23rd Psalm - Week 3 Manuscript

The 23rd Psalm

INTRO

We want to welcome you to church today. It’s an honor to be with you. If I haven’t had the chance to meet you yet, my name is Matt and I’m one of the pastors here. We’re continuing in this series surrounding this 23rd Psalm. It may be the most infamous Psalm and for us it has incredible application. I’d encourage you, if you haven’t done so already to sit with this text. This is a great one to read over and over, consider, think about, pray through. Particularly in this fasting season, this is an incredible work that helps center us on God. We’re going to discussing the next two verses in Psalm 23 today. But before we do, I want to read the previous 3 verses to set up the context of verses 4 and 5. Let’s read that together:

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READ

Psalm 23:1-5

“

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

2  He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3  He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4  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.

5  You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

PRAY

***

I love that this is the way we as a church are starting the year. Doing a sermon series on the 23rd Psalm. Often, the narrative around the start of the year is about resolutions or resolve we plan to have in our lives. I know I’ve done it. I take the opportunity of the new year as a means to rearrange my goals and resolutions and say this is the year I’m going to do it. And usually around this time, week 3 or so of the year, those resolutions are already getting trying to hold on to.

Instead of doing a series on resolutions and how to live your best life in order to accomplish them, we wanted to take a different approach. Rather than look at our best efforts we wanted to start the year but reflecting on the character and promises of God. It’s when we have an accurate view of who God is that our life starts to take shape.

***A.W. TOZER

A.W. Tozer says this: “That what comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I believe this is largely due to the fact that our image and picture of dictates how we relate to God, how we trust God, how we pray to God, whether we go to God depending on the situation or not. It all hinges on this massively important question: What do I think about God?

IN THE BEGINNING, GOD...

Pastor Charlie said it beautifully last week when he was talking how children would go about learning the Torah in Hebrew culture. They would start on the first line of Genesis that read “In the Beginning God..” and they forced themselves to stop. They had to recognize that before any actions, before any efforts, before we say I’m going here and I’m going to do this and that, I have to reconcile in my mind what I think about God.

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PAINTS THE PICTURE OF GOD

Psalm 23 does an incredible job of painting this picture. What we see in this infamous psalm is the writer David walking through difference facets of the character of and different promises that God gives to his followers. Each line is meant to be another brush stroke in this description of who God is. We just noted in the past week verse 1, 2, and 3 where God is seen as a gentle shepherd leading his flock by still waters and refreshing the soul. It is in this picture of God that we see him lead his flock down right paths for his name sake.

Verses 1-3 are this incredible picture of God as this shepherd. You see the shepherd providing for the sheep, bringing the sheep to quiet places to rest, finding means of refreshing the sheep, and guiding the sheep along the right path.

THE VERY NEXT BREATH

Then in the very next breath, David writes “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” Right there we could stop and spend a significant amount of time. For many people, this is exactly how you feel. I spoke with a member of our church recently and she was racking her brain over her experience. She told me how she was trying to do all the right things. She was trying to read more and pray more. She was trying to bringing her kids to church. She was trying to love her neighbor. But it still felt like she was in the darkest of nights. She could not figure out where she was nor could she figure out how to get out. Her experience has been much more shadow of death than it has been green pastures.

And I certainly believe she’s not alone. One scan of the news cycle or social media, one look at the latest statistics on depression and anxiety communicates the narrative that many of us are in those valleys. David who we know to have an intimate relationship with God over the course of a few breaths could be both in awe of the God who leads him besides still waters and simultaneously recognize that the valley of the shadow of death was not far off.

FULLER CONTEXT OF SHEPHERDING

To go further with this, we need to understand the full context of the picture being painted by David here.

It was the work of a shepherd to lead the sheep from the sheepfold and back again. Notably, in verse 4, it’s extremely dark. Some translations use the language of “darkest valley.” Since it was not normal to take sheep out at night, its most likely that the shepherd and the sheep find themselves in a deep dark ravine on this very same journey that they went out to these green pastures and still waters. It was in this new environment that it was difficult to see, difficult to grab one’s bearings, challenging to manage your way out. In fact, the Hebrew word here for the “valley of the shadow of death” is used in other psalms in which it means deep gloom, deep distress, and actual extreme danger. By definition, a dark ravine would have been a dangerous place.

THE SITUATION REMAINS THE SAME

Please notice here that very little has changed between verse 3 and 4. The shepherd is the same. The sheep are the same. Even the journey to and from the sheepfold are the same. But the location on the journey has changed.

