The
Lord is my Shepherd
With this Weekly Thot we are starting a series of Weekly Thots on Psalm 23. As stated many times before there is a limited amount that we can communicate through this medium since the purpose is to provide a short, practical application of the Word of God. Because of this limitation much will be left out and we pray that what is included will be used of the Holy Spirit to enrich your walk with God.
"The LORD is my shepherd." Most times we read these words with the emphasis being placed on the word "my." We read it, "The LORD is MY shepherd." And that's a good and needful focus for if Jesus Christ is not your personal savior by faith God is not your shepherd.
But I believe the emphasis in David's mind is not on the word "my" but on the words "The LORD." David was excited about being one of God's sheep because he had some understanding of the person of God. As one author puts it, "David, in this psalm, is speaking not as the shepherd, but as a sheep; one of the flock. He spoke with a strong sense of pride and devotion and admiration. It was as though he literally boasted aloud, "Look at who my shepherd is ... my owner ... my manager.'"
So what we see here is a sheep jumping up and
down, shouting to other sheep while pointing at its shepherd saying, "Hey! Hey!
Give me your attention! Listen to me! See that shepherd over there, he is my
shepherd and boy am I excited and proud about that. He's God, immortal,
invincible, holy and just. He's my helper, defender, supplier, he's God! He
loves me, comforts and he guides me and cares for me. He's the creator, the
sustainer of all that we see. He knows all, can do all, and is everywhere I go!
He is my rock, my foundation, and he is the lord of hosts! Oh how my little
sheep heart trembles in his presence, how it shouts for joy before him! Hey!
Listen to me, he's the Lord of Hosts, the King of kings, the Lord of lords and
he is my shepherd and I'm thrilled beyond understanding! I'm ecstatic over it!
The LORD,
the LORD I say, is my shepherd!"
Now tell me, how excited are you over the fact that God, the one and only God of grace and mercy, the one and only God of the universe is your shepherd through faith in Jesus Christ? How excited are you when you wake each day and realize that he goes with you into all of its experiences? How excited are you when you gather on the Lord's Day with the rest of his flock to praise his name? Believe me; a display of excitement is not out of place in the worship of him in the assembly of his people. In most churches excitement is desperately needed.
Think of it! The LORD is your shepherd!
My
Shepherd
In the last lesson we saw that David was writing Psalm 23 from the viewpoint of the sheep, not the shepherd. And he pictured for us a sheep that was full of excitement, emotion, joy and ecstasy. He was jumping up and down and pointing to his shepherd and calling out for the sheep of other flocks to see his shepherd. This shepherd is the same one Nehemiah called "The great and awesome God." This very "great and awesome God" was this sheep's shepherd, and ours as well once we are admitted into his flock by faith in his son Jesus Christ. Are we excited about this very same fact as this sheep is? One reason why you may not be as excited is we may have a limited understanding of the person of God.
In the Old Testament days names carried meaning with them expressing some point of an individual's character or ancestry. But God is infinite, no one name could nor can capture all there is of him. So scripture uses various names to describe him and we find many of those names worked out in this psalm. Consider the following names of God and their display in this psalm. I have listed them by the Hebrew name, its English meaning, and its display in the psalm.
Jehovah - Jirah, The Lord My Provider,
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
Jehovah - Shalom, The Lord My Peace
"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters."
Jehovah - Rophi, The Lord Who Heals
"He restores my soul"
Jehovah - Tsidkenu, The Lord Our Righteousness
"He guides me in the paths or righteousness for his name's sake"
Jehovah - Shammah, The Lord is There
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me"
Jehovah - Nissi, The Lord my Banner and Jehovah Sabaot, The Lord of Hosts
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies"
Jehovah - Mekadesh, The Lord our Sanctifier
"You anoint my head with oil"
Jehovah - Rohi, God the Shepherd
"The Lord is my Shepherd"
Meditate on his person as described in his names and displayed in this psalm. Here is our Shepherd, here is our Lord. And he excites me, he thrills me, he makes me proud to be his. If it does not excite your soul, something is wrong.
