The Shepherd's Care

We'll turn back to our reading in the book of Psalms, Psalm 23, and just look at the whole of this psalm together.

We can read just the first couple of verses before we go into it.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

How often have you heard this psalm? How often have you heard it read or how often have you sung this psalm?

Perhaps many of you, you know it off by heart. It's a psalm that many of us learned, whether it was in day school or Sunday school, learned all of these words off by heart.

But it's the most sung psalm in Scripture.

And it's amazing just how often it's sung in the sense of the kinds of occasions that it's sung at.

It can be very happy occasions or it can be very sad occasions that these words are sung.

And that's just a reminder to us that in this psalm there's a whole experience of our lives summed up.

Whatever situation we are going through, there is a reminder to us in this psalm.

So we may be very familiar with it, but there's also a danger with familiarity.

There's a danger with being familiar with these words, but not knowing what these words are actually saying to us.

Not understanding what they are saying to us.

Just take the opening words of the psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd.

It trips off our tongues so easily.

But if we just stop there, you know these words well, but what do the words mean?

What do they mean to you today?

What do they say to you?

Do you know this Lord as your shepherd?

And as you go on and read this psalm, as we go on and sing this psalm, what do the words go on to say about the care of the shepherd, of the shepherd's leading?

What does it mean to you?

You see, there's two problems with familiarity.

There's two sayings that are often used.

One is familiarity breeds contempt.

And that means that when we have a close knowledge of someone or something, it can lead to a lack of respect.

Familiarity breeds contempt.

And that can be true of this psalm.

Perhaps it's been true in your own experience.

Or perhaps in your own experience, it's true today that this is the way that you think of this psalm.

And you're familiar with it, but it breeds contempt because it speaks of the Lord as a shepherd and the different experiences that we can go through.

And because of maybe trials you've gone through or different experiences you've had, you start to question God or wonder, is there a God?

Or why does he allow certain things to happen?

So is that you today?

Does a familiarity with this psalm, does it breed contempt in your heart?

Or another saying is familiarity breeds complacency.

And complacency is something that can be true with this psalm as well.

We can just, as we say, hear it or sing it so often, but not really take in what it actually means for us.

We can become complacent with these words.

Maybe at first it's got a real sense of power to us, but as time goes on, we become complacent with it.

Think of the example of starting a new job.

You're going to start a new job.

Also, the first maybe few months, you're turning up early, showing that you're keen.

You're on your best behavior.

You're listening, paying close attention to all the details, diligently going about your work.

But over time, as you become more comfortable, you become complacent.

And so instead of turning up early, you turn up on time.

Instead of listening to everything, you just listen to what you think you need to know.

You start to look at where corners can be cut.

And then over time, you become more and more complacent.

Once you figure out the limits, you maybe start turning up late because nothing's being said.

You cut corners.

All of these kinds of things can come in and become complacent.

And that's the way we can be with this psalm as well.

And it's the same true of the Lord in your life.

Do you love him?

Or have you loved him and now maybe becoming complacent with him?

Do you use him in that sense?

Where you see that God is only there when you need him or when you want something from him.

And these words, when we say, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, I shall not lack.

We bring them to him then and say, but God, you have said.

But we ignore him the rest of the time.

So there can be a familiarity with this psalm.

One way it can breed contempt.

Another way it can breed complacency.

But we always want to come back to it and see what this psalm is saying to us.

Reminding us of how we are to walk with the Lord close to him and know the shepherd's care.

And the cluster of psalms here, 22, 23, and 24, they speak of the shepherd in different ways.

22, speaks about the shepherd as he dies for his sheep.

This 23 speaks as a shepherd as he cares for his sheep.

And then 24 speaks about the shepherd who's coming for his sheep, that he is going to return.

So this morning we're just going to think for a short time on the shepherd who cares for his sheep.

We all go through different experiences in our lives.

And as a congregation, as a people, we know whether it's ourselves or others who are going through a variety of different trials and experiences just now.

But we pray that these words will help us to bring us close to God.

And not just for us to come close, but us to bring others close to God as well.

It to be a prayer for people to know the Lord as a shepherd in these days for each and every one of us.

And the first thing we see in this psalm is a declaration.

A declaration.

David, the psalmist here, we can be familiar with his life.

David, who was a shepherd himself, a shepherd boy who was called by God to be a king for his people.

And so he was familiar with the whole idea of what it meant to be, a shepherd.

And now he's writing these words, seeing who his shepherd is.

The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want.

