Psalm 23:2 - The Shepherd of Providence

Nourishment Comes From the Shepherd

“I shall not want/I have everything I need”

How? Because all of our nourishment comes from a shepherded life

We are all in need of being nourished often (eat, sleep, drink).

God has equipped us to handle these needs physically, but we must rely on our shepherd for spiritual nourishment.

The Lord provides green pastures and still waters (feeding & rest)

Food

In the fulness of grace in Christ, we can find good pasture (or good food)

enough to be full

John 6:35 Jesus “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst

Jesus is the Word (logos) John 1:1

EAT YOUR BIBLE

Half of our fears arise from neglect of the Bible // Charles Spurgeon

It’s been given to us; provided

Gen. 22 - Abraham calls God “Jehovah-Jireh” (The Lord will provide)

The Lord provided His Word to us and it is sufficient.. we will have all we need and shall not want more.

Rest

There is rest and contentment to be found in The Shepherd

He alone can dam up the chaos of life (waters) to give us peace/rest.

Matt. 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

In order to rest, we sheep have to have 4 things happen.

To be at rest, there must be must be definite sense of freedom from fear, tension, aggravations, and hunger. The unique aspect of the picture is that it is only the Shepherd himself who can provide release from these anxieties.

We, too often, try to provide these releases for ourselves or use other things.

The Shepherd alone is sufficient in providing spiritual rest and contentment (SOLOMON)

Provision is of the Shepherd

“He makes/lets me lie down”

Not forceful -> he makes it possible for us to be nourished and rested

He takes cares of the problems and sets up the barriers

John 10:28 in reference to His sheep that follow him, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

We can easily be attacked if not for the providence of the Shepherd.

If we are easily attacked, we must ask ourselves if we are living a Shepherded life?

He is the firmly set foundation for our lives (Isaiah 54:11)

Just as a diamond is secured and stable and safeguarded in it’s setting, we can be secured and set and safeguarded in our Shepherd

Sufficient provision only comes from the Lord our Shepherd

David understood this and gives God glory for it

He makes/leads me = active voice

he is doing the action

he is in control; in the forefront

I am led by Him = passive voice

He’s doing the work; I’m taking the credit

David intentionally gives God the glory for being a shepherd of provision.

Submit to the Shepherd

“leads” is willful

not dragging EG by her arm away from Paw Patrol cheese

mutually reciprocated from submission

sheep must submit to the shepherd

apart from a shepherd, sheep naturally form a “butting” order

because of this rivalry, tension, and competition for status and self-assertion, there is friction in the flock.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 3. “He Makes Me Lie Down In Green Pastures”

Hundreds and hundreds of times I have watched an austere old ewe walk up to a younger one that might have been feeding contentedly or resting quietly in some sheltered spot. She would arch her neck, tilt her head, dilate her eyes, and approach the other with a stiff-legged gait. All of this was saying in unmistakable terms, “Move over! Out of my way! Give ground or else!” And if the other ewe did not immediately leap to her feet in self-defense, she would be butted unmercifully. Or if she did rise to accept the challenge, one or two strong thrusts would soon send her scurrying for safety.

This continuous conflict and jealousy within the flock can be a most detrimental thing. The sheep become edgy, tense, discontented, and restless. They lose weight and become irritable.

But one point that always interested me very much was that whenever I came into view and my presence attracted their attention, the sheep quickly forgot their foolish rivalries and stopped their fighting. The shepherd’s presence made all the difference in their behavior.

As the Church, the unified Bride of Christ.. the only way we achieve unity is by submitting to the Shepherd

living a shepherded life

we often want the results & benefits of living a shepherded life (peace, assurance, blessings), yet we refuse to let Him lead & instead seek lesser pastures

PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING! OT KINGS

Big Idea: Nourishment and rest is only found in a life SHEPHERDED by the Lord.