Text: Psalm 23
Theme: Living a life of blessing
Intro:
- Psalm 23 has often been referred to as the Shepherd Psalm because of the opening verse. It immediately presents our Saviour as a caring and generous Shepherd who always provides the best for His sheep.
- There are two things which we must bear in mind as we look at this passage.
– The Shepherd is the one performing all the work.
– The sheep simply trust and follow the shepherd. - “It’s also unfortunate that people tend to spiritualize the psalm and fail to see it in its true setting. They see David, a “young shepherd boy,” lying on his back in the pasture and pondering the things of God, when he probably wrote this psalm late in his life, possibly during the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam. 13–19). In it, David deals with some of the difficult things he experienced during his long walk with the Lord. While people of all ages love and quote this psalm, its message is for mature Christians who have fought battles and carried burdens.” [1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Worshipful, 1st ed., “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004), 93–94.
I. The Shepherds Provision (Vs 1-3)
- The Person of the Shepherd (Vs 1a)
a. “LORD” is in all caps, which means it is a translation of the name Jehovah, which means “The eternal, self-existent One”
Jehovah is my shepherd.
b. In John 10:11-15, Jesus referred to himself as the Good Shepherd, and states that he lay down his life for the sheep.
– Psalm 100:3 “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
– The Lord Jesus Christ lay down his life for us so that he might buy us and make us his own. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
c. The question to ask at this point is, have you given your life to Jesus, the Good Shepherd? - The analogy of the shepherd (Vs 1b)
a. 1 Samuel 16:11 “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.”
– David knew what it was like to be a shepherd. He knew how much the shepherd values his sheep, and David draws upon this to explain the tender care of the Good Shepherd for us, his sheep.
b. Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
– We are all sheep, but the question for each of you is this, Are you are lost sheep or have you been found by the Good Shepherd and taken into the care of his fold? - The certain care of the Shepherd (Vs 1c)
a. The next phrase to consider is the phrase, “I shall not want.”
– This phrase is not referring to carnal desires, but rather to not lacking the true essentials.
b. There are two things to note about this phrase.
– First, there is an implied lack of want in the present. In other words, the psalmist is saying, “I have all that I need.”
– Secondly, there is the promise of future provision, so I will never lack what I need. In other words, “has God provided for your needs for today? Then you can trust that he will provide for your future needs too.” - The Shepherd’s Pastures (Vs 2 – 3)
Note a few aspects of these pastures.
a. The rest in these pastures.
– The Good Shepherd makes us lie down and rest in green pastures. He provides security so that we can rest, free from fear.
– The believer who walks in the Spirit, with the life of Christ flowing through him, that believer has ceased from his own labours and from his own efforts, and has entered into the rest which our Shepherd has provided.
Hebrews 4:3 “For we which have believed do enter into rest…”
b. The food of these pastures.
– These pastures are green, which speaks of a bountiful life.
– John 10:10-11 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
– The Good Shepherd has provided an abundant life for us, and he provides all our needs when we follow him to the green pastures, he has for each of us.
– It is important to note that the provision of the Good Shepherd is not primarily material, but rather spiritual.
c. The still waters
– The Shepherd knows that his sheep cannot drink from fast flowing or turbulent waters, but that they need the calm waters of the Good Shepherd.
– As believers we don’t need the turbulent waters of the world, but rather, the calm of the Holy Spirit working in our lives bringing calm, and stability through his leading.
John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
d. The restored soul
– We can often become weary or even discouraged in the Christian life. This tends to happen when we wander away from the Shepherd and lose the closeness that we ought to have with him.
– If we go our own way and cease from following the Shepherd, then we will not be led into those green pastures. The secret to restoration of the soul is a return to closely following the Sheperd and letting him lead us to the bountiful life he has for us in his green pastures.
II. The Shepherds Protection (Vs 4-5)
- The Presence of the Shepherd
a. The Psalmist uses the phrase “valley of the shadow of death” to describe the passing from this life into the next.
– For the believer, death really is just the passing from abundant life in Christ, to eternal life with Christ. The Bible often refers to this state as sleep.
– To roughly quote one man, “To sleep, but this short sleep, and then to awake to eternal life.”
b. The psalmist notes that, even in passing through the valley of the shadow of death, he had nothing to fear since the Good Shepherd would be with him.
– It is a sad occasion when anyone dies, but how much more so when an unbeliever dies. The fear that they have, and the uncertainty of what lies beyond the grave for them. But the Christian doesn’t need to fear death. We know where we’re going and our Saviour will carry us through deaths dark valley.
– 2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” - The Provision from the Shepherd
a. The Shepherd has taken care to prepare provisions for the sheep.
– Matthew 6:25-26 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
– The sheep which the Shepherd rescued are now anointed in preparation for the feast that the Shepherd has prepared.
b. The cup running over, of course, speaks of the abundant provision which the Shepherd has made for the sheep.
c. The Shepherd defends the table
– The Devil seeks for weak sheep that he can devour, but when the weak sheep remain close to the Shepherd the devil cannot harm them.
III. The Shepherds Destination (Vs 6)
- The blessings provided
a. The goodness of our Shepherd has already been seen in the abundant life and daily provision that he makes for us. Out of His own goodness God has provided everything that we need.
– The Mercy of the Shepherd has been noted in that he gave his life for the sheep.
– But his mercy is always present as he guides us away from and protects us from things that would harm us. - The duration of these blessings
a. These blessings follow us all the days of our lives.
– God will never forsake us. God’s goodness will never fail. His mercy is never depleted.
– Lamentations 3:22 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” - The Purpose of the Shepherd
a. The Good Shepherd leads his sheep all through life, but there is a much better destination to which he desires to lead us.
– When the Good Shepherd leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, he will ultimately lead us into our eternal home.
– There is a good quote in John Butlers commentary on this verse which says, “Dwelling in the house of Jehovah does not mean frequenting his sanctuary but being a member of his household… enjoying protection, holding communion with him, and subsisting on his bounty.”
“This great climax of blessing comes when the “Lord is my shepherd” You will never experience these blessings unless He is your Shepherd.”
Conclusion:
- Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
- Have you begun to follow the Shepherd, or have you heard His call but still haven’t responded? The shepherd of Love is calling His sheep; will you answer His call today?