family. Shepherds had to find pasture and water, and protect the flock from wolves. They had to care for stupid animals that tended to wander. Sheep are helpless without a shepherd. 2. “The Lord is my shepherd.” Hear this text in a very personal way. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14). a. “Throughout my life, he has been my Shepherd,” David says. Psalm 23 may have been written later in life, when David could look back at many years of walking with God. b. Our Shepherd is the Lord—the covenant-keeping, saving God (Exod. 3:14-15). He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, full of love, faithful (Exod. 34:6-7). He is the Creator and Lord of all. 3. God’s care for his sheep includes many gifts (1-4). a. Provision of needs: no lack (1). This keynote of the Psalm expresses David’s experience. Since the Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. The Lord faithfully provides for his sheep. b. Spiritual renewal (2-3a). 1) Grassy meadows near quiet waters picture an oasis—spiritual renewal and refreshment. He refreshes my soul. 2) We experience renewal in daily meetings with God. In silence of soul, in prayer and Bible reading we are refreshed. And in public worship our souls are refreshed, lifted heavenward. c. Guidance through life (3b) 1) A shepherd does not walk behind the sheep and drive them; he goes ahead of the sheep and leads them. The Lord leads us in right paths—ways of righteousness that honor his name. 2) Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice and they follow me.” a- He is the shepherd who leads us when we have choices to make. We can count on our Master to lead us. b- He is the shepherd who leads us through the stages of life. Each stage of life brings new challenges. Like the aged patriarch Jacob, we can describe God as “the God who has been my Shepherd all my life to this day” (Gen. 48:15). d. Protection. Sometimes the paths he leads us in bring us to a steep ravine—a dark valley. How good to have the Lord then! He protects us! 1) We all go through valleys. Darkness scares us; deep darkness more so. “Even when I walk in the darkest valley, I will fear no evil because you are with me” (4). The “rod and the staff” are a cudgel (to ward off attackers) and a staff to guide the sheep. “They comfort me.” 2) The darkest valley of all is death. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11) Jesus has gone ahead into the darkest pit—death, burial and hell for us—to guarantee us a share in his resurrection! (John 11:25). 4. Now, we worry a lot. “How can I ever pay for college? Will the Lord give me a spouse? Which career path shall I take? How can we keep up with the bills? Am I going to lose my job? What will the test results show?” We learn to repeat, “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing.” II. The Lord, my King Psalm 23:5-6 [Here the metaphor changes from shepherd to the king, the host.] 1. The Lord is the King, who welcomes us as his servants to a meal—it’s a victory banquet, where defeated enemies have to look on (5). a. He gives great abundance: “my cup overflows.” Ultimately God will host the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” and all foes, crushed by his power, will be helpless to harm. b. Because the Lord is my Shepherd King, goodness and love pursue me my life long (6a). This is surely true—yes, even in the valleys. 2. The King leads us to his home. Forever we will live in his home (6), what Jesus called “my Father’s house” (John 14:2). This is our King’s promise. Responding to God The Lord is our Shepherd King—so we can face life with its challenges, and death with its terrors, without fear. 1. Memorize this Psalm and meditate on each phrase. Ask God to end your worry and overcome your fear. Ask him to fill you with the quiet confidence, the faith that marks this Psalm. 2. Rededicate yourself to following the Shepherd wherever he leads, no matter the cost—for his name’s sake. “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” “Building Our Lives on Bedrock” #4 July 28, 2019 GWB