Misc. - "My Shepherd" - Psalm 23:1

“My Shepherd”// “The Guide for our Graduates”

Students and parents, class of 2021, congratulations and thank you for being here for this baccalaureate service.

Tonight we join together to celebrate! Celebrate your great accomplishments, and also celebrate what is to come for each and every one of you.

This is an exciting week. Your class will come together and graduate! It’s a time for you to look forward to all that life has in store.

In this room are future educators, future nurses, future doctors, future husbands, future wives, future fathers, and future mothers.

So cool!

A lot of what you are going to experience in the future has already been determined by what’s happened in the past.

Let me explain… some of you made excellent grades in the past, and that has determined the amount of scholarship money you received going into school. (The parents said, HALLELUJAH).

As much as this time in your life allows you to look forward to the future, it should also remind you to look back to see where you’ve come from.

Tonight, I sense the Lord leading us to Psalm 23.

Psalm 23 is a passage of scripture where King David is looking back on all that he had been through. He’s reflecting on his life.

If you know anything about David, he was the youngest boy in Jesse’s family. He was the shepherd boy in his father’s field, taking care of the sheep when Samuel came to town to find the next king. He ends up at David’s house, but none of his brothers anticipated that it would be him.

But God had other plans. David was anointed as the next king of Israel and then he went on to kill Goliath and do many other things.

Most people assume that David wrote this psalm (a song) while he was out in the field as a boy with the sheep.

But he actually writes this later in life. After he killed Goliath. After he won wars, became king, had great success.... and even after he failed big time.

So before we fall into the temptation of flippantly reading Psalm 23, take a look at what this passage means for believers.

Remember that the book of Psalms is a hymn book full of songs and poetry that the Israelites would use in both private and public worship. King David wrote this particular song, and while it seems like it might have been written while he was a shepherd boy in his father’s pasture, it is believed that he wrote this later in life. As David reflected, he did not glory in his own accomplishments. He didn’t reminisce about his battle victories. Instead, in a time of difficulty, King David simply said: “The Lord is my Shepherd, and I have all I need.”

God, You are and have been so faithful to me.

God, You are and have been so good.

God, while I’ve achieved great things, You are so much better.

Can we say the same thing?

I mentioned that King David was walking through a time of difficulty. Scholars believe that he wrote this song while his own son, Absolom, rebelled against him and tried to kill him. The situation David faced may be different than the one you’re in, but here’s a powerful truth: the situation may be different, but the Shepherd isn’t.

Our world seems to have fallen apart over the last year. We have seen a worldwide pandemic, riots, racial tension, masks, political unrest, and so on. Maybe your home life is shaky, or you are having relationship problems, or the enemy is constantly reminding you of your past sins. Even in the midst of all of this, we want to remind you that Jesus is enough.

David looked back on his life and was able to sing this song from his heart: You, O God, are faithful!

When you reflect on your life, can you say... no, sing the same thing?

Psalm 23:1 KJV 1900

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

what can we learn from this beautiful song?

1. The Person of the Shepherd

“The Lord…”

Those two words are so powerful. In fact, those two words are the foundation of Psalm 23. Without “the Lord” nothing else could be true. Without “the Lord,” there is no satisfaction, place of rest, restored soul, strength in the hard times, comfort in the dark times, preparation for the future, or place to hope in. Without “the Lord,” David had nothing to sing about.

Questions to help introduce this:

Have you ever considered what your life would be without The Lord? Are there things in life (actions, time, or choices) that you do without including the Lord?

Do you find it easy to go through life without spending time with the Lord?

Those two words are so important. Because David knew “the Lord,” he was able to sing and rejoice even in the difficult times.

But who is “the Lord?” Who is David singing about?

Notice two things about “The Lord”:

a. The Name of God

“The Lord” means Jehovah.

Jehovah is the covenant name that God gave the Israelites.

This means God’s name represented God’s promises. In the Old Testament and the New Testament, God always keeps His promises, and that’s who David is singing about!

Here’s the point: If you have a personal relationship with Jehovah, you have a relationship with a promise-keeping God!

“The Lord” also means Living One, Self-existing, unchangeable God

“The Lord” appears nearly 7,000 times in the Bible, and it’s all times when God is calling Himself by name.

