Sheepish
Pt. 2 - The Shepherd
I. Introduction
500 times. More than any other animal mentioned in Scripture. So engrained in the mindset and culture of the Bible that they instantly understood and comprehended the meaning associated with the comparison throughout the Old and then into the New Testament. Jesus, the Son of God, the King, the Messiah, is understandable to us as the Lion but to the people of His day the description made sense when He is described as the Lamb of God. The problem is we aren't as familiar with the idea of sheep and shepherds so we struggle to be as sheepish as we should be. And yet, for most of us the text today resonates at such a deep level that it is used at almost every funeral. However, I am convinced that although it resonates deep within us we don't really understand it and therefore we don't apply it to our daily walk and then we find ourselves in some wooly situations. We simply aren't sheepish enough. So over the next few weeks I want us to dive into this passage and learn to be sheepish again.
I said last week that this Psalm that we tend to think is all about us is really isn't as much about us as it is about the Shepherd. This Psalm gives us one of the most clear and thorough glimpses of who we are following when we come into the flock/field/body of Christ. I think in order for us to be as sheepish as we can be we must have a clear revelation of our shepherd and the role He plays in our lives. So as we read pay special attention to the info we get about our shepherd.
Text: Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Although we are going to focus on the Shepherd let me mention that Christians are like sheep in that:
Sheep have to be led;
Sheep are helpless in the face of predators; they are weak and defenseless;
Sheep have trouble getting along with other sheep;
Sheep are totally dependent for their well being upon the shepherd;
Sheep are stubborn and have a tendency to wander away from the shepherd.
When you recognize those tendencies then we can understand just how valuable what the Shepherd does for us really is.
Let me state from the beginning that when we read this Psalm all reluctance to be sheepish should be removed because it is easy to determine that we have a good, gracious, sufficient shepherd. Loving Jesus is easy!
Since we are like sheep let's list what we discover about our Shepherd.
He guides. He provides. He restores. He protects. He corrects. He connects.
Why are we so reluctant to be sheepish when we have a shepherd that does all of this? May I say it about me and you apply it to you if it fits. Why after reading this list am I reluctant. Because I'm stupid! Sheep aren't the smartest animal in the kingdom. We have the opportunity to be lead by a great shepherd and we fight Him.
Let's take a second and look over this list again and see if we grasp His greatness until we will allow Him to be the shepherd He desires to be in our lives.
1. He Provides and Guides.
I have heard it said that God will never take you where the grace of God can't keep you. I think the Psalmist would say it like this . . . The Shepherd won't guide you to a place where He won't provide what you need! He guides us into provision two ways:
Green Pastures - It is apparent that we read over that so quickly that we have no real frame of reference. When we read that we picture in our mind our own environment. However, it is essential to remember this is being written in the land around Israel. It is a bunch of rocks. Barren. Very little rain between May and October. Dry is an understatement. When the Psalmist declares that our Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures we fail to also recognize the work involved to get us there. Green pastures don't just happen they are created! That means the Shepherd rolls up His sleeves and works to provide us a place of rest/nourishment. Somebody has to clear the rocks, plant send, irrigate in order for their to be green pastures. What is the Psalmist saying about our Shepherd? He is working behind the scenes when we aren't even aware. He worked to get this body ready for you. He worked to get you the right song, the right sermon, the right friend, the right word, the lull, the break. If we are not careful we have a tendency to overlook the handiwork of our Shepherd. He has been toiling for us and for our good. He works for us. He tends His flocks.
Still waters - Sheep are afraid of moving water because they can't swim. He is telling us that our Shepherd is conscious of our fears. He works to provide "still" in our lives. We know our enemy specializes and we tend to cooperate with chaos. Our
Shepherd leads us to still waters.
