Psalm 23 - Part 2 - 1/23/11
Turn with me this morning to Psalm 23. If you open your bible right in the middle, you probably will land somewhere in the Psalms or just a little right of the Psalms. We are going to continue on looking at this Psalm that has been a source of comfort and blessing to many. This is the Shepherd Psalm - The LORD is my shepherd. He knows us individually, loves us perfectly, provides for our every need. We are compared to sheep - very dumb animals that cannot provide for themselves, cannot protect themselves, and cannot save themselves. We saw in verse 1 the shepherd’s PARTNERSHIP - I belong to Him and He provides for me. The focus is not on Him or on me, but on our relationship together. We saw last week the idea of CONTENTMENT - I shall not be in want - The Lord takes care of all my needs. I don’t get everything I want - but I am not in want - I have been given everything I need for life and godliness.
In verses 2 & 3 we see the shepherd’s PRESENCE.
In verse 4 the shepherd’s PROTECTION
In verse 5 the shepherd’s PROVISION
In verse 6 the shepherd’s PROMISE
Today, we want to look at verses 2 &3. As we come to God’s word, let’s pause and ask God to speak to our hearts by His word. Let’s pray. PRAYER
Here in verses 2 & 3, we see a “Day in the life of a sheep” - sleeping - drinking, refreshment - moving on and grazing some more. Now if we were describing our day, we would start describing when we got up in the morning, what we did throughout the day, and when we went to bed. But remember, the Jews started their day at sunset. Remember the Sabbath goes from Friday at sunset until Saturday at sunset. So, here in verse 2, we start with the phrase, He makes me lie down in green pastures. This is not as much about eating as it is about resting. Why is the sheep lying down? Not to eat - because sheep eat standing up - but to rest. So the phrase - He makes me lie down in green pastures - means the sheep is lying down to rest.
Now, for the sheep to lie down to rest, there are four conditions that must be met! The sheep must feel no fear, no friction, no harassment, and no hunger. When sheep are afraid, they will not lie down. Instead, they are ready to stampede at a moment’s notice. What is it that calms them down? It is the PRESENCE of the shepherd. In our lives too, the fear of the unknown is terrifying. We allow ourselves to get all stressed out about what is going to happen. This week was final exam week at OHS, and many students, including my two girls, had high anxiety and stress levels. But as we age, we just hide that stress and fear and anxiety and stuff it down inside- and it shows through ulcers, high blood pressure, and all kinds of other outlets.
For us to truly be at rest, we start by remembering our shepherd is with us at all times. We’ll look more at that idea next week - that even in the untypical days - days of going through dark valleys - our God is still with us. Even in uncertain times, we can be at peace and have no fear. David writes in Psalm 4:8 - I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. David understood that rest and peace came from a focus on the presence of the shepherd.
There’s a little quote that has made its way around in recent years: When you can’t sleep, don’t count sheep - talk to the shepherd! The sheep will lie down to rest when it is at peace, when it does not feel fear.
It also must not feel friction - if other sheep are “butting in” - trying to take over the better grazing spots, the sheep will be on the defensive and will not lie down. It is the responsibility of the shepherd to keep the contention at a minimum with the sheep. In fact, in Ezekiel 34 we see God speaking about this very thing:
I myself will tend my sheep and make them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. . . I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.
It is sad that many times the greatest conflict and the most hurtful attacks we face as Christians do not come from the wolves, but from the other sheep. It is often conflict and contention with other Christians that hurts and wounds us the most. Yet as Christians, when we remember the presence of Christ with us in life, it helps us rid ourselves of the pride and arrogance and judgmental attitudes that cause conflict and contention. David writes in Psalm 133 - How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
Sheep also need to be free from pests that would harass them. Sheep tend to be bothered by all kinds of flies and ticks that irritate them. But the shepherd provides insect repellants to minimize the irritation. When we are being “bugged” we also find help when we turn to our shepherd.
Sheep also need to be free from hunger. When the sheep has grazed to contentment, then it will lie down. But the sheep often are best raised in arid, dry regions - which keeps parasites and disease at a minimum. So to find those green pastures, the shepherd must continually move the sheep around. We’ll talk about that in a couple minutes.
