A Psalm/Song For When Life Is Scary (Psalm 23:1-6) Series

This morning, we will work our way through Psalm 23. It's a short psalm, so I want to start just by reading it:

(1) A psalm of/for David.

Yahweh, My shepherd is. ["Yahweh" is focused]

I shall not lack.

(2) In green pastures He makes me lie down. ["in green pastures" is focused]

Toward waters of rest He leads me. ["toward waters of rest"]

(3) My soul/inner being He restores. ["my inner being"]

He leads me on right paths for the sake of his name.

(4) Also, when I walk in a valley of death/deep darkness, I don't fear evil/disaster,

because You are with me.

Your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.

(5) You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my foes.

You anoint with oil my head.

My cup is overflowing.

(6) Surely, goodness and loyalty shall pursue me all the days of my life,

and I shall return to the house of Yahweh for a long time.

(1) A psalm of/for David.

Yahweh , My shepherd is.

I shall not lack.

There are few things that terrify people more, than the possibility of not having enough. Of lacking the basic necessities of life. Most of the time, we don't realize how scared we are. We aren't aware of our anxiety. All we just know that we squirrel away food, and money, and wealth, compulsively. And it doesn't matter, truly, how much you've saved. You never quite feel safe.

But inevitably, something bad will happen to you at some point in your life. There will be a virus outbreak, or a war, or you will lose your job, or there will be a recession. And all of your fears, and insecurities, and worries come welling up to the surface, and you panic. You worry that you won't have enough.

In Psalm 23, the psalmist knows-- and he is absolutely confident about this-- that he will not lack. There is no need to fear. No need to panic.

Why?

He knows that his Shepherd is Yahweh. And Yahweh is very good at caring for his flock.

Verse 2:

(2) In green pastures He makes me lie down.

Toward waters of rest He leads me.

Yahweh will make sure that his flock has enough to eat. He will give them green pastures to feed from. Yahweh will make sure his flock has enough to drink-- He will find a watering hole for them, where they can sit down and rest.

Verse 3:

(3) My soul/inner being He restores.

He leads me on right paths for the sake of his name.

There are times in life when you will feel shattered inside. You are falling apart, broken. Exhausted. When this happens to you, Yahweh is the one who puts you back together. Yahweh is very good at fixing people.

And most of the time, how God does this isn't very complicated. Humans are straightforward creatures, with straightforward needs.

What do we need to be restored/revived?

We need food. Drink. And rest. And God will bring us to places where we get these things.

Let's reread the second line in verse 3:

He leads me on right paths for the sake of his name.

Yahweh is the one who puts you on a good path in life. He isn't going to lead you somewhere that will harm you. He's not going to bring you somewhere that destroys you. And he does this, at least in part, for the sake of his name. No one is going to look at you-- you, who are committed to God and to being led by God-- and think, "Wow, you made a terrible mistake in relying on God." No. People look at you, and they think, "God has richly blessed you." They think, "God can be trusted." And so they look at you, and they give glory to God.

Verse 4:

(4) Also, when I walk in a valley of death/deep darkness, I don't fear evil/disaster,

because You are with me.

Now, just because God leads you on the right path, doesn't mean that his paths are always easy or that they look safe. There will be times when God leads you on paths that pass through deep darkness, and death. But when this happens, we don't worry. God's people aren't scared of the dark. They aren't scared of bad things happening to them.

How can we be? We know that God is with us.

The psalmist continues:

Your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.

Yahweh is with us, and God carries a big stick. A "rod" is some type of wooden stick, that can be used as a weapon (2 Samuel 23:21) to kill (Exodus 21:20). And a "rod" is God's weapon of choice (Psalm 2:9; Isaiah 10:5, 15)-- or, at least, one of them.