(Psalm 23:1-4) Learning To Be A Sheep

The Next verse we shall look at for our theme - Hardest Verses is Psalm 23:1-4.

If you would kindly turn your Bibles to Psalm 23 as we look at another hard verse in our Bibles.

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If you understand the Ancient world

Sheep were an everyday part of life in Biblical times.

It was a central part of the Ancient Near East Economy.

Abraham, Isaac, Moses, and David were all shepherds.

Sheep are good livestock for the Ancient Near East because they need minimal amounts of grain and water, and can easily be moved around, … making them ideal for the dry arid climate who faces dry seasons.

ILLUSTRATION:

It is kind of like the Midwest today.

- Iowa is known around the country as the cornfield capital of the world.

- The Official Mascot for the University of Nebraska is … the corn huskers.

That region of the United States is known for it’s agricultural.

Corn is central part of everyday life in the Midwest.

Likewise, Sheep in Biblical times was a central part of everyday life.

Today we are going to encounter one of the most beautiful pieces of Scripture in the Bible.

David uses the everyday imagery of his life, being a shepherd, to describe God’s incredible care over him.

And that imagery combined with the splendor of God has created one of the most treasured portions of Scripture in the Bible.

Let’s Look at Psalm 23:1-4 this morning.

Psalm 23:1–4 ESV

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 paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

According to this Psalm,

We ought to be sheep who trust our shepherd.

And David teaches us 3 aspects of trusting God to care for us.

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The first aspect, is understanding

1) The Promise of God’s Care: “The Lord is My Shepherd”. (v. 1a)

He says,

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd;

That is an incredible statement … to say that God is my shepherd.

We will talk more about this …

- but sheep are some of the most helpless and needy animals out there.

The Great 19th Century Preacher, Spurgeon put it this way:

“A sheep is one of the most unwise of creatures. It will go anywhere except in the right direction. It will leave a fat pasture to wander into a barren one. It will find many ways but not the right way. It would wander through a forest and find its way through ravines into the wolf’s jaws but never by its wariness turn away from the wolf. It could wander near his den, but it would not instinctively turn aside from the place of danger. It knows how to go astray, but it does not know how to come home again. Left to itself, it would not know in what pasture to feed in summer or where to retire in winter.”

Sheep are inherently helpless and needy animals.

- But Further, Shepherds are not far distant care takers, but “shepherds live with their flock and is everything to it: guide, physician, and protector.” (TOTC, Kidner)

And David here, picks ups this idea, and says:

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd;

CAVEAT/EXHORT:

I know that this is a passage some of us know very well, but think about the significance of that as though it is a brand new idea.

The Lord Is my shepherd.

The LORD is the same one who created heaven and earth in Genesis 1.

The same one who providential guided Joseph … to turn the wickedness of his brothers into a blessing for them all.

The same one who crushed Egypt in the 10 plagues and the Red Sea.

The same one who crushed the walls of Jericho and the same one who caused the people of Canaan to tremble.

Consider Isaiah’s description of God, as display by the stars.

Isaiah 40:26 ESV

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.

And that is who David is saying - He is my shepherd.

The one who cares for me.

And The grammar behind the word “shepherd” here is meant to stress the active ongoing act of God serving as David’s shepherd.

And for Christians,

this takes on even deeper meaning as we consider that Christ is the great shepherd.

Isaiah 40:11 promised that the Christ would be a shepherd.

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.

He says the Christ would be the great shepherd.

And Jesus himself confessed that he was this shepherd.

In John 10:11, Jesus said -

John 10:11 ESV

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

The truth is … We worship the ALMIGHTY.

He is a great, powerful, and good.

But he is not just a God to us, but a shepherd also.

God is not some distant stranger, looking down upon us.

Or Simply a motionless graven image

But a shepherd .... who cares for our every need.

David teaches us that God cares for us.

But how careful is his care?

A good shepherd would carefully care for His sheep.

But a lazy, slothful shepherd would neglect his sheep.

A strong shepherd will protect his sheep even from lions.

but a weak shepherd would not be able to save his sheep.

The Question we have to ask - what kind of care does God have over us?

The second aspect of trusting God is to recognize -

2) The Sufficiency of our Care: “You shall not lack”. (v. 1b)

ILLUSTRATION:

In the medical community … there are different standards of care.

There are general practitioners.

But then there are cardiologists.

And yet even further, there are specialized cardiologists who do heart surgery.

Each level represents a different level of care.

Psalm 23:1 clarifies the level of care we can expect from God.

David says, God’s care of my soul is so good … I shall not lack.

The traditional reading of Psalm 23:1 is as the ESV gives us -

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Let’s just be honest … how many of us have struggled with wanting something God had not provided.

