August 27, 2006
Psalm 23
My Shepherd, My Leader
Sheep are easily led, and because of that they are easily led astray. They’re needy, defenseless, and nervous.
I heard about a man who hated his wife’s cat. He wanted to get rid of it, but she wouldn’t let him. Finally, he decided he had enough! So, he put the cat in his car and drove to the other side of town, let the cat out, and drove home. As he pulled into his driveway, there was the cat walking up the driveway. He said, "I can’t believe this!”
The next day, he put the cat back in the car and drove ten miles away. He let the cat out, then sped back as fast as he could. As he pulled into the driveway, there was the cat yawning and walking in the house.
He was furious! So, the next day he put the cat in the car and went way out in the country. He drove twenty miles, took a left at a bridge, drove down some dirt roads with no street signs and found the deepest part of the woods and he dropped the cat off.
A few hours later, the man called his wife at home and asked her, "Honey is the cat there?" The wife answered, "Yes, why do you ask?" The furious and frustrated man said, "put her on the phone, I’m lost and I need directions."
Cats can find their way home! Dogs can find their way home, people usually can find their way home, but sheep can’t!
On their own sheep become easily lost. If they turn their head for a moment they will go in the opposite direction. That’s why we have the picture in the New Testament of leaving the ninety-nine to go and get the one who was lost.
Maybe that’s why there are so many comparisons to people and sheep in the Bible. We can lose our way, and then we need divine intervention from the Good Shepherd to get us back on track.
Fox sports had a one hour special on the life of Mike Tyson. During the interview, Tyson said he looks forward to his next life and hopes he will then find joy and peace. Isn’t that a sad statement. Especially, from a man who had it all. He could have been the greatest and wealthiest boxer in history, but now he is a has-been, who lives a life that is out of control. He really believes death will bring him peace. I have bad news for Mike Tyson, unless he comes to meet the Shepherd, his present life will look like a bed of roses.
We’ve been focusing on the most famous of all Psalms, Psalm 23. Last week we finished verse 1. It’s a crucial verse for us to hold onto. We need to remember, that the Lord, my Lord, your Lord, is our Lord and Shepherd. He will always be our Shepherd, so long as we are willing to be His sheep.
So today I want to look at the next few verses.
Verse 2 tells us, our Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us beside quiet waters, He restores our soul.
Isn’t that beautiful. Look at what the Shepherd does for us.
The good shepherd leads his sheep to a lush pasture where they have plenty to eat and their stomachs are full. The sheep are so satisfied, that they don’t have the least bit of desire for anything more. The sheep are so content, they lie down in green pastures.
In his book, Phillip Keller wrote, sheep need 4 things in order to lie down.
1. They have to be full. Hungry sheep stay on their feet searching for another mouthful of food.
2. They must be unafraid. They will not lie down if they’re fearful. The least suspicion of wolves or bears and they stand ready to flee.
3. They must be content. If flies or fleas are bothering them they will not lie down. They must be comfortable before they’ll lie down.
4. And, sheep will not lie down unless there is harmony in the flock. If there is friction over the butting order, then they simply cannot relax and lie down.
God makes us lie down once in a while, doesn’t He? We rush about, trying to meet this engagement and fulfill that obligation. And in our hurry, we tend to miss the things that are most important. So once in a while God has to say, "You need to lie down." God has many different ways to help us to lie down. Sometimes it’s an illness, or heartbreak, or accident, or His Spirit powerfully reminds us, a friend reminds us, we grieve a loss. These and more make us stop and reevaluate our priorities.
When I worked at the rehab hospital, so many patients would comment that their accident, or even their surgery, was providential. They believed it was God’s way of telling them they needed to slow down, and experience more of the joy of life.
The shepherd must see to it that his flock is free from any disturbances. Sheep are very easily frightened. A stray jackrabbit jumping out from behind a bush can send the flock into a stampede. When one startled sheep starts to run, all of the others follow behind in blind fear, not waiting to see what frightened them. But nothing quiets a flock of sheep like seeing their shepherd in the field with them.
