Jesus is Your Good Shepherd

Robert Robert M. Sapolsky, in his book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, wrote of a time when John Henry once raced a steam drill tunneling through a mountain. Sapolsky said,

“He beat the machine, only to fall dead from the superhuman effort. Sherman James, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, named a syndrome after John Henry, saying people with it believe that anything can be conquered as long as you work hard enough. They are the ones who, when completing questionnaires, answer yes to statements such as, “When things don’t go the way I want, it just makes me work even harder,” or “Once I make up my mind to do something, I stay with it until the job is completely done.”’ They believe that with enough effort and determination they can regulate all outcomes.

There is nothing wrong with having a strong work ethic. The Bible teaches that work is a good thing, and that man was made to be productive. We rightly criticize idle lazy people. Paul goes so far as to say you are to keep away from a brother who walks in idleness and if a brother chooses not to work he will not eat. Paul even goes so far as to say have nothing to do with an idle brother (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).

Paul advocates for the Christian to take responsibility their own family through a strong productive work ethic. That being said, we know that working one’s self to death, in the same way John Henry died of exhaustion, is beyond a strong work ethic. It’s likely idolatrous and stems from, in my estimation, a restless heart.

Restlessness is exactly what is says it is. It’s a heart that does not rest. It is not satisfied nor content. It’s always wanting more from this world: more house, more car, more savings, more health, more power, more prestige.

Restlessness is part of the creational groan since the fall. All of us born under Adam’s curse suffer from some form of restlessness. For some, we work ourselves to exhaustion in our jobs in order to have financial security. For others, we work ourselves to exhaustion in fitness and dieting to have a perpetual clean bill of health. Still, some of us work ourselves to exhaustion in our relationships in order to never be alone. And yet, some of us even work to exhaustion in our walk with God believing that if we do more for him he will do more for us. You do this because you are convinced you are the sole proprietor of your destiny, and you might even believe the lie that God only helps those who help themselves.

Psalm 23 might be the most read Psalm at funerals. I think it is because death reveals how restless we truly are. Death holds a degree of power over all of you and I. From the moment you are born death is imminent. And as we have seen, even this last week, death does not discriminate between the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the abled or disabled, or any ethnic group. Funerals force is to look death in the face. Death looks at you and says I am going to take away your hopes and dreams. I’m going to get you before you get to do all the traveling or all the homemaking, all the parenting or grand-parenting, or any of the career stuff or retirement stuff you wanted to do. Death pushes you to go hard and fast, either on the one hand to get the most out of the American Dream, or on the other to try to escape death, which we know is a lost.

Intuitively, I think we know this world is not meant to provide the rest we are searching for. The Bible says that God put eternity in your heart and only His eternal rest can satisfy your heart’s restlessness. So many of us don’t believe that to be true.

At the heart of your restlessness is a lack of confidence in God’s desire and ability to lead you, comfort you, provide for you, protect you, and to eternally secure you in his house forever.

David offers a cure for your restlessness by showing us a portrait of God as our shepherd. Psalm 23 portrays God as

The Good Shepherd who desires to lead you, comfort you, protect you, provide for you, and secure in you in his house forever.

The Bible describes God’s people as sheep. Sheep are wonderful animals, but they are prone to restlessness. They are easily startled. Sheep will will instinctively follow the sheep in front of them without any discretion, even if it means more danger. Sheep will get lost and isolated from the herd, which makes them easy prey for predators. Therefore, sheep thrive when there is a shepherd to lead them, care for them, protect them, and provide for them. David says,

Yahweh is your shepherd (Psalm 23:1)

What kind of shepherd is He?

Yahweh is a Kingly Shepherd.

In Ancient Israel, as well as other middle eastern cultures, the metaphor of a “shepherd” was used to describe the king. The king of the nation was to rule over his people with care by providing food and shelter and protecting them from the dangers of other nations. David addresses God as Yahweh, his sovereign name. Yahweh is King over all of heaven and earth. Since Yahweh is the one true King over all of heaven and earth, the title shepherd is spot on. The Psalmist describes Yahweh as a kingly shepherd when he says

Psalm 80:1 ESV

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

Yahweh is a personal kingly shepherd.