And the reality is God sometimes says no … because we want something for the wrong reasons.

James 4:3 ESV

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

ILLUSTRATION:

One of my goals when I first enlisted in the Navy

.... was I wanted to go to an overseas assignment

and I wanted to join the CIA.

That is what I wanted … and I am so glad God did not give me what I wanted.

Instead,

He sent me to Hawaii …

Where I latter meet my wife.

Along the way … I came at a cross roads

I had the chance to join the CIA or the NSA.

And instead God lead me to walk away and to become a pastor and now a chaplain.

In hindsight, I am so glad God did not give me what I wanted.

He guided this foolish sheep down a much better path.

But that begs the questions - Then what does it mean “I shall not want”.

A better rendering of the Hebrew would be - I shall not lack.

Psalm 23:1 NET

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Psalm 23:1 AMP

A Psalm of David. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

I think that is a careful distinction.

I shall not want is subtly different from,

I shall not lack.

There are probably a million perfectly innocent “I wants” in our life.

And thank God we have a shepherd who does not always give me what I want.

Thank God we have shepherd who stops dumb, ignorant sheep from going straying down the wrong path.

Nevertheless … God’s care is 100%.

We lack nothing.

God as my shepherd means I do not truly lack anything that is truly good and wise for me.

The level of Care that we can expect from God is 100% of our needs.

But now we are starting to get to why this verse is a hard verse to live.

Again, like last week,

this verse is not hard to understand.

But it is hard to believe.

> Oh we love to quote this verse when life is good.

> When we get that unexpected bonus, or promotion, or blessing.

But it is so much harder to when we

Walk down the valley of the shadow of death.

When we are hurt by sin and wickedness.

When we face that obstacle in our life the seems impossible to get over.

There are times where we fear our situation more than we believe God is caring for us.

David is no different, and thus he gave us 3 ways in which God is our shepherd.

In Psalm 23:2-4 I believe David addresses 3 common ways we doubt God’s care for us.

Observe the 3rd Aspect,

3) The Times of our Care:

Consider the ways David emphasizes how God shepherds us.

He shepherds us -

a) In His Provision. (2a)

Psalm 23:2 (ESV)

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

What does green pastures and still waters communicate to sheep?

That is everything a sheep needs.

If a sheep has green grass, and cool water … then the sheep has everything it needs.

David is saying … his shepherd always provides for his needs.

Additionally, He shepherds us -

b) In His Leading. (v. 2b-3)

Psalm 23:2–3 ESV

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

How does God lead us?

He leads us -

- to peace

Green pastures and still waters not only describes provision, but peace.

He leads us

- to restoration

“He restores my soul”

I often recommend the Psalms to people who seem worn out … because God has the unique ability to Restore our souls.

And God leads us -

- to righteousness (truth, right, good). [Philippians 4:8]

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:8.

Philippians 4:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

God leads us to righteousness.

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The bottom line is - Sometimes we don’t know what the best path is.

Like Spurgeon said -

A sheep is one of the most unwise of creatures. It will go anywhere except in the right direction. It will leave a fat pasture to wander into a barren one. It will find many ways but not the right way.

We are like sheep, unable to find our way.

But we have no need to worry … because the Lord is my shepherd.

And finally, He shepherds us -

c) In His Protection. (v. 4)

Psalm 23:4 ESV

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

David in incredible imagery,

tells us he is willing to face death with no fear.

That is crazy.

How can you not fear that which could kill you?

David can say that, because the Lord is his shepherd.

- He describes God like a shepherd always being with His sheep.

- He describes God using the rod and staff of a shepherd to protect his sheep.

> While we may face people who want to hurt us

> or circumstances that make you all to aware that death may be near by … we have no fear.

Why?

Because God is our shepherd, and we shall lack nothing.

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As we briefly go through these 3 final verses,

I think we should consider why David includes these.

David describes that His Shepherd, God, provides, leads, and protects him.

Why are those important?

Because they are the 3 ways we doubt that God is our shepherd.

To say it another way.

they are the 3 ways we fail to trust that God care for us.

So often we doubt that,

- God will provide for us

- God will lead us.

- And God will protect us.

I mean … isn't that the substance of our fears.

And what David is saying is … we have no reason to fear … because -

Psalm 23:1 ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

CONCLUSION:

Like last week, Psalm 23:1 is a simple verse.

But like last week, Psalm 23:1 is hard to live out.

- It is not hard because God is not great.

- It is hard because we struggle with trusting God.

We fear letting something else control us, and manage us.

But if we can remember that God is a good and great shepherd,

than we be like David and rest in the provision, leading, and protection of God.

I challenge us to live like sheep who trust the voice of their shepherd.