The Lord Our Shepherd

Psalm 23 as a Psalm of Comfort, Faithfulness, and Hope

Well, there's already been a change to my earlier announcement looking out and making a quick count. I change it from minimum of four to minimum of three, please. Though four is okay. I'm speaking minimums.

Well, please stand if you would for the reading of God's Word once again 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 namesake. 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. 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. Amen, please be seated. I thought to just give a few thoughts on this Psalm this Psalm that could easily stretch into An entire year's worth of Sundays if we wanted to pull out and plumb all of its depths.

Perhaps only John chapter 3 verse 16 for God So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever should believe in him would not perish but have eternal life. Perhaps only that is known better or as well as Psalm 23 by the world at large Church and non-church alike.

You remember way back in the day in Monday night football. There was some group that always seemed to have seats in the end zones and they would hang that banner down. Do you ever see that just at John 3 16?

They just had those seats they paid for them and whenever you watch Monday night football You'd see that on one of the end zones John 3 16. It's like the whole world knows John 3 16 and Psalm 23 the Lord is my shepherd and Virtually anyone would recognize those first five words.

The Lord is my shepherd and many. Many can go much deeper into these six verses and know where they're from. I said he leads my besides still waters. Many people say oh, that's that's that Psalm that Psalm.

And if you're in the church, you would quickly say that Psalm 23. In the Psalm we find comfort and strength in our God. Here he is Yahweh or Jehovah we call him Yahweh. In these six verses the faithfulness of God in all Trials that we encounter is given prominence.

It is highlighted. The author of this short Psalm is Israel's poet and shepherd King David. And we can be sure he would have smiled with approval. About the Apostle Paul many centuries later would write when he wrote for I'm sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers.

Nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation Will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. I Think David would be very consonant with that and would have smiled with approval to hear those words.

The simplicity of this short Psalm belies its depths. There is peace so All-encompassing that there's no thought given towards escaping the trials that might make you yearn for the peace of God that surpasses all understanding because in the Psalm we have the God who not only lays out the paths that may have these difficult trials.

But he's the same God who brings us through them. We see contentment in the Lord. But we don't see complacency about him. We find readiness to face the deep dark valley where danger lurks, but we don't see reckless abandon and Finally we find complete satisfaction in this life because of sure assurances of the life to come.

It's all in Psalm 23. We'll break it into three sections verses 1 through 3 we can think of as my shepherd is he and Verse 4 my friend are you and verses 5 and 6 my table you fill. We'll take it in those parts.

The Lord as Shepherd, Yahweh, and the Needs of His Flock

My shepherd is he. It's a little bit of a clumsy way to say it. But Lord willing as we go through this you'll see why I titled that first section that way my shepherd is he because of the first three verses.

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. I Think the first thing we need to answer is who is he?

The Lord is my shepherd. Who is he who's being named here clearly? It's God, but it's God and as I said the name here is Yahweh. Yahweh. The name that was revealed in Exodus 4 to Moses when he said tell them that Yahweh has sent you.

And what does Yahweh mean how does God define it himself. I am that I am. Or what I am. I am many ways to understand that but I am that I am is a good one. It is the name that evokes God's unchangeability his absolute self-sufficiency.

One might say it evokes his self existence. He exists in and of himself. He needs nothing outside of himself for anything much less his existence. God is simply God. He is what he is. He says I am what I am.

He's unchangeable he's the self-existing Lord and this name Yahweh is often if not usually Brought in association with his covenant faithfulness with his remembrance of his self-imposed obligations.

So it is Yahweh who came to Moses Remembering the covenant that he made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob. To bring that people out and return them to the promised land it is Yahweh the eternal self-sufficient self-existing God who remembers and then keeps his covenant the unchangeable Lord who never fails in his self-imposed obligations.

Yahweh is David Shepherd the Lord. Yahweh is my shepherd and so he will always be what he is. Which is David's Shepherd? So the second question we might ask is what is a shepherd? Well at its simplest a shepherd is with the one usually in the ancient Near East a lad.

