Purpose: To show that God is a good and tender shepherd.
Aim: I want the listener to grasp a deep confidence in God’s goodness.
INTRODUCTION: It is interesting to note that sheep are the most commonly mentioned animal in the Bible. When you include the term "flocks" there are over 400 times the Bible refers to sheep. The word shepherd is also used over 100 times.
It was natural for David to talk about shepherds because he was one. David knew all about sheep. It is interesting that David, who was an experienced shepherd, pictured himself as a sheep, not a shepherd.
In our part of the world sheep are mostly raised for their meat. In Bible days, though, they were primarily raised for their wool and milk. For that reason it was not uncommon for shepherds to be with the same sheep twenty four hours a day for ten years or more. This made it possible for shepherds to develop deep personal relationships with their sheep.
I think this helps us understand why angels chose to announce the birth of Christ to shepherds.
In order to understand the importance of the eternal God being our refuge we must first ask:
► I. What are Sheep Like?
► Vs.1 A. Sheep are needy "want"
Sheep have actually been known to nibble themselves over the cliff! That is dumb! Dogs can often find their way home but not sheep. We laugh until we realize that "sheep" are a metaphor for us! So what do we need more than anything else? Clearly we need a tender, caring shepherd who is willing to take care of us.
► Vs.2a B. Sheep are restless "lie down"
"’pastures of tender grass,’ are mentioned, not in respect to food, but as places of cool and refreshing rest." [1]
When life gets difficult we get frantic.
► Vs.2b C. Sheep are weary "quiet waters"
Sheep drown easily. Their wool soaks up water and can drag them down. If they get on their backs they cannot get back up. They can only kick & bleat.
We need protection from the swirling torrents of this life.
► Vs.3a D. Sheep are sinful "restores my soul"
The Lord provides forgiveness and peace for those who follow Him.
Paul explains that apart from Christ we are helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God (Romans 5:6-10).
O death, O grave, I do not fear your power;
The debt is paid.
On Jesus in that dark and dreadful hour
Our sins were laid.
--Margaret L. Carson
► Vs.3b E. Sheep are lost "guides me"
Webster’s definition for "sheep" is interesting: "a timid and defenseless creature." In blunt terms they are dumb. By the way, you will never find sheep acts in the circus because they can’t be trained.
Sheep don’t learn from mistakes. In fact they often repeat them. When they wander away and get lost they often can’t even find their way home even when the sheepfold is within sight! Now that is helpless!
Isaiah 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. (NAU)
Psalm 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments. (NAU)
► Vs.4 F. Sheep are fearful "fear no evil"
Psalm 46:1--5 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. (NAU)
► II. What is Jehovah-Rohi (The LORD my Shepherd) Like?
► Vs.1 A. The LORD my Shepherd supplies my every need "I shall not want"
Notice the future tense: "I shall not..." David is NOT just saying "I don’t lack anything." He is saying, "I will not lack anything tomorrow." If you are trusting the Eternally Self-existent One to be your Shepherd then you will have confidence that tomorrow’s needs will be met.
Isn’t that what Paul said? Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (NAU)
John Walvoord writes that... "Sheep are utterly dependent upon the shepherd for almost everything pertaining to their well-being. In the work of Christ for His sheep, there is accordingly the ministry of leading the sheep in the path of the will of God. Only as sheep are willing to follow Christ will they find their complete spiritual needs supplied."
Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (NAU)
Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. (NAU)
► Vs.2 B. The LORD my Shepherd quiets my heart "makes me lie down"
Isaiah 40:11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. (NAU)
Our Shepherd supplies us with quiet joy as we meditate on His amazing gift of forgiveness. God’s grace allows us to stop struggling to be good enough for God. Hebrews 4:9--10 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. (NAU)
Isaiah 30:15 For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength."... (NAU)
Ezekiel 34:11--16 For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. "As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. "I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. "I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. "I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God. "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment. (NAU)
► Vs.3a C. The LORD my Shepherd gives me eternal life "restores my soul"
Literally this means "bring back to life." John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (NAU)
"As the Lord shepherds us it is not merely our body which is cared for; it is our restored soul. Paul reminds us, "Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16)." [2]
Even when we are physically worn out, our soul can be refreshed and vigorous. God’s Word provides a constant source of refreshment. Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. (NAU)
► Vs.3b D. The LORD my Shepherd guides me "He guides me"
Proverbs 3:5--8 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. (NAU)
Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (NAU)
► Vs.3c E. The LORD my Shepherd glorifies Himself through me "For His name’s sake"
Matthew 6:9 "Pray, then, in this way: ’Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (NAU)
When we come to Christ we become so identified with Christ that our lives become all about Christ. Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (NAU)
Philippians 3:8--10 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; (NAU)
► Vs.4 F. The LORD my Shepherd is near me "You are with me"
The rod was a short club made out of oak about two feet long that the shepherd would use to fight off enemies like bears or wolves. The staff is a long stick with a curved end that was used to guide or rescue sheep. His rod takes care of the enemies; His staff takes care of the sheep. So our Shepherd disciplines and protects us.