We must realize that the journey we are on with God is not always a comfortable or safe one.

STILL WATERS AND DARK RAVINES OFTEN HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY

For many of us, it is quite possible he is leading us besides still waters in one moment and through dark ravines the next. In my own experience, its possible that these two realities are happening simultaneously. Both can be true at the same time. I can sense God’s leading me into green pastures and at the same time feel that I have no bearing in the current place I’m in.

THE SPIRITUAL LIFE IS NOT LINEAR

Often, we make the assumption that the spiritual life is going to be a linear approach in which I keep growing closer to God and problems and darkness happen less and less. We think as we take every next step, we get closer to an elusive target and the dark parts are left behind us. But what I’ve found to be true is that journey is often riddled with discomfort. It’s often riddled with deep ravines

***THE JOURNEY INCLUDES DISCOMFORT

Discomfort when God calls you to something that you don’t see clearly nor can you possibly understand in practicality.

Discomfort when God calls you to love a neighborhood or family member whose wronged you even though every inclining in our body tells you otherwise.

Discomfort when the next step is not a logical one.

Discomfort when the rest of the world is living, acting, thinking one way, and I feel like I am contrary to all of it.

This shatters the illusion that those moments of shadows only take place when I’m doing something wrong. The enemy, an accuser and liar by nature tries to get us to believe that we get into those dark places because we’ve run from God. I don’t think that’s always the reality.

THE SHEPHERD HAS LED US TO THE DARK PLACE

Perhaps, the shepherd has led us there. And if he has, what might he be teaching us. For David, it was a foundational truth that marked how he lived the rest of the life. Keep in mind the words of Tozer, “What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” For David, his response to being in the valley of the shadow of death was to say, I will fear no evil for you are with me.

SHEPHERD WITH HIM

In other words, David recognized that the deep ravine in his life that he was in was not one in which he was alone. He recognize the shepherd that was with him.

INCARNATION

The biblical word for this is the word incarnation. It’s the idea that someone is physically with us. In the case of David, he knew God was with him.

Incarnation builds an incredible amount of peace and security within us. It’s the peace of knowing that you are not alone. That you can feel security with this certain person.

PETERSON STORY - INCARNATION

We have a 1 year old and 3 year old boy. Our 3 year old has never met a stranger in his life. He wants to be best friends with everyone. When we walk in our neighborhood he legitimately knows all of our neighbors. You would think that he was the mayor of the town. Way more than me or my wife. Like how do you know all these people. Do you get coffee with them in your spare time? Our 1 year old however, is suspicious of every one. He doesn’t trust anyone. He stares people down if he doesn’t like them. He gives them the side eye if he’s annoyed with them. He’s actual pretty judgmental and we’re working on that.

During the Christmas break, we were with family. As many of you know, during holidays, you tend to see a whole bunch of people who are family that you may not be particularly close with. My wife’s family’s is extremely big so all Christmas long, people would come through the front door. Many of whom I barely know. We made the mistake at one point of putting our 1 year old down on the ground to crawl around. Until he crawled over to one particular circle, looked up, didn’t recognize any of the faces and proceeded to lose his mind. With a mother’s intuition, even though it’s loud, my wife Immediately goes over, picks him, and instantly his tears stop.

The situation did not change. But he was as peace and had security that his mom who was with him.

That is the beauty of incarnation. God’s promise to always be with us, to never leave us, nor forsake us, allows for us to deeply trust him regardless of the setting of our journey.

INCARNATION WITHIN COVENANT

In fact, this was often tied to the covenants that you see in the Scriptures. God’s promise was to be with his people. Even when Jesus sends out his disciples to proclaim the gospel in the Great Commission, his promise is “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). He sealed his commissioning with a promise of Incarnation.

This is part of the beauty of Jesus, God in the flesh coming to earth. He showed us incarnation by not being distant ethereal being who demands perfection but a God who is near and rubs elbows with humanity. He walked with people, touched people, and felt the things they felt all proving this massive imperative. God is with us.

God who is with me

This is David’s source of peace. The deeper he believed in incarnation, the more peace and security he had.

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YOUR ROD AND STAFF COMFORT ME

He continues on by saying “your rod and your staff they comfort me.” If we are to look now at this picture, we see the sheep in this dark ravine. There are probably sounds that are coming in and out of this ravine all shaping an unnerving situation. But David here notes that not only is the shepherd with him, but he notes two things the Shepherd is carrying. Why would a rod and a dirty shepherds staff be a source of comfort for David? I believe It’s what these tools represent.