Responsible for one of the most valuable assets that a family could own which is of course is a flock of sheep. Now you think of a lad I? Wonder what picture comes to your mind when I say think of an ancient Near Eastern shepherd boy.

What would you think of? Well for many of us you would think of a cherubic little boy with a gentle demeanor. Maybe having a soft cuddly face like those little angels you see sometimes. I Want to Dissuade you from that.

I want you to think of something more like a Spartan youth. Do you remember the Spartan youth? They were sent around the city of Sparta. With no clothes and nothing to their possession except a spear and they were the wall of the city and whatever tried to get into the city they were the first alarm and Those who could not survive the elements the heat in the summer or the freezing cold in the winter.

Well, they weren't strong enough to be Spartan soldiers anyway. I want you to think of someone a lad that tough. I Want you to think of someone Who had that kind of grit to them? And say this because our author David Israel's poet he knew something of this he was his father's shepherd.

We read in 1st Samuel chapter 17, and this is when he's Telling Saul he will go out and fight the monster Goliath in verse 33 Saul said to David. You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him for you are but a youth and he has been as a man of war from his youth.

He's too big. He's too skilled. He's too experienced for you David. No, I can't send you out against him. Verse 34. But David said to Saul your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from the flock I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.

And if he rose up against me, I caught him by his beard. Now He's talking about the lion. Don't catch a lion by his beard. I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them for he has defied the armies of the Living God.

Now you wouldn't lightly contest such a one as that how much less Yahweh. But when David says the Lord is my shepherd. Again, remember he's not talking about some cute little boy. He's talking about a tough-as-nails Shepherd who grabbed a lion by the beard and killed it for the temerity of having attacked his father's flock the same with the bears.

So is this Yahweh it is this God who is our Shepherd? Is this God who David says looks out for him looks out for our needs? And as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount we all have needs and God knows these needs we need for clothing.

We need homes. We need jobs. We need food and so forth. With Yahweh as the Shepherd watching over you his flock is why Jesus says why do you worry? Oh you of little faith, that's Matthew chapter 6 and verse 30.

So this is who is in view here? Yahweh the self-existent one who is faithful to his own self-imposed obligations by the covenants that he has made and a shepherd a human shepherd a Tough-as-nails son who wouldn't let a lion or a bear get away with a single of his father's sheep.

But this title now applied for the first time in Scripture by the way to Yahweh to that great warrior God and so he says I Shall not want with the Lord as my shepherd. I shall not want we can ask. Why is there no want?

Because he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Green pastures of course are what sheep need and sheep generally cannot find them on their own. They need a shepherd to find them.

They need a shepherd to go ahead and Find where they are to make sure they're safe from predators and to lead them to those pastures. It is there in the green pastures where they not only feed. But that's where the shepherd has also gone ahead and scouted it out and made sure that while they're feeding He can spot every one of them and know where they are at all times.

This is not what our great shepherd does for us. Our Lord Jesus Christ who from heaven now rules in the hearts of his people who by his word Proclaimed here this morning being proclaimed here now as you read it and study it at home on your own as you pray together.

Is that not the way that we are led into the green pastures into the safe pastures of Closeness to God knowledge of his son Jesus Christ. Still waters are more literally rendered waters to rest by. He says rest there because the place is safe rest there because the water is still it is sweet.

It is safe rest there because your shepherd never slumbers or sleeps as the psalmist says he never will he never can Grow weary. So in Christ Jesus the great shepherd of the sheep Jesus Christ who says of himself.

I am the good shepherd. That's in John chapter 10 as As David pictures Yahweh as his shepherd here is the same image. It's the same lack of want because it is him. It is that shepherd watching over us.

He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. He's speaking of the soul of the inner man. He's speaking of that aspect of your existence that will live forever. Once it has been made by God, and it has been wed to a body the soul is in need of restoration.