2. He Restores.
Several authors, who have been shepherds, talk about the fact that sheep have a tendency to lie down after they eat. It is how their food digests. But in doing so if the sheep is not careful it will turn towards a side and the weight of its wool will cause it lose its balance and turn to where its feet can't touch the ground. Panic ensues and the sheep will flail and then simply lay there. In the sun, unable to turn back over the sheep is vulnerable to attack from predators. A down cast sheep could easily die in a few hours. A good shepherd keeps his attention on the sheep and watches for these "cast" sheep and he steps in and turns them back over and restores their equilibrium. Our Shepherd restores our soul. He is on the lookout for downcast sheep - He is the restorer of my soul and the lifter of my head - and gets us back to a balanced place. Even when I am hopeless and vulnerable He steps in and balances me! Some of you are down cast today. You feel like you are helpless and exposed. Unable to get to your feet. Good news He can restore you! What has knocked you off balance? What has tipped you off balance? What has you exposed? Never fear the Shepherd sees that and can restore you!
3. He Protects, Corrects and Connects.
The rod was a short stick that was cut from a sapling. The base of the sapling, where the roots joined, was carved away. That created an automatic bulge, which would become the end of this billy club, as we think of it. The shepherd would round it, shape it, and smooth it. At the other end of the sapling, he would whittle it until it perfectly fit his hand. When the shepherd had finished making his rod, he would practice carefully throwing it. He would learn to throw it with incredible speed and accuracy. It would be the main weapon of defense against the wild animals. Phillip Keller, having been a shepherd, wrote, “I used to watch the African lads having competitions to see who could throw his rod with the greatest accuracy across the greatest distance. The effectiveness of these clubs in the hands of a skilled shepherd was a thrill to watch. The rod was, in fact, an extension of the owners own right arm. It stood as a symbol of strength, power, and his authority in any serious situation. The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both his flock and himself in danger.” Keller went on to say, “Furthermore, the rod was the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. I could never get over how often and with what accuracy the African herders would hurl their rods at some disobedient sheep. If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the rod would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the flock.
Discipline is the proof of what? Love.
Hebrews 12:5-11 5
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? (This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God?) If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Remember Psalmist says He leads us to righteousness ... you can't become righteous without correction!)
We don't often think of correction as comfort. But it is comforting to know that He loves us enough to correct us. He has our best interest at heart. The Word tells us that our heart is evil and without correction we would wander into corruption. His discipline is comfort. A Father who loves disciplines. The rod protects us from ourselves and from those who would attack. Too many of us want the comfort of the staff but refuse the correction of the rod. However, to be sheepish we must be corrected and protected by the Shepherd.
The staff is, of course, the long pole with the crook on the end of it. We are very familiar with that. The staff brought the sheep to the shepherd. It is used to draw timid sheep to the shepherd. Those that did not want to come to the shepherd, he would hook them and bring them in. The staff brought sheep together. The shepherd couldn't touch the babies because the human smell would cause the mother to reject the lamb. So he would use his staff to push the wandering baby back to its mother. So even when we don't want to be in relationship with other sheep the shepherd pushes us to be connected for our own good.
The staff was also used to guide the sheep. The shepherd would take his long staff and place it on the side of the sheep and apply pressure. That would steer the sheep out of danger and keep them on the path. The Shepherd still does these same things today through His Word, Holy Spirit, and the body. He uses His rod and staff to correct, protect, connect and direct us.
The Psalmist concludes info on shepherd by saying he anoints. Listen, you hear a lot about anointing but I think we need to understand that anointing comes after time with and as a result of allowing the shepherd to shepherd us! Too many of us want the oil of anointing without being led, without being fed, without being restored, and without being corrected and certainly without being connected. How many people do you see asking for anointing that are islands, loners, no connection to the body? Why do you need anointing if you won't even talk to anyone? Won't do life with anyone? Don't see any other sheep's needs? I see a lot of folks running around claiming anointing that aren't very sheepish! Let The Shepherd guide, provide, restore, protect, comfort, correct, connect you and anointing is the result.
I can tell you this morning I am glad I can say The Lord He is my Shepherd! He isn't just some guy lurking in the shadows that follows me around. He is a good, good Father!
