Psalm 23 *
In the name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, dear
friends:
“The Lord is my
shepherd.” Those words mean a little
more coming from someone like David.
David was a shepherd. He knew what
it was like to be all alone at night in the fields. He knew what it felt like to have helpless
creatures depending on him for their survival.
And so when David penned those wonderful words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in
want,” he was saying a lot. He was acknowledging that he was a helpless
creature. He was admitting that he
needed protection. He was saying that he
had everything he needed because he belonged to the Lord. When David said: “The Lord is my shepherd,”
he was also saying, “I am his sheep.”
Not exactly the most flattering self-description for a
king. In fact, I don’t know of too many
people who are eager to compare themselves to sheep. They aren’t the smartest animals. They aren’t the cleanest animals. And they don’t make very good pets.
None of those things seemed to bother David though. He was okay with being a sheep. He was happy about being a sheep. And at the
end of the day, I hope you are too. Even
if it doesn’t appear to be a very flattering comparison, there is an
unbelievable upside. If you are a sheep, that means…
THE LORD IS
YOUR SHEPHERD
I. He provides
II. He
protects
III. He
prepares
Sheep are high maintenance animals. They can’t move around by themselves. They can’t gather food for themselves. They can’t do much of anything on their
own. That’s why the role of the shepherd
is so important.
What does the shepherd do for his sheep? “He
makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me
beside quiet waters” (2). When you
hear those words, what do you picture in your mind? I see a flock of sheep grazing in a grassy
meadow. I see a few sheep drinking from
a nearby stream. The scene is the
perfect picture of peace.
And peace is something people crave today. With our busy schedules and hurried lives, we
will pay big bucks for a little peace and quiet. Maybe it’s an afternoon at the spa. Maybe it’s a weekend getaway. Time for ourselves
is precious, but this time always comes to an end.
It doesn’t have to be that way because the Lord offers us
lasting peace. The Lord offers
tranquility at no cost. Our Shepherd
invites us to drink deeply of His Word, to spend time with him, to learn from
him and trust in him. And the more we do
that, the more we will appreciate what David meant when he said: “He restores my soul” (3a). With this statement David admits that
there were times in his life when his soul needed to be restored: when King
Saul tried to kill him, when his own son rebelled against him, when he
committed adultery and cold blooded murder.
On the surface David was a mighty king.
Beneath the surface he was a tormented soul. His fears followed him. His failures haunted him. His sin troubled him.
What about you? Is
there a relationship in your life that is causing you pain and heartache? Is there a sin from your past that just won’t
go away? Are you lonely? Are you afraid? If you feel like you are all out of options,
if you have nowhere else to turn, remember this: The Lord is your Shepherd, and
he restores your soul.
He comes to you and says: “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36). He invites you: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest” (Matthew
“He
guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (3b). I
recently read that if one sheep walks off the edge of a cliff, other sheep will
follow. That is why sheep need a
shepherd. That is why a shepherd’s
guidance is necessary.
But we’re not like that.
We don’t need to be watched around the clock. We would never blindly follow others. We would never give as a reason for doing
something: “Well, everyone else is doing it.”
We would never intentionally put ourselves in harm’s way.
Maybe that sheep comparison isn’t so bad after all. Sheep love to wander. So do we. Sheep get themselves into all kinds of
trouble. So do we. Sheep need a shepherd. So do we. The good news is that we have one. The Lord is our Shepherd, and he guides us in
paths of righteousness. His Word is a lamp
to our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). He is our guide through life, and he leads us
along the path to eternal life.
But sometimes even that path can be a dangerous one. There are sins that will try to ensnare
you. There are enemies that will try to
devour you. But no matter who or what
attacks you, the Lord is your Shepherd.
And he will protect you.
Over the years David had become accustomed to protecting
others. As a shepherd, he protected his
sheep from wild animals. As a king, he
protected his people from their enemies.
And so it was no small thing for this great protector to acknowledge
that he needed protection. “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” (4).
David wasn’t afraid, but it wasn’t because of his superior
fighting skills. David wasn’t afraid,
but it wasn’t because he commanded powerful armies. David tells us why he wasn’t afraid of lions
or bears or giants or even death: “I
will fear no evil, for you are with me.” You are with me. One short phrase, four little words that mean
so much…
For the Christian who is struggling with an addiction: You are with me. For the father of five who just lost his job:
You are with me. For the student who is openly mocked because
of her faith: You are with me. For the patient who just received some not-so-good
news: You are with me. For the
widow who feels all alone: You are with
me. For the weary soul who is
hanging on by a thread: You are with
me.
Maybe you can relate, but even if you can’t this truth
remains. The Lord is always with
you. Not only does he promise to provide
for you. Not only does he promise to
protect you. He has also prepared
something special for you.
“You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (5). In this verse the setting changes from a
grassy meadow to a royal banquet. But
this transition isn’t all that unusual if we remember that ancient kings were
sometimes described as the shepherds of their people.
Even though David didn’t deserve it, he was an honored guest
at the Lord’s table.
Even though David didn’t deserve it, the Lord treated him like
royalty. He had been anointed with the
oil of joy. His cup overflowed with
blessings. And David recognized that the
greatest blessing was still to come: “Surely
goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord forever” (6).
Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want their days on earth to be
filled with goodness and love? Wouldn’t
it be great to know where you will spend eternity? I am here to tell you today that these are
not just words on a page. Eternal life
is real. Eternal life is possible. And what is even more amazing is that you
don’t have to do anything to make it happen.
Jesus was a student of the Old Testament Scriptures. I have no doubt that he was familiar with
Psalm 23. And I would not be at all
surprised if the words of this psalm were on his mind when he called himself
the Good Shepherd.
What makes the Good Shepherd so good? I will let Jesus speak for himself: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14,15).
Jesus knows us. He
knows what we want. He knows what we
need. And he came down to this earth to
meet our greatest need, our need for a Savior.
Jesus gave up his throne in heaven for us. And after thirty-three years of
perfect living on earth, our Good Shepherd made the ultimate sacrifice when he
laid down his life for the sheep.
Jesus came to die, to die in our place, to die on the cross
for our sins. Jesus gave up his life to rescue
us from eternal death. And three days
later he rose. Jesus rose from the dead
to declare his victory over sin and Satan and death. Jesus rose to give us the assurance of our
own resurrection. And then he ascended
to prepare places for us in heaven, to make preparations for the day when we
will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
There is a story about a small newspaper in an even smaller
Midwestern town that was in the habit of printing the Sunday sermon theme for
the local church in its weekend edition.
One week the pastor was planning to preach on the 23rd psalm
so he called the paper early in the week to give them the theme. He was proud of the clear, concise words he
had chosen because he was certain that this was one theme his parishioners
would never forget. “The Lord is My Shepherd,” he said.
“That’s enough.”
There was a problem in the transmission, however, because
the editor misunderstood the minister.
When the preacher opened up his paper on Saturday evening, the theme
read, “The Lord is My Shepherd—That’s Enough.”
Even though that wasn’t the theme he had chosen, the pastor wasn’t
upset. He believed that the editor’s
mistake was actually an improvement because it captured the essence of the psalm.
My dear friends, the Lord is your
Shepherd. The Lord is your Shepherd, and
that’s enough. Amen.