Sheep and Shepherds
Let me start by pointing out the obvious this morning. We live in a time when many and perhaps most people are engulfed with fear and anxiety. Some fear the future, they are concerned about what is going to happen. The future is full of possibilities and some are very good and others very bad. Others fear the past. They are upset at what has happened. What they have done and what others have done that has affected them. Then others fear the present. They don’t know how they are going to cope with the problems that they fact today. The ugliness the loss the daily circumstances which grip their soul and control their lives.
Let’s face it right now in our country thousands of people wake up with untold burdens and anxiety which they struggle to deal with one day at a time.
Are you one of theses people. Bearing your burdens, heavy burdens secretly?
Is it finances that put you on edge? Is it the political events that makes your heart beat fast?
Thousands of people each day wake up with untold burdens to bear and anxiety with which they must deal. Are you one of these? Bearing secretly a heavy burden?
The question that has been bothering me as I watch the news and talk to people is, “How does God want me to respond to anxiety/fear in my life?”
That is where our scripture comes in this morning. It is said to be written by this shepherd that made good and eventually worked his way up to be the King of Israel.
While it seems like David had many advantages that we don’t have it seems that he is just like us. He is tempted to worry about situations in his life. The Bible documents his sins and how he feels about them It describes how his father in law Saul tries to kill him. An yet with all his problems he describes how he overcomes sorrow and fear by trusting and rejoicing in God.
The 23rd Psalm is perhaps one of the best loved and most well known passages in the Bible. The words are comforting as we find the visual images to be something we can see in the theater of our minds. Many Christians read this passage in times of stress or sorrow. We hear it at funerals and people will refer to it when they are facing times of loss or hardship.
-- The 23rd Psalm begins with, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
That is a simple statement of faith in the Lord and description of the relationship between the David and the Lord.
David is using a simple common description that any one of his day understood and saw all the time. We don’t really have the same understanding in our culture about the relationship of shepherd and sheep. Oddly David offers his insight from the view of the sheep.
Then he added, “I shall not want.”
That is a big thing to “not want.”
I want all the time. I want a meal, comfort, security, happiness, rain, sunshine….I want different stuff all the time.
When someone says, "I shall not want," I sit up & take notice.
Listen to these words by Jason Lehman:
It was spring. But it was summer I wanted - The warm days, & the great outdoors.
It was summer. But it was fall I wanted - The colorful leaves, & the cool, dry air.
It was fall. But it was winter I wanted - The beautiful snow, & the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter. But it was spring I wanted - The warmth, & the blossoming of nature.
I was a child. But it was adulthood I wanted - The freedom, & the respect.
I was 20. But it was 30 I wanted - To be mature, & sophisticated.
I was middle-aged. But it was 20 I wanted - The youth, & the free spirit.
I was retired. But it was middle-age I wanted - The presence of mind, without limitations.
Then my life was over, & I never got what I wanted.
This is an age of discontent and fear. Many people never seem satisfied & almost everybody wants more.
A little child wants more toys & more television time.
A teenager wants more freedom & more popularity.
Most of us adults want security, cheaper gas & more time.
Certainly as we age, we want more health, more friends, & more loyalty from our children and friends.
In this psalm David refers to himself as a sheep. Frequently in the Bible, human beings are compared to sheep.
Now that sounds nice, but surely you realize that is not necessarily a compliment, because sheep are said to be among the dumbest & dirtiest animals in the world.
But sticking to Biblical references, the prophet Isaiah says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray," he is not saying "That’s good." He’s saying, "That’s bad, because we’re just about on a level with sheep."
When Jesus looked out on the people, the Gospel writers say that He saw them "as sheep without a shepherd." That’s not a compliment, either, it is a statement of concern, because sheep are vulnerable when they’re all alone.
-- Let me share some things I learned about sheep this week.
Did you know that unless their shepherd makes the sheep herd move on to new pastures, sheep will actually ruin a pasture, eating every blade of grass. If left in one place long enough they can turn a fertile pasture is nothing but barren soil that can take years to grow back.
Did you know that sheep can see about 320 degrees around them without turning their head. That sounds pretty good except, they are near-sighted with poor depth perception. They can’t see in the dark and even lose their footings in dark shadows.
It is said that they are very stubborn; they will die of thirst if their water supply is muddy or covered with algae.
They are easily frightened; an entire flock can be stampeded by a scared rabbit.
They have no real means of self-defense. Their teeth and hooves and dull. Their only recourse it attacked is to run as fast and far as they can. That are also pretty slow with their short legs. If cornered some will take a defensive stance and face their attacker and stomp their hooves on the ground. This is especially noticed in very young lambs.
