The Lord Is My Shepherd
Psalms 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Join me in Prayer!
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, "Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That’s wonderful," says St. Peter, "that’s worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St. Peter, "that’s certainly worth a point."
"One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that’s good for two more points," he says.
"TWO POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"
St. Peter says "Come on in!"
You know GOD really does love all of us, even the sinners but HE hates the sin. HE hates sin yet HE is willing to forgive each one of us for all our sins so we can go and live in HIS house through all eternity. That was the last part of the Psalm which we just read this morning. In fact it is the last half of the final verse, “and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
David was sure of it; you notice he doesn’t say maybe I will live in the house of the lord forever. He said “I WILL dwell in the house of the LORD forever. David was sure that he would live with GOD because GOD had chose David to be King of all Israel and HE blessed David as long as David followed HIM. But GOD did punish David when he was wrong and when David knew that he was wrong he tried to make amends for it.
But what I want to talk about today is the rest of David’s Psalm as we read it this morning. You see David had a journey to go through before he became sure that he would dwell in GOD’S House.
You see anyone who accepts JESUS CHRIST as their Lord and Savior can be assured of living in GOD’S House. Look at John 14: 2 & 3
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 ye may be also.
Jesus promised many mansions in HIS FATHERS HOUSE and HE was going to prepare a place for us. So if we accept JESUS as Lord and Savior we are already promised a place in GOD’S HOUSE!
But what about the other verses in today’s scriptures. Well let’s look at the first three verses.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The LORD is my shepherd. What is a shepherd’s job?
His primary goal is to care for the sheep but in order to do this there are several things that he has to do. The three primary things are covered in verse 2. A sheep must have rest, food, and water.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures If the sheep can lie down in green pastures then he has plenty to eat and he can lie down and rest knowing that the Shepherd is there to watch over him and he will be safe. The Shepherd will keep the coyotes and wolfs away. But he also must keep anything away that would harm the sheep.
Remember David said that a lion and a bear both tried to take a sheep from him and he smote them or killed them to protect his sheep. Remember that JESUS said the hired man would run when the wolves threatened the sheep but here David is protecting his sheep from the bear and the lion. Before you say it I know the sheep technically belonged to his father but David said they were his sheep because they belonged to the family and he was responsible for them.
Well JESUS is the good Shepherd but the sheep belong to HIS FATHER but HIS FATHER gave them all to HIM remember and HE had lost none but the son of perdition.
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
A sheep needs to be in slow moving or still waters to drink because he will wade in to drink and his coat gets all wet and is heavy and it is hard for him to move. And if the water is swift water when his coat gets soaked then he will be washed away and drown. So the shepherd must seek very placard waters in order to keep his sheep safe. JESUS did the same for the disciples by having them with him and teaching them slowly and sharing with them what HIS FATHER said. He didn’t just call them and then say there it is go out and preach THE GOSPEL. No he taught it to them over and over, HE showed them HIS power by performing Miracles again and again. He even raised the dead so they could see that HE had power over life and death. HE took care of them. So where does that leave us?
We are right there in verses 1-3 just like the sheep.
The sheep have a shepherd in this case it was David. We have a Shepherd JESUS CHRIST.
David protected his sheep and led them to green pastures where they could eat and rest because David was there. The sheep had everything that they needed to thrive and grow. They did not want for anything.
We on the other hand are GOD’S sheep and JESUS is our Shepherd and if we follow HIM we will have everything we need although there are some things that we need that sheep don’t because we are made in GOD’S OWN IMAGE!
Look at verse three.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Before we knew JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR we were convicted sinners. Our souls were in bondage to sin and the Devil. They were LOST! We were LOST!!!
So we needed to be safe, we needed to be fed, we needed to drink water so we could survive physically and GOD will give us all that. Remember HE makes it rain on the just and the unjust. If the rains and the sunshine come to an area so that the crops are good than they are good for everybody, GOD’S Children and the sinners. Oh HE will occasionally let a thunderstorm, or tornado wipe out one crop while the one next to it still stands, but as a whole what happens to us here in this community will happen to everyone in this community whether we are saints or sinners. So GOD does provide but if you are his child HE will provide for your every need whether Physical or Spiritual. Now remember I said needs not wants, and that is where that first verse comes back into play. We want to eat Steak but GOD provides hamburger. We want a 5 bedroom mansion but GOD provides a shack. We want to drink champagne but GOD provides water. Now so some of you fisherman can understand it we want to catch a 35 pound black bass and sit a new world record but GOD provides two 2 pound perch so we can eat.
The point is we want a lot of things but GOD meets all our needs if we let him. So why did David say “1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Because if the LORD is your Shepherd then you should want HIS will to be done. You should want to be a part of HIS Ministry. You should want what GOD wants for you. So if you want GOD’S will to be done and HE wants you in a shack instead of a mansion then you quit wanting the mansion because what you really want is for GOD’S WILL TO BE DONE. So “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” Green pastures become what I want instead of mansions and champagne.
So we were sinners and some still are so look what GOD does next “He restoreth my soul” That’s right HE restoreth my soul. We were lost and wallowing in sin but look at what Romans 5:8 says
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That’s right, HE died for us while we were still wallowing in sin, HE died before we were born so that HE restoreth our soul into HIS house, so we could become HIS children. We are called CHRISTIANS because we are saved by the sacrifice of the life, death, and resurrection of JESUS CHRIST so we are called CHRISTIANS!