One moment when God called Himself by name was in Exodus 3. This was when He spoke with Moses in the burning bush. He told Moses to go and tell Pharoah to let His people go. Moses asked, “Who should I tell them sent me?” God spoke back and said, “The Lord, who is the great I AM THAT I AM - He has sent me.”

David was singing about the God that split an ocean! David knew that God!

Here’s the point: If you know “the Lord,” you have a relationship with the Living One, Self-existing, and unchangeable God.

David knew God and he knew God’s name! That’s really cool.

We see the name of God in the Person of the Shepherd, but we also see:

b. The Nature of God

Big Truth: God’s character and God’s capability are both included in His name.

The fact that David knew God’s name shows he knew what God was capable of. Now he’s singing about Jehovah. He’s able to respond to who God is and also what God has done.

God’s name says a lot about His actions.

Jehovah was often compounded with other descriptive words to show His character (he’s a promise keeper) and His capability. God could do and would do. Those compounded names are also seen in this psalm:

Jehovah-Jireh means, “the Lord will provide.” (verse 1 - “I shall not want”)

Jehovah-Shalom means, “the Lord is our peace.” (verse 2 - “leads me beside still waters”)

Jehovah- Rophe means, “The Lord is my healer” (verse 3 - “He restoreth my soul”)

Jehovah-Shama means, “The Lord is present” (verse 4 - “thou art with me”)

Jehovah-Ezer means, “The Lord is my help” (verse 4 - “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”)

Jehovah-Nissi means, “The Lord my victory” (verse 5 - “thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies”)

When you know God’s name, you know what He is capable of.

Big question: Do you have a relationship with Jesus?

We see the Person of the Shepherd, but now we see:

2. The Position of the Sheep

“… is my shepherd...”

Sheep are dumb animals. They are defenseless, easily go astray, and often find themselves in danger. We will say more about sheep in the next study, but until then, we must understand that when Jesus is our shepherd we are accepting who we really are.

Accepting Jesus as your personal Shepherd requires that you accept the position of being His sheep!

This is where Lordship comes in. You cannot separate Savior from Lord. When you accept Jesus, He becomes Savior AND Lord. This is why accepting the position of a sheep is so important!

Recognizing our position as a sheep is accepting three things about yourself:

I am prone to wander, but Jesus graciously found (and continues to find) me!

I cannot defend myself, but Jesus can!

I am designed to be led, and I trust Jesus to lead my life!

As a sheep, notice a couple things about the Shepherd:

a. the Shepherd loves you

Sheep, as we already mentioned, are not very smart. In fact, they are:

Dependent

Foolish

Wandering

Stubborn

Even though we are all these things, our Shepherd loves us deeply!

John 10:15 KJV 1900

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus accepts you as you are, and came to give His life for you!

What else do we need to know about the Shepherd?

b. the Shepherd Paid for you

Shepherds had to purchase their own sheep. Many shepherds would spend a great deal of money on just one sheep! They would work and toil until they earned enough to purchase these animals. Read John 10:15 again, and notice that His life was the payment for us to be His sheep.

John 10:15 KJV 1900

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus laid His life down for the sheep, just how they were.

Here’s the point: No matter what mistakes you’ve made, Jesus has given His life for you! He died so that you can be forgiven!

3. The Pleasure of Knowing the Sheep

“…I shall not want.”

Sheep know their true shepherd, and they are willing to follow him wherever he leads.

Why? Because to “not want,” means “they lack nothing, and they are satisfied.”

As you’ve listened to this Bible study, hopefully, you’ve been reminded of the great love Jesus has for you!

But here’s a question: are you a satisfied sheep because of knowing the Shepherd?

Can you say that you are satisfied in Jesus above all?

Knowing Jesus produces:

Purpose

Contentment

Joy

Life

Closing:

Psalm 23 is the greatest song ever written because it details the Person of the Shepherd, the position we have as sheep, and how we can have pleasure in knowing the Shepherd. It’s the greatest song because it shows what the Christian life should be about!

Do you have a relationship with Jesus?

Have you accepted your role as a sheep?

Are you satisfied in Him?