Like sheep, we can also be easily frightened. We live in an uncertain world. Any hour can bring disaster. And generally, it is the unknown, the unexpected, that frightens us most. But nothing quiets our souls like knowing that our Shepherd is near. Suddenly things are not as bad or as terrifying. Our Lord is with us. Paul wrote, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (I Timothy 1:7).
The original words of GREEN PASTURES in Hebrew suggest “tender new green grass.” What vegetables are best tasting? The young tender veggies. And for the sheep, tender, fresh grass is best.
The word “makes” means, “to cause me to lie down.” What does this picture?
God creates circumstances. The green grass looks so good the sheep want to lie down. A parent feeds and rocks the baby to get their child to be comfortable and to lie down and sleep.
God does not force us to lie down, instead He makes the grass so inviting that we cannot say no.
And then God leads us beside quiet or still waters.
Remember when we met the shepherd 3 weeks ago, he told us sheep cannot swim, they will drown in fast moving water, so the shepherd leads the sheep to quiet, still waters.
Think about the times that you have sought rest for your spirit. If you were sitting beside racing rapids or if you were watching fast moving rivers and streams, it would be hard to close your eyes and find rest for your soul. But after we have eaten and have become relaxed, then we can sit or lay beside those quiet waters and find rest for our weary souls.
How often are we able to relax our whole being. To stop and just experience the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. How often do we simply, and profoundly, bask in His peace and rest? During these times we can experience the voice of God as He whispers His love to you. Sometimes after reading to Joshua and Zachary I lay down with them, and I find myself so relaxed, that I can easily fall asleep. Why does this happen? My whole being is relaxed.
Remember, the Lord does not drive the sheep, He does not point and say go, instead the Lord knows the way, He goes first and He faces the danger first, He takes us to the water, to the streams where we find living water, water that will quench our parched spirits.
What does “water” do for us?
Keeps us alive. “A well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Refreshes. “As the deer thirsts after a stream of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Ps. 42:1, ELT).
Cleanses us. “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps.51:7).
Look at the first three verses as paraphrased in The Message translation. Psalm 23:1-3: "God, my Shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in plush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction."
God knows our weaknesses. He leads us by still waters. And He promises to protect us.
Mike Foss tells the story of when he first met Gregory. Gregory was 18 months old -- had a distended belly and pale skin. He was battling leukemia. He moved in and out of remission for several months. When he was 3 years old, the leukemia returned.
The cancer raced through his body making this smiling, gentle, loving child withdrawn and in pain. On the last night of his life, his mother, went to the children’s library and brought a book back to read to him. It was about two little boys in the pediatric ward. One boy heard the other cry late at night, and the next day, asked if he had cried because he was afraid. When the other little boy said yes, the first boy told him, "When you wake up at night and are afraid, lift your hand and an angel of God will come and take your hand and you won’t be afraid."
The next night, the second little boy woke up, and, as he was about to cry for fear, he remembered what the other boy told him. He lifted his hands to the dark. The story told that an angel of God came and took him by the hand and he died.
Gregory’s mother finished reading the story to her son and then lost her composure. She rushed from the hospital room and after wiping her eyes and steadying her nerves, she returned to her son’s side. Gregory was nearing death. The hospice support person, two nurses and the doctor gathered around him. For the first time in hours, Gregory opened his eyes, looked back over his shoulder and smiled. Then he raised his hand up and died.
In the midst of change, hold on to what’s true. We don’t know what this life will serve up; but we know that the Shepherd prepares the menu. We can’t know which form of the enemy we’ll face, but we can trust that the Shepherd sets the table in the presence, not absence of our enemies. Hold to what’s true -- the promise of God is true.
We don’t know the future, but we can know that God’s will shall prevail. Luther said it well when he said, "You can serve God willingly, or serve God anyway." And we can know, with little Gregory, that we will be invited to the greatest reunion in history when the people of God -- gather around the throne of the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and we confess: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!
Would you pray with me.