A little girl was asked to repeat Psalm 23 for a church program. She nervously approached the microphone and said, "The Lord is my shepherd ..." After a long pause she started again saying, "The Lord is my shepherd ... And that's enough for now."
And she was right, He is all I need, He is enough for now.
Meeting
My Needs
The first consequence of having the Lord as your shepherd is that all your needs will be supplied. Now God is under no obligation to supply all our wants, but he has put himself under oath and obligation to supply our needs. In the Treasury of David, John Stevenson is quoted as saying:
"One of the poor members of the flock of Christ was reduced to circumstances of the greatest poverty in his old age, and yet he never murmured ‘You must be badly off,' said a kind-hearted neighbor to him one day as they met on the road. ‘You must be badly off, and I don't know how an old man like you can maintain yourself and your wife; yet you are always cheerful!' "Oh, no!' he replied, ‘we are not badly off. I have a rich father, and he does not suffer me to want.' ‘What! Your father is not dead yet? He must be very old indeed!' ‘Oh,' said he, ‘my father never dies, and he always takes care of me.'
"This aged Christian was a daily pensioner on the provision of his God. His struggles and his poverty were known to all, but his declaration was that he never wanted what was absolutely necessary. The days of his greatest straights were the days of his most single and timely deliverances. When old age benumbed the hand of his industry the Lord extended to him the hand of charity. And often has he gone forth from a scanty breakfast not knowing from what earthly source his next meal was to be obtained. But with David he could rely on the Shepherd's care and say, ‘I shall not want' as certainly as he trusted on God, so surely, in some unexpected manner was his necessity supplied."
Does this bring to mind an incident in your life where God met your need? God has promised to take care of you. He has pledged himself to see that your real, true, needs are met. He has made it so that if your basic needs are not met his name will suffer. He has placed his integrity on the line in this matter. Here are some of his further promises in this matter for you to meditate and put faith in:
Phil 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
2 Cor 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
Matt 6:31-32 "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them..."
Yes, "‘The Lord is my shepherd...' and that's enough for now."
My
Shepherd's Provision
Someone wrote,
"Pastures abundant doth His hand
provide
Still waters flowing ever at His side.
Goodness and mercy follow my track
With such a Shepherd nothing can I
lack."
We have been looking at Psalm 23 which Spurgeon called "the pearl of psalms." And Alexander MacClaren wrote, "The world could get along without many a large book better than this sunny little psalm." The picture of God as the shepherd of his people is as old as the Old Testament patriarch Jacob who was the first to use this title for God. In his blessing of his son Joseph he said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day... (Genesis 48:15)." On his death bed Jacob prophesied again in connection with Joseph and said, "... because of the shepherd, the rock of Israel... Genesis 49:24)."
Jacob spoke of the Lord as his shepherd only in connection with Joseph who is an outstanding Old Testament picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Joseph gained favor in Egypt he became the one through whom the basic needs of Egypt were supplied. Remember? He interpreted the pharaoh's dreams and told him that there were seven years of plenty coming which would be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh gave him great powers to store house the grain supplies during the years of plenty. When the years of famine came it was Joseph's provision that fed the nation of Egypt.
Eventually Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to beg for grain. Eventually it was through Joseph that his whole family was provided for. And here the psalmist wrote, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
And we see something of his great provision for all our needs in this psalm he provides me with:
REST - "makes me lie down in green pastures"
REFRESHMENT - "leads me beside still water"
RESTORATION - "restore my soul”
GUIDANCE - "guides me in the paths of righteousness"
COMPANIONSHIP/Support - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear mo evil, for you are with me"
PROTECTION and COMFORT - "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
IN
GREEN PASTURES
In a sermon on Psalm 23 the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The Christian life has two elements in it, the contemplative and the active, and both of these are richly provided for. First the contemplative, `He maketh me lie down in green pastures’…The second part of a vigorous Christian life consists in gracious activity. We not only think but we act. We are journeying onward toward perfection; hence we read, ‘he leadeth me beside still waters.’”