Sheep have no homing instincts if they get lost. A dog, horse, cat, or a bird can find its way home, but when a sheep gets lost, if it looses sight of the flock or home, it’s a goner unless someone rescues it.
To recap, Sheep are generally helpless; some say that they require more attention than any other livestock. Because, they just can’t take care of themselves.
So, when scripture describes God’s people as sheep it is not exactly flattering.
King David is writing this psalm based on his life experiences; he has been a Shepherd, watching over these dependant animals. He has led, comforted, found and protected his share of flocks.
I would suspect that this scripture was written when he was a king and he has found similarities in leading a people.
But I think that he is mostly connecting with his personal insight in his relationship to God. This scripture is an explanation of how he has experienced God in his personal life.
We have talked about Sheep now let’s look at the other side, from David’s perspective.
David knows that Earthly shepherd’s have a responsibility to their flock:
A shepherd must identify with his flock.
A shepherd must always be near his flock.
A shepherd must fight for his flock.
A shepherd must even be willing to die for his flock.
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT.
This psalm is a psalm of confidence.
It is a psalm of dependence.
It is a psalm of unwavering trust.
The next line, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
For sheep to be content and lie down they require 4 things:
First of all, they have to be full. Hungry sheep stay on their feet searching for another mouthful of food. Eat Eat Eat until content.
Secondly, they must be unafraid, they have to feel safe. They will not lie down if they are scared. The least suspicion of any danger they stay on their feet ready to run.
Thirdly, they must be comfortable. If flies or fleas or other irritants is anything is bothering them they’ll not lie down.
Finally, sheep will not lie down unless there is harmony in the flock. If there is friction among them, if other sheep are worried or uncomfortable they simply cannot relax & lie down.
- David tells us that the Lord makes us lie down because he has provided for us. Our Shepherd makes it easier for us to find the time and comfort to rest. Our Shepherd has removed fear and discomfort and if we are living under His guidance we will make the flock peaceful and content.
The scripture tells us, "He leaith me beside the still waters."
Sheep are frightened of swiftly moving water. They’re poor swimmers, & get bogged down with their heavy wool. Just like we might if we tried to swim wearing wool overcoats. When an earthly shepherd comes to a moving stream, he doesn’t try to force the sheep to drink. Instead, a shepherd builds a dam & makes a quiet little pool where his sheep can drink from still waters.
Water is always a symbol of life, a fast moving stream, and rapids can be exciting but it does not promote rest. The picture here is a quiet moving stream a pleasant image, comforting and safe.
It seems that sheep make the wrong choices, some wonder away get lost in one way or another. It seems that only the Shepherd that knows his sheep is willing to find and reclaim the lost. He actively peruses his sheep and is joyful when he restores one to the flock.
David speaks of restoring of his soul, I wonder if he is speaking of the stress and anxiety and fear of his past and uncertainty of the future. If he means restoration form his bad choices and sin. He accepts that his shepherd is not just willing but actively wanting to restore His Sheep.
Why would the Lord care about a single wayward, sinful, stinky, trouble making sheep?
David answers that question, “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
An earthly shepherd was judged by how they take care of their flock. They took personal pride in their work. They were often expected to pay for any lost sheep out of their wages.
Our shepherd, leads us to righteousness for his “name’s sake.” It is for his reputation. It is a demonstration of His character. It is not for the Lord’s personal pride. It is because he is faithful the consistent. It is just who he is and how he does business. Of we follow our shepherd we will be lead on the path to righteousness.
David then says, Yea, (Yea is not a like yea our team won the ball game. Means however…or … but. )
“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Something you need to remember, according to David, even thought we are on the right path and following the Shepherd it does not guarantee everything will be easy.
In fact he describes the journey with the shepherd to pass through the darkest of valleys. Remember the poor eyesight of the sheep. The righteous path still ahs dangers and disappointments and loss….
However David was not afraid of the evil that might come out of the darkness of the unknown because his, shepherd was with him…..not ahead, not behind. But with him.
We have the same assurance if he is our shepherd what ever happens on the path of our lives..
-- Years ago Renee and I lived in Colorado; We often went into the mountains passing through winding narrow valleys, sheer walls on each side. We were often heading off to see what we could see ending up on the top of some ridge where we could see for miles and we knew that the trip up the valley on progressively smaller roads was worth the zigzagging slow climb it took to get there.
I believe that this is David’s perspective as he writes this psalm…he is looking back over his journey.
I had one of my nagging questions come into my head. From my experience in the Colorado canyons, they were typically beautiful. I loved the straight up view of granite cliffs. The icy water flowing down the mountain streams. I even liked the few times I went in the winter with the snow on the sides of the road and the streams frozen over.
