Psalm 23: 1 – 6
I am a what?
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23 is a very well-known Psalm. Many people are aware of it. Some have it framed and placed on a wall or bookcase in their homes. As you know we live in a industrial society. Some people have still maintained agriculture and animal husbandry as their ways in life. Therefore, we city folk miss out on the beauty of this awesome Psalm. So, I want to share with you some of the characteristics of sheep. Then we will close in re-reading the Psalm and hopefully you have a more thorough and appreciative outlook on this Psalm of David.
Throughout Scripture, sinners in general, and God’s people, are described as sheep. Here are some characteristics of sheep and I think you will agree that it is very applicable to us!
Sheep are foolish. Out of all the animals’ sheep are not the brightest light bulbs in the pack. I don’t know what sheep would score in an animal IQ, but I think they would be close to the bottom of the scale. They seem to only know how to do one thing well – eat grass.
It’s possible to know little, yet not be foolish; but not if you are a sheep. A shepherd has to guide his sheep for water but never near a raging water location. They can be very irrational. You watch them as they pause in front of a stream. They know they can’t jump it or swim it. So what do they do? They jump in any way! All they know is that they want to drink some water so off they leap and wind up being swept downstream.
What a shepherd must do in his care of sheep is to lead them to a brook of running water. The bible calls running water ‘living water’. Here they can drink their fill of fresh flowing water.
Do you know anyone who has made some very serious and foolish decisions?
Sheep do not learn lessons very well. Every shepherd will tell you countless stories about how sheep can be taught a very painful lesson, and yet fail to learn the painful lesson. A sheep may desire to get to grass on the other side of a fence. It winds up getting caught in barbed wire trying to break through the fence. So take a guess what possibly happens the next day. Yep you got it, the sheep will try it again, and again, …
Remember the saying, ‘the grass is greener on the other side’. Many people have thought this in their marriages of jobs. I would say from counseling experience of those that most if not all who went this way wound up regretting their decisions.
Sheep are demanding. They are never satisfied. They demand grass, grass, and more grass; day after day, and night after night. And when snow is on the ground, they aggressively demand food from the shepherd. And when their thirsty they let you know it. And many times, they bleat even when they are well fed and hydrated. They just like to complain ever if there isn’t anything to complain about?
Have you ever run into someone who is never satisfied or seems to be a complainer or as we sometimes say ‘a whinner’?
Sheep are stubborn. You can plead, beg, or threaten them and will not budge. A shepherd carries around two items – a rod and a staff. These are to protect the sheep and discipline the sheep. You have seen the long staff with the hooked top. This is used to guide the sheep and pull them out of danger.
Have you ever driven on a high mountain that has a tiny railing along a cliff? You and I both know that if your car skidded at the railing that it would not prevent the car from falling off the cliff. Yet in a way it is a protective barrier that helps you focus on staying away from danger. In a similar way the shepherd does this for his sheep. He will place his staff at the side of a steep decline and his sheep will naturally stay away because of his tool.
There were some entertainment shows that use a staff with its hook, like the old Apollo Theatre, to remove entertainers who were not performing to the audience’s liking. Similarly a shepherd will use his staff to hook a sheep that is in a dangerous area in which the shepherd cannot reach and pull it back to safety.
The rod is a small hard Billy club. If anything, dangerous comes against the shepherds flock the shepherd can fling the rod with great accuracy and whack a predicator. We see a good saying that applies to this tactic as ‘that person needs a quick whack in the back of his head.’
Sheep are defenseless. I do not know about you but in all my studies and observations I have yet to come across ‘attack sheep’. There is not such animal as ‘Lambo’. They need to be guarded 24/7.
Sheep tend to wander or stray. Perhaps the main reason Scripture chooses sheep to characterize us, more than any other animal, is because of its well-deserved reputation for straying (Isa. 53:6) and getting lost (Luke 15:3).
In all truth we like sheep have gone astray. We wander with our eyes and our ways.
Sheep are unpredictable and cannot see danger that lies ahead of them.
Right now, we are doing two or three funerals a week for young people who have flirted with dangerous drugs. Sadly, they lost.
Sheep are copycats. Have you ever been told by your parents this old worn out yarn, ‘If you friend told you to jump off a bridge, would you? A shepherd must stay on guard near dangerous areas. If one sheep decides to bolt guess what the others wind up doing? Yep, they follow.
Sheep are restless. They have a very hard time sleeping due to fear. For sheep to lie down they need freedom from fear, freedom from friction with others, freedom from hunger, and freedom from pests and parasites. The shepherd has to deal with all these issues in order for them to feel comfortable enough to lie down and rest.
Our God has given us 24 hours each day. You cannot use than those allocated. Since we live in a cursed world we need around 8 hours to rewind our internal clocks. They also due to the curse we need to work. Some people tell me that they work 8 hours a day which is totally incorrect. They forgot to take into consideration the going to and from work in their totals. So, on a good day we have about 6 hours to spend with the ones we love and towards our interests or hobbies.
Sheep are dependent. Some animals can cope and thrive without any close supervision. Not sheep. They are very dependent on their shepherd. They cannot live without him.
Here are some Scriptures that describe our Lord Jesus as The Great Shepherd of us humans:
Matthew 2: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
You might be thinking that that verse is nice, but I am not a Jew. Well then look at this verse.
John 10: 16, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Matthew 9: 36 “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
Matthew 26: 31, “Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
John 10: 14, ““I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep and am known by My own.
1 Peter 5: 4 “and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Revelation 7: 17 “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes
So, we as sheep do not just get a free pass. There are a couple of responsibilities that befall us. These are:
1. Knowing the Shepherd
2. Recognizing the Voice of the Shepherd
3. Following the Shepherd
So, in closing there is an important thing for you to think about. The question which determines your eternity is this, do you have a shepherd? Please be honest with yourself. If you do not have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and Shepherd of your souls, you are lost and will perish. I strongly encourage you ‘NOW’ to pray and ask The Lord Jesus to come into your life, forgive your sins, and be your Shepherd.
Now that you know what sheep are like then let us close by reading again the Psalm and find out about our Good Shepherd.
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