Today we are to consider the green pastures. It’s a very beautiful picture of sheep contentedly grazing upon the lush green pasture. And notice if you will that it is not one pasture in which God causes us to lie down in, but “pastures,” plural. Ralph Robinson (1656) wrote, “Here are many pastures and every pasture rich so that it can never be eaten bare…The sheep have been eating in these pastures ever since Christ had a church on earth, and yet they are as full of grass as ever.”
I want to very quickly and briefly suggest 4 such pastures that our Shepherd has provided for our well being and in which he leads us today.
The Pasture of God’s People
Heb 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
The Pasture of Prayer
Luke 18 “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
The Pasture of the Holy Spirit
Gal 5:22-24 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Gal 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
The Pasture of God’s Word
1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation”
Have you allowed the Great Shepherd of the sheep to lead you in these pastures? Have you allowed him to feed you through good Christian friends? Have you allowed him to build a network of such friends?
Are you a frequent visitor to the pasture of prayer? Do you know the strengthening of soul that comes only through prayer?
Do you walk in the Spirit depending upon his comfort and soul soothing ministry? Do you come to this pasture to lie down and be still and allow him to minister to your heart?
Are you a faithful visitor to the pasture of God’s Word? Do you feed upon its message so you may grow and mature in your spirit?
I believe our Good Shepherd wants to lead us in these and other pastures where we will find real soul food.
BESIDE
THE QUIET WATERS
The last time we were together I quoted part of what Ralph Robinson (1656) wrote about the pastures in Psalm 23. He also had this to say about the quiet waters, “the sheep have been drinking at these streams ever since Adam, and yet they are brim full to this very day, and they will continue till the sheep are above the use of them.”
The King James Version of the Bible translates the Hebrew to read, “He leads me beside still waters.” The New International Version is better when it renders the Hebrew as “quiet waters.” “Still waters” grow stagnant and unfit for use. But flowing water remains pure and fit to drink. This is the kind of water Jesus promised the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. There Jesus called it “living water.” It was a reference to the flowing water of a stream, not the still water of a well.
The pastures pictured for us the feeding of the soul for spiritual growth and we noted four of these soul nourishing pastures. But what is the imagery here suggesting? I believe here is shown our need for an intimate knowledge of and an ever closer walk with God.
Consider the following:
Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
Psalm 63:1”O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
The opposite is seen in:
Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns that cannot hold water.”
God wants us to know him. He wants us to walk closer to him every day. He has planted a hunger and a thirst within our souls for him. And there is no greater, no stronger, desire in humans than that of thirst. Our redeemed souls cry out in thirst for a deeper drinking at the water which is God. He wants us to know him intimately. He wants us to know him deeply. And the amazing thing is that the deeper and fuller we drink of him the more we want to drink of the knowledge of him.
In his book “A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23” Philip Keller wrights there are three sources of water for the sheep. These are dew, wells, and streams. The question now is, from which of these three sources are you drinking?
The dew is like the knowledge of God we just happen upon. It is real, but shallow.
There are those deeper experiences we have with God which enter our lives from time to time. These are the wells where we must stop, put down our bucket, and draw closer to him.
Then there are the streams. Here is the knowledge of the Holy One, the practice of his presence in my everyday life. It is the intimate knowledge of god as I walk life’s path being constantly refreshed by him.
Where have you been trying to quench your soul’s desire for God? Do you lap up the dew, stop at a well, or walk constantly beside the quiet waters?
He
Restores My Soul
“He restores my soul.” O, what wonderful words these are. Whenever I read Psalm 23 and come to these four words I pause, and sigh a sigh of relief. What a great thought that this is that our shepherd restores us. It may seem strange at first that the sheep who is here boasting in the God who is his shepherd should also say there are times when it needs to be restored. But it’s true, we know its true, and the psalmist knew it. He lived in the real world and wrights about the real world. And that world is the same world you and I live in.
In his book “A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23” Philip Keller likens the picture here to that of a “cast” sheep. He wrote, “A cast sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays out frantically struggling to stand up, without success… If the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonable short time the sheep will die.” Because such a cast sheep is so vulnerable there are two sets of eyes upon it. One is its enemy, looking for the opportunity to pounce upon it. The other is the shepherd’s who watches to see if his aid is needed.