David emphasizes the intimate relationship he has with God. He says,

Psalm 23:1 ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

David reveals the one true King as who knows him personally, intimately. Kings and rulers of the earth are known by many people, but very few people know actually know the king. I know of President Biden. I might even know a lot about President Biden, to the point I could write a biography about him. He, however, does not know me. We do not have an intimate relationship. David says, that God knows him and he knows God. It’s personal. Yahweh is my shepherd.

God knows you. Listen to how well God knows you. David reveals God’s knowledge of you in

Psalm 139:1–16 ESV

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Your Good Shepherd knows you inside and out. He knows your name. He knows your voice when you sing and when you shout. He hears you when you laugh and when you cry. The Bible says that God knows you so well that when you weep he keeps your tears in a bottle, meaning he knows the depths of your gut wrenching grief. He knows every hair on your head, every thought in your mind, and every word on your tongue. There is no being in heaven or earth that knows you as well as Yahweh knows you.

Knowing that Yahweh knows you this well is paramount to your relationship with Him because knowing is the foundation of trust. When two people know each other, truly know each other, like a husband and wife know each other, trust is cemented in the heart as the foundation for intimacy. Trust is the most vital component to any relationship. If you are going to allow God to lead you and comfort you and provide for you and protect you, then you must trust Him. If you are going to trust him, you must know that he knows you. David says, “The Lord is my shepherd. He knows me and I know Him. I trust Him.”

Trust is the bed you lie down on to rest. Its the green pasture the sheep settle down on by still waters.

Friends, before we move on to the rest of psalm, do you know Him? He knows you. He knows what you are about. He knows you are complicated and messy. He knows your thoughts are not his thoughts and your desires are not his desires. Yet, he invites you to know Him. Take a moment and answer that question. Do I know God? If you don’t knows him, now is the time to come and ask he him for his rest. He will give it to you. If you do know him, let the remaining few minutes encourage you to know him better. Let Him lead you like a Shepherd, a good shepherd.

Yahweh shepherds you by providing for your hunger and thirst in the hills and valleys of this world. (Psalm 23:2)

The Bible describes God’s people as the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100:3 ESV

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

A good shepherd will lead his sheep toward green grass for food, quiet waters that will allow the sheep to drink, as to rushing rapids that threaten the sheep. Once the sheep are full and satisfied, they will be able rest in the watchful comfort of the shepherd. At this time the shepherd will care for the sheep that hare hurting or sick. He will mend cuts, bruises, or broken limbs, carrying the sheep on his shoulders if necessary. So it is with Yahweh!

Your Good Shepherd provides rest for your basic physical needs. He knows when you are hungry. He knows when you are thirsty. He knows how to put food on your table and water in your glass. He ensures you have clothes to wear and shelter over your head. You don’t have to worry about what you will wear or what you will eat. Your Father in heaven knows what you need long before you know you need it. What does Jesus tell you about your Father in heaven?

Matthew 6:25–32 ESV

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Do notice how anxiety drives restlessness? Jesus mentions anxiousness four times. Don’t be anxious about what you will eat or what you will wear. Don’t get restless about your physical needs, your food, your clothing, your shelter. Why Jesus? These needs are crucial. Do not fear, your Father in heaven is a good father. He will care for you entirely.

Yahweh shepherds you by protecting and comforting for you in the hills and valleys of this world. (Psalm 23:3-5)

He protects and comforts you with His righteousness

David alludes to you that your soul needs restoration. So God leads you down paths of righteousness. He did not leave you to your sin. He provided Israel with His name, his law, his land, and his blessing. He made himself known and how he is to be worshiped. He provided a way for mankind to know him and his righteousness. David is reflecting on this as God’s great provision. To follow God’s Torah is to have life abundantly in David’s day. And God did not do this for David’s sake or Israel’s sake, or even your sake. He did it for his name’s sake. That is, he did it for his own glory. God will be glorified by being your Good Shepherd.

He protects and comforts you with his providence

Keep in mind, God leads his sheep where he wants them to go. As we have seen, some of those paths are for rest. In verse 4, David reveals that God leads you through the valley of the shadow of death, or a literally translation says, “the valley of darkness.” Just as God providently brings you up to the mountain top to receive rest, he also leads you to and through the valleys of darkness.