Constantly is it not I mean and the form of the verb that David uses here is one of continuous action. Not he restored my soul, but he restores an Ongoing work of the shepherd. Keeping us on the right path putting us in safety.

Leading us in paths of righteousness green pastures still waters and so forth all of those rightly spiritualized as a safety of faith in Jesus Christ. And Association with him and growing more and more like him by knowing his word.

He restores My soul not being saved and restored over and over the restorative work of the Holy Spirit. Always bringing Christ's people into more and more common Conformity excuse me with Christ's image.

The restores is an interesting word as I said it's an ongoing Process that is spoken of here a continuous action. We call the verb imperfect. Not there's anything wrong with the verb, but it doesn't have an end.

It just keeps going it doesn't get completed. That's the idea here, but that word restores itself is often translated as repent. It's the same word or turn around. Change your mind. He brings my soul into conformity with his own, and this is the working of the Spirit of God in the children of God.

Paths of righteousness are more than just safe and easy ways. Often in fact usually if they're going to bring us more into conformity with Christ Jesus. They're not easy. They're safe because of who leads us onto those paths.

They're safe because it's a good shepherd who will never leave us or forsake us. That doesn't mean they're easy. That's why I said earlier that this psalm With the safety that we have in Christ doesn't lead us to complacency.

No quite the opposite it really leads us to confidence in Christ and Certainty that we are on his path because he's watching over us. And what does a shepherd do when a sheep goes off the path and tries to get out of the green pasture that he scouted Out and wants his sheep in.

Or he gives him a whack with that shepherds Staff he gets him back into line. He shows us our wayward ways. He finds a way and not finds a way. He Has a way by his providence. Of showing us our sin and bringing us back to that restoration that repentance that that word really speaks of there.

He restores my soul over and over those ways are not easy. But they are good, and they're prepared in advance that we should walk in them. That's Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10. Hard as they can be the paths of righteousness have that good end.

The result of our trials make our faith stronger and Pure like pure silver purified seven times. Now you know that picture when pure silver is being purified and what happens to the dross rises up the impurities rise up and before it solidifies again, they scoop that off and then they purify it again and Again until it's all gone or as much gone as it can be in this life of course our dross will never be fully taken away.

We won't be Perfected until Jesus returns and draws us to himself. But as we're led in the paths of righteousness were led to be more and more like the one who leads us. Who is Jesus Christ the great Shepherd of our souls?

Now the problem with those paths. It's not that they aren't good. It's that they're hard and The greater leaps we take the greater strides we make towards Jesus Christ. Generally the harder those paths are the harder we have to work against our own sin.

The more difficult the lessons we learn may be to learn because we're stubborn. Because we like sheep will go astray. Jesus sought me when a stranger. Wandering from the fold of God. I think that hymn catches perfectly what we're trying to say here.

But as we're led in the paths of righteousness were led to be more like Jesus Christ who leads us and so whatever it takes. Whatever sin we have to confront. Whatever God does. To bring us to that state of repentance and restoration.

The end is good. The end of it all is good. It's a path of righteousness. You know the verse I quote so often from here. I hope you never get tired of it for he made him Jesus Christ. Who knew no sin to be sin for us that in him we might become what the righteousness of God?

We have that righteousness and yet we must grow must grow into that righteousness more and more doesn't mean it'll be easy and Somehow we know intrinsically how hard it could be. Because we know how difficult our sin is to be rid of and how much we like to hold on to it.

So we find excuses we balk at the hardship. We convince ourselves that we won't forget to revisit it tomorrow and then of course tomorrow has its own trouble as Jesus Christ said. And so once we delve into the troubles of tomorrow.

Yesterday's commitments are forgotten the way the path of righteousness was in the previous verse. He is the restoration of the soul. He calls the restoration by bringing about The other sense of the word which is repentance.

