NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Be blessed
Psalm 23 Bible Study
Opening
Hello everyone and welcome to our study on the 23rd Psalms. Barry and I wanted to start this teaching ministry to help those who might not be able or have the ability to attend a Bible Study class at their home Church. We also wanted to reach out to those who might not have a Church home currently but have a desire to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God. While we do not profess to know everything, what we are attempting to do in these lessons is provide you with a starting point on your personal study of the Scriptures we are reviewing in a given lesson. Also, if you have suggestions for a lesson on a certain Scripture that you are interested in, please feel free to share it with us and we will do our best to provide insights on those also. Let’s begin with a Word of prayer.
This morning we will be taking a closer look at Psalms 23. David wrote this psalm from a position of knowledge in that he was a shepherd. Before we get into the actual Scripture, we want to provide a little historical perspective on the role of the shepherd and the characteristics of sheep which will help us better understand Psalms 23 from David’s perspective. Barry, why don’t you start us off with a review of the role of the shepherd as it relates to the sheep.
Barry: Role of Shepherd
Rodney, it’s interesting to me that when God selected David to replace Saul as king of Israel, he selected someone whose heart for the well being of sheep he cared for would be just like His heart was for the well being of the children of Israel. God wanted someone who would care for Israel, who would love Israel, and who would fight for Israel, just like He cared for, loved and fought for Israel. Initially, this described King Saul. But over the next 30 years or so, Saul’s focus was building his legacy and to make sure that one of his sons would be the next king. So God chose as his replacement a person whose focus would be the children of Israel. God chose a shepherd. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that the Holy Spirit would give the writing of the 23rd Psalm to David.
When we think about a shepherd, many times I’m sure most of us see a man with a gentle nature sitting amongst the sheep and gently stroking the head of a lamb while the other sheep vie for his attention. This is true, but it’s only part of the picture. First and foremost, the shepherd was the flocks’ guardian and protector. Under this umbrella came all of the other things that he did for the sheep on a day to day basis. But primarily his job was to guard them and protect them. A shepherd had to be both gentle and strong, tender and courageous, and caring and fierce. These are not the kind of characteristics one would typically expect to hear when describing a shepherd.
During the time of David, shepherds were the most skilled hunters and warriors among their people. David knew what it meant to tend to his father’s sheep and all that it took to protect the sheep from predators. But he knew that he had to protect the sheep from wandering away from the flock and falling off a Clift. Do you remember when David volunteered to fight Goliath because the soldiers of Israel were afraid to face him? King Saul thought David was nuts and that the giant would have him for lunch. But let’s see the response of the “man after God’s own heart” in 1 Samuel 17:32-36.
“32And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go up against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he rose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.”
God knew that David would fight for Israel – that David would risk his life for Israel – just like he risked his life for his father’s sheep when he fought the lion and the bear. Now here’s something that is very important, especially when we think about the Lord being our Shepherd. The shepherd walked and dwelled among his sheep rather than on a hillside overlooking the sheep. He was always with them, which was a constant comfort to the flock. The imagery here is unmistakeable. By using the shepherd as the picture of his interaction with us, God is telling us that He is always with us. And we see this in Hebrews 13:6-7.
“5Let your conversation (the way you live) be without covetousness (one way of saying this is “not living beyond your means”); and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear What man shall do unto me.”
Rodney, what are some of the characteristics of sheep?
Rodney: Sheep Characteristics
Now let me share with you why the role of the shepherd is so important as it relates to sheep. First and foremost, sheep are not the brightest or smartest animals on earth. As a matter of fact, some say that sheep are just outright stupid. They are so needy that they require the constant oversight of the shepherd. Sheep are very timid and have been known to flee from blowing paper. A thunderstorm will actually send them into a panic. If the sheep is crossing a stream and get scared, it will literally stop and drown without fighting for its life. If they are in a barn and the barn catches on fire, they will literally burn to death without trying to escape because they will be frozen with fear. Are you starting to see some similarities spiritually with people? Because sheep are the way they are, they are natural born followers. When you do not know something you are willing to follow the one who does. We can learn from sheep in our relationship with God. If we become stupid, then we will stop trying to tell God how things should be done.
Another interesting fact about sheep is that the wool that covers their bodies is so heavy that if they fall down and are lying to their backs they are completely unable to right themselves and stand up. In this situation they are totally dependent upon the shepherd to save them. Likewise if they stumble in a stream, their wool would become so heavy with water that they would drown without the shepherd rushing to their aid.
This last fact that I want to share with you is crucial to our relationship with Christ. Do you recall what Jesus said in John 10:27 as it relates to His sheep? He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This is an actual fact about sheep. Sheep will only recognize the voice of their shepherd and will not follow any other shepherd. They will not be led by a voice that they do not recognize! So they have a personal relationship with their shepherd in that their shepherd is the only voice they will listen to. Barry, tell them the story you told me. There are many voices in the world that we hear, but we should only be listening to and following one voice – the voice of Christ. If we are His sheep, we should know and follow His voice.
