Psalm 23: Do You Know the Shepherd?

INTRODUCTION

I suspect that most people our age or older—who went to Sunday school as children—have learned the Twenty-third Psalm. I can’t remember memorizing it. I was so young—4 or 5-years old.

We started our children out with books when they were little, making weekly trips to the library. When John, our first child, was three we checked out a picture book of the 23rd Psalm. It was illustrated by one of the famous children’s book illustrators of the time. On each page was a line from the psalm and on the opposite page an illustration of a shepherd with his sheep—in the green pastures, beside the still waters, and so forth. On the last page was King David playing his harp and singing the psalm under a starry sky.

Johnny studied each picture intently as we read and when I closed the book, he said, “Daddy, I like God.”

I would rather have heard that than anything he could have told me. That’s the effect scripture is intended to have on us.

John is now pastor of a thriving church in Minneapolis, and we are pleased that he still “likes God.”

I. The beginning of the psalm is a testimony about who God is to the ancient believer who wrote the psalm.

A. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

We want so many things. Years ago a radio commercial for a church began like this: “What I want is...What I want is...What I want is.... Sometimes we must sound like a broken record to God.” The idea of the commercial was that we “want” do many things, we neglect the “one thing needful.” (Young people don’t know what it means: to “sound like a broken record”—but we do.)

But when the King James Bible was translated in 1611, the word “want” had a different meaning than it does now. It meant “to lack” or “to need.” I read old books and constantly find the word used in this way.

For example, in a book written in 1728, I read this line: “God Almighty has sent us into the world with very few wants; meat and drink and clothing, are the only things necessary for life…”

So when we read the first line: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” it means “The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing.”

One time a little girl, trying to memorize it, said, “The Lord is my shepherd; that’s all I want.”

I like her version best, because it expresses in strong terms what the verse really means.

When the psalmist says, “I lack nothing,” he is referring, not to material things, but to spiritual riches.

St. Paul expresses this idea: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

God is enough. The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

If we really love God and experience his love like this psalmist did, we won’t need all the stuff people think they need to be happy. We will have joy because we know the Lord Jesus.

B. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters…”

The shepherd led his sheep to green pastures and still water. The shepherd knew the places where the sheep could find food and where they could rest—the green pastures, where the grass was rich and deep.

And sheep need still water because rushing water is dangerous. The sheep may tumble in and be swept away.

Shepherds in the ancient middle east—and as far as I know, even today—didn’t drive their sheep. They led them. Shepherds didn’t use dogs. The shepherd used his voice. He called each sheep by name and the sheep followed. They followed because they trusted the shepherd and knew he loved them.

These little word pictures show us how Jesus, our Shepherd, is our companion, our protector, our provider, and our friend.

C. “…he restores my soul.”

Sometimes our souls are bruised and bleeding. We become so discouraged that we wonder how we can go on with our lives. But as we bring our cares to God, he lays his hands upon us and heals and strengthens us.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

D. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Left to ourselves we are bound to stray. Just as sheep need a shepherd to keep them from straying and getting into trouble, so we need our Shepherd to guide us in the path of obedience.

“…for his name’s sake.” God’s name is his revealed character—his character of faithfulness and kindness. When we say “in God’s name” we are reminding ourselves of all we know about who God is, and what he has done, and what he means to us.

Here is an old Irish prayer that I use. It must have also been written by a shepherd.

“Fair Jesus, you guide your straying sheep along lush and fragrant valleys

where the grass is rich and deep.

You guard them from attacks of wolves

and from the bites of snakes.

You heal their diseases and teach them always to walk in the ways of God.

When we stray, lead us back;

when temptation besets us, give us strength;

when our souls are sick, pour upon us your love.”

II. But when we come to verse 4 something interesting happens. The psalmist changes from testimony to prayer. Now he is addressing God.

A. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…”

Life is dangerous—we all know that. Sometimes we feel that disaster is just around the corner—especially when we are old and prone to illness.

The death of a loved one may be a dark valley we have to walk through.

Our own departure may be a dark valley.

But the verse doesn’t refer only to death as a dark valley. The Hebrew original actually says, “…though I walk through the darkest valley…”

Whenever you feel alone, abandoned, fearful—even if you think God is far away and feel your faith ebbing away—God is with you.

These are the dark canyons in life where the sun cannot penetrate and where we are really scared and maybe doubt—but God is with us.

I have told you about the dark valley of my life. I struggled with faith. I wondered if God was real.

But when I finally came back into the light and looked back, I knew that God had been with me all the time.

B. “…thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”

I believe that the rod and staff both refer to one implement. The “rod” is the staff used as a weapon to protect the sheep from predators.

If a wolf or a lion or a bear approached the flock to pick off a little lamb on the edge of the flock for dinner, the alert shepherd went to the rescue and with his stout staff killed the predator.

We read in 1 Samuel that David, as a shepherd boy, killed both a lion and a bear.

