Psalm 23 (The Meticulous Care of The Good Shepherd, Jeff Kliewer)

The Need for the Good Shepherd in a Wolf-Infested World

When I went to Turkey in 2006, we flew into Ankara and one day we took a bus about an hour outside of the capital and came to a little town called Palatla Beledisi. And this little town had no known Christians at the time.

So it was an important time to go there and we prayer walked, not speaking Turkish. We couldn't just encounter random people on the streets and share the gospel, so all we could do was pray. And as I prayer walked through Palatla Beledisi, I saw a sight that's been forever etched into my mind.

It wasn't anything remarkable, but somehow it's just been an image that I've never gotten.

Over.

It was a makeshift zoo with just some crude cages set up and some random animals in there, just in the middle of town square that people could come by and look at the animals. And there was a young boy, probably eight years old, by himself, standing in front of a cage and inside the cage was a strong, big wolf.

And from time to time, the wolf would look back at the boy and it seemed that their eyes were locked together. And from a distance, I watched as the wolf and the boy looked at one another through.

A gate.

And that image is stuck in my mind because I realized that they have no shepherd until someone goes and tells them the good news of the good shepherd. So I always think about that kid and I wonder who will go, who will tell them that Jesus is the good shepherd, that he has come to give him life.

And I also think about the fact that although this boy was safe from the wolf in the cage, he was surrounded by wolves. Many who taught false doctrine and the dangers of Palatla-Belladice, this boy had dangers all around.

How desperately he needed the good shepherd. We all need the good shepherd. We in the scriptures are portrayed as sheep, not a flattering description. In fact, one of the most remarkable characteristics of a sheep is that it is totally helpless.

Apart from a shepherd, sheep can do very little for themselves. In fact, their domesticated sheep are not even able to shed their own wool. So their own wool will continue to grow and grow to the point where it can almost suffocate and smother them in their own wool.

There was one sheep that was neglected for over six years by the shepherds. He probably wandered off into some cave and was then discovered later. He was so big with wool, he was a skinny sheep, but so big they were able to make 60 men's coats from that one shearing.

This thing was just, he was in trouble without a shepherd. And they can do nothing to defend themselves. If a wolf were to come upon a sheep, what defense does it have? Will it be able to bite the wolf?

No.

Can it kick the wolf. Hardly? It has very little defense. In fact, sheep are known not to run away from wolves, but quite mindlessly to run in circles when a wolf comes by. I can almost imagine the wolf coming up and scares the sheep and he's ready for the chase, wants to have some fun.

And this thing just keeps going in circles and the wolf is just like, can't you make.

It hard?

Can't you at least run away? The wolf is just rolling his eyes and just watching this thing go around and around. Very helpless creatures. But the good shepherd is able to protect the sheep and the sheep can hear the voice of the good shepherd.

Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice and the Meticulous Care of Christ

Guys in the back, do you have that video queued up? I want us to take just three minutes to watch how the shepherd can call the sheep and how they hear his voice. Let's watch this. Okay, and we can stop that there.

It's a beautiful image. I wanted it to visually be stuck in our minds because the sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. Now they did an experiment with some tourists who came by and they asked each tourist to go out and give the same, come you, come you, come you, come you, call to the sheep.

And wouldn't you know that they didn't respond at all. They knew the voice of the shepherd. The sheep hear his voice and the shepherd cares for the sheep. Here's the big idea today. The good shepherd cares meticulously for his sheep.

They hear his voice, they know him, and he cares for them. But that word meticulously, it's a big word, but it's very important. It means down to the smallest detail. He cares about every nook and cranny, every smallest detail, everything that happens in your life is cared for by the good shepherd.

I think of Dave Ritt when I think of meticulousness. I saw him the other day cleaning the water fountain. Very meticulous in his care for this church building. Every little cap at the end of your chair is counted and numbered by Dave Ritt.

The good shepherd cares meticulously for the sheep. Now how many of you learned Psalm 23 in the King James Version? I know I did. Now when we turn now to Psalm 23, I'm going to read it, and you've already heard Brendan read it, but I think the King James has something on the ESV at this point.

The ifs, restoreth my soul, leadeth me, rather than says lead me or restores me. There's something poetic about that 1611 English language, isn't there? So I would encourage you to do that because the Psalms are meant to be poetic.

God could just say things straightforward, but rather he uses images in the Psalms, and the language of the Psalms is meant to do something more than communicate information.

To our brains.

It's meant to stir the soul. It's meant to touch the whole person. That's why there's so much poetry in the book of Psalms. It's meant to stir us. So actually we'll go through just a little bit at a time and work through the Psalm.

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. The meticulous care of the good shepherd.

Notice the image here is God, the Lord, is a shepherd to us. Therefore we can say I shall not want. Now what does that mean? It means that he will provide all that we need for life and godliness. He, like a shepherd caring for the sheep, will provide all that is necessary for life and godliness.