And just these opening words of David, he doesn't say the Lord is a shepherd.

He's not a shepherd like me.

He's saying the Lord is my shepherd.

He is seeing his own need.

And he's seeing that it is the Lord who is able to help him in his need.

The Lord is my shepherd, he says as well.

So it's ongoing.

It's in that tense where you see this is David's experience day to day.

The Lord is my shepherd.

You could almost say still to this day, the Lord is David's shepherd.

And for ourselves, it reminds us that God still speaks in this way to us, reminding us of our need for a shepherd.

As we read in John chapter 10, another great passage that reminds us of Jesus who is the good shepherd there for his people.

John 10 · chapter mention

In John 10 verse 4 it says,

John 10:4

There is that calling of the shepherd and there is that people who are following the voice of the shepherd.

That's what David is doing here.

Is that what you're doing in your life today?

Are you hearing that call of the shepherd to follow him?

And are you following him?

You see, this is a declaration of trust.

From the very outset, David is saying,

The Lord is my shepherd.

There is a trust there.

And as he looks at the Lord as his shepherd, he realizes then that he will not want, he will not lack, as he knows the Lord as his shepherd.

Do you ever say to the Lord as you pray,

Lord, I want.

Not in the sense of lack as it is here, but I want.

I want something.

We come with our demands.

You come with your demands too.

Lord, I want you to do this.

I want you to change this.

What are you asking of the Lord in your prayer?

It's not that we would, that he would give us everything that we want.

But as David is saying here, it's more,

I will not want in the sense of, I will not lack.

That when we are trusting in him, the Lord will provide what we need.

Not so much what we want, but what we need.

Because you see when he goes on in verse 2 to say,

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

There's this sense of, this scene is something beautiful, something plentiful, and something that's easy to find.

The shepherd just leads from one green pasture to another.

But that was not the case.

It wasn't the case for David as a shepherd or any shepherd in these days.

It was hard to find these green pastures.

It was hard to find these places with the waters to quench the thirst.

We have maybe the opposite problem here in Scotland and our own island.

The struggle is to find dry ground.

The struggle here was to find a place that wasn't dry, that wasn't hard, but that was well watered, that had lush grass.

And so the shepherd very often would have to lead great distances.

Moving through barren ground, hot areas, difficult terrain, all of these things with wild animals all around.

And so the green pastures were hard to find.

But the good shepherd led them to these places.

Again, as a reminder to us that there are these dry experiences, these difficult experiences in our own life.

Times of barrenness.

But as we're looking to the shepherd, to the good shepherd, he is able to bring us to these places of refreshing as well.

And so do you know this shepherd today as he leads you through all of these experiences in life?

The question that this raises from David in this psalm is, how do we know this shepherd?

How can you know this shepherd today?

Well, again, we go back to John chapter 10 to a verse we didn't read, but it says in verse 27 of chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

And so this declaration that David makes, the Lord is my shepherd, it leads to that question for us,

how can I know the Lord as my shepherd?

Well, it's what Jesus says in John 10, 27.

My sheep hear my voice, and my sheep follow me.

And so the two questions that arise from that are, are you listening to him, and are you following him?

If you want the Lord as your shepherd, it's to listen and to follow.

That's the declaration that David makes here.

He is listening, and he is following the Lord.

Are you today, in that sense, listening and following him?

So we have the good shepherd and the declaration that David makes,

but we also then have a sense of restoration as we turn to verse 3.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

And 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.

So these two verses, they remind us of the restoration that the good shepherd gives.

And the first thing is, he says there, he restores my soul.

The shepherd gives life.

A shepherd, in the ordinary sense of an ordinary shepherd, he couldn't give life,

but he sought to provide care that kept life.

But Jesus is the one who gives life, because he's no ordinary shepherd.

He is the Son of God who came into this world.

And so, as we look to Jesus, we see one who finds his sheep.

And it's where he finds his sheep, as described by Paul in Ephesians 2, verse 1,

Ephesians 2:1

who are dead in their trespasses and sins.

That's the way we are as a sheep.

We are a sheep who have gone astray.

And yet he is able to restore.

He is able to restore our soul.

He is able to give life.

The word restore means to bring back.

And that's what the Lord Jesus does for his people.

He brings back that life that was dead in sin.

And a life that then we are able to live for him.

But when you look at these words, it's not just applying to us.

But we see them first and foremost applying to the Lord Jesus himself.

Because, as you read and as we sing often in verse Psalm 16 as well,

the soul is not left to decay, it says.

