The Lord is my Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil.

For you are with me.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Well, it's a real privilege to open Psalm 23 with you all this morning.

It is a really precious passage, isn't it?

It's one of the most instantly recognisable passages and familiar in all of Scripture.

It's a passage that has been adopted by society by and large.

It's the most commonly read Bible passage at funerals of believers and, interestingly, of non-believers too.

In an era when Christianity's claim to truth is increasingly on the nose,

people who may never have been to church like the imagery of security found in Psalm 23.

And let's face it, beautiful images of prosperity and protection are hard to find offensive.

But this widespread acceptance suggests to me that it's very commonly misunderstood.

Martin Luther described the Psalter as a little Bible and a summary of the whole Old Testament.

Indeed, today as we walk through this psalm, we're going to be encouraged by God's redemptive sweep right across history.

As is progressively revealed throughout Scripture, in our privileged position, this side of Christ,

we understand elements of this psalm more clearly than even David did himself.

We're not going to have time to explore every aspect that's taught through this psalm,

but rather, as we sweep across it, we're going to see the great hope it offers to all who submit themselves to Christ.

It's interesting.

I hadn't spoken to Catherine about the reading this morning,

but in reading from the message, she's nailed a very important point.

Now, I think the ESV's done a fantastic job in translating this familiar psalm to us

and keeping a balance to making it accessible in English for us,

but also keeping some of those words and phrases from which we're familiar.

Many people have memorised this psalm in older versions,

and the ESV's kept some of those along.

It's actually an older phrasing of the passage than most of the ESV translation.

Now, if you're thinking,

oh, it's not so bad, I don't think it's really...

What's he going on about?

Think of the word shall.

So it's a bit of a frivolous example.

Shall pops up three times in the six verses of this psalm in the ESV.

About six years ago, I swapped across to the dark side,

and so my phone messages go back for six years.

In that time, I've sent tens of thousands of texts.

I've used the word shall once.

People have used the word shall to me in a text.

Never.

So there's something here to unlock.

We just have to be a little bit careful.

We're not imposing our own meaning on these terms

because we're not as familiar with what was intended by the author.

So as we open it up, we'll reflect on what David was teaching here,

first to the people of Israel, but then through Christ, for us.

There is such a richness here

that we will be left with a bigger view of our great God

and comfort in our dependence upon him.

The opening phrase,

the Lord is my shepherd.

Immediately, there is a personal relationship on display here

between David and the Lord.

He uses God's name given to Israel.

Yahweh is my shepherd.

Now, the shepherd imagery is very personal for David.

He himself was a shepherd when he was chosen by the Lord to be king.

It's no coincidence that Nathan uses a story of a lamb

to confront David over his sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel.

David can relate to this imagery.

It's a claim to intimacy.

The use of a personally revealed name

along with the claim of my personal ownership.

Not in a general sense.

And it's important because the shepherd imagery

is also precious to all of Israel.

It is used of God as he leads the Israelites out of Egypt

and into the land flowing with milk and honey.

It is because of this personal relationship with the Lord

that the second half of verse 1 can exist.

I shall not want.

Or a more modern term,

I have all that I need.

This personal relationship with our God

is all it takes to have all we need.

It's quite a bold claim.

It's a profound truth that we slip past

in our familiarity all too easily.

It's not the first time that this exact phrase

is used in the biblical text.

Moses, writing in Deuteronomy 2,

speaking to the assembled Israelites in the desert, said,

For the Lord your God has blessed you

in all the work of your hands.

He has watched over your journey

through this immense wilderness.

The Lord your God has been with you

these past 40 years

and you have lacked nothing.

You have lacked nothing.

I have all I need.

It's a statement of God's provision.

I call back to the bigger picture,

putting David's relationship with his shepherd

in the context of Israel's.

As Israel was able to depend on the Lord for deliverance,

here too, David affirms

that the Lord as a shepherd is good.

He expresses assurance

that he has what he needs purely

because it is Yahweh that is his shepherd.

David is writing an Exodus song in Psalm 23

and it's our song too

because he is our ancestor in the faith.

Every time we sing the psalm,

as we're going to a bit later this morning,

we're looking back and celebrating

the ultimate rescue that God provided for us,

not just for the Israelites from Egypt,

but for us in the Lord Jesus Christ,

the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.

In Christ we are assured that we have all we need.

Then goes on in verse 2 and 3,

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters,

He restores my soul,

He leads me in paths of righteousness.

Just as for Israel, milk and honey

was an image of bounty and security,

here too, the green field and still waters

are a symbol of ample provision and security

under the Lord's guide.

