Don’t be Afraid, Fear Not!
Psalms 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Opening:
There is nothing that compare to being afraid. Caught up in the grip of fear.
Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain. Whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid can paralyze a person.
The unknown causes a great deal of fear in all of us. Some are afraid of heights, snakes, spikers, clowns, and the dark. There are all kinds of phobias that send an impending feeling of anxiety and fear throughout our bodies…
Fear starts at a very early age in our life. Have you ever seen a toddler, when separated from their parents, immediately start crying because they are scared and afraid?
Remember your first day of school? The fear, anxiety and uneasiness you experience as you climb up on the school bus for the first time,
entering a new unknown experience. Waving goodbye from the school bus doors?
What about trying to go to bed at night, when your imagination would get the best of you…Monsters under the bed, noises and bumps in the night. Night lights and story-time before falling to sleep kept those fears from creeping in at night.
Illustration:
5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. "It’s dark in there and I’m scared." She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, "It’s OK--Jesus will be in there with you." Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: "Jesus, if you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?"
Back in my day…Middle school was grades 7-9 and High school was 10-12. I remember walking down the hall and this huge building with what seemed to be hundreds of doors and winding hallways and seeing these large senior’s head toward me. I was terrified as they made fun of me, knocked my books out of my hand and even physically assaulted me. I was afraid to go to school for several days until an instructor saw it going on and took action against these four students. As we get older, we continue to fear but our fears change. We begin to fear the death of loved ones, illness or separation from ones we love.
There is something about the 23rd Psalm where people in fear, hurting turn to for comfort. I have read this Psalms at Funerals, to family and patients sick at the hospital. This whole Psalm is written for us to face our fears.
The author of this Psalm was a Shepherd by trade, David was thought to have a harmonic voice, a musician and could sing with a voice like honey. David recounts the kind things God had done for him as his shepherd.
Responsibilities of a Shepherd:
He takes them into their fold, and takes care of them, protects them from evil that is ready to pounce on them. A shepherd provides for them, his primary concern, his primary business is keeping the flock.
David is saying here that if God is our Shepherd, that makes us HIS flock. We are his sheep, meek, and silent. We must know the shepherd’s voice, and follow him.
1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
David begins by recognizing that the Lord is his shepherd. David himself was a shepherd, he understood what it takes to be a good, caring shepherd for his flock. He recognizes what need his sheep has for a shepherd, and how important it is to have a shepherd that is skillful and faithful. David is writing God’s care for his people;
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
A. Facing our Fears:
We are not for sure, but some Bible scholars believe that David penned this Psalm before coming to the crown as King, other believe he penned the Psalm later on in life. It doesn’t really matter. David had been in situations where he was begging to Ahimelech, or sent a man begging for him to Nabal. The other side of the spectrum he was the King of Israel; Where-ever he was in his live, he still considers God as his shepherd and boldly pens, “I shall not want.”
Trouble and pain was no stranger to David. David understood conflict, war, he had been discouraged a few times along the way. Many of the Psalms believed to have been penned by David are full of complaints, but not the 23rd Psalms.
Today, you are sitting here and you have a choice. You can either allow fear of the unknown to take over and rule your life, it can become a hand that takes hold that you are unable to pry yourself away from and you will live in the bondage and slavery of fear....OR
You can as David writes here in the 23rd Psalm, overcome fear and live victorious. David writes that we should be content in the Shepherd’s care and there should be nothing else that we desire. For our needs will be met.
Philippines 4:19 “My God shall supply all of our needs according to HIS riches in glory by Jesus Christ
Even in the middle of turmoil in your life, you may be sitting here fearing the unknown. The good shepherd loves his sheep. A shepherd goes to a great amount of trouble to ensure his sheep are cared for, that they are protected from the elements of the storm, from enemies and other dangers of this world.
B. Facing our Failures:
You may be sitting here this morning saying, well…David could have never really understood what I’m going through. If he would just walk in my shoes for one day he would have changed the 23rd Psalm to “Woe is Me”
David was appointed as court musician and armor-bearer for Israel’s first King (Saul). David as a young boy is probably best known for defeating the giant Goliath. As David’s success and courage grew, so did his troubles. Saul became so jealous at David, he asked his son Johnathan (David’s best friend) to kill him.
David’s turbulent personal life includes adultery with a soldier’s wife, Bathsheba, and the death of his own rebel son, Absalom. David understood what it was like to lose someone he loved. He understood what it was like to be involved in conflict. He understood what it was like to have children rebel against him. But David says…in spite of all this turmoil and conflict, in spite of my enemy trying to track me down and kill me, my family rebelling against me, my best friend turned against me…..