THE ROD - A SYMBOL OF AUTHORITY

First, he mentions the rod. Now a rod was considered an instrument of authority. The person with the rod tends to have power over whatever what come against the shepherd or the sheep. So when David notes that the shepherd has a rod, he is noting that the shepherd carries a sense of authority in the situation. Whatever would come against the flock would fall victim to the shepherd with a rod in his hands.

The rod was necessary because a flock of sheep would have been a prime target for predators in the wild. A lion, a wolf, a bear or whole slew of other creatures could easily run up, attack one of the sheep of the flock and run off. The rod however, this symbol of authority was use as protection against the attacks of the predators.

David does not just have proverbial trust that the Shepherd can protect the flock. He see’s the weapon in his hand and can rest in that. Today, we can look at the cross and the empty tomb as sources of authority and weapons in the hands of God against the attacks of the enemy. I can trust in Jesus because he has a weapon defending me.

The shepherd has set himself up to be the defender of the sheep.

If we trust and believe that God is our defender that immediately presumes that we cannot be our own defenders. In fact, I am not in need of defending of myself.

INCAPABLE OF DEFENSE

Not only are we not our own defenders but we’re also incapable defending ourselves. So when the enemy attacks, the question is not our own strength but our ability to depend on the shepherd for defending.

Many of us are struggling because we are trying to fight battles independently of God. When we in reality, fighting battles is often happens as an act of humility and submission to God.

****It’s in these moments of necessity that we see the power and authority of the Shepherd. Richard Foster says this that “God becomes a reality when he becomes a necessity.”

It may be physical suffering, financial issues, loss of a job, a father who abandoned you literally or emotionally, a spouse who betrayed you, feelings of worthlessness, an addictive habit or a loved one with an addictive habit. It may be anxiety or depression or feeling overwhelmed over the state of national or international affairs. These moments causes to look to see God as necessary. And these moments are where is necessarily our defender.

THE STAFF - A SYMBOL OF GUIDANCE

He is also carrying a staff. This staff that would have certainly carried the dirt that inevitably came with a flock. The staff was used as a means of directing and guiding. As a flock would move forward, the staff was used to nudge, push, and direct to ensure that the flock was moving in the correct direction.

It should be noted here that that is not always a comfortable thing. If you, as a sheep where to get hit on the side with a staff, it would have meant that you were getting out of place.

But that is the beauty of the staff. It’s a means by which the flock could stay on the path it was intended to stay on.

THE NEED FOR DISCIPLINE

***Hebrews 5 says this:

English Standard Version Chapter 12

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

6  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

We often read the word disciplines with a sense of anger and punishment. We thinking of being disciplines by parents or even chastised by a boss.

But’s God’s perspective of disciplines is not a means of punishment. It is a means of keeping one on the path that God has for them.

This is why things like the Spiritual Disciplines are so critical. Spiritual Disciplines meaning things like Bible Reading, Prayer, Fasting. They are not meant as a list of “have-to’s” in order to earn God’s favor. They are means of being nudged in the proper directions.

**Elizabeth O’Conner says this , ​“no person or group or movement has vigor and power unless it is disciplined.”

The shepherd, in his compassion is trying to get you to finish the journey in the proper place, and he often uses the discipline of the staff to do so.

2. God as defender and guide

It is in these things that David has an immense amount of comfort. He see’s his defense not as something that he must construe but as something that God graciously gives to him. And through that, he see’s how he is being guided on his journey.

3RD PERSON TO 1ST PERSON

Also of great importance here is how the language changes. Previously, David wrote about the Shepherd in the 3rd person. He uses the language “He.” He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads beside still waters. But here, David is now using the language “You.” For David, the Shepherd is no longer distant and ahead. He is now close, intimate, and alongside him to escort on the journey.

One mark of spiritual maturity is when God goes from being 3rd person in our lives to 1st person. We know longer talk about God from a distance but when we can talk to him intimately like you would a friend. David with his language is painting the portrait of intimacy.

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LORD AS HOST

In verse 5, the picture shifts entirely. We are now out of the deep ravine. David is no longer seeing himself as a sheep. Instead, he is painting this beautiful picture of the Lord as a Host.

This is now a banquet hall where a gracious host provides lavish hospitality. One ****commentary said David is a “witness to infinite resources in the worst of situations.”

Imagine. It’s a table laid out with food, bread, and drinks. It’s a table of provision. A table of plenty. Nothing is lacking. And this host graciously invites David in.