But the metaphor is a bit dangerous for us.

Grass and quiet streams are obviously bounty for sheep.

But what does your mind go to?

What does your heart go to

when thinking of bountiful provision?

Is it a family feast?

Or a big house?

A fast car or a putable job?

A large super balance?

We are all really good

at defining what our prosperity should look like.

Perhaps

we're not so overtly worldly,

but we too easily put good things

into this ultimate category as well.

Perhaps we're aspiring to a conflict-free

and loving marriage.

Perhaps our hope is in healthy children.

Or a good, even a godly reputation

amongst our friends.

None of these things are the good things

promised in these verses.

The Israelites, too,

thought that God should deliver prosperity

on their terms.

And the Lord's provision

chafed at them in the wilderness.

They grumbled first against Moses,

but also against God himself.

When God had brought them out of Egypt,

that they might worship him.

After the ten plagues,

the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea,

after receiving water from the stone,

manna,

and then quail for their food,

as soon as the scouts came back

from the Promised Land,

the people of Israel declare,

why is the Lord bringing us

into this land to die by the sword?

Our wives and children

will become plunder.

Wouldn't it be better

for us to go back to Egypt?

So they said to one another,

let's appoint a leader

and go back to Egypt.

That's in Numbers 14.

Now it's often easier

to see when someone else

is being petty

and seeking God only

for what they can get from him.

But this is far more

of a mirror for ourselves

than we can be truly comfortable with.

The truth that the Israelites

missed in the desert,

that David nails here

in Psalm 23,

and that we continue

to struggle with,

is that the greatest thing

we can ever have

is God himself.

The most bountiful provision

is to be given

more access to God.

Again and again

before Pharaoh,

Moses asked for release

that they might worship

their God.

The whole point

of shepherding Israel

out of Egypt

was that he might be

their God

and they might be

his people.

How easily

we think the point

was to obtain a land

flowing with milk and honey.

In 2 Corinthians,

a persecuted

and suffering

Paul writes

of being

as having nothing

and yet

possessing

everything.

All he had

was the Lord.

The Lord

was his shepherd.

What more

does he need?

This is a profound

point of the opening

clause of the psalm.

It is not up to us

to define

what prosperity is.

Nothing other

than our God himself

will restore

our souls

as we deeply crave.

Now 3 verses

2 and 3,

it becomes clear

just how central

the shepherd is

to David's life.

It is the shepherd

that makes him lie down.

The shepherd

that leads

to still waters.

The shepherd

restores his soul,

giving him meaning.

Like a central hub,

all the aspects

of David's life

raiding out

as the spokes

of the whale.

The Lord is central

to this generous

prosperity.

Indeed,

it is the Lord

that defines

what prosperity is.

Are we ready

to surrender

our inclinations

to define

what our good

ought to be

and truly

to surrender

to the Lord

as our shepherd?

Now the mechanism

through this,

which this is achieved,

is through God's

leading in right paths.

And the motivation

for this

is the sake

of the name

of the Lord.

In Psalm 106,

David returns

to the metaphor

to spell out

again in more detail

what God's

faithful shepherding

through Exodus

looked like.

In verses 7 and 8,

Isaiah also reflects

on the crossing

of the Red Sea

in chapter 63.

So you led your people

to make for yourself

a glorious name.

God's right paths

are best for us.

But first and foremost,

they are about

his glory,

not our own.

And as we arrive

at verse 4,

the tense

of the psalm changes.

We move

from reflection

into the present.

Even though I walk

through the valley

of the shadow

of death.

Walking

through the wilderness

in Jeremiah

is referred to

as walking

through the valley

of shadow.

But here it's been

amped up a notch.

What is going on?

What happens

to the promised

green pastures

and still waters?

It jars,

doesn't it?

We don't know

when this psalm

was written by David,

but a lot of commentators

point to a period

when David

was being hunted down

by his son Absalom.

A son he loved,

but a son

who wanted him dead

so that he could

be king instead.

David certainly

knew what it was

to walk surrounded

by the shadow

of death.

But the apparent

clash here

in verse 4

is largely one

for our western eyes.

We've been drawn

into this psalm

as a story.

At first glance

it has this

classical story format.

Begins with order

and balance

that is then removed.

The order is

restored by the hero

and everyone lives

happily ever after.

But this is not a story.

This is a song.

It's poetic prose.

There are three scenes

in this psalm

and all three

are true concurrently

at the same time,

not sequentially

one after the other.