And that's speaking of the Lord Jesus.

And here we are reminded that Jesus was one who gave his life,

but who took his life up again.

It's a great reminder to us as we approach the time of Easter

and remembering the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

And look at verse 4 and how that applies to the Lord Jesus as well.

Through the valley of the shadow of death as he went to the cross,

as he died there for our sins.

There's a reminder here that the good shepherd has experienced all of this himself.

And so the life that he is able to give is a life that he has given for us,

that we might have life through him.

And so the shepherd here provides life.

He is life because he gave his own life.

But the good shepherd also leads his sheep.

And again we see that both in verse 2 and verse 4.

So that whether the paths lead us through the still waters,

the green pastures,

or whether the path leads us through the deep valley as described in verse 4 here,

the valley of the shadow of death,

there is that promise of his presence.

I will fear no evil for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

The shepherd's tools were the rod and the staff.

One to catch, one to direct.

Always used to keep the sheep on the right path,

whatever experience they were going through.

And it's a powerful reminder to us here of how often maybe we don't like the paths

that we are being taken on.

But that when we find it difficult,

even in the valley of the shadow of death,

we have the promise of the shepherd who is near.

And there's a temptation here for us all,

for you and for me,

in terms of where we go in our time of need.

It's to often think that the grass is greener in some other way.

That we don't need the Lord,

that the Lord doesn't care about us.

And therefore we go and look for that comfort,

that care somewhere else.

The grass is greener.

We are like sheep.

We wander off.

And so the question is,

what path are we on today?

What way are we going?

What way are we turning,

even in the midst of times of hardness?

Yes.

The Bible speaks about two paths we can go,

the broad road and the narrow road.

The broad road is often the easy way to go

and the easy way to turn.

But it says it leads to destruction.

But the narrow path,

although it may be difficult,

although it may be hard,

it's the one that leads to everlasting life.

And so which path are you on today?

Which way are you going with the shepherd?

Are you turning away from him

and going your own way?

Or are you turning to him

that he might lead you?

We like to be independent in many ways.

Are you an independent person?

Are you one who says,

well, I'm going to do it,

but I'll do it my way?

And we're quite dogmatic.

We see it in some sort of courage now

to think for yourself

and to do your own thing.

And all of these kinds of ideas

to be trailblazers.

And there was a saying that said,

do not follow where the path may lead you.

Go instead where there is no path

and leave a trail.

And that's kind of the attitude

that many people will take.

Perhaps it's your attitude today,

the way that you want to go.

It's not to find the path to go

and that you're being led on,

but instead to find a place

where there's no path

and to leave a trail.

It's that selfish,

independent attitude.

But instead we are to look to the Lord

because you could say

the only one

who has gone away

where there was no path

and left a trail

is the Lord Jesus.

Because he's the only one

who could go the way of the cross

and give his life in this way

and leave a path for us

to follow.

I'm sure many of you

have been involved in sheep

over the years

and taking them out to the moor.

I can't say it's my favorite pastime,

but I often enjoyed going out the moor

because it was just the openness of it.

And as you were taking either

gathering sheep

or taking sheep out,

you would find

there was always well-throdden paths

that the sheep would follow.

And this is the way

you would often follow them as well.

But there was also reminders

of what it meant

to go off that path.

Where you would see a sheep

who's maybe

gone off in its own direction,

gone its own way

and become stuck

because it's gone off

the proper path.

And it's a reminder to us as well

of what path are we on?

Are we going the way

the Lord has gone?

Or are we thinking

we know a better way

and a way that we can find

peace for ourselves?

And we only end up stuck

in this life,

lost in this life.

So he's giving us a way.

He's giving us a promise

that he is with us as well.

Because you see here,

the sheep are passing through

the valley of the shadow of death.

And even though there are times

when as the Lord's people,

we have to go through

the most frightening

and the most dangerous

of places,

we have a promise

of a companion,

of a companion

who will never leave us.

And that was David's confidence.

Even though I walk through

the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil.

That we will be able

to say that ourselves today.

even though we go through

the valley of the shadow of death.

And we do.

We all do.

And we know others

who are going through it

even now.

But we have to see

that the Lord

is there for us.

And notice how it says

the valley of the shadow

of death.

It's like the shadow

is over us.

But a shadow

cannot harm us.

There was a father

who was driving

to his wife's funeral

with his children.

And as they were traveling

along the road,

they stopped

at some traffic lights.

And in front of them

was a big lorry,

a big lorry

with a trailer

on the back.

