Psalm 23 -- The Good Shepherd Leads Us To Contentedness

Calvary Monterey Shelter-In-Place Challenge

• Rules

  1. Start every day with the Bible and prayer
  2. 40 minutes of exercise daily
  3. 10 pages from a spiritually edifying book daily
  4. Check the news a maximum of twice daily

  5. Give something genuine daily (money, compliment, Scripture, time, phone call)

     • Every day until SIP ends.

Introduction

David, the man after the Lord's heart, learned of God's shepherding nature through the peaks and valleys of his life. At some point, he sat down and wrote, under the inspiration of the Spirit, the Shepherd's Psalm, one of the most famous songs human history has produced. Jew and Gentile, Hebrew and Christian, have celebrated the warmth and tenderness of David's words. We know, instinctively, we are on holy ground when reading this song.

Two Characters

The lyrics provide us with two main characters. The first is the Shepherd Lord, David's God, the one who cared for his soul. David had realized God's tender care towards him, comparing it to the way a shepherd cares for his sheep. David had, after all, cared for his father's sheep as a young man. He had fed them when they were hungry, defended them from predators, and led them to green pastures. When the lion and bear attacked, David sprung up and, with the Spirit's aid, struck them down. He had given his life for his father's sheep, they had become his own sheep, and now David realized God had done the same for him.

The second character is David, the sheep. We could understand how David would come to see people like sheep. He had cared for flocks long enough to know that the Sauls and Absaloms and Joabs of his life often replicated his father's misbehaving sheep. Once he became king, David may have seen all of Israel like a massive flock of God, people in need of leadership and direction. People who, left to their own devices, would self-destruct. But, eventually, David began to realize that he was a sheep in the eyes of his Father God. He needed the Lord's leadership and direction and guidance and provision in life. Though he was the greatest man of his generation, the king of Israel who had the DNA of the Messiah coursing through his body, David knew he was not big enough to cease needing God. He recognized his dependent nature. With kindness, God would provide for David's need.

The Promise

The song also delivers us a promise. The overall effect of the Lord's shepherding hand in our lives is simple: a lack of want. David wrote, "I shall not want."

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)

Everyone today hypes the value of freedom to do whatever one wants. To this cultural value, David's description of life under the care of his Shepherd is fitting. David, when led by God, was utterly free. He had no needs, no wants. He was satiated, satisfied with all his Father in heaven had provided for him. He saw himself as a contented sheep in need of absolutely nothing. It is this contentedness we come to the song craving. To live a life free of the trappings of discontent, free to refuse the temptations of the flesh's desires, is a life we long for. We want to be free. We wish for David's contentment. He had followed his own psalmic advice and had tasted and seen how the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). Now he lives to sing the tale.

But how does our Shepherd Lord produce such a massive and glorious level of contentment in his sheep? How does he bring us to this marvelous place of rest? How are we brought, by him, to a lack of want? Let us spend the remainder of this study observing the ways.

1. By making you lie down.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures." (Psalm 23:2a)

How does a shepherd make his sheep lie down? Phillip Keller, in his classic book A Shepherd's Look At Psalm 23, wrote, "The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met."

The four he detailed were:

• First, freedom of fear of predators.
• Second, freedom from friction with other sheep.
• Third, freedom from the torment of pests.
• Fourth, freedom from hunger for food.

One glance at this list makes it apparent that the Good Shepherd does not make his sheep lie down through some poetic or flimsy means. This psalm is not mere sentiment, a greeting card mentality thrown into Scripture. No, the Lord works hard on behalf of his people. He labors to bring us to a place of rest and contentedness.

Picture Christ, your great high priest, working behind the scenes, unbeknownst to his sheep, to bring them to a place of rest. He labors to quiet their fears and insecurities, whispering in their ears how safe they are in him. He strives to bring them relational peace with the other battered and broken humans with whom they must interact, teaching them how to navigate the minefield of human relationships. He creates remedies for the pests and annoyances that are certain to follow us in life, developing ways for his sheep to endure their troubles. And he strives to feed his people, satisfying them with him and his word so they can come to a place of rest. He works diligently, often in ways we cannot see or comprehend, to bring us to a place of rest.