But when the sheep feel no fear, no friction, no harassment, and no hunger -- then they will lie down to rest. Because the shepherd wonderfully provides for us, we can rest. We are content. We lie down in peace. But most Americans do not understand this idea of REST. We understand work - we understand play - we understand amusement and business, but we often don’t take the time to rest. Remember that REST is GOD’S idea. God doesn’t get tired or weary - Psalm 121 reminds us - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep - yet when He creates the world in 6 days, God takes the 7th day as a day to rest and reflect on His creation. And He gives us a pattern of the Sabbath - taking the 7th day as a day for rest and reflection.
So, that begs me to ask the question: Do you take time to rest? Not are you getting enough sleep - or do you go to church on Sunday - but do you take time in your week for rest and reflection? We have some friends who as they plan their month would put on their calendar “days of solitude.” They planned days in the month where they were NOT going to plan anything else. God knows that we need rest. And we need to reflect on His goodness to us. Be still, and know that I am God!
So the first thing we see in the “day in the life of a sheep” is REST. Next comes REFRESHMENT. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. Here is the sheep taking time to drink. Sheep need a lot of water! And in a dry, arid, desert land like Israel, finding water, especially good water, depended on the wisdom and planning of the shepherd. If sheep are thirsty, they will keep moving till they find water. And if there is no clean water, they will drink polluted water - filled with all kinds of germs and feces and parasites. But sheep also need still water - “quiet waters” - because they are fearful of rushing streams. Sheep cannot swim well - their heavy coats of wool would cause them to sink. So they avoid fast streams.
The shepherd cares for the sheep by providing them with calm ponds of clean, cool water. So when the shepherd comes to a moving stream, he doesn’t try to force the sheep to drink. Instead, a good shepherd builds a dam & makes a quiet little pool where his sheep can drink from still waters.
God knows our weaknesses. He leads us by still waters. He promises to protect us from the temptations that we can’t handle. He never forces us into situations with which we cannot cope. 1 Corinthians 10:13 - God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. The psalmist wrote, Surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach me. You are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble & surround me with songs of deliverance. [Psalms 32:6-7].
Jesus says in the sermon on the mount, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. [Matt 5] In John, to the woman at the well, Jesus says, Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. When we turn to the shepherd, He satisfies our desires with His Holy Spirit, living water. But many do not want this living water. In Jeremiah 2:13, God says, My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
What are you chasing after in life to satisfy you? If you follow the Spirit, the living water, you will find rest and contentment. If you forsake God and seek to satisfy your thirst with the pleasures of this world, you will find they never satisfy.
It sort of like someone at the ocean who is thirsty and decides to drink some sea water. The salt in the water causes you to be even thirstier. And so you drink and drink and are never satisfied. Proverbs 11:6 says, The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
As you look at your life today, does a sinful habit have you trapped? Is there a desire that you try to “keep in check” - you just want to indulge a little, but you find yourself driven by desire? Instead, follow God, and allow Him to bring you satisfaction and contentment.
He makes me lie down in green pastures - REST- , He leads me beside quiet waters, - REFRESHMENT - He restores my soul. This is the idea of RESTORATION. There are a couple different ideas about what this means. One idea is that the sheep come to the shepherd daily to be reassured of the shepherd’s love. One is the idea of the shepherd seeking out the lost sheep, like the 99 sheep and the 1 lost sheep. Let me opt for a third explanation. The idea of a “cast” sheep. Sometimes sheep get turned over on their backs and cannot right themselves on their own. They need the help of the shepherd. If they are left that way, the gases that build up in their rumen, a part of their digestive system, will cut off circulation and the sheep can die on its back. So the shepherd needs to be aware of his sheep at all times.
So why do sheep end up becoming “cast”? Three key reasons:
1. Comfort - they look for a soft spot in the grass to lie down in, and if it is on a slope, when the sheep lies down for the comfort of the spot, it rolls over and cannot right itself. Sometimes in our lives, it is the quest for comfort that “does us in” spiritually. We don’t like to get out of our comfort zones - we don’t want God to stretch our faith or help us to grow. And as a result, we stay spiritual “babies.” We never grow.