So let's break that down. What is it that he meticulously gives us? Ten things, and the first of those is rest. He makes me lie down in green pastures. The heart of the man, apart from God, is constantly restless.

Augustine said that, that my soul was restless until it found its rest in thee. There are two options for people born in Adam, born under Adam's sin, and that is either to quit trying or to try harder.

The path of quit trying is the secular path, to throw in the towel and to recognize, look, I know I can't be perfect. I can't be holy as God is holy. So throw in the towel. I'm going all in with sin. Why even try?

And many people take that route, recognizing that they can't do what they're commanded.

To do.

They can't keep the Ten Commandments. They can't keep their heart pure. The second option is to try harder, and this is the path of religion. Religions will give you prescriptions of what you can do to be counted worthy, and by working and working and running the race of life, the hope is to be found worthy on the day of judgment.

Both of these paths lead to death. In our Psalm, in verse 2, it says, he makes me lie down in green pastures. The image is of a sheep brought to a green pasture to rest. In the New Testament, we learn that it's only in Christ that a soul can find rest.

To him who does not work but trusts in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. In the Old Testament, we were told about the Sabbath day. Work for six days and rest on the seventh.

But Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, has introduced a new and better Sabbath to us, the people of God, and this is a rest from our works of righteousness, of trying to be religious enough, trying to be good enough to earn salvation.

The path of religion is a rat race, it's a hamster wheel. You will turn that thing over and over again and never find life and never find rest because religion cannot save. Only the good shepherd can save.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. Be careful to enter into that rest, a Sabbath rest, where you no longer try to be good enough to earn God's acceptance, but rather coming to an end of yourself and recognizing that your religion cannot save you, your works of righteousness cannot save you, you humble yourself before Almighty God and say, Lord, I'm a sinner, save me.

And he does that. Have you reached that point yet? There were two men that entered the synagogue. One on the front row fell down before God and beat his chest and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

And in the back row, there was another man who looked down on that man. And he said, God, thank you that I'm not like that tax collector, that sinner. Jesus says one of the two left justified that day.

It was not the religious and the self-righteous man in the back. It was the man who fell down before God and said, have mercy on me, a sinner. If you will come to God humbly, if you will confess your sin and say, Jesus, I need you to save me, you will find him to be a good shepherd.

He will give you rest. Like the pilgrim's progress, he will take that burden off of your shoulders and set.

You free.

He makes you lie down in green pastures. Not only does he take away the burden, he gives you life. He leads me beside still waters, a still flowing stream to drink from the water of life. To those who drink from this water, that water inside becomes an eternal fountain, welling up into eternal life.

And by this, Jesus meant his Holy Spirit. God takes your burden, but gives you his precious Holy Spirit to live inside of you and to satisfy your heart, to give you rest and joy and peace and all the fruit of the Holy Spirit that comes from knowing Christ.

Jesus is the good shepherd. He restores my soul. The restless soul that has no hope, that has no life apart from God is now given joy in this new life, a reason to live, a purpose to live for, to live for the good shepherd, to know him and to make him known.

Fourth, he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name sake. He gives us godliness. The good shepherd does not just rescue us from the penalty of hell and bring us into heaven, he does that. But on this path, he leads us to be more and more like him, to become more and more righteous.

There is a path of godliness, but here, I think, is the jewel of the 23rd Psalm. It's the hidden jewel in the psalm that many of us forget. It is this phrase, for his name's sake, verse 3. He takes you to this pasture.

He gives you this water. He gives you joy and restores your soul. He leads you in a path of righteousness for his name's sake. Jonathan Edwards is a great theologian and the title of his sermon would probably put some of us to sleep.

It is a dissertation on the ends for which God created the world. But what could be a more important question than that? If we have to listen to a dissertation, I would like to know, why did God make the world?

The Bible has running like a golden thread, this jewel, this treasure, interspersed from Genesis to Revelation. And this is the idea that God created the world for his name's sake. That all things exist to display his glory.

And the meticulous providence of God is such that the Good Shepherd is orchestrating the events of this life. He is not distant, he is near. He is greater than us and transcendent above us, yet he is close.

He didn't just spin the world into existence and then step back and let everything happen the way nature would unfold. No, he is a Good Shepherd and he is near to the sheep. And whatever circumstance that you're going through, there's a purpose for it.

What is the end for which God created the world? All things exist for his glory and for the joy of his people. Two sides of the same coin. All things exist for his name's sake as we find joy as he displays his glory to all creation.

This is the end for which God created the world. Continuing on, verse four. 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.

One of the most famous parts of the psalm. Now we picture the sheep. He's been led in pasture, but now mysteriously the Good Shepherd takes him through the valley of the shadow of death. Teachers on TV that tell you that God will give you nothing but blessing and money and good times and health and wealth if you'll but follow God and give money to their ministry.