We too become “cast,” don’t we? We can become weighed down, tripped up, waylaid, detoured, and beat up by our own sin. We stray from the green pastures and quiet waters of the shepherd and when we look to our shepherd in confession and repentance he restores us. We place faith in and claim the promise of 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” That verse says, in the imagery of Psalm 23, that he uprights the sheep cast by sin thus restoring its soul.
Sr. Richard Baxter wrote, “He restores it to its original purity that has now grown foal and black with sin; for alas, what good where it to have green pastures and a black soul? He restores it to its natural temper in affections, that was grown distempered with violence of passions; for alas, what good were it to have still waters and a turbulent spirit? He restores it to life that has grown before in a manner quite dead.”
Are you cast by sin today? Come to the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. Confess your sin and allow him to restore you to life and the joy of your salvation.
And then we also become cast by life. We experience despair, fear, depression, anxiety, and just plain tiredness. Our spirits run down, grow weak, and become anything but that soaring eagle of Isaiah 40:31. We need a “Time Out” to sit once again in his green pastures, drink of his quiet water, and allow him to restore us. We need to turn off the world, step aside from the rat race, find a quiet place where we can simply meditate on his word and allow him to restore us.
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “When the soul grows sorrowful he revives it; when it is sinful he sanctifies it; when it is weak he strengthens it.”
Are you run down and run over by the stress and strain of living? Get to green pastures and drink the quiet water. Get to a place where it is only you and God. And I guarantee you, you will leave that place restored.
What a wonderful and encouraging four words these are. “He restores my soul.”
He
Guides Me
“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
What a great and wonderful statement that is. Our problem is we can only experience his guiding by a determination and discipline of our will for there are forces warring within us to keep his guidance from talking place in our lives. There are two human characteristics within each of us that are at odds with each other. One is that we have a built in need for leadership. And the second is, as is said over and over again, we are creatures of habit. And these two characteristics pull against each other. While we want and need the first we often rebel against it because of the second.
Philip Keller wrote about sheep saying they “are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves they will follow the same trails until they become desolate wastes; polluting their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites…
“David was a shepherd. He knew that if the “flock” was to flourish and the owner’s reputation was to be held in high esteem … the sheep had to be constantly under his meticulous control and guidance.”
As stated above we all need a leader but we so often rebel. Isaiah wrote (53:6) “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” We are the ones who deserve the blame for the greater part of the problems we get ourselves into. We can all look in the mirror and say, “I have seen the enemy and it is me.” We get ourselves into trouble because we provide our own leadership, guiding ourselves into one pit fall after another. Therefore being the creatures of habit that we are we must make a firm commitment to allow our God to lead us out of the familiar ground of habit if need be into the unfamiliar path of righteousness. The one thing we can be confident of is this, our shepherd knows us, cares for us, and will lead us if we allow him to. And we can also be confident that he will not lead us into error but into truth, not into fear but peace, not into worry but confidence, not into weakness but strength, and not into defeat but victory.
How does God do this? How does he lead us into these paths of righteousness? John Gadsby wrote, “In the wilderness and in the desert there are no raised paths, the paths being merely tracks; and sometimes there are 6 or 8 paths running unevenly alongside each other.” We need to allow our God to lead us out of the path of habit into the correct path of righteousness.
Let me suggest some ways God provides this leadership for us.
1. By His Word
2 Tim 3:15-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2. By His Spirit
Eph 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
3. By His Spirit Filled People
Heb 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
And why does he do this? What is his motivation? The answer is, “for his name's sake.” Paul told us we are to be “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6) and we are to be “for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12) and that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit “to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). He guides me so that in all things he is glorified. And what better kind of life can there be?
Are you willing to break with tradition and habit if need be in order to live a life that glorifies God? If so you will find your shepherd ready and willing to lead you into righteousness of life.