David could have said that "he was with God" but that is not what is important. The important thing is that God is with me.
The shepherd’s staff reminds us that The LORD my Shepherd finds me. I don’t find Him. No matter how far the sheep wander He will find them & bring them home. Matthew 18:12--14 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. (NAU)
Ezekiel 34:11 For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. (NAU)
Robert Robinson wrote this poem in 1758 that John Wyeth put to music in 1813:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed [intervened] His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
► III. How can you Know That the LORD is Your Shepherd?
► A. You will live life one day at a time
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (v6). All the days of our lives are lived one day at a time when the Lord is our Shepherd.
Someone has said that the average person is being crucified between two thieves--the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. That keeps us from enjoying God’s blessings today.
Deuteronomy 33:25 ... as your days, so shall your strength be.(ESV)
► B. You will long to be near your Shepherd
John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (NAU)
The Shepherd does not drive his sheep from behind. Rather, He calls them from ahead.
How do we listen to the Lord’s voice? Through the Word of God.
John 10:3 "... the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (NAU)
► C. You will experience dramatic changes in your life
When the Lord is your Shepherd, you must expect changes. You will have green pastures and still waters. Then you will go through the valley of the shadow of death. At another time you will have a table in the presence of your enemies. Then you live in the house of the Lord (heaven) forever.
"Expect them; don’t be afraid of them. When you follow the Shepherd, the future is your friend, because the Lord is going before you. Live one day at a time, following the Shepherd, and you won’t have to be afraid. Some people fail to adapt to life’s inevitable changes. As a believer, you need never fear the future. Trust the Shepherd, who goes before you, and listen to His Word. Commit this day to the Lord and thank Him for His guidance." [3]
► D. You will see yourself as a sheep
It is difficult to admit that you are a sheep. Sheep are dumb, they get lost, they can wander in front of a lion’s den and sense no danger, they often will attempt to eat from poor fields when good food is not far away.
"He who is convinced that he knows nothing as he ought to know gives up steering his ship and lets God put His hand on the rudder." C.H. Spurgeon
"No child of God ever carves for himself without cutting his fingers." Old Puritan saying.
► E. You will trust Christ who came as a sheep to be your Shepherd
John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (NAU)
John 10:2--4 "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (NAU)
John 10:14--15 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (NAU)
CONCLUSION: What tender care from the Shepherd have you experienced this past week? Are you experiencing the security & safety of His "sheepfold" when faced with trials, anxieties, etc?
Spurgeon writes: "Give me ten million dollars, and one reversal of fortune may scatter it. Give me a spiritual hold on the divine assurance that ’the Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want’ and I am set for life. I cannot go broke with this stock in my hand. I can never be bankrupt with this security...Do not give me ready cash; give me a checkbook and let me withdraw what I need. This is how God works with the believer. God does not immediately transfer the inheritance; He lets us draw what we need out of the riches of His fullness in Christ Jesus. ’The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.’ What a glorious inheritance!"
Are you a sheep that is content with the Shepherd’s provision and care?
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need by Isaac Watts
My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy’s sake,
In paths of truth and grace.
When I walk thru the shades of death
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.
►Lord, help us to be content with You and You alone as our Good Shepherd.
[1]Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, A. R. Fausset et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, Ps 23:2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
[2]Donald Williams and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, vol. 13, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72, The Preacher’s Commentary series, 193-94 (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1986).
[3]http://www.preceptaustin.org/jehovah_roi_(raah,_rohi).htm