These are wolves, not shepherds. Because my psalm here tells me that God will bring us through the valleys of the shadow.

Of death.

We will see the death of loved ones and we ourselves will go to death at some point. So how could it be that the shepherd is good? Well, it's the very point of this verse. Even in the midst, even in the pain of the valley of the shadow of death, he is near.

And you know what I think? I think that the first three verses are more dangerous than the fourth. Because when you're walking in the spacious places, when there's plenty of grass and plenty of water to graze on, it's very easy to forget about the shepherd and fall in love with the.

Grass.

But he brings us through valleys of shadow so that we cling tight to him. And I think all of us could testify that in those hard times, these are the moments that the shepherd was nearest. That we knew him more and better because he took us through.

And so don't despise those times. Probably the most heart-wrenching psalm is the 88th psalm. It's nothing but a lament. And David is pouring out his heart and he is near death and he has no joy. And it ends in darkness with that famous line, darkness has become my best friend.

I think Paul Simon, from Simon and Garfunkel, got that line when he starts the song, hello darkness, my good friend. Remember that song? It comes from the 88th psalm. These moments are real and they are part and parcel of God's meticulous care for you.

Sometimes we think we're abandoned at those times, but we're not. He is the shepherd who leads us through these times and he has a reason for whatever he.

Does.

It's part of how he's molding us and changing us to become like him. And the beautiful picture of the fourth verse is that he comforts us there. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The good shepherd, by the crook of his staff, is able to pull us out of danger and rescue us out of that mud pit we fell into.

He's able to take that stick and beat the wolf to death before it kills us. The shepherd is with us in the valley. He gives us peace.

Do you see that?

The psalmist David says, I will fear no evil. It is a beautiful and glorious testimony to the world when they see us suffer well. When Christians are different in the face of suffering than the rest of the world is.

Not afraid. I mean, you can look out at the news, right? Watch the news. This world is in dire straits. I fear no evil. I know the shepherd has us in this walk. Let the world see you trust him. Take the peace that is part of your inheritance.

Banquet in the Presence of Enemies and the World’s Hostility

Number five, verse five for the sixth point, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Now, pause right here. If we don't switch metaphors along with the author of the psalm, we're going to come to a strange place in our minds.

We've been working through a shepherd sheep metaphor. But the idea here is not that the sheep have come into the presence of God and he's anointed the sheep heads with oil and then they sit at the table and they're sipping tea.

And he keeps refilling their cup and the sheep, no, the imagery has changed. Here now we go to the final place. It's no longer a picture of sheep and shepherd. That metaphor falls into the background and here you have people at the banquet table.

But what I find notable about it is that it's in the presence of my enemies. Some commentators think that this is a victory procession where they have come to banquet and the enemies who have been conquered are being paraded in front to notice and see who the victor is.

I'm not sure if that's the case. I think probably more likely. The idea is the table is before me now while I'm here in the midst of a hostile world. The enemies are still about us. That's the idea. The war is still raging.

We have enemies. Brothers and sisters, you have three great enemies that need to be conquered. The world, the flesh and the devil. In the midst of this battle, you can already sit at banquet at the table.

You can come on a Sunday morning and the table, the first of the month, is prepared to take communion, to eat of the body and blood of Jesus, remembering his sacrifice. We gather as a church, we're welcomed at his table, but the war is still raging on.

The greatest enemy is within. James tells us sin is birthed from inside of our own desires, which then give birth to sin. But our other enemy, the devil, he's like a roaring lion seeking one to devour.

And meanwhile, we are surrounded by enemies all the time in the form of the world, shouting messages that are meant to conform us and to change us. Probably the biggest worldly philosophy that's overtaking many people is this idea of social justice.

Now, we should look to have a just society, but I'll just make a couple comments about.

This today.

There is a movement, a philosophical movement afoot, which perverts actual justice by what they call social justice. And by it, they mean that in every case, differences between people are owed to oppression.

That there is a victim class and an oppressor, and the people who are victims of the oppressor must right the injustices and stand up against those things. Now, surely there is oppression in the world.

But this worldly philosophy is coming in and commandeering many members of the church to a cause other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. This enemy creeps into the church. This enemy surrounds us in the television, in the radio, in so much of the media that comes at us all the time.

There's one great contender in the fight named John MacArthur. You guys are familiar with him. He's written a lot about it. His right-hand man is Phil Johnson. The two of them run Grace to You, the radio program.

Phil Johnson was recently accused of not engaging the culture. They said, your position, MacArthur, Johnson, Votibachum, you guys say that we should just not engage the culture. All we should do is preach the gospel.

Not engage the culture. To which Phil Johnson said, we do engage the culture. Just the way David engaged Goliath, rather than the way Eve engaged the serpent.

I love that quote.