Through
the Valley
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” What an intensely beautiful and practical statement. Unfortunately almost every comment on this verse is directed toward physical death, and this is mot what David had in mind. He is referring here to the dark valley experiences of life. You know, we have all walked through them and may be in one now. Those dark valleys of depression, sickness, heartache, sin, guilt, financial reversal, job loss, family problems, and the list could go on and on.
The Hebrew word for “shadow of death” can be used in both a real of figurative sense. Everything else in this psalm has been figurative – green pastures, quiet waters, paths of righteousness – and so it is figurative here as well. How are we to get through these dark valley experiences? David gives us four stepping stones to get us through these valleys.
Stepping stone #1 is intimacy with God. Up to this point the sheep has been boasting to others about its shepherd. But here it turns and addresses the shepherd directly. It uses personal words. “I” and “you” enter the conversation. If there is ever a time when we need to cling tightly to our God it is in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Take time to pray, worship, praise, and trust your Shepherd-God.
Stepping stone #2 is to be assured of his leading. The psalmist says we don’t stay in the valley but walk through the valley. The psalmist said on Psalm 73:24 “You guide me with your counsel.” And in Psalm 48:14 we read, “For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even to the end.”
Stepping stone #3 is to be confident of his goodness. The sheep says “I will fear no evil.” God hasn’t brought us into the valley to harm us but to benefit us. The prophet Nahum put it this way, “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
And stepping stone #4 is to be conscious of God’s presence. “You are with me.” In Exodus 33:14 we read, “… My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” In the Epistle to the Hebrews we read, “… Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Are you in a valley experience? Even one as black as death can be gone through if we draw close to God, are confident of his goodness, are assured of his leading, and are conscious of his presence.
God's
Comfort
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” What comforts you? Children receive comfort from a blanket or soft toy. Adolescents find comfort in conformity and acceptance, adults find it in drink, pills, or therapy. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are to find comfort from their God.
A missionary was having a problem finding the correct word in the native tribe’s language for “comfort” in his translation of the Scriptures. One day a help of his asked for time off to visit his aunt. He explained that his uncle died recently and he wanted to “help her get around the corner.” The missionary said this was the expression he needed to convey the thought of comfort in Psalm 23. “Your rod and your staff help get me around the corner.”
We think of comfort as a soft and soothing thing that makes our anxious feelings disperse and our hearts calm within us. We picture a child nestled in the arms of its parent as a storm crashes by outside. The Hebrew word here translated “comfort” is a word that had three distinct and connected ideas with it.
First it suggested strength, strength that is like a fort. It was the picture of security.
It also was associated with the idea of “fortitude” implying courage.
Combining the above the word came to also be referred to as “consolation,” or “comfort.”
We will look at the rod and staff in the next two Weekly Thots and see how they contribute to this comfort but for now let’s just focus on the comfort. It is a comfort born out of the knowledge and sense that our God surrounds us, not just with his loving arms, but he surrounds us as a fort to defend us from our enemy. As we come to understand this and trust it, that is exercise active faith in it, we gain courage for each day and fear is removed. And coming to know our grand God in this way gives us comfort doesn’t it? As I awake to a new day, as I progress through that day, as I meet the challenges of the day and even the enemy of the day, I know my God surrounds me as a fort and in that I am comforted.
I trust you will be comforted by this knowledge as well. I trust it will help you to “get around the corner.”
The
Comfort of God's Rod
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Last week we saw that the idea of God’s comfort here is not that we feel comfortable like sitting in our favorite easy chair. Rather, it has to do with being secure. The idea could be expressed this way, “Your rod and your staff secure me.” Now, just how do his rod and staff secure us giving us comfort?
The shepherd’s rod was his main defensive weapon for himself and his sheep. It was a symbol of his strength, power, and his authority. This powerful defensive weapon provided a continuous comfort for him and his sheep.
God’s rod for us is his word, the Bible, the Sacred Scriptures. The shepherd’s rod was an extension of his right arm and God’s holy word is an extension of his right arm as well. His word is the extended activity of his mind and will.