Because it was wintertime,

there was a long shadow

being cast from the lorry

across into the field

beside the road.

And the father said

to the children,

look at the shadow

of that truck.

If you had to be run over,

would you rather be run over

by the shadow

or the truck itself?

And one of the children

was piped up

from the back.

The shadow, of course,

because that cannot hurt anybody.

And the way he went on

to explain it then

was to remember

that Jesus let the truck

strike him.

So that all we could have

was the shadow

that would not destroy us.

And he went on to say

that because her mother

was a Christian

and because Jesus

had taken upon himself

all that pain of death,

that it was only the shadow

that had been cast on her.

That even now,

death passed over her

because she was alive

with the Lord.

And that's what this psalm

speaks of,

the valley of the shadow

of death.

Because of what Jesus

has done for us,

we know that he bore

that pain on the cross.

That it's only the shadow

that comes on us.

Because Jesus said,

I have come

that they might have life

and have it abundantly.

And the gospel of John

is full of life.

Life to the full.

And today,

I know some of you

are going through

your own grief.

You go through your worries

and your fears

and all of these things

are the valley

of the shadow of death.

But we can take heart

because the Lord

is with us.

He will not let

his people go.

And he is there

to comfort

by his rod

and his staff.

He came

that we might have

life

in him.

So we have that

sense of restoration.

He brings back.

He gives life.

He helps

even in the valley

of the shadow

of death.

death.

The final thing

we see here

just briefly

is there's preparation.

In verse 5

and verse 6,

you prepare a table

before me

in the presence

of my enemies.

So there's a sense

here of a feast,

of rejoicing,

that he brings us

through,

but that he is

preparing a better way,

a better place

for his people.

That Christ,

in Christ,

we have victory.

Romans 8

is full of that

as it speaks

of nothing

being able

to separate us

from the love

of God

which is in Christ

Jesus our Lord.

Not even death

can separate us

from that love.

And so here

he is saying

he is preparing

a place

for his people.

And when you look

at, again,

the Gospel of John

as Jesus was going

to the cross,

as he was with

his disciples

before he went

out to the cross,

what does he say?

He says,

let not your hearts

be troubled.

Believe in God.

Believe also in me.

In my Father's house

are many rooms.

And I go

to prepare

a place

for you.

So there's preparation.

He is going

to prepare

a place

for you.

and he has

prepared

all things

for his people.

He has prepared

for us

for this day

while we are here

on earth.

And he says here

that he gives

a cup

that overflows.

You could ask

yourself,

then how is

your cup

today?

Even in the

difficulties

and trials

that we face,

if you are

trusting in the Lord,

he is able

to make your cup

overflow.

In these days

of David's time,

if you are visiting

and you were

a guest

in a house,

the host

would keep

filling the glass

as he was enjoying

your company.

But when

the time

was over,

when the evening

was coming

to a close,

the host

to indicate

that it was

time to leave,

instead of

filling the cup

up to the top,

would instead

only half fill it.

And that was

the indication

it's time

to go.

As long as

the cup

was being

filled,

you were there

and you were

enjoying his

company,

and he would

say,

he would be

saying,

I'm liking,

I'm enjoying

your company,

stay for a

while longer.

Well,

that's the image

that we have

here.

Not just

the host

filling the

cup,

but the cup

is overflowing.

He longs

to be with

his people.

And so he

promises help

for today

to his people.

He says in

verse 6,

Surely goodness

and mercy

shall follow

me all the

days of

my life.

He gives

grace.

That's what

goodness and

mercy sum up

to.

It sums up

to the grace

of God

that follow

all the days

of my life.

He is there

to give us

that grace

for everything

that we need.

And so what

do you want

for this life

day by day?

Where do

you find

your help?

You can find

it in the

grace that

he gives,

in the goodness

and mercy

that he gives

day by day.

But it says

too that there

is more to

come.

What do you

want for

eternity?

Do you

desire God's

house

forevermore?

That should

be the longing

of every

Christian.

To know

that hope

that there

is a place

not just

here

but for

all eternity

that we

can dwell

in his

house

forever.

And that's

what the

shepherd does.

He leads

us in

this life.

He leads

us by

his grace

day by day

but always

with that

reminder

that there

is more

to come.

And so

this psalm

is a

psalm

of great

comfort.

Comfort

in every

experience.

Comfort

day by

day.

Comfort

through times

of joy

and times

of sorrow

that he

gives grace

for all

of our

needs.