But the shepherd’s staff had another use. The shepherd could use it to guide the sheep one way or another. And if a careless lamb got into a crevasse or ledge on a mountain, the shepherd could use the hook on the end of his staff to catch that little lamb and pull it to safety.

I don’t think sheep worry much. They just depend on their shepherd to protect them.

It’s comforting to know that we have a strong rescuer with us in this perilous world.

C. “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.”

When the psalmist says that his Shepherd prepares a table before him in the presence of his enemies, he recognizes that even when there is danger, God still provides.

In ancient times kings and priests were anointed with fragrant oil. This symbolized God’s Spirit that gave them dignity, wisdom, and power. At a banquet, honored guests were also anointed with fragrant oil as a mark of esteem.

When the psalmist says “My cup runs over” he is expressing the abundance of blessings that God has poured into his life.

As our cup of blessing overflows, the blessings of God pour into other lives as well.

III. Then when we get to the end of the psalm, the psalmist again offers a testimony of his confidence in God

A. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”

Like two bright-faced angels, God’s goodness and mercy walk behind us, guarding and watching over us.

Actually the word “shall follow me” means “shall pursue me.” And it is translated so in some modern translations. God is actively pursuing us with his grace and his faithful love.

God has you always in mind. You may forsake him, but he will never forsake you.

B. “…and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

Actually the Hebrew literally reads, “…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord to the length of days.”

The “house of the Lord” in ancient Israel was the Temple. They believed that God especially dwelt in their beautiful Temple.

But our psalmist is using the word in its metaphorical sense. He means that his life will be a life of constant communion with God.

In the time that this psalm was written, even very devoted Israelites didn’t have any clear idea of life beyond the grave. So what he is saying is that he will dwell in the presence of God his whole life long.

But we read the psalm with Christian eyes. And we see a deeper and more wonderful meaning in the words “to the length of days,” and so our translation quite properly translates it, “…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

CONCLUSION:

Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you, so that where I am, there you may be also.”

We know that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He knows our names. He called us to him. He laid down his life for us. He lives for us.

He said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27).

We will live with Jesus forever, not only as his guest, but as a member of his household, in the most intimate and unbroken fellowship. Jesus will be our dearest friend forever and ever.

I found an interesting story in the New York Times, July 10, 2005. It was written by Tayari Jones, a professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. It is entitled, “Among the Believers.” You can find it on the Internet.

Professor Jones, an African American, tells about growing up in a family that didn’t believe in God. Her father was a preacher’s son, but he had rejected the faith.

Until Tayari was in second grade, whenever someone asked her where she went to church, she replied, “My father says that we don’t believe in God.” Her little friends would say, “Then you’re a devil worshiper?”

She asked her father about that, and he said, “No, we don’t believe in the devil either.”

But during her summers Tayari would visit her grandmother in Louisiana. During these visits, she felt really out of place because Grandmother took the children to church and Tayari didn’t know the songs or when to stand up and sit down.

The most humiliating time was during meals when she and her cousins had to bow their heads and repeat a Bible verse before starting to eat. When her turn came, she was embarrassed because the only verse she knew was “Jesus wept.”

But the summer before fifth grade, her visit to Grandmother’s coincided with vacation Bible school. Now, Tayari thought, now I can find out what religion is all about.

But Bible school was a disappointment. All they did was color pictures of animals in pairs going into a big boat, and dead giants, and bread and fish.

The teacher sensed that something was bothering little Tayari, and asked her about it.

Tayari said, “If God made the world, who made God?”

The teacher said, “Are you trying to be funny?”

“No,” Tayari said, “I just want to understand religion and be like everybody else for a change.”

The teacher gave her a mimeographed sheet to read. It was the 23rd Psalm.

She read, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Intrigued, she read on. She learned a verse or two. She felt something akin to faith and decided to learn the entire Psalm. She imagined the surprised faces of her cousins when she came up with this psalm at Sunday dinner.

The next Sunday, the children gathered around the table with their heads bowed. Beside her, her cousin said, “Peace, be still.”

It was now Tayari’s turn, and she let go with the entire psalm. She felt something real. She says, “In my mind’s eye I saw myself lying down in green pastures, and eating at the table prepared by the Lord.” She said, “I’ll never forget that moment of connection between myself and the glorious words; the comfort they described was the warmth of well-being that I felt. By the time I got to the good part, I’d whipped myself into a fine crescendo: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…’”

At this point her cousin mumbled, “Shut up, you annoying little freak.”

But Tayari, was on a roll. She continued, feeling the power of this powerful song. It was a life-changing experience.

Professor Jones concludes, “The 23rd psalm mimeographed on cheap paper gave me my first glimpse into spirituality. That moment was forever etched in my memory as the day that language revealed to me its awesome potential. Maybe this is the day it was decided that I would be a writer, when I saw in the beauty of a poem the true glory of God.”

For the full story in Professor Jones’s words, Google this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/opinion/among-the-believers.html?_r=0