So I think we alluded to this this morning to not resist the Holy Spirit. When he kicks or when he when he goads you and what does it say in Scripture. Don't kick against the goads of the pricks of the of the Holy Spirit.

Don't resist your shepherd when a shepherd brings his sheep into the sheepfold for the evening. You know you have you heard this picture before. What's he do. He inspects each one of them. He knows those sheep and the sheep know him and he knows every bramble.

This should be or should not be on there. He knows every sore every wound that they have. And he launches them as they go into the fold before he closes the door and keeps them safe. He removes the stickers removes the Brambles binds up the wound.

He'll carry an injured sheep on his shoulders until it's better. Sheep like us are usually getting injured when what do they do. When they lose sight of the shepherd and Wander off on their own way. When your great shepherd inspects you.

He was 412 says that for the Word of God is living an act of sharper than a two-edged sword piercing to the division of soul and spirit and of marrow and Discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart and there that inspection.

Think of it that way there's our great shepherd. Picking us up as we're going into the fold for the night or into that green pasture where he's going to have us rest. And he's gonna pick it up, and he's gonna go through your your your your fur or your wool and find every imperfection.

And cure them all and take care of us. This is how he does it. Ruling us through his word by his spirit. He points out our injuries Puts us back on it back on that path of righteousness and repentance and by that grace the soul is restored.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death and the Comfort of the Shepherd’s Presence

He restores my soul so my shepherd is he. But then the second section is my friend are you. Verse 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.

Now here David could well have been anticipating one of his many battles. He went at the head of his army right into what could have been his final valley into the shadow of death. But there was a change here.

I wonder how many of you noticed it a very important change. When David speaks of the specter of death when he speaks of that dark valley into which so many of us go and many of us Know God's deliver us delivering us out of that.

When David speaks of it here in the psalm. Did you notice that in the previous verses? He said the Lord that's third person him that God He's my shepherd. In verse 4 It changed. From the third person to the second person with David speaking not of The Lord but to the Lord.

You are with me your rod and your staff they come for me. You see God is a personal God. God can save peoples and nations. God raises up kings and nations and he casts away kings and nations. He numbers and he names every star.

He is utterly holy. He is totally other than us. Yet this God We can claim to be mine. If you have faith in Jesus Christ. You can claim God as your own. You can say you are with me your rod your staff comfort me.

You can join the apostle paul in galatians chapter 2 verse 20 where he wrote. About the son of God he means Jesus Christ the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Is he not looking at Jesus Christ and speaking of not as him?

Who loved me but you Lord who loved me? Personally. My friend are you. You know, it's a beautiful privilege to be able to speak to God in prayer in that second person. To say my heavenly father I come to you.

You who is my shepherd you who sent your son to me? You who by your spirit gave me faith to believe. Do you realize what a privilege it is? What a wonderful blessing it is how incredible it is that we get to speak to God in the second person.

As a friend because of faith in Jesus Christ. You know the word for comfort. Where he says they comfort me the word is in the hum in the hebrew. It's where the prophet Nahum gets his name. And that word can also mean to have compassion.

To have compassion. The shepherds rod and the staff Stand for his protection and sometimes he has to give us a good whack with it to get us back in line. But knowing they are there Is a comfort. It's in the hum to us the fact that there is the fact that they are there at all Is because of God's compassion.

The Lord’s Table, Goodness and Mercy, and Dwelling in His House Forever

And so finally my table you fill. My shepherd is he my friend. Are you? My table you fill still in the second person still talking to God speaking to him in prayer as a friend. 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. So our lord is our host. To eat before the lord is an incredible privilege.

In exodus chapter 24 verse 9 we read of one such occasion. Then moses and aaron nadab and abihu and 70 of the elders of israel went up went up to the mountain. And they saw the god of israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stones like the very heaven for clearness.

And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of israel. They beheld god and ate and drank. Why would you lay his hand on them? If they had been presumptuous in coming before israel as nadab and abihu would be when they offer profane files some Fire some few months after this and were immediately consumed by fire from the lord.

