Our Good Shepherd

I want my audience to know God PROVIDES and PROTECTS in any situation because He is our Good Shepherd.

Introduction

The 23rd Psalm is the most well-known Psalm and may be the most familiar passage in all of Scripture.

This is no coincidence… it is such a simple, yet elegant, profound, and striking imagery of who God is

It is also such a universal psalm… it doesn’t matter what we are going through, we can identify with some aspect of this psalm

The Sheep and the Shepherd

The analogy of sheep and a shepherd is not coincidental

This imagery is used throughout scripture

It is one of the most frequently used analogy of God and His people

We see it vividly in the prophets - and, obviously, Psalm 23

In the New Testament, this analogy is used for the church

The Latin word transliterated “pastor” means shepherd… the congregation is at times referred to as a flock

Pastors are instructed to shepherd the flock, and are also called under-shepherds

The Sheep

Sheep do a very poor job in caring for themselves

More than any other class of livestock, sheep require endless attention and meticulous care

Sheep behavior is not unlike humans

mob instincts (follow the crowd without paying attention where they are going)

timid and fearful

stubborn (difficult to change their minds)

stupid (don’t learn easily)

think they know best

We are God’s sheep

The Shepherd

God is the shepherd - Yahweh is my shepherd

While not overtly descriptive of the shepherd, Psalm 23 describes how the sheep are cared for, which is a reflection of the Shepherd

When Jesus came, He declared Himself the Good Shepherd (twice) in John 10

John 10:11 ESV

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:14 ESV

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

The imagery of the shepherd reveals the love and care our Savior, Jesus Christ, had for each one of us, His sheep

Isaiah 40:11 ESV

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

I have entitled this message “Our Good Shepherd”… the one who provides and protects us in any situation we find ourselves

Let’s read Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 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.

Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES (v. 1-3)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

These opening five words set the context for this Psalm - The Lord - Yahweh - is my shepherd (implying we are the sheep)

Whether in your bed before going to sleep at night, or as soon as you wake in the morning, those five simple words are worth pondering again and again… The Lord is my Shepherd… Jesus is my Good Shepherd

He is responsible for me… He is caring for me… He is watching out for me… He wants the best for me

I shall not want… our needs are supplied

Last week Ivan reminded us from the letter to the Philippians that God has promised to supply all our needs

This is stating that same promise in another way

It is a state of contentment — knowing that we are taken care of

It may not be exactly what we think we want, but we can know our needs are supplied by the Good Shepherd

He makes me lie down in green pastures (Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES)

This is another picture of the Good Shepherd’s provision… a lush green field with sheep comfortably resting / lying down

Sheep will not lie down unless they are completely at ease of any stress...

They are not hungry or thirsty

They are not bothered pests

They aren't scared of predators

There is no tension / rivalry between the sheep

The Good Shepherd invites us to rest… to lie down … to relax… because He is making sure we are cared for

This is the environment of unhurried meditation, prayer, and simply basking in the care and provision of the Good Shepherd

He leads me beside still waters (Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES)

Sheep, like most animals, need water to survive

When sheep get thirsty, they get restless

Since they are poor swimmers, they avoid rushing streams or rivers

Thirsty sheep will drink from stagnant mud puddles or other polluted sources

They risk getting parasites or other sickness when they do so

A good shepherd anticipates their thirst and leads them to sources of pure water throughout the day

Several sources of still waters

Heavy dew on morning grass

Quiet streams

Deep wells

Where do we quench our spiritual thirst?

God’s Word is pure water

Stagnant and polluted water is abundant… and may be appealing to quench our thirst

These may seem inconsequential at the moment - but end up having miserable results later

Let’s not attempt to satisfy our spiritual thirst with something other than the pure water of the Word

He restores my soul (Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES)

Restoration is only necessary when something is no longer in its original condition

Restore = turn back

Buzzards will start circling when they see a sheep on its back

Cast sheep have rolled over too far and their legs are proportionally too short to get back up

They lie there flailing their legs… helpless…

left in that condition, it will be just a matter of hours until they die

A shepherd needs to stay alert to help the stranded and helpless sheep back to its feet

It is not necessarily the weak sheep that is cast - several causes

It can be a comfortable spot they choose to lay down

It may be a heavy coat of wool with accumulations of dirt and briars (self-life accumulation)

It may be an overweight/unfit sheep

1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

The Good Shepherd is alert to cast down sheep who need to be restored

None of us are exempt - we all will probably need to restored multiple times throughout life

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES)

The shepherd leads the sheep to new pastures and manages the grazing

This requires the shepherd to make sure to move to fresh pastures before sheep start wondering off

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sheep are creatures of habit… following the same trails which form ruts and eventually gullies

In the Middle East, shepherds move their flocks along trails to the higher elevations for summer grazing… being out with the sheep for several months without returning home

The shepherd knows where he wants to take the sheep for good grazing — he is guiding them to a destination

Our Good shepherd is leading / guiding us on right paths to a destination He knows about

The paths of righteousness are the ability to think rightly, live rightly, follow rightly, and decide rightly (doing the right thing)

Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES!

all our needs supplied

green pastures of God’s Word

still waters of spiritual refreshment

restores those that need help

leads/guides us to higher elevations for good pastures

Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS

Even though I walk the the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me

To get to higher elevations for grazing requires walking through some scary valleys with strange shadows

This is not the valley of death… it is a valley of the shadows of death

Shadows aren’t real - they are blocking the light - they look like something they are not