With this understanding of the role of the shepherd and the characteristics of sheep, let us now go to the Word of God and begin with verses 1 and 2.
Verses 1-2: “I shall not want.”
“1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.”
“The LORD is my shepherd...” The first five words sets the tone for the entire Psalm. The word “LORD” is “Jehovah.” It’s a relationship word because it’s only used with God as He interacts with His people. This is important. God can only interact with those who belong to Him and we see this in the use of the word “my.” There are very few words more personal and possessive than the word “my.” Think about it. A married couple will say “My husband. My wife.” If they have children, they will say “my children.” Their relatives are “my aunt,” “my uncle” or “my cousin.” And as we talked about earlier, the shepherd stays with his flock, which is totally dependent upon him for food, water and protection.
I have a question I want to ask, but I want to draw your attention to the word LORD again because it has changed the way I view this entire Psalm. Turn with me to Exodus chapter three. Moses is kneeling before the burning bush and the Lord tells him he will lead Israel out of Egypt. But Moses has a question. Let’s read verses 13 and 14.
13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say unto me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? 14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
The word LORD is I AM! He is the One who was, who is and who always will be! The name I AM also communicates something else, which we see in this Psalm – that “the Lord will be whatever He needs to be.” In other words, the LORD, I AM, will be to us what we need in whatever situation we may find ourselves in. The Egyptians had many gods, but God tells Moses “I am God. Israel only needs me.” When I AM is my shepherd, why would I fear anything?
Now with all of this in mind, here’s my question: Is I AM really your shepherd? On the surface it’s easy to answer “yes.” But when you understand the question, you may not like your answer. If I AM is not your shepherd, then what we are about to study in this Psalm will not be yours.
“I shall not want...” The word “want” is “lack.” There is lack when something is not fully complete. What if we said it this way: “I shall not be constantly battling sickness.” When we are sick, what are we lacking? Health. What if we said “I shall not be living paycheck to paycheck?” When we live this way, what are we lacking? Enough money to meet our needs. What if we say “I shall not worry or be anxious? When we live this way, what are we lacking? Peace of mind. When I AM is our shepherd, we will not lack anything. This reminds me of Philippians 4:19, which says “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures…” As I read and re-read this phrase, I began to see that the Lord is saying: “I will make, I will prepare, green pastures for you.” And the words “green pastures” communicates exactly what we think about when we read it – a place of abundance, a place of peace, a place of serenity and satisfaction. When I AM is our shepherd and He has taken us to the green pastures, even in the midst of the most difficult and trying times, we will know the way back to the green pastures. Can I get an Amen?
“He leads me beside the still waters.” What are the “still waters”? Let’s allow scripture to answer that question. Psalms 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God …” We can experience still waters when we decide, even in the midst of troubles, to wait on I AM and be still in His presence where the rivers of calm and peace will saturate our emotions so that we can hear Him speak to us. Rodney.
Verses 3-4
“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.”
“He restores my soul…” God is a God who restores – especially when we are burdened down or when we stray. I want to share a story with you that might seem harsh and cruel, but wait until you hear the end before you judge it too harshly.
I read the story of a shepherd who had a sheep that was constantly wandering off from the flock because it had not learned to depend on its shepherd. No matter what the shepherd did, this sheep would not stay where it was supposed to be and was constantly putting its life in danger. After many attempts at trying to get the sheep to remain with the flock, the shepherd was left with no choice but to break one of the sheep’s front legs. Although this seems cruel, the shepherd did it in order to save the sheep’s life. As long as the sheep was going off on its own, the shepherd could not protect it.
Every morning and evening while the sheep was recuperating, the shepherd would pick the sheep up and take it to the fields. He would hold the sheep in his arms and feed it. During this time the sheep was totally dependent upon the shepherd. By the time the sheep was fully healed, it had learned to depend on the shepherd. It followed the shepherd wherever he went and never strayed again. Now I cannot confirm the truth of this story, but I can confirm that I can see spiritually how this could play out in the lives of those who walk with God. When we refuse to follow God, we step away from His protection and bad things can happen. But oh when we return to Him, He is there with His arms spread out waiting for our return. Although we go to the doctors, God ultimately provides our healing and restores us.
“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” If you have ever traveled using a map and gotten lost you will appreciate this verse. It says that God will lead us on the path of righteousness for His own name sake. Through the Holy Spirit God has made provision to guide us to where He wants us to be. David understood that God would lead him along the right path just as he led his sheep along the right path. A good shepherd chooses a path that guarantees that his sheep will be protected from all danger.
And David actually took this a step further when he wrote Psalm 37:23. It says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delights in his way.” Remember the song “Order My Steps”? God will establish our steps if we decide to follow where He leads. If we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will lead us. Jesus said in John 16:13 that “But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth….”
