I am Safe
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
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 still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
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 anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Introduction
Introduction
Today we are talking about the 23rd Psalm. More specifically, we are discussing the 4th verse of the psalm.
Today’s sermon is the third in a series of sermons on the 23rd Psalm. The series is entitled, “That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It” and will be a deep dive into the 23rd Psalm.
Background
Background
The psalms are intensely personal prayers, or hymns. They were written as songs with harps and singers, and like a song the emphasis is on an emotional connection. The psalms are really like songs of praise or love songs to God (Yahweh).
Today’s verse is extremely personal as it focuses on the issue of death, mortality, and vulnerability.
THEOLOGY OF THE PSALMS
Although the psalms are quite diverse, one theme pervades them all: God is King. His dominion extends throughout the universe because He created and sustained it. This reign will never end because He is eternal and all-powerful.
In His sovereignty, this Great King chose Israel to be His people. He revealed himself to them by a special name, Yahweh, and linked Israel with himself by a covenant. Initiated with Abraham (see Genesis 12
, 15, 17), God expanded this covenant with Moses (Exodus–Deuteronomy). In essence, Yahweh promised to serve as a faithful king over Israel in return for its worship and obedience
Lennox, S. J. (1999). Psalms: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (p. 21). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.
This covenant relationship is revealed in today’s verse as a relationship where God is always present and is active in the most difficult times in our lives.
Death & Job
Death & Job
Death
Death
Before we look at our verse for today, I want to look at the concept of death in the ancient Mesopotamian world and in the bible.
The term Sheol is used to in parallel with death in the old testament to indicate the grave or underworld. Sheol can be an aggressive, threatening thing.
Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat,
and it has opened wide its mouth without limit,
and her nobles will go down, and her multitude,
her tumult and those who revel in her.
While the term Sheol is unique to the Hebrew bible, the concept of death was, of course, a common concern in the world of the Near East. Almost universally the grave was seen as a place of darkness where there was fear and suffering. The underworld was a place where you ate dirt and drank unclean water. The underworld was a place that no one came back from. There was no comfort and no escape.
Job
Job
Job, which proceeds Psalms, is a book focused on death. Job struggles with his own existence and his own death. This gives us insight into how death was viewed.
Before I go—and I will not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
to the land of darkness,
like the darkness of a deep shadow and chaos,
so that it shines forth like darkness.’ ”
Job entered into a time of profound loss and fear. From his perspective, it was arbitrary and without reason. It felt hopeless and Job felt powerless.
This is the type of fear and confusion that our verse today is referencing.
Verse
Verse
Even when I walk in a dark valley, I fear no evil
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
There are three reasons that we can fear no evil, despite finding ourselves in this darkest of places.
God is with us.
God is with us.
God’s presence is guaranteed. We can experience comfort only because of God’s presence. What is our experience if God is not present with us?
According to a book by Ted Chiang, “Hell is the absence of God.”
The 22nd Psalm, which Jesus quoted from the cross, talks about this.
My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I call by day and you do not answer,
and by night but I have no rest.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by humankind and despised by people.
All who see me mock me.
They open wide their lips;
they shake the head, saying:
Many bulls have encircled me;
mighty bulls of Bashan have surrounded me.
They open their mouth against me
like a lion tearing and roaring.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax;
it is melted within me.
Simone Weil was a French social philosopher and activist in the French Resistance during World War II, After the German occupation of Paris during World War II, Weil moved to the south of France, where she worked as a farm servant. She escaped with her parents to the United States in 1942 but then went to London to work with the French Resistance. To identify herself with her French compatriots under German occupation, Weil refused to eat more than the official ration in occupied France. Malnutrition and overwork led to a physical collapse, and during her hospitalization she was found to have tuberculosis. She died after a few months spent in a sanatorium.
“Affliction makes God appear to be absent for a time, more absent than a dead man, more absent than light in the utter darkness of a cell. A kind of horror submerges the whole soul. During this absence there is nothing to love. What is terrible is that if, in this darkness where there is nothing to love, the soul ceases to love, God's absence becomes final.” ― Simone Weil, Waiting for God
Without God’s presence we are lost and fearful. Without God’s presence we are unable to truly love. Without God’s presence there is an unbreakable darkness.
But God promises not only to be present, but promises to be active. He is not simply observing. Instead, he is assertively engaging in our experience in a tangible way.
The Rod
The Rod
A shepherd’s rod was used as a weapon against predators. The rod is not the tool of the fearful or shy. The rod only has value in the hands of a courageous person who is ready to battle.
Do we need someone to battle for us?
Be sober; be on the alert. Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil, because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We are under attack and need God’s power in the struggle. If you do not feel the oppressive opposition of the enemy, then your faith walk must lack in power.
In his book The Screwtape Letters CS Lewis writes as a more mature demon, Screwtape, giving guidance to a novice demon on how to ensnare humans in evil. One of the greatest weapons, according to this experienced demon, is to allow humans to be complacent and lukewarm in their faith.
“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
But if God is present with us and we are actively trusting him, then we will meet opposition and challenges. Job was selected for testing because of his faith. But God promises that his rod is there to defend us.
The Staff
The Staff
The third reason that we can be confident and fear no evil is God’s staff. A shepherd’s staff was used to guide the sheep. The staff kept the sheep on the right path. The staff was the tool used by the shepherd to set boundaries and limitations for the sheep.
As dumb animals, sheep often take the wrong path.
“Shrek the sheep from New Zealand hid in a cave for 6 years. When found (in 2004) he had 60 pounds of wool on him and could barely walk. “
It may not be fair to characterize sheep as dumb. What is definitely true is that their herd instinct will cause them to follow each other into terrible situations.
You can find this news story from 2013:
“Hundreds of sheep followed their leader off a cliff in eastern Turkey, plunging to their deaths this week while shepherds looked on in dismay. Four hundred sheep fell 15 meters to their deaths in a ravine in Van province near Iran but broke the fall of another 1,100 animals who survived. Shepherds from a nearby village neglected the flock while eating breakfast, leaving the sheep to roam free.”
Without guidance there are definite problems. Before we laugh to hard at the sheep, what stupid things have we done because we ignored God’s guidance?
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we struggle through difficulty we can feel lost and overwhelmed. We can fear losing our very existence. But God has a solution. God promises to be actively present with us. To walk with us, protect us, and guide us. What is our role? To embrace God’s presence. To walk with God. Sheep don’t have that much ability to defy the shepherd. Sheep may wander off, but they don’t really choose to violate the guidance of the shepherd. However, we do. We often face God’s guidance and with full knowledge ignore it. We often intentionally abandon God and try to escape his presence.
Maybe the sheep are actually smarter than I thought. We may be the dumb ones. In need of God’s grace.