That made me shout amen, because I know what he's talking about. You see, what Johnson and MacArthur are saying is that Christians need to stand against the evils in society by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And recognize that you cannot conform to the world and hope to win it that way. Here's what I'm trying to say. The world is an enemy. The world has a philosophical system that's being pressed on us all the time.

And we have a choice, according to Romans 12, 1 and 2. One is to lay our lives down as a sacrifice, like Christ did. And be persecuted and led to the slaughter like sheep. The other choice is to be conformed and pressed into the mold of the culture that surrounds us.

Psalm 23 tells us, we come to banquet in the presence of enemies. It doesn't mean that we're unloving or hostile towards people. It means we recognize that the world and everything in it is hostile toward God.

And we stand with God, we stand upon His word. And we're willing to suffer with Him, but not be conformed to the world around us. We come to this table, we come to this church, to be conformed to the image of Christ.

And to sup with one another and with Christ in the presence of enemies. We're still in this world, and it's hostile to our Savior. You anoint my head with oil, that's a picture of spirituality. From Luke 7, when Jesus came in to a house, nobody anointed His head with oil.

So evidently, the custom is when someone comes into a house, they would anoint with oil to refresh that person. But a prostitute came in, and rather than anointing with oil, she had none. She anointed Jesus' feet with her tears.

She welcomed Him. She poured out her tears, and she wiped His feet with her hair. She welcomed Him. And this is the picture here. God as a host, He welcomes us, He treats us well, He anoints our heads with oil.

And you cannot miss, in the New Testament, the symbol of oil refers to the Holy Spirit. He will give you the Spirit of the living God. And anoint your head, anoint you for the work that He's called you to do.

My cup overflows. Again here, this is abundance, but not of the worldly kind of abundance. It's abundance of the fruit of the Spirit. Abundance of love and joy. Verse 6, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

This is a picture of certainty. Surely, says David, he's confident of this thing. That goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of my life. There came a time when even Peter was about to apostatize.

Satan had demanded to sift Peter like wheat. And Peter didn't have the strength to resist temptation, as was shown by his denial three times of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But Jesus says about this incident, I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail.

The good shepherd is able to complete the work that he began, Philippians 1 -6. To see it through to completion. You who have come to know the good shepherd, his goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.

And he will see you safely home. Final part of this verse, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Our final inheritance is heaven. The house of the Lord. The good shepherd provides all of these things.

So in closing, I have a quote from Matthew Henry. How do we take and apply this? He says, if God is a good shepherd to us, we must be as sheep. Inoffensive, meek, and quiet. Silent before the shearers, nay, and before the butcher too.

Useful and sociable. We must know the shepherd's voice and follow him. We need to be like sheep. If he's the good shepherd, we should be like sheep. Meek and inoffensive. But following the voice of our shepherd.

It starts when we hear that call. Come you, come you, come you, says the shepherd. And something in your heart tells you that this gospel message is true. He draws your heart to him. And you believe, and he gives you his Holy Spirit like living water in your soul.

And then he walks with you and leads you in paths of righteousness. And he protects you from the wolves. And every valley that you walk through, as dark as they are, he sees you through. And goodness and mercy follow you.

And then one day you stand in his presence. And you're given that mansion prepared for you. And a crown on your head that you throw back at his feet. This is the work of the good shepherd. It's meticulous.

It goes from beginning to end. He never lets you go. So what are you going through today? Silly sheep. If you're like me, you're trying to control it, aren't you? We try to control everything. Trust the good shepherd in the path that he's leading you on.

You can't control it, but he can. Trust the meticulous providence of the good shepherd. His meticulous care. He gives you rest and life and joy and godliness. Peace and victory. Spirituality, abundance, perseverance.

And heaven. He gives you everything. Remember that song we just sang from Psalm 34? He'll give you everything. Those who trust in him will lack no good thing. He cares for you. Let's close in prayer. Jesus, I'm thinking of your words from John chapter 10.

You are the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. If you have given your life blood, poured out for us, how will you not freely give us all things? You care for us. It's been you all the while.

You were the one who predestined. You were the one who called. You were the one who justified. And you are the one who will glorify. Nothing can separate us from your love. You, Jesus, are the good shepherd.

And this morning I confess I am but a sheep helpless and wandering. You alone saved me. And you keep me. You deliver me. And I trust you. And I pray for any here this morning that have not come to know the good shepherd.

Maybe they're just like that little boy staring in the face of a wolf. Helpless and unaware of the wolves that surround in the dark. There is a shepherd. His name is Jesus. Call to him and he will answer you.

I pray for those here who don't know the good shepherd, that right now they would be born again through faith in his name. We pray all these things for his name's sake. For his name's sake. To God be the glory.

Glorious shepherd, we thank you for your meticulous care. You are everything to us. You give us everything we need for life and godliness. And we look to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.