Well presumptuousness before the lord is worthy of immediate death. But here In this beautiful time in israel's history sort of their camelot period if you will. You have the elders the leaders moses aaron his sons eating in the presence of god himself.

And he doesn't lay his hand on them. So more incredibly yet as we consider My table you fill and god preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies more incredible yet. We find our lord jesus christ serving at a table.

In john 13 he removes his outer clothing and he served the disciples feet washing them like the lowest scullery maiden. And it gets even better in luke chapter 12 Jesus actually says blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes truly.

I say to you he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table. And he will come and serve them. I have no words. I have no Worldly illustration or parallels to such a thing as jesus christ dressing himself to serve.

I said. I was almost going to say us to depersonalize it just a bit, but we have to say it this way to serve me. The lord who came not to be served but to serve the lord who served us by going to the cross and dying for our sins.

The lord who is now ascended and glorified and sitting at the father's right hand. This lord in some way. That I can't even begin to describe to you. He's going to dress himself for service. And set a table to us.

You prepare a table before me. I can't imagine what that will be like yet each sunday. Do we not do this? Just a couple of hours ago. We sat at the lord's table and ate in his presence. I speak of what was on this table just that short time ago.

The bread and the wine what jesus christ said as often as you do this in remembrance of me this table. Taken week to week. I think it's just what david was writing about whether he truly understood it or not.

We could say he prophesied of the table to come. So how does the lord not lay his hand on us as we sit in his presence and feed on what his son has served to us? It's because the lord's table is a reminder that goodness and mercy have followed us.

As it says in the psalm in jesus christ and by his cross. That one place the cross where steadfast love and faithfulness meet righteousness and peace have kissed each other as psalm 85 verse 10. Because on the cross jesus's blood made an answer for our sin as he does even now as he intercedes for us.

Ruling over us as he sits in the place of all authority, which is the father's right side. This is why we can come here. Not just in slavish obedience. But in loving obedience. As we sit before the lord himself at the table that he sat set here for us.

David wrote that goodness and mercy would follow him. And follow is another interesting word, which is worthy of just a comment. It's the hebrew radak often translated actually as pursue. And when it's used as pursue.

It's usually in a military context. The victors pursuing those whom they defeated and finishing the battle that way. And again david uses that imperfect form of the verb. Which can mean something in the future.

Or a continuous action in the present and I think we take it both ways. God's goodness and mercy pursued us. For by grace you have been saved. And that not of yourselves it is a gift of god. Not of works so no one should boast.

You're by nature children of wrath. We're born in darkness, but now in christ are children of light. How did this goodness and mercy come upon us? Did you reach out to god and say well, I'll have a piece of that.

No. God pursued you. God took those whom he had before the foundation of the world. Given to his son jesus christ to redeem. And by his spirit change your heart. That's the pursuing. God pursued you. And brought you to him.

If pursuit has a military Flavor to it that idea of subduing. Then yes, he subdued our nature. He subdued our sinful rebellion against him he. He subdued our desire to remain in this world and have nothing at all to do with god.

He subdued us completely he conquered. And brought us to his son jesus christ according to his will. Well, that's continuous. And that's in this world. That's in while we live in this world. But then god's mercy will pursue us.

All the days of our life his goodness and mercy are ever chasing us down. Not just in the here and now but to the final destiny we have in jesus christ that final destiny impressed upon our spirits. As we recline as we did this afternoon at the lord's table.

And he finishes as we will. He says and I shall dwell in the house of the lord forever. And we Who are in christ jesus shall dwell in his house forever the house that jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare for us.

Where jesus said In john chapter 14 that I go to prepare a place for you. And if it were not so would i've told you that I go to do that. Well, of course, he told the truth and he's now preparing that place for us where we would where we will dwell with him forever as the apostle paul wrote To the thessalonians.

Then we who are alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air. And so we will always be with the lord. Amen.