INVITATION OF HOSPITALITY

There are few things that have deeper impact on our lives than the invitation of a gracious host into one’s home. Hospitality is deeply spiritual. It’s an embodied experience of invitation and belonging. For David than to be welcomed into this home is to be invited into something holy. He’s invited into a sense of belonging. He’s invited into being seen.

USAGE OF OIL

The latter part of this verse says that he anoints my head with oil. It had both practical and spiritual importance. Practically, oil would have been used as a sense of refreshment. It would have wiped away dust and grime from one’s forehead. In that climate, dry skin was a very real problem. This was especially true for travelers who would have been out for long periods of time. So this oil was means to both refresh and to heal from the wear and tear that people would have had on their heads.

Spiritually, There are two main ways oil was used to anoint in the Bible. The first is that oil was used to anoint into office. When David is anointed as king, they put oil on his head as a symbol of anointing into a particular office. Kings and priests both would have been anointed into office using oil in a ceremony. It was a symbol of the new authority that was on them. But the other kind of use of oil was olive oil that was put on the forehead as a sort of welcoming. It was an anointing that denoted that this person coming to my home is an honored guest.

It suggest wealth, generosity, and care on the part of the host to promote, renewal, joy, and healing of weary and wounded guests.

OIL AS HEALING AGENT

In other words, the host was using oil as a healing agent to for the sake of renewal of the guest.

That invitation is for us today. Part of the reason that you do not have to fix your life before coming to God is that he gives you this healing agent before you ever sit down. It’s when we accept the invitation, enter in, and commune with God that this healing agent does its work.

The table of God is a place of renewal. It’s a place of restoration. It’s a place of comfort and peace. It’s a place of hospitality. It’s a place of joy. It’s a place of rest. And it’s the place that God constantly invites me back to.

****KEYS****

FILLING OUR CUPS

If that weren’t enough, the host keeps filling our cups. Over and over until it overflows. This is a gesture of generosity. There are different phrases using the word cup in the Bible.

Psalm 116:16 discusses a cup of salvation

1 Corinthians 10:16 discusses a cup of blessing

There are also cups of judgement in the Bible. But the connotation and context here clearly notes that what is overflowing the cup of David is Salvation and blessing.

It’s an overflowing of his blessing of provision

An overflowing of his blessing of protection

An overflowing of his blessing of invitation

An overflowing of his blessing of hospitality

An overflowing of his blessing of welcoming

An overflowing of his blessing of peace

One commentator writes this, “In view of the table and oil, David knew that his lot in life, his cup, was abundant blessing from the Lord”

3. God as gracious host

In this short verse, David describes God as a gracious host you invites him in, anoints his head with oil intended to heal and renew him and overflowing his cup with blessing and salvation. That invitation to the table exists for us today as well.

GOD IS WHO YOU NEED HIM TO BE

One of the things I love about God is that he is exactly who I need when I need it. In verse 4, David is in the midst of valley of the shadow of death. So God is present with him. He needs protection so God uses his rod. He needs guidance so God uses his staff. He is then invited to the table where God welcomes in. He is need of healing and renewal so God gives him oil. He is in need of salvation and blessing and God overflows his cup with it.

DARK VALLEY OR SITTING AT THE TABLE

No matter whether your in the dark valley or sitting at the table, God is exactly and fully what you need

QUESTION: WHO IS GOD TO YOU?

So here’s my question for you: Who is God to you? What words come to your mind when you think about God? What does your impulse about God say? I shared today how in just two verses we see him as the God who is with us, a God who defends and guides, and a God who is a gracious host. But how would you describe him?

PRACTICE

Over the next week, would you take 5 minutes every day and ask yourself the question, Who is God? Ask God to reveal himself. Ask him to show you things you’ve never seen before. Search the scriptures and see what things we can take in about him. Because the greater our picture of God, the more we can live for him.

INVITATION TO SALVATION

Perhaps for you, you’ve never had a relationship with God I just described. I believe he wants to invite you to his table to commune with him. Don’t worry about trying to fix yourself or even make yourself look presentable. What God desires is the authentic you.

If that’s you, I’m going to lead you in a prayer. But the prayer is just the first decision in a series of decisions of following Christ. Please tell us or somebody about your decision, open your Bible, start praying all to take your next step on the journey.

PRAYER OF SALVATION

****BLESSING

English Standard Version Chapter 6

24  The LORD bless you and keep you;

25  the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26  the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.