When we view

it like a story

we end up

with the conclusion

that the only point

of all of this

is to get to heaven.

We miss the true richness

of what David

is saying

we are offered

in the Lord

both here and now

while living

in this broken world

and then ultimately

realised in heaven

as well.

Unlike our regular

Western formula

Hebrew thought

often works

by building

to a main point

in the middle

and then filling

out the idea

by working back

outward from the peak

again.

And that's what

I've tried to allude

to as a structure

for the sermon outline

on the back

of your bulletin

if you're wondering

what's going on there.

It's the practice

that the conclusion

is right in the middle

seated between

two work examples

in verse 1 to 3

and then 5 and 6.

The whole psalm

emphasises the phrase

for you

are with me.

The dark valley

is the self-same

right path

as the green fields

and still waters.

The intimate relationship

with the Lord

transforms

how we view

even the darkest

worldly circumstances.

We remain

on the right path.

Our access

to green grass

and pure water

remains secure

in our shepherd.

shepherd.

The entire psalm

centers this stunning

idea

that the greatest

strongest

the most gentle

and generous shepherd

is with us.

That was the confidence

of David to say

that he shall not want.

What more could he have

than to be

with the shepherd

himself?

This is the confidence

of a boy

standing before

a fully armed

Goliath

with nothing but a sling

and a few stones.

The crescendo

of Psalm 23

that God is with us

his chosen people

is a biblical theme

that's not limited

to just this psalm.

God was with Adam

and Eve

in the garden

before the fall.

The fall resulted

in separation

for all of Adam's

children.

God promises

to Abraham

to make a people

for himself.

God promises

to be with Moses

as he goes

before Pharaoh.

God is symbolically

with Israel

through the ark

and the temple.

Jesus himself

is known as Emmanuel

God with us.

When Jesus

is preparing

his disciples

for his departure

he sends the Holy Spirit

that he could be

within us

and with us

and Jesus' famous promise

is the Great Commission.

Behold

I am with you

always

to the end

of the age.

Indeed

at the conclusion

of Revelation

again

it is an image

of being

with God.

Behold

the dwelling place

of God

is with man

he will dwell

with them

and they will

be his people

and God himself

will be with them

as their God.

Revelation chapter 21.

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

Why don't we see

this

as the answer

to life's ills

as David does?

Why are we so inclined

to see God's blessing

to us

exclusively

in material terms?

yet we find

it hard

to notice

the extravagance

of his offer

to be with us

for us

to be with him.

How would our lives

be different

if we saw this

as clearly

as David does?

Now David's confidence

in the valley

of the death

is not an idle fancy.

We have seen

how it's been built

on a foundation

of God's past faithfulness

but here he expands it

to God's present faithfulness.

Two images

are used

to focus

on specific aspects

of our God's character.

Both demonstrate

he is more than capable

to deliver

on his promises.

Firstly

the rod

or the club

the weapon of choice

for shepherds

as they protect

their flock.

A simple

yet effective weapon

in the skilled hands

of a shepherd

it was a capable

provider

of protection

for the flock

under his care.

The second item

is the staff

which we might

also call a crook.

It's a tool

of direction

or guidance.

God's presence

is not hypothetical

but he's hands on

in correcting his sheep

in guiding them.

He makes his sheep

follow the right paths.

It is not an easy way

but it is secured

by the father's strength

not David's capacity

to boldly follow.

Seeing God's power

knowing his control

brings comfort

to those who are his sheep.

They trust

in his providence

not in their own wisdom.

When we hit

verse 5

we're now done

with the shepherd imagery.

It has served

its purpose.

We move on

to the very human image

of a dinner party

a celebration

by the host

and what a host

we see portrayed here.

You prepare

a table

before me

in the presence

of my enemies.

The realism

of this psalm

should be a great

comfort to us.

This table

is set

while enemies

watch on.

There are dark paths

as well as green fields.

We can see life

as we experience it

reflected in this reality.

Just as Jesus

became a man

and walked the earth

God gets it.

He gets us

and he is enough.

Nothing

is going to stop him

hosting this party

not the presence

of enemies.

Note though

that this party

is not for them.

They can see

but do not

embrace

our God.

There is a warning here.

Although Psalm 23

is widely embraced

by non-Christians

the psalm

itself

does not

embrace them.

Indeed

at each point

the good promises

and comfort

offered

specifically exclude

those

who are not

invited to the party

here

or do not

submit to the Lord

as their shepherd

earlier.

There will be

people here

this morning

in that camp.

