The Lord Is My Shepherd: A Guide For Every Season Series

Introduction:

My beloved brethren, there are passages of Scripture that are so woven into the fabric of our culture that we risk losing their power through sheer familiarity. We hear them at weddings, we see them stitched on pillows, and most notably, we turn to them in the somber quiet of the graveside. And of all these passages, none is more universally known, yet perhaps more profoundly misunderstood, than the 23rd Psalm. Many of us have relegated this Psalm to the valley of the shadow of death alone. We see it as a comfort for our final moments, a spiritual balm for the grieving. And it is that, thank God, it is that. But to confine this majestic declaration to moments of sorrow is to miss the vibrant, life-giving truth it proclaims for every single day of our existence. This Psalm is not merely a funeral dirge; it is a symphony of life. It is not just a prayer for the dying; it is a roadmap for the living. It is David's personal, powerful, and profound testimony of what it means to be under the sovereign care of God Almighty. So, I invite you this morning to turn with me in your Bibles, and in your hearts, to Psalm 23. Let us read it afresh, as if for the very first time, and allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate its truth for our journey today. This Psalm unfolds in a beautiful progression, a journey with our Shepherd. Let us walk through it together.

I. The Foundation of our Faith: A Declaration of Relationship (v. 1)

David begins with the most audacious and comforting statement a human being can make: "The Lord is my shepherd." Notice the possessive pronoun: my shepherd. Not a shepherd, not the shepherd of Israel in some abstract sense, but my Shepherd. This is personal. This is relational. Before David speaks of provision or protection, he establishes the relationship. The great I AM, the eternal, self-existent God, Jehovah Himself, has condescended to be his personal guide. The Hebrew name here is YHWH, the covenant name of God. This is Jehovah-Rohi-The Lord my Shepherd.

From this relationship flows the immediate consequence: "I shall not want." This is not a promise of boundless riches or a life free from difficulty. It is a declaration of ultimate sufficiency. A sheep under the care of a good shepherd wants for nothing essential. It doesn't worry about where the next patch of grass is, or where it will find water, or how it will defend itself from predators. Its entire existence is secure in the shepherd's care.

So, the first question this Psalm asks us is this: Who is your shepherd? Is it your career? Your bank account? Your reputation? Your own strength? Because if anything other than the Lord is your shepherd, you shall want. You will always be left wanting. Only when Jehovah is our shepherd can we find true and lasting contentment.

II. The Shepherd's Gentle Provision: A Picture of Restoration (vv. 2-3)

Having established the relationship, David now describes the activity of the Shepherd. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." A shepherd will tell you that sheep will not lie down unless they are free from all fear and all friction with other sheep, and are fully fed. They are anxious creatures. It is the shepherd who must make them lie down. Our Shepherd knows what we need better than we do. In our frantic, driven lives, He makes us rest. He leads us not to the raging torrents of chaos, but to the still waters of His peace, where we can drink deeply and be refreshed.

And what is the result of this rest and refreshment? Verse 3 tells us: "He restoreth my soul." The soul grows weary on the journey. It gets bruised by disappointment, stained by sin, and tired from the fight. The Shepherd, in His tender care, reaches down and brings it back to life. He restores its original vitality.

And then, refreshed and restored, He guides us forward: "he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." He does not lead us in circles or into danger. He leads us on the right tracks, the safe paths. And why? Not because we have earned it, not because we are so good at following, but "for his name's sake." His reputation is on the line! A shepherd is judged by the condition of his flock. Our God leads us aright to demonstrate to a watching world that He is a good, wise, and faithful Shepherd.

III. The Shepherd's Unfailing Presence: A Promise in the Darkest Valley (v. 4)

Now we come to the verse that has echoed through the centuries. Here, the tone shifts. The language becomes even more intimate. Notice the change in pronoun. Before it was "He... He... He." Now, in the darkness, it becomes "Thou."