The question I kept pondering, why is it common for a valley to represent troubles and hardship?
Then I remembered something I saw on my weekend trips. I remembered the signs.
Like “Watch for falling Rock,” I even remember seeing small pebbles and small stones on the road way, I even recall large chunks of rock larger all along right hand lane even on the interstate.
Another sign that was common was “In Case of Flash Flood – Climb UP” That one was fairly simple to understand, except that in many places there was no place to climb up to.
From my personal experience, the valleys were not unsafe places; however, the signs would not be placed every mile or so if no one ever had a problem in those valleys.
So I realized why David talks of canyons with flowing streams as being valleys of death.
When we are on our life journey, we can only see so far ahead. We don’t know which what might be just ahead of us. The depth of the canyon makes the days short and the nights long and cold. In a deep narrow valley we are limited in our ability to travel. Move ahead, stop, climb or go back. All too often there seems to be no place for us to run.
But, if we are traveling with our shepherd then we don’t need to fear evil. The shepherd has a rod. A club to protect us and a staff to reach out and pull us close. Basically the shepherd is with us to give protection and comfort.
- A 1st-grader stood in front of his classroom to make a speech about "What I want to be when I grow up." He said in his most grown up voice, "I’m going to be a lion tamer & have lots of fierce lions. I’ll walk into the cage & they will roar."
His passion was obvious and his imagination allowed him to see the scene.
He paused for a moment, thinking through what he had just said & then added,
"But of course, I’ll have my mommy with me."
I’m convinced that when death or difficulty roars its worst at us, we need not fear, for our Savior is with us.
That is they way that David had witnessed the Lord’s presence in his past and expected to feel again in his future..
David continues, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Do you think that he is still talking as a sheep? A table is more of a human thing.
It looks like David has changed to another view of his relationship with God.
In the ancient culture the position of a host a traveler receive the full protection of the household. Remember Abraham’s hospitality and generosity to the strangers that came by his tent. Or Lot’s extreme offering to the angels in Sodom.
David describes a feast within the sight of enemies. The anointing of a guest as a sign of honor. He speak of his cup running over a statement of abundance.. not just enough…But running over with generosity.
David has moved from position of simple dependant follower to honored guest. That Our host has the resources and ability to offer us protection form the world. He invites us in when we would never expect such a privilege.
David understand two major points about God and God’s character that we really need take to heart.
He says, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
In our relationship with God we can find great comfort in the knowledge of God’s character. To know that God is good and the He is merciful offers us great comfort in our earthly journey.
While our shepherd is not always to offer us a life without hardship. He promises that He is always with us.
This psalm is something that sounds good to pretty much to anyone that reads it for comfort.
--Nearly a century ago, a performer traveled America from coast to coast. He had studied theatre and was a skilled, trained speaker. He usually concluded his performances with a biblical reading. And so, to end his performance one night, he quoted the Twenty-Third Psalm.
The audience was struck by the eloquent recital of their favorite psalm. Each phrase was recited with perfect intonation and nuance.
And when he ended the psalm with “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” the response was immediate.
Men and women stood to give him a standing ovation. They would never hear the psalm read so perfectly again.
While the audience continued to applaud, an old man at the back, unnoticed, shuffled to the front and walked up on stage with the performer. “Mind if I say the 23rd?” Quite taken by surprise, the performer played along. “Sure go ahead.”
“The Lord is my shepherd,” the old man’s voice cracked as he began. “I shall not want;” his words choppy and uneven.
He struggled on through to the end and then turned and shuffled off the stage. When he had finished, there were no ovations, no cheers, not even a polite applause. All had been replaced by silence throughout the auditorium. Only an occasional sniffling, and bowed heads. Others had moist eyes.
Amazed, the dramatist asked, “What did you do? I’ve recited this psalm hundreds of times, but never with this response. How did you do it?”
Behind the eyes of that weathered face were years of a hard life, of eking out a living from prairie land, of raising a family and burying a wife.
“Son,” the old man said, “you know the psalm. But I know the Shepherd.”
This morning, if the Lord is not your Shepherd, then I want you to know that He has come looking for lost sheep today.
And if you can’t find your way home, you need to take the arm of the one who knows the way. He’ll lead you back, & He’ll redeem you from all your sins. He’ll put you on the path of righteousness. He’ll cause your cup to overflow, & goodness & mercy will follow you all the days of your life.
And one day, not too far away, I think, we will "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Are you ready for that?
If you’re not ready, then we urge you to respond to the invitation of the Lord as we stand & as we sing.