Sometimes sheep are cast because they have too much wool. Sheep grow long coats of wool, and often the wool can become matted with mud and other foreign objects and can weigh the sheep down and cause it to become cast. Sometimes in life it is all the accumulated “possessions” we have that causes us to be overturned. We allow “things” to get in the way of following Christ. Just like the rich young ruler who came to Christ but did not wish to give up his possessions. The wise shepherd knows when to shear the sheep and take off the heavy wool coat. In the same way, sometimes it is good for us to lose things to appreciate what is truly of real value in life.
And thirdly, sometimes sheep just grow too fat. Sometimes they are so heavy they have difficulty staying upright. They find it hard to be nimble and walk difficult paths. And in our lives as well, sometimes we are just spiritually fat. I’m not talking physically fat - although January is a good time to focus on that as well. But spiritually - we feel self-assured. We are like the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3 - You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Often we allow sin to “throw us” - to cast us down. We give satan a foothold in our life - which becomes a stronghold - and soon is a stranglehold - it is attempting to kill us. But when sin seeks to strangle us, the grace of God pick us us back up again. Many times we view God like a bully - we think He gets mad and fed up when we become “cast.” But instead, like the loving shepherd He is, when we get life turned upside down, He is there to set us back on our feet again and bring us back to the flock. He is like the father in the prodigal son story, who is watching for the son to come back home so he can reassure the son of his love and throw a party!
In your life today, where do you need set back upright? Is there an area where life is “out of control” and you need God’s help to get “back on your feet” again? Ask the shepherd for help.
He makes me lie down in green pastures - REST- , He leads me beside quiet waters, - REFRESHMENT - He restores my soul. - RESTORATION- He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. This is the idea of REPLENISHMENT - to use an R word - or NOURISHMENT.
Sheep eat, drink, rest, and then they need to move on to another pasture to graze some more. Sheep will literally eat all the grass out of one area if the shepherd does not move them on. They will eat all the roots and the land becomes desolate. The well-worn areas become infested with parasites.
The good shepherd knows that the sheep need to be constantly moved for the best grazing. The phrasing here “paths of righteousness” is not really talking about sin - vs - doing right. Rather it is simply saying the shepherd chooses the right path, the best path, the path that leads the sheep to the best grazing.
Stupid sheep that we are, we so often want to stay in the pasture that we are comfortable in. We are creatures of habit. We don’t want any change in our lives. But without change, we never grow. And God, being the good shepherd, need to lead us to new areas of life that help us increase our faith and help us become stronger and more mature.
In fact, the shepherd’s reputation is based on the fact of whether his sheep are healthy and well-fed. So also, our God guides us in life for His name’s sake - so we may bring glory to Him. Matthew 5:16 - In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
When we live our life making godly choices, it brings praise to God.
Sheep constantly are grazing. Every day they will spend 5 - 7 hours grazing on the grass. The constant grazing helps them sustain their weight. It provides nourishment for them. Every sheep needs to eat every day. And just like sheep, we need nourishment, we need to replenish our strength. We need to feed on the word of God.
Now it would be ridiculous to go out to a Old Country Buffet every Sunday and try to eat enough food for a week! Instead we want our 3 square meals a day, and our 2 or 3 snacks each day as well! That’s why some of us are as round as sheep!
But spiritually it doesn’t make any sense to say, I went to SS, church, and Sunday night service so I’m good for another week! Instead we want to be “feasting” on the riches of Christ’s word daily. Psalm 1 says, Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
We grow spiritually by reading God’s word, reflecting on it, meditating on it, and applying it to our lives and living according to God’s word. Psalm 119- How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. . . I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Just like sheep, we each need nourishment daily. What are you grazing on? Are you feasting on God’s word, or are you trying to get by on a small crust of bread - a quick verse or two, and a quick prayer before supper and before bread. Each of us needs daily nourishment.
So, that is the day in the life of a sheep -
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures - REST
He leads me beside quiet waters, - REFRESHMENT
He restores my soul. - RESTORATION
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. - REPLENISHMENT
May God help us this week to find our rest and refreshment and restoration and replenishment in Him. Let’s pray!