So look at the rest of verse three “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” We are CHRISTIANS, HIS NAME AND HIS NAME IS PURE AND RIGHTEOUS, AND WE BEAR HIS NAME SO HE LEADS US IN THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAMES SAKE!!!
In other words if we are to be called Christians then we should reflect righteous ness just as JESUS did. JESUS did not refuse to help anyone no matter how much of a sinner they were. As HE said those who are healthy need no doctor but those who are sick do and HE came to call sinners not righteous people and we are all sinners so HE came to call us and through HIS Blood and Sacrifice we are clothed in HIS righteousness.
“he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Now let’s k at verses 4 & 5
4Yea, 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.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
This to me is one of the most personal verses in the bible because GOD has reminded me of it several times. When I had my heart attack in 1985 and again when I had my kidney removed in 2001 it could have easily gone the other way and I think about this often. I literally walked through the Valley of the shadow of death when I had my heart attack. I had a blood clot go through my heart and just a few years later one of my best friends died when a clot went through his heart and lungs. HE was in a hospital room right across from the nurse’s station and on a heart monitor and there was nothing they could do to save him. I had been there a few years earlier but mine happened in a church, I was trying to do what GOD wanted and so HE took care of me but I did not receive medical attention until several hours later and then I was in intensive care for almost a week and most of that time I was so sedated I didn’t even know who I was. I was in the valley of the shadow of death but GOD was there with his rod and his staff.
This friend of mine was in Vietnam and later talked to me about some of the things that he went through over there and GOD brought him through and he had seen his own valley of the shadow of death. I have no doubt many of you have seen your own valley and GOD was there for you, and HE comforted you just as HE did for David when David went out in the mountains to hide from Saul, and when David faced his own son and left Jerusalem to survive. GOD comforts all of HIS children and we know that we will be with HIM someday.
Look at verse 5. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
When David fled from Saul, Samuel had already anointed him as King. David fled from Saul and went and lived with the Philistines, you know Goliaths friends. David had slain Goliath to further GOD’S Kingdom and the Philistines were his sworn enemies yet when he and his men fled from Saul they lived among the Philistines and they not only were fed but they prospered. Then GOD brought David back when Saul was slain and made him King over all Israel and brought all of David’s enemies to kneel before him and made David’s Kingdom to go on forever and told David that there would not fail for one of David’s descendents to sit on the throne of Israel and GOD fulfilled that with JESUS CHRIST who is of the lineage of David and who is The SON OF GOD and will rule all of GOD’S Kingdom.
So GOD anointed David’s head with oil through Samuel when HE made David King of Israel. GOD prepared a table for David in the midst of the Philistines when David and his men fled from Saul and lived among the Philistines. And David’s cup did run over as GOD blessed him over and over and over with defeat of his enemies, riches coming from all over to his coiffures, and with descendents who would rule after him.
So how can we apply this to us? We are anointed as Children of GOD when we are baptized as Christians and we are welcomed into GOD’S Family.
GOD prepares us a table in the presence of our enemies w3hen HE feeds us right here on Earth, because the Devil is here trying to get a hold of us and GOD is feeding us both physically and spiritually right here in front of Satan. There is nothing that Satan can do to us because we are GODS and Satan is powerless in the Face of GOD. We sometimes give him a foothold to worry us some when we allow him to enter into our lives.
I want to be sure that you understand this. GOD doesn’t allow Satan to enter our lives after we have been saved but HE does honor our choice when we turn our back on HIM and seek Satan. We allow Satan in not GOD!! We allow Satan in when we doubt the sincerity of other Christians because they don’t belong to our Denomination or because they belong to a denomination and we are Non-Denominational. We are not to judge. We are to observe their fruits and by their fruits we shall know them. If they are teaching and preaching The GOSPEL OF JESUS then they are Christians and we should accept that. That doesn’t mean that we are all going to agree on how, when, or where we should worship. If you remember from some of Paul’s writings to and about the early church, they were disagreeing over whether a man should eat meat or not. And Paul told them that they should do nothing that makes it hard on our brothers.
In other words if a man wants to eat meat let him, if he doesn’t want to eat meat let him, If he wants a guitar, flute, drums, horns and other musical instruments to Worship GOD then let him, If he doesn’t want any Musical instruments then let him, If he wants to stand and wave his hands to worship GOD while singing then let him, If he wants to stay sitting while singing then let him. If the First Baptist wants Blue Carpet in the sanctuary and we want marble tile does it make us any less Christian?
What I am trying to get across here is that we through our choices limit GOD’S Blessings on us. If your cup isn’t running over then perhaps you should look to see what you are doing wrong so GOD can continue to Bless you beyond your wildest imaginations.
Now before someone goes off and says that I said they weren’t receiving GOD’S Blessings or they were sick or whatever because they weren’t doing what was right in worship or in serving GOD. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is if you don’t feel like your cup is running over or at least is full then you need to take a good long look at yourself first.
Are you wanting more then you really need, or are you following your shepherd or are you wandering off and getting lost so HE has to come get you. In other words are you truly in GOD’S WILL or are you in your own will?
Remember the first verse.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Join me in Prayer!!