The shepherd used his rod to perform three functions. These were to discipline the sheep, count the sheep, and protect the sheep. I submit to you that God, our shepherd, uses his word in the same three ways in our lives. I only have space in this devotional to give you a brief description of how he uses his word in this way and I will leave it to you to meditate on them and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you further.
TO DISCIPLINE THE SHEEP
If a shepherd saw one of his sheep straying into danger his rod would go whistling through the air to send it scurrying back to the others. There are many references in scripture to the use of God’s word to warn and discipline us. Paul told Timothy that “all scripture is God-breathed (inspired) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Stray from the right path and the Holy Spirit sends scripture that we have learned whistling through the air to draw us back.
TO COUNT THE SHEEP
In Ezekiel 20:37 God tells us, “I will take note of you as you pass under my rod…” As the sheep passed under the rod they were not only counted they were also examined for wounds, disease, defects, etc. It was a process of getting to know the individual sheep. As Paul said above God’s word is good for “correction.” As we read God’s word he uses it to examine us, passing us under his rod, and heals and fixes us where we need it.
TO PROTECT THE SHEEP
Again Paul said God’s word is “profitable for teaching.” The psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:9-11, “How can a young man (or woman) keep his way pure? By living according to your (God’s) word … I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” As someone once said, “Sin will keep you from this book or this book will keep you from sin.”
Yes, God’s word comforts is, it secures us. And it does this by keeping us in line, and away from danger. It is what the Holy Spirit uses to mend and heal us. And it is God’s tool to protect us.
But for God’s word to have this comforting effect in our lives we must be exposing ourselves to it daily. Open your heart to God’s word so he can secure you with it and give you comfort.
The
Comfort of God's Staff
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
We’ve seen that the comfort spoken of here more than just feeling comfortable but had the idea of being secure and out of that security we are comforted. We saw last time that the reality behind the image of the rod is the word of God, the Bible. God uses his word to secure us and give us comfort. But what of the staff?
The staff was the long slender stick with a hook or crook on the end that is most associated with a shepherd. Someone who knew about shepherds and sheep once wrote, “No other single word can better describe its (the staff’s) function on behalf of the flock than that it is for their comfort.”
There are three areas of sheep management in which the staff plays a part.
First, the shepherd uses it to draw the sheep together in a unified flock. One shepherd explained, “The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and carry it to its mother if they become separated. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odors of his hands.”
Secondly the shepherd uses his staff to guide the flock. As one who observed shepherds at work once wrote, “Again and again I have seen a shepherd use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous and difficult routes.
And thirdly he used it to assure the sheep of his presence. A shepherd will actually hold his staff against the side of some sheep that is a favorite. In this way the sheep knows that it is “in touch” with the shepherd. They will walk along like this as though they were walking hand in hand.
In the same ways God’s Spirit, the Comforter, draws us together into warm, personal fellowship with the other members of Christ’s flock. It is called the “fellowship of the Spirit.” And it is by his Holy Spirit that God leads us along the paths we are to walk. And it is by his Spirit that we sense his presence and cry “Abba, Father.”
What a great combination is presented here to give us security and comfort. We have his rod and his staff, his word and his Spirit. In his word and his Spirit I find my strength, my courage, and my comfort.
A
Table Prepared
We saw in verse 4 of Psalm 23 that the sheep turned from boasting about its shepherd to other sheep and began to speak directly to his shepherd. He continue this discourse here in verse 5 as he says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” A great deal could be said about the picture presented here but I want to direct your attention to two quick items and two quick lessons.
Item #1 is we have enemies. We do battle daily with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The goal of these enemies is to disturb and rob us of our peace, and our spiritual fruit. They seek to shut down our testimony and derail our progress toward holiness. There are enemies at the gate of the soul every day and they are both strong and relentless. They will not take defeat lightly but will attack again and again and again looking for every and any weakness in our spiritual armor.
Now I don’t know about you but I couldn’t sit down to a meal and enjoy it knowing my enemy was looking in the window, banging on the door, and trying to sit next to or across from me. I would surely lose my appetite. But the sheep under the Great Shepherd’s care days that this is just what he does. He dines in the very presence of his enemies.