Americans struggle with the idea that God will bring suffering into your life. That false theology often comes from the prosperity gospel or an inadequate view of God’s sovereignty. We tend to think God is not good if he brings suffering into your life. Or even worse, we believe that Satan is somehow equal to God in power. All of that is heresy.

The cross of Christ is the best example of God’s sovereignty in intentionally using suffering to accomplish his will for your good. God chose to send his Son to die on a cross before the world existed (Romans 9, Ephesians 1). Just one example of several texts that allude to this is

Revelation 13:8 ESV

and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

When the beast comes and demands to be worshiped in the end times, those whose name were not written in the book of life of the lamb who was slain, will worship the beast. The book was written before the foundation of the world. Jesus came to die at the Father’s will to save sinners. Those who are saved are only saved because Jesus died on a cross at the hands of Satan and evil men by the will of the Father. God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and raised him up on the third day, sealing the salvation of all who will put their trust in Jesus’s work. That is why the writers of Hebrews could say, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross.” He knew his suffering was ordained by God for the good of His elect. And Jesus tells us that the student is not above the teacher. If he suffered, we will suffer. So God’s promsie to you is not that you will never endure suffering. His promise is that he will be with you in your darkest hour.

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.

He protects and comforts you with his direction and discipline

A Good shepherd uses two instruments to protect his sheep. His rod he uses to protect his sheep from wolves and thieves. His staff he uses to guide his sheep in the right direction. Willem A. VanGemeren explains

“The shepherd’s care is symbolized by the “rod” and the “staff” (v. 4c). A shepherd carried a “rod” to club down wild animals (cf. 1 Sa 17:43; 2 Sa 23:21) and a “staff” to keep the sheep in control. The rod and staff represent God’s constant vigilance over his own and bring “comfort” because of his personal presence and involvement with his sheep.”

For God to be vigilant in caring for his sheep, he does something extraordinary. Kings and rulers on earth, especially in antiquity, did not spend time with shepherds or sheep. They were often thought of as unclean and in some cultures of a lower class. Your kingly Good Shepherd fellowships with his sheep. He never leaves them. He intertwines his life into their life. He leads them by still waters and into deep valleys, never leaving them or forsaking them. The Good Shepherd is always keeping an eye out for thieves and murders and lions who are waiting to devour his sheep. The Good shepherd is always bringing his sheep back into the fold, chasing every stray sheep until all arrive safely into his house.

Yahweh shepherds you to his house where you will remain forever. (Psalm 23:5-6)

Psalm 23:5–6 ESV

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Good Shepherd, shepherds his sheep all the way home. David changes the metaphor in verse 5 from Shepherd to host. The host is one who sets a table before his enemies, meaning God will exalt to David to the highest place of honor over his enemies. God is the victor over David’s physical and spiritual enemies.

God is now the host of the house who invites David in to stay forever. David says goodness and mercy are so part of God’s character that they flow out of him to those he has set his covenantal love. This echoes what God said to Moses in

Exodus 34:7 ESV

keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

The end game for David is to dwell in the house of God forever.

How does God ensure that David and the rest of his sheep dwell in his house forever?

Jesus is your Good Shepherd. (John 10:7-18)

During Israel’s day, God sent human shepherds to guide and guard his people. They did not do a good job. God indicted his priests and scribes through the prophet Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 34, God condemns Israel’s shepherds for not leading them well or caring for them. They exploited God’s sheep and allowed them to scatter. When Jesus arrives on the scene, Matthew says jesus

Matthew 9:36 ESV

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

So Jesus tells them

John 10:11 ESV

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

John 10:14–18 ESV

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Jesus is your Good Shepherd.

When he came to earth he told the world that he is the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23. He leads, comforts, and protects his sheep. As you follow Jesus, you have nothing to fear, not even death itself. He says to you,

John 14:27 ESV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Jesus is the good Shepherd who laid his life down for you to save you from your greatest enemy, death. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he provides you the rest your restless heart is longing for. He has provided his Spirit to live inside of you so that he will always be with you giving you his peace.