Psalm 23 - Communion

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

We can identify with this

The Lord is our Shepherd

We often think of sheep as cute little soft animals that we count as we lay to sleep.

Realistically speaking, they were nasty creatures and the job of Sheep Herding could have been featured on Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs

In fact, I think it actually might have been.

A shepherd is someone who cares about others more than himself

A shepherd cares about the soul of his flock more than he does about the chore of caring for his flock

God began to look for a new Shepherd for the people of Israel in light of Samuel’s failure.

God told Samuel to go to Jesse’s house and “anoint for Me the one I name to you.”

Jesse brough out Eliab and Samuel thought for sure that he was the one.

God told Samuel that He does not look at outward appearance, but at the heart.

Our shepherd does not look at our mess or our insufficiency, he looks at our heart

The Shepherd looks past the mess and sees the soul.

The Lord is my shepherd

Sheep are dumb

I am dumb

I need a Shepherd that cares for my soul, to keep me.

When we accepted the Lord as our Saviour, we received Him as our Shepherd.

I shall not want.

God always supplies for His flock.

I can see this truth when I look back.

I have never truly known what it means to be hungry.

Sometimes we forget that we need God to supply for us, because we trick ourselves into thinking we can do it for ourselves.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

Sometimes God has to make us rest, but He knows what is best for us,— He is our Shepherd.

God makes us rest in a place where we are nourished, and safe. Where we can grow.

He leads us by still water, water that is safe.

He restores my soul;

God repairs us.

God looks at our brokenness and says “I can fix that.”

He does not leave us broken.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

He gives us what we need to be righteous and Holy for His glory.

He does not leave us with our feeble effort. He makes every provision for our righteousness.

He gave us His spirit to lead us into truth and right living.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Your way, o God, IS RIGHT and its end is the way of LIFE.

Yea, 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.

We have no reason to fear death, because of your presence.

You rod and staff comfort, guide and correct me.

When I wander the wrong way I can feel the crook of your rod wrap around my heart and pull me back to you.

Even though I am not in green pastures and still waters right now, I know that God has made me righteous and that He is still with me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

This is not just something that He has thrown together at the last minute.

Our shepherd prepared a meal for us.

A meal where we can taste and see that the Lord is good

This speaks to the intentionality of His preparations.

God prepared a plan for us.

When man was in darkness, no longer hearing the voice of God, He sent His Son to the earth.

Christ came to the earth in the likeness of man.

As a man, He humbled Himself to the point of death.

Shortly before His death, on the same night that He would be betrayed

Luke 22:14-18

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”