THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Psalm 23 was written by King David during the period when his own son (Absalom) rebelled against him and toppled him from the throne. David fled Jerusalem and his life was in jeopardy and he was hunted and hounded for a number of months. (2 Sam 15)
David begins: Verse 1 - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"
David is saying, because the Lord is my shepherd, I do not lack anything. He was satisfied with the Lord even though he was on the run for his life, being pursued by his son Absalom. I wonder could we be satisfied, in similar circumstances?
A. There are really only two options in life.
1.If the Lord is my shepherd, then I shall not want (be coveteous, be unhappy, be unsatisfied)
2. But if I am in want, then it is obvious that I am being lead or shepherded by someone else or something else..
3. If our vocation shepherds us, then there is restlessness, feverish activity and frustration.
4. If education is our shepherd, then we are constantly being disillusioned.
5. If another person is our shepherd, we are always disappointed and ultimately we are left empty.
But if the Lord is our shepherd, David says, we shall not want.
C. If the Lord is to be our shepherd, then we have to begin by recognizing that we are sheep.
Let me say something about sheep:
1. Sheep are dumb and they are dirty
2. They are timid and defenseless and helpless.
3. They are always getting lost and hurt and snake-bitten.
4. They literally do not know enough to come in out of the rain.
5. And then to have God tell me that I am a sheep, really hurts.
6. But if I am really honest with myself I know it is true.
7. I know that I lack wisdom and strength.
8. I know my tendency toward going my own way and doing my own thing.
9. I know that is me. I am a sheep.
10. Isaiah said it best: "We are all like sheep who have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way,"
11. And if Jesus Christ is to be my shepherd, I have to admit that I am a sheep and need a shepherd.
12. Once we admit that need a shepherd we discover the truth of what David is saying. We shall not want.
David now turns toward what the Shepard does: Psa 23:2,3 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
I/ The first thing the Good Shepard does, is to meet the needs of the inner man
1.The basic needs of a flock of sheep are grass and water. Here is a picturesque scene of sheep bedded down in grassy meadows, having eaten their fill and now totally satisfied, and then being led by still waters. Sheep are afraid of running water; they will drink only from a quiet pool.
2. The counterpart in our lives is obvious.
It is God who restores the inner man through his word. As we feed upon the word of God we see the Lord Jesus there.
We draw upon him and our inner man is satisfied.
John 6:35 Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
II. The second thing the Good Shepherd does, is to give direction in life:
He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Or, as the margin indicates, "he leads me in right paths." The Hebrew word translated "paths" means "a well-defined, well-worn trail."
A. That indicates again how stupid sheep are, because even when the trail is well laid out, they still need a shepherd. They are still inclined to wander away, no matter how obvious the path may be.
1. Finally, David says that The Lord will lead us in the right path.
That is a promise! And he does this for his name’s sake.
2. It isn’t our name which is at stake, it is his name. His name is Faithful, and he has promised that he will lead us in the right paths.
To me that is a tremendous source of encouragement.
III/ The third thing a good shepherd does is to provide protection: Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
They say two things are certain - Death and Taxes
Speaking of Death & Taxes:
A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated."
"And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?"
The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service, and write on the envelope, ’Now you have everything’."
A. Just what is death? - Separation What is the second death?-Spiritual Separation
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
In verse 4 there is a very picturesque scene. The shepherd is leading the sheep back home at evening. As they go down through a narrow gorge the long shadows lie across the trail.
In the Hebrew this is a "valley of deep shadows". The sheep, because they are so timid and defenseless, are frightened by their experience.
But they trust the shepherd, and therefore they are comforted. They will fear no evil, because the shepherd is with them.
We are reminded of the Lord’s words quoted in the book of Hebrews,
"I will never leave you nor forsake you," {cf, Heb 13:5}.
2. And then David writes, "Your rod and staff comfort me."
a. The rod was a club which was used to drive off wild animals. It was never used on the sheep but was a heavy instrument used to protect the sheep from marauding predators.
b. The staff was a slender pole with a little crook on the end. It was used to aid the sheep. The crook could be hooked around the leg of a sheep to pull him from harm. Or it could be used as an instrument to direct, and occasionally to discipline the sheep, with taps on the side of the body.
3. Understanding how the shepherd tends his sheep has helped me so much in understanding the character of God.
When I go wandering away he doesn’t say, "There goes that stupid sheep, Bob Kerr!" and -- WHAP! down comes that big club! No.
His attitude is, "Well, there’s Bob, wandering away again. How can I help him? How can I move in to bring him back into line? How can I comfort him, and supply what he needs?"
He may have to discipline, but he always does it in love. He reproves, corrects, encourages, and instructs in righteousness, dealing with us firmly and gently.
Question: When our children or grand children wander off, should we jump on them immediately to punish with the Club or should we, like God, determine how to gently bring them back towards the right path.
Children sometimes get confused:
A little boy was asked one day if He knew where the Lord lived? He said,
"Yes! The Lord lives in our bathroom!" The Sunday School teacher said,
"Whatever makes you think that?" The child responded, "Well, every Sunday morning I hear Daddy banging on the bathroom door and hollering, `Good Lord! Are you still in there?’"
IV/ David changes the metaphor from the good shepherd to the gracious host: Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
When David was driven into the wilderness by Absalom’s rebellion he found himself out in the desert, hungry and weary, his army in disarray.
In 2 Samuel 17, Three men who were not even Israelites, Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai, brought beds, wash basins, and food.
David saw in this that God, as a gracious host, was preparing a table before him in the presence of his enemies.
Paul said it this way: "My God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus,"{Phil 4:19}.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
A. GOD IS A GOOD GOD
1. You can’t believe God is blessing you if at the same time you believe He is cursing you.
2. It is difficult to believe His promises if you can’t get your mind off of the idea that He is afflicting you!
B. GOD IS A MERCIFUL GOD
Goodness and mercy are attributes of God.
Goodness - meets our needs / Mercy - forgives our faults
Merciful Boss: "Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his employees. "Yes, Sir." the new employe replied. "Well, then, that makes everything just fine," the boss went on. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother’s funeral, she stopped in to see you."
A final note is that the word "follow," in Verse 6, literally means "pursue". David says that God’s goodness and mercy shall pursue him, David’s desire was to go back to the house of the Lord and to worship Him forever.
Finally, the Lord knows His sheep John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"
Do you hear His voice? Does He know you? Do you follow him?
