INTRODUCTION
• Today we begin a short series on the beautiful Psalm 23.
• Psalm 23 is one of the better-known Psalms.
• We probably hear this Psalm the most at funerals; we seek to comfort those who have lost loved ones.
• Psalm 23 has so much more to offer than comfort over the loss of a loved one.
• Psalm 23 is a personal confession of love and gratitude from one human soul to God.
• It is a portrait of a God who is astonishingly intimate, kind, protective, and generous with us.
• The message it offers, the golden key it holds out to us, is this: we are invited to live securely in God’s love and care for us.
• We are sheep—not very strong, not very wise, and very much in need of help and guidance.
• God is a good Shepherd.
• God tends to us, cares for us, plans for us, provides for us, protects us, guides us, and stays close to us.
• In life and in death, we can come to know that all is well because God, our good Shepherd, is with us.
• Our part is to remember who we are and who God is.
• Our part is to rest in God’s unfailing love, to follow God’s faithful guidance, and to allow ourselves to receive our good Shepherd’s personal care for us. The 23rd Psalm: The Lord, Our Shepherd: 9 Studies for Individuals or Groups: With Notes for Leaders
• This series will focus on different aspects of God as the Shepherd of our lives and our calling to give ourselves over into his complete care.
• In life, we have to decide who we will trust.
• We cannot have a relationship with someone we do not trust.
• We cannot go at life alone; we cannot enter into eternity on our own.
• What kind of life do you want to live?
• I see so many lives ruined because they tried to go it alone, and their lives are full of bad decisions that lead to their eventual ruin.
• What kind of life do you want to have?
• Psalm 23 pictures life as deeply secure and richly blessed.
• It offers us a panorama of what life can be like when lived with an awareness of God’s intimate love for us.
• This picture of life lived in God’s care touches our deepest longings and speaks directly to our darkest fears.
• Perhaps that is why we return to this psalm over and over again.
• Let’s read Psalm 23.
• Today we will focus only on verse 1.
Psalm 23:1–6 (NET 2nd ed.)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water.
3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation.
4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me.
5 You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full.
6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the LORD’s house for the rest of my life.
SERMON
I. The Lord.
• Today we will focus only on verse 1.
• David brings this beautiful Psalm with the words THE LORD!
• David is likely old when he writes this Psalm.
• David is in a time of peace; the wars have been fought, the rebellions have been put down, Goliath had been slain, and the bear and the lion defeated.
• David defeated Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones.
• David defeated a bear and a lion before defeating Goliath.
• As David reflects on his life, because of his life experience, he can place his trust and focus on the Lord.
• David was humble enough to understand that his victories came from the Lord.
• Who do you trust in life and with your life?
• When David ponders this question, his answer is simple, the LORD!
• The Lord is the one.
• David is overjoyed with his relationship with God as he pours out his heart in this Psalm.
• In Psalm 22, David is crying out to God.
Psalm 22:1 (NET 2nd ed.)
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.
Psalms, Volume 1 (B. Yahweh’s Gracious Care (23:1–6))
It is not without significance that Psalms 22 and 23 are placed in juxtaposition. In the former there is the agony and distress of one who feels abandoned by the Lord; in the latter the joy and confidence of one who lives daily in God’s fellowship.
• It is only when we go to the low of Psalm 22, that we can find joy in Psalm 23, when we see that God has not left us.
• One of the most challenging things for a person to do is to TRUST God.
• How do you trust a God you do not see standing before you?
• When you think about it, when Jesus was standing in front of people, even after seeing all the things He did, listening to His teaching, and observing His life, many would not trust Him.
• David puts his trust in God.
• David knows who carried him and made him victorious in life.
• David also saw how God was with hIm even when he failed God.
• Who do you trust with your life on this earth and for eternity?
• Let’s look at verse 1 again.
Psalm 23:1 (NET 2nd ed.)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
II. The Shepherd.
• Who is the Lord to David, HIS SHEPHERD!
• First, the Lord is my Shepherd—not some idol of wood and stone, dumb and impotent, not the almighty dollar, so deceptive of many, but Yahweh, Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth.
• He is my Shepherd!
• Is one’s mind capable of a thought greater than this?
• God is HIS Shepherd—not in the sense of the western herdsman who drives his sheep, will-less and passive, before him, but in the oriental fashion, wherein the Shepherd leads the flock in front.
• He is not an abusive taskmaster but a caring shepherd whom I can follow with confidence and joy.