We are

familiar

with this

psalm.

You are

familiar with

it I'm

sure.

But what

does it

stir up

in your

soul

today?

Does it

stir up

that

contempt

where still

you say

but God

he allows

all these

difficulties.

How can

he be a

gracious

God?

Well we

can see

it because

of what

he has

done

for us

in giving

his son

to take

that death

upon himself

so that

only the

shadow

could touch

us.

But it

can also

breed

complacency

where we

become

complacent

with the

Lord.

And if

that's

you today

if you

are one

who is

complacent

today

perhaps

it's

time to

ask

yourself

do I

need

to return

to the

Lord

in this

way?

Do I

need to

come back

and see

for myself

the Lord

as my

shepherd

again?

We all

need

the Lord

as our

shepherd.

Somebody

said

about

this

psalm

if the

thought

of his

grace

here

and his

glory

there

in other

words the

grace that

he gives

for today

and the

glory of

eternity

the thought

of his

grace here

and his

glory there

don't light

your fire

then your

wood

must be

wet.

Isn't that

a good way

of putting

it?

If the

thought of

his grace

here and

his glory

there don't

light your

fire then

your wood

must be

wet.

Contempt

complacency

they can

pour water

on the

wood of

our fire

that burns.

Is your

wood wet

today?

As you

think of

the Lord

are you

stirred up

in your

soul

to think

of his

grace

for here

and now

and his

glory there

that we

long to

see.

May his

word not

just be

familiar to

us but

may we be

familiar more

and more

with the

shepherd it

speaks of

so that our

hearts would be

stirred up by

these words

to find

comfort

to find

grace in

time of

need

but also

to find

that hope

that longs

for better

that looks

to a place

of God's

dwelling

forevermore

and to

know the

shepherd

who leads

us there.

May his

word, may

this psalm

stir our

hearts in

that way.

Let us

pray.

Lord our

gracious God

we thank you

for the

wonder of

these words

words that

we sing

so often

words that

we are so

familiar with

and yet

words that

we need to

hear on a

daily basis

that we

need your

goodness and

mercy day

by day

here that

we need to

have that

hope that

we can look

forward to

a dwelling

place with

you forever

more and

it's all in

knowing the

shepherd, the

good shepherd

who came to

lay down his

life for his

sheep.

We pray

Lord today for

these words to

challenge us, to

convict us, that

we would not be

complacent or

that we would

not have contempt

towards him,

but that we

would have that

longing, that

desire to

know them

more and

more and

to help all

who need you

in these ways

whether it's

times of the

still waters

and the

calmness of

life rejoicing

in you or

whether it's

going through

that valley of

the shadow

of death,

whatever place

we find

ourselves today

may we know

the rod and

the staff that

comfort, that

keep, that

uphold us

day by day.

So Lord be

with us, go

before us,

pardon our

sin, in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

We're going to

conclude by

singing to

God's praise

in Psalm 95.

Sing

Psalms version

page 126.

Psalm 95

We'll sing

from verse

1 down

to verse

8.

O come,

let us

joyfully

sing to

the Lord,

to the

rock of

salvation.

Let us

raise our

voice.

Let us

come before

him,

expressing our

thanks.

Let us

with loud

singing,

praise him

and rejoice.

We'll sing

from verse

1 to

verse 8

to God's

praise.

the

tune of

St. Daniel.

O come,

let us

joyfully

sing to

the Lord.

To the

rock of

salvation,

let us

raise our

voice.

Let us

come before

him,

expressing

our

thanks.

Let us

with light

singing,

praise him

and rejoice.

The

Lord is

the

great

God

King

over

all

gods.

The

earth's

deepest

places

he

holds

in

his

hand.

The

heights

of

the

mountains

belong

to

the

Lord.

The

oceans

are

his

and

he

formed

the

dry

land.

Come,

let us

bow

humbly

and

worship

the

Lord.

Let

us

kneel

before

him

our

make

God

in

prayer.

For

we

!

He

is

our

God.

He

shepherds

and feeds

us

in his

loving

care.

Today,

if you

hear

and attend

his

voice,

don't

harden

your

hearts

as you

did

on the

way.

In

menopause

desert

you

quarreled

with me,

you

quarreled

with me,

you

tested

my

patience

at

Massa

that

day.

After the

benediction,

I'll go to the door to my left.

We'll close with the benediction.

Now may grace,

mercy,

and peace from

God,

Father,

Son,

and Holy

Spirit rest upon

and abide with you

all now

and forevermore.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.