I remember the story in Laura Ingalls Wilder where Pa was confronted by a bear on his late return from town… only it ended up being a tree stump and shadows… however, to him at the time, it was a real bear

The shadows can hide unknown dangers and predators

When the shepherd has scouted out the path and is leading his flock through the shadows, he has first made sure it is safe for the sheep

We are walking through a valley with some strange COVID-19 shadows right now…

Remember, first of all, who is leading us through this… our Good Shepherd is guiding us through these strange, scary (maybe) shadows

And - He is leading us THROUGH… we are not staying in the shadows… we will exit into sunlight when we get through the valley of strange shadows

There is no need to be scared or petrified of the unknown and spooky shadows we see

We don’t have anything to fear BECAUSE our Good Shepherd is with us and protecting each one of us… in fact, He is leading the way

When we are surrendered to the care of our Good Shepherd, we don’t need to fear — fear is not of God

Rather, we can and should look forward with anticipation for where He is taking us and what He wants to next provide us

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS)

The rod and staff are the shepherd’s primary instruments and weapons

ROD - a short club custom-made from the base of a sapling

practiced throwing with accuracy

extension of shepherd’s arm

discipline - throw to stop a sheep from doing something harmful

protection - used to ward off predators

STAFF - about six feet long with crook at end

only useful with sheep

useful in steering sheep

drawing them together

pull a sheep to shepherd for inspection

shepherd’s touch

Over time, these tools become a great source of comfort for the sheep since they are used only for their own good

Spiritually speaking

ROD = Word of God

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

STAFF = Holy Spirit (Comforter)

John 14:26 ESV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 16:13 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS)

I suspect most of us picture a banquet table set with fine china and goblets and a 5-course meal when we read this verse

Given the context, I don’t believe that is an accurate interpretation

As I stated earlier, shepherds take their flocks to higher elevations to feed in the summer months

Table likely refers to a plateau in the mountains with good summer grazing

All along, the shepherd is leading his flock to a specific destination…

not aimlessly wondering through dark and shadowy valleys to see where they eventually lead

In fact, the shepherd will have scouted and prepared these high elevation pastures in advance by reducing potential dangers for his flock

remove poisonous weeds

identify strategy to deal with potential predators

removing other dangers to the flock

In similar ways, our Good Shepherd has scouted and prepared in advance where He is leading us

He has taken precautions to protect us from potential dangers and predators

He wants this table - this plateau - to be one of nourishment and growth for the season we are in

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS)

One of the threats to sheep is insect pests and parasites… pesky insects can torment sheep to a point where they will not relax and hold still

However, a generous application of a concoction of linseed oil and other ingredients applied to the head of a sheep does wonders with near instant relief from buzzing flies

The parasites and other diseases can be easily transmitted if sheep aren’t treated with an oil based treatment

For us, even if we are safe from the large predators, there is a constant threat of contamination from the world and sin

It is dangerous to believers

It can easily spread if left untreated

Our Good Shepherd is ready to give us regular anointing of the oil of the Holy Spirit

If we feel the torment or restlessness of sin, our Good Shepherd will intervene to take away the threat

There is never a shortage of protection regardless what we are facing… our cups are full of blessing & contentment

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS)

This verse is the grand finale of this beautiful Psalm

Here, David shifts his focus from the present to the future

With absolute certainty (surely), our Good Shepherd’s goodness and mercy will continue...

God is good — nothing will ever change these reailities

God is merciful

God is my Shepherd … He is our Good Shepherd

We simply need to trust Him!

“I realize that for the one who is truly in Christ’s care, no difficulty can arise, no dilemma emerge, no seeming disaster descend on the life without eventual good coming out of the chaos.” – Philip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, page 129.

Not only will God’s goodness and mercy continue… it will follow me

This is not like a wagon we are pulling behind us...

Follow me - relentless pursuit; chase; hunt

God’s goodness and mercy will chase us… relentlessly pursue us… hunt us down… overtake us

All the days of my life…

Now and into the future

That is a bold and boastful statement about David’s Shepherd… do we boldly boast about our Good Shepherd like that??

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS)

This final phrase is a picture of a sheep so absolutely satisfied with its lot in life… so fully content with the care of the shepherd … there is not a shred of desire to be anywhere else than with the shepherd

This is ultimate security… to be in the house of the shepherd always!

Dwell = inhabit; establish residence; settling into

House of the Lord = (not a building; place) family, household, flock of the Good Shepherd

We can be proud to be in the care of the Good Shepherd

We belong to Jesus Christ

We belong to His flock… His family… His household

FOREVER!

When David penned these words, he did not see the picture like we do… we see so much more clearly since Christ’s life on this earth

David did not know who Jesus is — we do

David did not know what Jesus said...

John 14:1–3 KJV

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Many people imagine heavenly mansions with streets of gold when they read these verses

I don’t know that David would have necessarily had a heavenly city in mind… his eyes were on the shepherd, not the place

For us today as well, I don’t believe this is so much WHERE we will be, but WITH WHOM we will be!

And, we will be there for all eternity

Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS

as we go through the valley with strange shadows

with His rod and staff

by preparing summer plateaus of pastureland to be safe

ridding pesky distractions and disease

by pursing with goodness and mercy

by allowing us to dwell in His presence for all eternity

Conclusion

The Lord is my Shepherd… Jesus is our Good Shepherd

Our Good Shepherd PROVIDES

Our Good Shepherd PROTECTS

Let’s not fear the shadows and unknown dangers, but confidently follow our Good Shepherd through any situation we face to the destination He has prepared for us now and into eternity