• When David says, “The Lord is my shepherd,” he is not dealing with philosophical speculation, he is not introducing a matter for debate, nor is he uttering a prayer for what might be.
• Instead, he is simply affirming a truth realized and experienced.
• He speaks with artless simplicity, without equivocation, and with no inhibitions, making a statement that some might consider presumptuous.
• And yet his words are altogether devoid of any spirit of boasting.
• Instead, they are the spontaneous outcry of one who himself is overjoyed by the truth he utters.
• In Psalm 23:1, David’s clear identification of the Lord as his Shepherd sets both David and the Lord in contrast to the gods of the world and the care given to their followers.
• But can it be true?
• Can God be my Shepherd?
• “The Lord is my shepherd”—not potentially, in some moment of crisis when I might call to him in desperation, but now, a present companion and guide who will continue to be with me when the crisis does come.
• He is my Shepherd
• David knew that through thick and thin, God would be with Him to guide him.
• This takes trust!
• Proverbs reminds us of this fact.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NET 2nd ed.)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
6 Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.
• To trust Him, I need to build a relationship with Him, spend time with Him, and be devoted to Him.
• Many will not trust in God because they leaned on God to do what they wanted instead of being willing to follow His will.
• There are so many bad things that happen in life that can cause one to be disillusioned with life and God.
• Look at the life of David.
• God chose him to be the next king of Israel while Saul was still king.
• David ended up on the run as Saul tried to kill him.
• David’s children were a problem.
• David lost a child because of his affair and cover-up with Bathsheba.
• David’s life was far from problem-free and perfect, yet through it all, David trusted in God to be his Shepherd.
• Life will not be perfect; sometimes, we have self-inflicted wounds like Bathsheba.
• Other times we have issues through no fault of our own, like David’s issues with Saul.
• Sometimes things hit us because we are inattentive, as David was with some of his children.
• The tough times in life are not God’s fault; they result from living in a fallen world.
• But when the rough times come, what will you do, who will you allow to be your Shepherd?
Psalm 23:1 (NET 2nd ed.)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
III. The blessing.
• Psalm 23 is written from the perspective of a shepherd in Palestine.
• It was his job to take the family’s flock of sheep out in search of food.
• This meant going on long journeys with the sheep. It meant living with the sheep day and night.
• It meant guarding them from predators.
• It meant finding suitable pastures for them to graze and enough water for them to drink.
• Being a shepherd meant thinking about the needs of the flock most of the time—much like a parent thinks about the needs of a young child, planning ahead for feeding time, rest time, and playtime.
• Seeing God as a shepherd should elicit emotions of peace, confidence, and rest.
• Israel understood that God was her Shepherd—a point further solidified in Jesus when he calls himself “the good shepherd” in John 10:11—and therefore, his care for her is necessarily connected.
• Derek Kidner, in his Commentary on Psalms 1-72 explains, “In the word shepherd, David uses the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor yet encountered in the Psalms, usually preferring the more distant ‘king’ or ‘deliverer,’ or the impersonal ‘rock,’ ‘shield,’ etc.; whereas the Shepherd lives with his flock and is everything to it: guide, physician and protector” (Derek Kidner, Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 15 [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973], 127, Logos).
• Charles and Emilie Briggs, in their Commentary on the Book of Psalms, explain, “Yahweh was conceived as taking the same patient, unwearying care of His people as the Shepherd of his flock.—I have no want], because the Shepherd has provided for all wants. The imperf. is not future, but a present of habitual experience” (Charles A. Briggs and Emilie Grace Briggs, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms, International Critical Commentary [New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1906–7], 208, Logos).
• The intentionality of God is on display in the whole of Psalm 23.
• For many, the task of asking God to provide involves knowing what God longs for in our lives.
• In addition, it raises the question of whether God cares enough to act on our behalf.
• David makes it clear that God does care and moves with direct and specific care for us.
• I shall not be in want or suffer from a lack of what is needful.
• If I am in his care, then all anxiety may be dispelled.
• The provision afforded is summarized in the next verses we will touch on next week.
CONCLUSION
• The line “The LORD is my shepherd” should give us pause.
• The one who both authored and sustains life is our Shepherd.
• God is not seen as distant or removed from our situation; God is right at the heart of our experiences.
• This lays a foundation for appreciating where we stand with God.
› Application Point: What are the implications of God as our Shepherd, and how might that apply to how we view ourselves?