And God does all of this “for His name's sake.” One of the definitions of “sake” is “motive, cause of, or on behalf of.” Whenever we do something for the “sake” of someone else, we are doing it for their good, for their benefit. When we examine what David said in this verse, He is saying that when God leads us, it is not only for our good, it’s for His purposes, for His cause.
Think about it like this. When a shepherd leads his flock the wrong way and his flock is harmed, he suffers ridicule from the other shepherds and is branded as a “bad shepherd.” This reputation follows him for the rest of his days. When God is leading us, He does so not only to ensure our safety, but also because that is the job that He has taken on for our benefit. In a sense, His reputation is on the line and we know how that can play out. This is the reason I shudder every time God is blamed for a natural disaster or the death of someone. Who wants to serve a God who makes people sick to teach them a lesson or causes disasters just because He can? This is not the image of God that David is painting in this psalm. Then he says,
“Yea, 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.” When we are being tempted and going through trials, we have protection. When David wrote this I am sure he was thinking of his past experiences as a shepherd. In the lands where David was a shepherd, there were valleys between mountains that often gave bandits a great opportunity to ambush the shepherd. One author wrote that one valley was so deep that when you past through it, it was as dark as night even in the daytime.
David knowing this to be true spoke as one of the sheep. The sheep would follow the voice of the shepherd through those dark valleys without being afraid because they were with their shepherd. David knew he had protection just as he provided protection for his sheep and this knowledge removed any fear because the shepherd’s rod and staff provided comfort. Remember the shepherd’s rod and staff is what was used to both protect the sheep and help them in a time of need – like when they fell over and could not upright themselves. Then David transitions to feeding the sheep in the presence of their enemies – in the presence of wolves and another animals in David’s time.
Verse 5:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
“You prepare a table before me …” What’s on the Lord’s table? The prophet Jeremiah gives us a hint in chapter 15, verse 16. “Your words were found, and I ate them, And your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart …” And in John 4:34, Jesus says “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” Jesus ate from His Father’s table. When I read this phrase, I thought about a song by Chris Tomlin called “The Table.” “I will feast at the table of the Lord… I won’t hunger anymore At His table… There is peace at the table of the Lord…And I won’t worry anymore At His table…There is healing at the table of the Lord…And I won’t suffer anymore At His table…I’m invited to the table of the Lord…He says, “Come just as you are” To His table.” And the chorus says “Come all you weary, Come and find, His yoke is easy, His burden light, He is able, He will restore At the table of the Lord…”
“in the presence of my enemies…” The word “enemies” is interesting. It means “to bind up, to tie up, to be distressed, to be troubled, to be oppressed, to be cramped, hard pressed, anxious, worried about what to do.” This definition flows with the lyrics from “The Table.” When we are facing enemies like worry, anxiousness, trouble, and defeat, we turn our attention to the promises of the Word that are found at our Lord’s table!
“…you anoint my head with oil …” A universal custom among the Jews. The oil used was sweet oil or oil of olives, prepared in such a way as to give an agreeable smell or aroma. It’s an expression that indicates abundance, respect and divine favor. This is why Jesus chastised the Pharisee, who disrespected Him by not doing this. 44Then He (Jesus) turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.46You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.” (Luke 4:44-46)
“…my cup runs over…” I love his imagery. The cup is not merely “full” – it runs over! The God we serve, and you’ve heard this expression before, is the God of more than enough!
Verse 6:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Praise God! “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” This is a fact as indisputable as it is encouraging, and therefore a heavenly “surely” (the very first word) was set as a seal upon it. This sentence may be read, “only goodness and mercy.” These twin “guardian angels” will always be with me. These two words, “goodness and mercy” are to be taken together and they are not mere synonyms. Goodness is the stream while mercy the fountain. Goodness the open hand of God’s bounty while mercy His loving heart. In this verse “mercy” is not to be taken in the restricted sense in which we often use it as contrasted with justice or goodness to the unworthy or pardon to the guilty. No, in this verse it is (in the Hebrew) the same word often interpreted in the English as “loving-kindness”. David was saying that this is his good assurance of God's favor for the future which was grounded in God’s promise. David was well assured that both goodness and mercy would follow him – all of the days of his life. There would not be a day ever where God’s goodness and mercy would not be available to him! Then he closes with:
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” David said that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now I want you to see something that many overlook about relationship. Jesus said in John 8:35 that “….the servant abides not in the house forever: but the Son abides ever.” Do you see it? If David says that he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever then there is a relationship there. He was saying that he was not a servant who couldn’t live in the master’s house forever, he was a son!
Jesus confirmed this when He said, “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” A place is being prepared for us completing what David said about dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. A place is being prepared for us because we are children of God, not just mere servants. We belong to God! David used Psalm 23 to share with us what it means to be in a true relationship with God.
Summary
The full biblical picture the Lord paints for us in this Psalm is that of a Shepherd-Warrior who cares for His sheep, lovingly disciplines His sheep, rescues His sheep, and protects His sheep from their enemies and from themselves. (Will finish this up later. Wanted to get this to you)
