Psalm 23:1-3

Introduction

is one of the greatest known Psalms in the whole book. It does us well though to revisit some of these great known Psalms and dig out the great truths that are there for us.Of course we need these truths all of the time, but it is especially beneficial in times like these where we find that the world as we know it has been turned upside down.

Reminded of our frailty

If there was ever a time that we are reminded that we are not in control, now is one of those times. But listen folks, we were never in control! The things you thought you controlled, were pulled out from under you like a rug. Things like your normal schedule, your ability to meet with friends, your normal church routine, your 401K that’s tied to all of this economic uncertainty. All of those things that we thought we had control of - slipped out of our hands.It’s as if God is reminding us here in this time as says “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”I want to tell you tonight - that is a good thing. You say “what are you talking about, you mean this virus is a good thing??” No, not by itself it isn’t. The virus itself is not good, it’s dangerous and harmful to those who are susceptible to it.What is good is when we are reminded that God controls every aspect of our life. What is good is that we are reminded that God is much bigger and smarter than we are and that HE knows what he’s doing.I’m reminded of a verse in Genesis also that is used in a similar context. The story of Joseph reminds us of God’s providence over circumstances, even bad ones. Joseph’s brothers sold him out and left him for dead, Joseph was enslaved and mistreated for the next 13 years of his life all because of his brothers anger against him. And when those brothers came back all those years later, here is what Joseph told them in “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”So, in the midst of all of this uncertainty and panic all over the world - GOD CAN AND WILL USE IT FOR GOOD!We have that promise. Now, that doesn’t mean that he’s going to erase all of this right now - Joseph had to live in a difficult situation for awhile without any promise of relief. But Joseph knew that God was in control. And we have that same promise.So, with that introduction - let’s look at tonight as our study.

​English Standard Version Psalm 23The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The Lord As Shepherd

Let’s think first about the Lord as our shepherd. This is an amazing thought to behold, especially right now. Shepherds were responsible for the sheep that were in their care. They stayed in the fields with the sheep constantly. They were concerned with the well-being and the welfare of the sheep day and night. As you may know, sheep aren’t very smart. They have to be watched over and cared for because they are defenseless and careless by nature. They do not have the capability of watching over themselves and protecting themselves. Thus, they need a shepherd.So, we see the imagery here that the Lord is our shepherd. The Lord, the almighty creator stoops so low as to become our shepherd and take care of us as we are often needy and helpless. Isn’t that an amazing thought, that the Lord comes to us as our Shepherd, as our keeper?Next we note the Lord IS my shepherd. Note here there is no qualifying phrase, it is a definite statement. The Lord IS my shepherd. He is for us in all things, he longs to look after us, to keep us, and to guide us through the paths of life.Listen to these words from

​English Standard Version Chapter 1011 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep

​English Standard Version Chapter 1014 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

​English Standard Version Chapter 104 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

We see from these verses that Jesus is the good shepherd, that He delights in caring for us, and the ultimate that He lays down his life for the sheep.

This Is Personal

Notice also that it says “The Lord is MY shepherd”. You don’t see any “we” or “us” or “they”, but only “my” and “me” and “he” and “you”.We see so much of David’s heart coming out in these verses. David knew the life of a shepherd. But he also knew the fact that God was HIS shepherd and that he needed shepherding.Isn’t that true with us? Don’t we need shepherding? We do. We need to be watched over and protected. At least I know I do. I need God to correct me when I go towards a dangerous spot or when I am straying from the herd. So many times in a herd there is an animal that strays when they are sick or are distracted by something. And that correlates well to our lives.This fact that the Psalm is personal means so much to me. You see, the whole Bible is personal to us. Yes it speaks of Israel as a nation and God’s people, but more than that it speaks to us personally. It is a personal relationship that we have with God, and that is what we see here. The fact that this is a personal Psalm speaks to our personal need for a personal Lord and shepherd.

