7 Blessings in Psalm 23
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The Shepherd’s Preservation
The Shepherd’s Preservation
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Shepherd cares for His sheep and gives attention to His sheep.
The Shepherd knows what the sheep need before the sheep are even aware themselves.
God’s care of us is a complete care.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Through our own carelessness or pride, it’s possible for us to miss out on our Father’s care.
15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; And an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
But Christ gave us the conditions under which we can expect to be provided for...
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The Lord is actually referring to a Psalm when He said this:
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
Young lions are strong, enthusiastic, and like roaring. They’re filled with pride (pun intended) but it’s that pride that can cause them to go hungry. They strut around as king of the beasts, and while they roar, their prey runs away, and the lions go hungry.
But those who seek the Lord don’t show any of that pride. They’re more like sheep who know the voice of the Shepherd, and trust that voice.
They follow that voice, because they understand that the Shepherd cares for them. As long as they keep following the Shepherd’s voice, they know they’ll be provided with everything they need, because the Shepherd cares.
And so the Lord repeats that teaching during His sermon on the mount, and says:
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
So long as we are prioritising the Lord, His work, and His Word, all the things we need, He’ll provide.
If our priorities are right, we’ll work hard, we’ll care for our families, we’ll honour the powers that be, and we won’t bring hardship upon ourselves because of our own wickedness.
So when hardship does come, since we have been faithful to the Lord, the Lord promises to care for us.
I’m not talking about salvation. Whether or not we remain saved is in God’s hands alone, not our’s, and He has promised that nothing can take us out of His hands.
But for our daily needs, God’s promised provision can depend on our faithfulness.
Now, some may say, "But this is Old Testament teaching, and we aren’t under the law - we’re under grace, so how can you say we have to be faithful to be sure of God’s provision and care?”
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
The Lord Himself taught this as well:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
The promise is this - that when our eyes are fixed on the Shepherd, His care will be fully realised in us.
[THE SHEPHERD’S PRESERVATION]
The Shepherd’s Peace
The Shepherd’s Peace
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
When I have thought of this verse before, I focused on the sheep lying down in the green pastures.
But as I read it again today, something else came into my mind - where did the green pastures come from?
Are the pastures not prepared beforehand by the Shepherd in preparation for moving His sheep to them?
Does He not prepare the ground, and sow the seed, and scare away the birds that would eat the seed? Does He not make sure the ground is well irrigated so that the grass will grow?
A lot of work goes into preparing that peaceful place, but none of it is done by the sheep.
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Paul repeats this truth to the church in Colossae:
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
In Hebrews this thought is taken further, not only describing how peace was purchased, but what kind of peace it is:
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Peace because we have assurance - “in full assurance of faith” - or as we were thinking of on Sunday evening, a “know-so” salvation.
Peace because we have justification - “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” - in this I’m reminded of:
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
The tense here is the perfect tense - it’s something that has already happened but the events are lasting to the present and beyond.
We have been justified, and so when we now as God’s children confess our sin, our Father in Heaven is faithful and just to forgive us our sin. The work of justification upon us at salvation gives us peace upon our ongoing confession of and repentance from daily sins today.
Peace because we are being sanctified - “our bodies washed with pure water”. The fact that it’s our bodies being washed is evidence that this is a present work that’s ongoing.
He’s still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
So, because of Christ purchasing salvation through His own flesh, we can lie down in the green pastures His labour has prepared for us.
But we are also led by still waters.
Water often speaks of the Scriptures, especially when that water is drinking water, as seems to be the case here.
What are the qualities of this drinking water?
“still” - quiet, safe, refreshing
Quiet - not jarring, or grating; not unsettling in an evil sense. Even when we’re being challenged by the Scriptures, there is hope and a call to closer fellowship with the Lord.
I’ve stood by the Niagara Falls and listened to the roar of those waters as they crash over in edge and into the rocks below. I’ve been on the Maid of the Mist at the base of the falls as the force of the falling water covers everything with it’s spray.
It’s impressive to see and hear, but it’s not going to put you at rest. You don’t want to go anywhere near it. It’s impressive in its ferocity and its danger.
That’s not the Word of God. It’s a place that invites us to draw near. It’s a place that impresses us with its serenity and its ability to soothe our troubled souls.
These still waters are quiet.
They’re also safe.
The Shepherd is leading us beside these waters, knowing we’ll be drawn to them to drink, and because He cares for us and won’t put us in danger, we can know that these waters are safe.
No-one ever ended up destroyed by following God’s Word. No-one who has sought to live according to its teachings and precepts has ever become shipwrecked in life.
Rather, they have gained assurance, and boldness, and peace, and joy. When circumstances have been chaotic, God’s Word has been an oasis of calm.
The Scriptures aren’t always easy. Peter admitted that much of Paul’s writings were hard to understand. But all Scripture is profitable if it properly understood and applied.
These waters are quiet, safe, and they’re refreshing.
Why does the Shepherd lead beside the waters in the first place? So that the sheep can drink and be refreshed.
How sweet the living water from the hills of God,
It makes me glad and happy all the way;
Now glory, grace and blessing mark the path I've trod,
I'm shouting Hallelujah every day.
Drinking at the springs of living water,
Happy now am I, my soul they satisfy;
Drinking at the springs of living water,
O wonderful and bountiful supply.
[THE SHEPHERD'S PRESERVATION - His care upon those who keep following the Shepherd]
[THE SHEPHERD’S PEACE - through the assurance, justification, and sanctification He has given us through Christ’s sacrfice on Calvary, and in the quiet, safe, refreshing waters He has provided in His Word that bring peace to the soul]
The Shepherd’s Pathway
The Shepherd’s Pathway
The Shepherd’s Presence
The Shepherd’s Presence
The Shepherd’s Provision
The Shepherd’s Provision
The Shepherd’s Plentiousness
The Shepherd’s Plentiousness
The Sheep’s Prospect
The Sheep’s Prospect