“The Shepherd KING” Psalm 23:1-6
The Shepherd-King is according to Scripture the King of Israel.
“Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." (Jn 1:49).
The Shepherd - King is also known as King of glory by the Psalmist.
7Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory. Selah (Psalm 24:7-10)
Revelation describes him as King of the Ages.
They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. (Rev. 15:3).
Herod called him the King of the Jews on the cross was written, King of the Jews.
King Herod, MagiA from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? (Matthew 2:2).
Zechariah called him the King of the whole Earth “
9The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” (Zec 14:9).
We think of this text as a funeral text; however we can miss the fact that the Psalm is mostly about living. In the ancient world, as in ours today, shepherds were herders and tenders of sheep, but back then, "shepherd" was also a metaphor for the role kings were to play. They were to tend their subjects, providing for them and protecting them. Problem was, many of the kings were lousy shepherds of their people, thus, for someone in that culture to say, "The Lord is my shepherd" was similar to saying, "The Lord is my king," and the point was that God does what a king/shepherd is supposed to do
Because The Lord is My King I am subject to the good things offered by the Good King or Good Shepherd
1. Consider some of the Things given to the subjects of the King
A. I shall not be in want.
B. I will have what I need.
C. I will lie down in green pastures I will lie down in secure rest green pastures. Metaphor for all that makes life to flourish
D. I will be lead beside the still waters He leads me like a shepherd
Isaiah 40:1111He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in
His arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have
young.
E. I will Fear no Evil your rod comforts me.
rod. Instrument of authority as found in
Psalm 2:9You will rule them with an iron scepterF;
The Shepherd-King provides what I need to stay alive.
2. As Subjects of the Shepherd-King we receive Confidence
A. Confidence of Restoration the Shepherd-King Revives
Psalm 19:7The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul
A woman told Ruth : "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you
without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15He
will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Obed then his son
Jessie the father of David
B. As Subjects of the Shepherd - King we Receive confidence, even in the Darkest Valley
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
C. Paul shares with us Abraham’s darkest valley but yet he had confidence in the Shepherd-King
Romans 4:19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was
as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's
womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the
promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised
D. As subject of the Shepherd-King I receive confidence
Because God has been there before, in those darkest
Valleys
Hear what the Lord says: Psalm 139:7-12 7Where can I go from your
Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8If I go up to the heavens, you are
there; if I make my bed in the depths, A you are there. 9If I rise on the wings of
the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide
me, your right hand will hold me fast.
E. Advice when going through Dark Valleys
“If you are going through hell, keep going.”-
Winston Churchill.
“Defeat is simply a signal to press onward”.
-Helen Keller.
“A difficult time can be more readily endured if we
retain the confidence that our existence holds a
purpose – a cause to pursue, a person to love,
a goal to achieve”. -John Maxwell.
3. One other thing we receive from the Shepherd -King is Access
not just any person could see the king but we have access
Notice the text “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever”
A. We have Access to the gracious provisions and Care for the rest of ones life
6Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life
B. We have Access to Eternal Salvation
-Sermon idea based on “The Shepherd –King” Homiletics, Issue May 15, 2011. Publisher Kelly Brown.
