Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Certainly one of the top 10 chapters in the Bible, Psalm 23 is commonly thought of as "the death Psalm" as it is read at most funerals. Hopefully, as we develop this Psalm, we will see that nothing could be further from the truth - this is a Psalm of life.
The first thing to notice is that God is calling us to a life of surrender under the authority of a shepherd. The Bible uses the metaphor of a shepherd referring to God over 100 times. The Bible uses the analogy of us being sheep over 400 times! What do we know about sheep? Just using the letter "D" we know they are dumb, defenseless, diseased, dirty, directionally challenged, and dependent. Sheep can't be taught tricks - they can't be trained. Sheep will eat themselves right off a cliff. They will die of starvation with a lush field right next to them because they have to be led to it. They walk around in circles as they are directionally challenged. Sheep are the lowest animal on the food chain and can't defend themselves from any predators including bugs that burrow into their nostrils releasing larvae and being a vector for worms. And even though they look white from a distance, if you get up close, they are very dirty. With that being said, the positive is they are valuable. Every part of them can be used. Shepherds didn't have banks - their bank was the flock. That's why they would risk their lives to fight off predators like we would resist a robber. So with all that being said, the analogy is that God views us as so valuable that He sent His Son to die for us and our part is just to realize how helpless we are without Him and submit to His leadership. This is where salvation begins, at the point of our surrendering and humbling ourselves.
When we come under the leadership of the Shepherd, what can we expect? First, our needs being met. We will never be "wanting". Second, our souls being restored or refreshed. I googled the top 10 ways to relieve stress and they were passion flower tea, massage, exercise, organize your life, eat healthy, limit technology, B vitamins, aromatherapy, sleep and meditation. Of those, meditation, if we are meditating on God and His word, is the one that works. Jesus said in Matt. 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Third, he leads and guides us into the paths that He has picked out for us that are pleasing, fit us well, and glorify God. So many people think that being "saved" is the culmination but that is just the beginning. Being saved only gets us on the right path. Now it's time to walk that path of righteousness and service in the Lord. The Holy Spirit will enable us and lead us on it. Unfortunately, those paths aren't always easy and are often dark and dangerous surrounded by enemies. The reason for that is twofold. First the world is watching and sees that even in the midst of trials your life reflects a "full table", a "cup overflowing". There is no better proof that Christianity is true than a faith that "works" in the midst of hardships. Secondly, this is the point in the Psalm where David transitions from third person "He" (about God) to second person "You" (to God). It is as if to say that through the dark times we get to know God better.
Next, another benefit of living a life surrendered to our Shepherd is that we can live a fearless life, "I will fear no evil...". If we are living a life protected by our Shepherd on the path that he led us to, we can rest that nothing can happen to us that wasn't in His good plan for our lives. Nothing escapes His notice. His goodness and mercy surround us and the worst thing that can happen to us is we die and then we get to "...dwell in the house of the Lord forever" Understanding of this fact can and should lead us to fearless living.
Lastly, we have the comforting of the Good Shepherd. The writer of Hebrews says,
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Heb. 4:14-16
God, as a Shepherd, doesn't promise to get us out of or avoid every "time of need", nor does he promise we won't get ill, but in the midst of them He promises grace and mercy. He will be there in the midst of those, comforting us. He will have the "oil" to anoint us with that will soothe our cuts and keep the pests away, which is what the oil was used for in sheep. No wonder trials increase our closeness to Him as He has His arms around us during these times.
So you see, this is a Psalm of life! Surrender to the Good Shepherd and your cup will overflow - not necessarily materially but with joy, purpose, meaning, peace, fruitfulness, fearlessness, and closeness with the One who made you.
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Certainly one of the top 10 chapters in the Bible, Psalm 23 is commonly thought of as "the death Psalm" as it is read at most funerals. Hopefully, as we develop this Psalm, we will see that nothing could be further from the truth - this is a Psalm of life.
The first thing to notice is that God is calling us to a life of surrender under the authority of a shepherd. The Bible uses the metaphor of a shepherd referring to God over 100 times. The Bible uses the analogy of us being sheep over 400 times! What do we know about sheep? Just using the letter "D" we know they are dumb, defenseless, diseased, dirty, directionally challenged, and dependent. Sheep can't be taught tricks - they can't be trained. Sheep will eat themselves right off a cliff. They will die of starvation with a lush field right next to them because they have to be led to it. They walk around in circles as they are directionally challenged. Sheep are the lowest animal on the food chain and can't defend themselves from any predators including bugs that burrow into their nostrils releasing larvae and being a vector for worms. And even though they look white from a distance, if you get up close, they are very dirty. With that being said, the positive is they are valuable. Every part of them can be used. Shepherds didn't have banks - their bank was the flock. That's why they would risk their lives to fight off predators like we would resist a robber. So with all that being said, the analogy is that God views us as so valuable that He sent His Son to die for us and our part is just to realize how helpless we are without Him and submit to His leadership. This is where salvation begins, at the point of our surrendering and humbling ourselves.
When we come under the leadership of the Shepherd, what can we expect? First, our needs being met. We will never be "wanting". Second, our souls being restored or refreshed. I googled the top 10 ways to relieve stress and they were passion flower tea, massage, exercise, organize your life, eat healthy, limit technology, B vitamins, aromatherapy, sleep and meditation. Of those, meditation, if we are meditating on God and His word, is the one that works. Jesus said in Matt. 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Third, he leads and guides us into the paths that He has picked out for us that are pleasing, fit us well, and glorify God. So many people think that being "saved" is the culmination but that is just the beginning. Being saved only gets us on the right path. Now it's time to walk that path of righteousness and service in the Lord. The Holy Spirit will enable us and lead us on it. Unfortunately, those paths aren't always easy and are often dark and dangerous surrounded by enemies. The reason for that is twofold. First the world is watching and sees that even in the midst of trials your life reflects a "full table", a "cup overflowing". There is no better proof that Christianity is true than a faith that "works" in the midst of hardships. Secondly, this is the point in the Psalm where David transitions from third person "He" (about God) to second person "You" (to God). It is as if to say that through the dark times we get to know God better.
Next, another benefit of living a life surrendered to our Shepherd is that we can live a fearless life, "I will fear no evil...". If we are living a life protected by our Shepherd on the path that he led us to, we can rest that nothing can happen to us that wasn't in His good plan for our lives. Nothing escapes His notice. His goodness and mercy surround us and the worst thing that can happen to us is we die and then we get to "...dwell in the house of the Lord forever" Understanding of this fact can and should lead us to fearless living.
Lastly, we have the comforting of the Good Shepherd. The writer of Hebrews says,
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Heb. 4:14-16
God, as a Shepherd, doesn't promise to get us out of or avoid every "time of need", nor does he promise we won't get ill, but in the midst of them He promises grace and mercy. He will be there in the midst of those, comforting us. He will have the "oil" to anoint us with that will soothe our cuts and keep the pests away, which is what the oil was used for in sheep. No wonder trials increase our closeness to Him as He has His arms around us during these times.
So you see, this is a Psalm of life! Surrender to the Good Shepherd and your cup will overflow - not necessarily materially but with joy, purpose, meaning, peace, fruitfulness, fearlessness, and closeness with the One who made you.
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