Which brings us to Item #2, we have a Provider. Our Great Shepherd provides a table for us in the very face of our enemy and bids us to come and dine upon what he has provided. He has laid out a table filled with a true Thanksgiving feast. This banquet table groans under the weight of our shepherd’s provisions of grace, mercy, strength, comfort, goodness, security, compassion, and so much more.
And now for lesson #1; in the world “with devils filled” we need not approach each day with fear. We are more than provided for. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
And lesson 2 is this, this table is already prepared for tomorrow. He doesn’t say he will prepare, but he has already prepared it. Truly his grace is sufficient for my every need. When I am approached by the enemy my table of provision to stand has already been laid for me.
When you sit at your Thanksgiving meal reflect upon the table God has provided for you.
“You
anoint my head with oil”
Now there are many ideas floating around trying to explain this phrase of Psalm 23. But you will never understand what it means unless you know what it meant for David and his sheep. After all, he was the one who penned these words. So what do they mean?
The shepherd anointed his sheep with oil for three reasons. We will look at one of them this time. In the summer time sheep are bothered by the nasal fly. These flies buzz around the sheep’s head and try to lay their eggs in the damp mucous membrane of the sheep’s nose. When these eggs hatch they send out a slender, worm-like, larva which work their way up the nasal passage into the sheep’s head. They then burrow into the flesh and set up an intense irritation accompanied by severe inflammation. Once this happens the agonizing sheep beat their heads against trees, rocks, and posts. They rub their heads into the ground and thrash about. Some even end in death.
To protect against these flies the shepherd would anoint his sheep with a repellent. This application of repellent would free the sheep from the aggravation, irritability, and restlessness these flies bring with them.
So what does this picture hold for us? One Christian writer wrote, “How easy it is for there to be a fly in the ointment of even the most lofty spiritual experience. So often it is the small, petty annoyances that ruin my repose. It is the niggling distractions that become burning issues that can well nigh drive me around the bend and up the wall.”
Now oil in Scripture is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit. What I see here is that as I allow the Holy Spirit to lead and control my life, as I allow him to rule my life, I can know the peace and contentment that only he can give. For the sheep irritation came fro the nasal fly. For us irritation can arise from every corner but as we allow the Holy Spirit to have his work in our lives we can go through life with a peace and serenity others cannot know.
Yes, we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit so that, among other things, we may be freed from irritation and frustration, knowing peace and joy. Don’t allow the petty annoyances of life bring you down. Turn them over to the Holy Spirit.
My
Cup Overflows
Do you ever feel life has lost its zip, that your days have become mundane and meaningless? Do you ever feel you are living in a dry and barren place and God has lost sight of you? Well cheer-up my friend, God has not lost sight of you and life can become fresh, meaningful, and joyous once again. You see, God has made ample provision for all your needs.
In Psalm 23:5 we read, “…my cup overflows.” It has been suggested that the Hebrew here would be better rendered, “my cup is full to the brim,” or “he pours me a full one.” The alternate translation is because the word “overflowing” suggests waste, and God does not waste anything. But no matter how you express it, the wonderful truth is that God has provided a full cup for you, one that is lacking in nothing. His cup of supply is full.
What is it filled with? It is a cup full of grace, full of mercy, full of purpose, joy, happiness, peace and so much more. And my cup is filled with just the right mix of what I need and so is your cup filled with just the right mix of what you need. In Psalm 16:5 we read, “LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup.” That is, God has filled each of our “cups” with a prescription set to fit our unique needs.
Do you need grace? God has supplied it.
Do you need comfort? God has supplied it.
Do you need direction? God has supplied it.
Whatever you need, God has supplied it. And it is ours because Jesus drank his unique cup. We read in Matt 26:39 Jesus’ prayer, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath so that we might drink the cup of God’s blessing.
How do we drink of this cup? By worshiping him in everything we do, by looking to him for every need I have, by allowing him to be both the Savior and Lord of our lives. Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4, “John 4:14 “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Jesus is holding out the cup of supply especially prepared for you. It is yours to take and enjoy.