“The Lord is my Shepherd…..I shall not want”
A shepherd wakes early in the morning, he is vigilant to what is going on around his sheep. He watches over, cares for and is concerned for the well-being of his flock. He cares so much for them that he knows them by name.
To a person who is not a shepherd, you may look out over a flock of sheep and not see any difference, the sheep may all look the same to you and I. That is the difference between you and I and a good shepherd. A good shepherd sees the imperfections of the sheep but still calls him their own, he knows them by name, he still cares for them, still loves them and watches over them.
C. Following the Shepherd:
Many of us come from countries where our mental images of sheep are of lush meadows, green and majestic with beautiful white, fluffy sheep dotting the landscape. In my travels to Philippines, I have seen many such pastoral places. These scenes are beautiful and very peaceful. When standing there, I have immediately thought of the 23rd Psalm. However, that is not the type of scene the biblical writers envisioned when they thought about sheep and shepherds. You see, sheep in Israel do not graze in lush green pastures. There are some lovely green valleys in Israel, but these valleys are reserved for growing crops. Sheep are led to graze in areas not suitable for growing crops, including the rocky, barren hilltops. This is an entirely different picture from the lush green fields we imagine David penned, but this is exactly the conditions that are normal for Israel, now and in biblical times.
If the reality for sheep in Israel is rocky hilltops, which for at least half the year are brown, not green, then what is being communicated in Psalm 23 when it says the Lord “makes me lie down in green pastures”? Readers of the day would have understood this to be a promise of extravagant blessings from the good shepherd. The Shepherd of Psalm 23 not only provides for the needs of the sheep, He provides them with abundant blessings, beyond what they could expect.
Why is it this morning that we cannot get past fearing and worrying about the unknown, things that we do not have control over? It is because, just like me this morning, we cannot get past verse 1. I’ve been speaking now for nearly 20 minutes and I’m still on verse 1.
Remember the children of Israel when they left Egypt? They were totally dependent on the Lord. When He moved, they moved. That is what I’m talking about here, becoming 100% totally committed to the Shepherd. When He stood still, they were to stand still. They were led by a cloud in the daytime and by night they were to follow a pillar of fire.
Psalms 77:20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
2. Responsibilities of Sheep:
A. Knowing the Shepherd
Psalms 100 1-3 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Today, if I were to ask you if you knew someone by name, you would associate that know with knowledge, a general acquaintance of a person or subject. The Bible here in verse 3 “Know” is referring to a much deeper, greater level of intimate knowledge that comes from spending time with the Shepherd. Head knowledge is not enough, we must know him in our hearts, not just our minds.
B. Recognizing the Voice of the Shepherd
Many of us sometime in our Christian life would say that the Lord has spoke to us…How do we know it is the Lord? Because we recognize the voice. If you recognize the Shepherd, you won’t have to ask “who is this” from the other side of the knocking.
John 10:2-5, 27 says this…2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Shepherds would meet in certain areas to rest. All the sheep would congregate together while the Shepherds rested together beneath some shade. The Sheep would graze, rest or drink, depending on their needs. Then when the shepherds were ready to leave, the sheep would recognize their shepherd’s voice and follow Him.
C. Following the Shepherd
It is possible to recognize the voice, know of the Shepherd, but choose not to follow. Following the Shepherd is the most critical part for the sheep. Those sheep who recognize the voice of the shepherd, but do not follow the shepherd will miss out on all his provision. He will be isolated, possibly alone and vulnerable to the attacks of those around him.
It is only the ones who follow the shepherd that will enjoy the provisions from the shepherd. In order to follow the voice of the shepherd, we must recognize, keep our eyes and hearts upon the Lord. When the could stops, we stop, when the pillar of fire moves, we move. Those who choose to follow the shepherd will be allowed to enjoy the provisions, and protection he provides.
Closing Illustration:
A famous actor was an after dinner speaker at a big function and when he stood up to speak, he invited his audience to choose a poem for him to recite.
There was a long silence until a retired clergyman raised his hand and asked for Psalm 23.
The actor was slightly taken back, but agreed to do so provided the clergyman would recite it after him, which the clergyman reluctantly agreed to do.
The actor recited Psalm 23 and received a standing ovation. When the clergyman recited the Psalm, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
The actor came over to the clergyman and said in front of all the guests. "Do you know the difference between his version and my version? I know the 23rd Psalm but he knows the Shepherd"