I Shall Not Want

This is a direct continuation of the fact that the Lord is our shepherd. It naturally follows that we wouldn’t lack anything if the LORD is our shepherd right?Read this like a question “If the Lord is my shepherd, How can I lack anything?”Now, this is difficult because if we are honest - at times we feel like we are lacking don’t we?Right now, there may be a lot of you that are lacking peace, that are lacking confidence, that are lacking many things - BUT listen - GOD PROVIDES OUR NEEDS. He provides for us!Now, this is a little bit harder for us to understand if we don’t view it through the lens of God’s provision. We have needs right? David had needs, he needed comfort, he needed encouragement, he needed wisdom. All those things are needs. But what we see here is echoed in

​English Standard Version Psalm 84For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

So, this means that the Lord will provide everything we need.Listen to what says:

​English Standard Version Chapter 419 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

So, when this says that “I shall not want” it means that God will not withhold anything that we need from us at the proper time.If we are a child of God, God is duty bound as our Father to provide for us, to watch over us and that is why David uses the metaphor as “the Lord as Shepherd”.This is speaking to our needs and that God will provide all that we NEED. Many times that is different than what we see. Our fleshly nature or our comfort says that we NEED certain things, but the Lord knows better. God knows what we need. Listen to

​English Standard Version Chapter 27 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”

We know from reading Exodus that God provided for the Israelites throughout their wilderness wandering. He provided daily for their needs. They had just what they needed.Also

​English Standard Version Chapter 3325  Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be

I like that. “As your days, so shall your strength be” That means that God is going to give me the strength that I need in the moment I need it. That’s a great comfort to us in our time of need right now.Right now, in this calamity - GOD WILL GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH AND GRACE TO ENDURE. You need to trust Him for what you need.

He Makes Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

We come to verse 2 here and it speaks of green pastures. One of the main tasks of a shepherd is to make sure that the sheep have enough pasture to stay well fed all the time. He is responsible to keep them in a pasture where they are well supplied with nourishment.Now, this may mean more than this, but I think that we could draw a conclusion that one of the green pastures we are able to enjoy as a child of God is His Word. God’s Word is a green pasture with spiritual nourishment for us as much as we could ever ask for. We too often take God’s Word for granted, and we don’t cherish it and take it in like our nourishment that we need.We take our physical food in on a regular basis. I’m a prime example of that. But, how often do we skip a meal of spiritual nourishment? How many times can we go days without eating of the green pasture of the Word?How well do we know the Word of God?There’s a story told about a Bible study class and the Pastor asked the question - What are the epistles? And the answer that was received was “They were the wives of the apostles”. The Pastor didn’t feel like embarrassing anybody during the class so he kept teaching. After the class was over a man came up to him and asked, “Pastor, I didn’t get the joke. If the epistles weren’t the wives of the apostles, whose wives were they?”Is it any wonder that sometimes we are spiritually famished and malnourished?

We Need Spiritual Rest

This speaks of spiritual comfort and rest. That is what God wants for His children. He wants us to rest in Him. Sheep don’t lie down until they know they are safe to rest in a certain area. And we must be certain that God is for us in every situation of life and that we can rest in HIM, knowing He is our shepherd.Too many times we get all stressed up and no where to go! We get too busy, MYSELF included, we have too many things going on at once and we miss the best thing.Right now, in our situation I feel like God is using this situation to make many of us slow down and take account of what is really important.We can use this time to refocus our energy on God and make sure that we are looking to Him for our peace and assurance.That has been our church slogan “pause”. Here, we can pause and reflect on God and His promise to take care of us.In this time, don’t neglect the feeding of yourself with God’s Word.We need to give ourselves time to spend with God on a regular basis and remember how important it is. It needs to be so important to us that we can’t go a day without it!

Still Waters

Another of the most important tasks of a shepherd is to seek abundant water for the flock. The still waters are the revival of the soul.And you’ll notice these are still waters, they are a refreshing stream of flowing water that is clear and cool. The sheep get thirsty on the journey and need water often, so this is an important thing for us to remember. We need God’s Word to keep us refreshed during our journey with the Lord.It’s the still waters of the Word that provide us the quench to our spiritual thirst when we are worn out and weary.

Restoring Our Soul

How would a shepherd restore a sheep? Remember, sheep are not very smart. So many times they would go headlong into a crevass or a ravine, or fall into a rushing river. So they need to be rescued on a regular basis. He restores us when we wander.-63 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’He restores our soul by cleansing us when we are dirty, by lifting us up when we are down, by strengthening us when we are weak. We need to be restored and revived and it is our good and faithful Shepherd who can do it for us.