Goodness
and Mercy
Throughout the study of this Psalm continuous emphasis has been put upon the care exercised by the attentive shepherd. It has been stressed how essential to the welfare of the sheep the rancher's diligent effort and labor are. All the benefits enjoyed by a flock under skilled and loving management have been drawn in bold lines. Now all of this is summed up here by the Psalmist in one brave but simple statement: 'Surely goodness and love shall follow me all the days of my life.”
No matter what comes our way, we can be perfectly sure that goodness and mercy/love will be in the picture. Because we are under the sound, sympathetic and intelligent ownership of the Lord, we have this assurance.
As Spurgeon wrote, "This is a fact as indisputable as it is encouraging, and therefore a heavenly verily, or ‘surety’ is set as a seal upon it. This sentence may read, 'only goodness and mercy,' for there shall be unmingled mercy in our history. These twin guardian angels will always be with me at my back and my beck. Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go unattended, so it is wit believer. Goodness and mercy follow him always … the black days as well as the days of feasting, the dreary days of winter as well as the bright days of summer. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins.”
Here's a boast of confidence in the one who controls our future. But how many Christians really have this confidence? How many can make this boast?
Now of course it is easy to speak of and think on these twin virtues when things are going well - health wise, financially, family and friendship. When all of this is in order it's easy to say, "Surely goodness and love shall follow me" But what about when all this breaks down? What is our reaction then? As one author asks, "When my little world is falling apart and the castles of my ambitions and hopes crumble into ruins can I honestly declare, 'Surely - yes - surely - goodness, and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life?' Or is this sheer humbug and maddening mockery?"
What is it for you? Is it truth or mockery in such occasions? Perhaps the problem lies in what we look for in life and how we interpret the events of life. Are we looking for goodness and love/mercy or things and flattery? Do we see with the eyes of God and give thanks in all things, or with eyes of man and utter despair?
It is up to you my friend. You can lay hold of the promises and provision of God or you can turn your back on them and go it alone through this world. The choice is yours. But the promise is sure.
Dr. Ironside had two elderly single women in his church. One day they came to him and said they were very much afraid walking outside for they were sure two men were following them all the time. With pastoral wisdom Dr. Ironside said, “They are not two men who will harm you. They are Goodness and Mercy.” And that same assurance can be yours.
Together
Forever
The three most important words in buying a new house are location, location, location. The sheep has now come full circle in a way. He started by saying his needs have been fully supplied as he experiences the green pastures and quiet waters. That is an expression of God’s provision for now. He closes by looking at God’s provision for eternity. That provision is “the house of the Lord.” And there’s no better location than the house of the Lord.
To the Semitic mind the word “house” meant more than just a building. A person’s “house” included his family, servants, buildings, and his lands. And as the sheep gives voice to this provision he says he will never leave it. He will be there forever.
And this “house” meant more than just this sheep and his Lord. We learn in the New Testament that there is coming a day when, “the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).”
Think of it, together forever. It will be us, our Lord Jesus Christ, and our redeemed loved ones forever, never to be parted again. We will be living in a land of no good-byes, no farewells, no separation. Just together forever! That is your future as a child of God. And the more we travel this earthy, and the closer we come to our Lord Jesus Christ, we begin to really long for that land. We begin to pray as David did in Psalm 27.4, Ps 27:4 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”
Do you have that assurance that when your days here end that you will have a glorious future with the Lord? If not, you can have it. Jesus calls you to come to him. He wants you to acknowledge your sinfulness and accept his payment for your sin on the cross. He wants to forgive you, cleanse you, fill you, and bless you. And he wants you with him. Have you ever established a personal relationship with him? Don’t wait; it is never too soon to come to him.
Go to our web site at www.Eagleministries.org, click on the blue bar on the left side of the screen, the bar labeled, “Savior.” There you will find how to know Jesus, to have your sins forgiven and become a part of his forever family.
If you are already part of his forever family, take time to thank him right now. Then go on and live life with joy knowing your shepherd has provided a place where you, and the rest of his forever family, will be together forever.