Don't allow

yourself to be

fooled into

comfort here.

If you are not

willing to submit

to the shepherd

to take Christ

as your Lord

nor are you

invited to the party.

There is no hope

offered other than

the free invitation

to join.

Jesus' offer

still stands

come to me

all of you

who are weary

and burdened

and I will give you

rest.

Take my yoke

upon you

and learn from me

because I am lowly

and humble in heart

and you will find

rest for your souls

for my yoke is easy

and my burden

is light.

This is exactly

the hope we see

affirmed in Psalm 23.

Don't be left

looking on alone

in the valley

of shadow.

As the party

metaphor continues

you anoint my head

with oil

my cup overflows.

Again

this is a new

image of

bountiful vision.

I'm not sure

about you though

but when I read

about anointing

the head with oil

my mind jumps

straight to Samuel

anointing David

with oil

as God's

chosen king.

But that's

actually not

what's going

on in this verse.

In Hebrew

it's a different

word for a

different purpose.

At that time

it was customary

as host of the day

to provide fragrant

oil for your guests

when they arrived

at your place.

It's more akin

to something like

Mary Mangeline

when she washed

Jesus' feet

and then anointed

them with perfume.

It's an image

of abundant

extravagant generosity

the precious

refreshing oil

provided.

And the cup

is overflowing.

It is an image

of bounty

of generous

welcome.

Remember the

symmetry of the

psalm?

It opened

affirming the

centrality of

God's past

faithfulness to

how David

views the

world.

He does not

want.

Now as we

come down from

the crescendo

of that intimate

relationship in

the spotlight

we wrap up

by looking forward

to God's future

faithfulness

certain and

sure.

Surely

goodness and

mercy shall

follow me

all the days

of my life

and I shall

dwell in the

house of the

Lord forever.

Here again

the old English

doesn't speak

clearly to my

ears.

A more

contemporary

phrasing of

verse 6

is faithful

love will

pursue me

all the days

of my life.

This is the

Lord actively

seeking out

David's good

pursuing him

without stopping

without ultimate

success assured

as David's

place in the

Lord is secured

forever.

It's not based

on David's

actions or

abilities but

entirely on the

Lord's strength.

Just as a

sheep is

dependent on

the shepherd

here again is

an expression of

God's faithful

and reliable

goodness to

David in

Christ to us

as his people

purchased at

grace price.

David looks

to the security

of his

relationship with

the Lord

of the ultimate

success assured

based only on

the Lord's

word.

Remember

David didn't

have the plan

laid out.

He wasn't

aware of the

price that would

be paid to

secure his

salvation on

the cross.

How much

more do we

have to take

confidence in?

Paul in

Romans 8 echoes

David's sentiments

in light of the

cross.

Neither

death nor

life nor

angels nor

rulers nor

things present

nor things to

come nor

powers nor

height nor

depth nor

any other

created thing

will be able to

separate us

from the love

of God that

is in Christ

Jesus our

Lord.

This is our

truth.

That is why

Psalm 23 is

such an enduring

favourite amongst

the faithful.

It's a poetic

embodiment of the

history of the

world and what

it means for how

we should view

ourselves in

six short

succinct verses.

As his adopted

children we are

loved by our

creator in our

weakness and our

brokenness.

He pursues us

and lavishes love

upon us.

Augustine said

you move us to

delight in praising

you.

You have made us

for yourself and

our hearts are

restless until they

rest in you.

We are created

for fellowship

with God.

The whole point

of our existence

is indeed to

dwell with him.

So often we are

praying to feel

that we can't be

present with Jesus

because of

something we've

done, something

we've said or

thought.

So often we are

skewed in our

orientation and

don't even ask or

seek God to

fulfil our need

for him.

But we chase a

myriad of other

pleasures, of

other interests

that inevitably

leave us

disappointed.

Psalm 23 is a

song of praise

and rejoicing.

But we have a

God who pursued

us, lavished

love upon us

and will take

us home.

Psalm 23 is a

song of comfort

and hope in

hard times because

our God is

faithful.

He is with us

through it all

and will remain

with us forever.

a true answer

to our innermost

need and desire.

Remember this

profound truth

that the Lord,

your shepherd,

is with you.

It order a shape

how we view

every aspect of

life.

It reminds us of

the truth of God's

perspective against

the many lies of

this world.

It liberates us to

live our lives on

the right path

following his ways

in confidence.

Not for ourselves

but in our shepherd

who provides all

we need and has

secured us that we

can be with him

forever to the

glory of his

great name.

Amen.

Amen.