"The promise of entering his rest still stands" (Hebrews 4:1). "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). Your Good Shepherd desires to bring you, his beloved sheep, into a place of rest and grace before him. He wants you to rest in his arms of love and quiet and calm. Every abuse, entanglement, and sin you've ever been caught up in is no problem for his shepherd's heart. He can bring you through it all to a place of calm before him. He loves and cares for you. The same Lord who told his disciples to work hard and cast their nets on the other side of the boat also called them to come and eat breakfast, to cease their toil, and enjoy him (John 21:6, 12). He wants to bring you a place of rest before him.

2. By Satisfying Your Thirst

"He leads me beside still waters" (Psalm 23:2b).

While modern shepherds have modern equipment with which to deliver water to their flocks, The ancient shepherd had to find sources of water to bring his sheep. And for sheep, certain conditions have to be met. First, the water can not be rapid, bubbling and flowing and startling, for this would disturb and unsettle the sheep. But, secondly, and because sheep prefer calm waters, the shepherd has to find calm water that is still clean. Sheep are all too willing to drink still water that is stagnant and parasitic, so the shepherd has to work hard to bring his sheep to still, yet clean and healthy, water sources.

One way a shepherd might do this is by finding a freshwater stream and preparing it for his sheep. The way he would ready the water is by taking rocks and building a small alcove for the water to flow into, thereby calming the freshwater for his sheep. The stones would slow the water, cause it to still before the sheep, but it would lack all the sickliness of longstanding water sources.

Our Good Shepherd works hard to bring us to healthy sources of water, that which truly satisfies our souls. He leads us beside still waters.

One day, in the life of Christ, Jesus determined to pass through Samaria. He "had to pass through Samaria," John wrote (John 4:4). Upon arrival, Jesus dismissed his disciples, telling them to go into town to find lunch. In the heat of the noon-day sun, Jesus remained alone at the town's well, the well of Jacob, when a solitary woman arrived. As she worked to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. She, expecting to be alone during the intense heat of the sun, was shocked. Jesus, a Jewish man, was not supposed to speak with her, a Samaritan woman. "How is it you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? (John 4:9).

Jesus replied, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10). They went back and forth for a moment before Jesus said, "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). She did not understand what he meant. "Give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water," she said (John 4:15). Then Jesus did something surprising when he said, "Go, call your husband." "I have no husband," was her reply. "You are right when you say you have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the man you are with today is not husband," Jesus said (John 4:17-18).

When Jesus revealed this woman's situation, he was not trying to embarrass or shame her. He was not demeaning her. Nor was he trying to demonstrate miraculous knowledge, at least not primarily. He was, as an expert physician, diagnosing his patient, attempting to show her the thirst within. She was hungry and thirsty for something, and she'd tried time and again to fill that void with various men. She was thirsty but had turned to the wrong places to quench her thirst.

The tendency of God's sheep, so often, is to turn to the wrong sources to quench our thirst. "My people have committed two evils," God said, "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and have made for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). God's people had turned from the God who could satisfy them to the murky waters of the world, streams which could not satisfy, could not last, and would endanger their health.

Let us turn anew to Christ. He is there, waiting, wanting to solve the riddle of our thirst, to bring us into refreshment in him.

3. By Setting Your Soul Aright

"He restores my soul" (Psalm 23:3).

As the song progresses, we come to a sheep that is distraught. David saw himself as this worried and anxious sheep, one who needed soul restoration. Even though the Lord was his Shepherd, he still felt there were times his soul would become imbalanced and upset. The song presents the image fo a little sheep who has, through some circumstance, real or imagined, brought to an unsettled state.

Many believers forget this truth. They feel as if walking with God must mean they will not experience life's frustrations, and, if they do, they must be out of step with God. But there are times our souls get out of balance. He is ours, we are his, but trials will still come. We will experience agitation, frustration, anger, disappointment, hurt, or depression. In those moments, we ought not to doubt our identity as his sheep, but see these feelings and experiences as evidence we are merely sheep. He has not made us into superhumans who cannot fall into bewilderment.

Our Shepherd labors to set our souls aright. He restores our soul. David was familiar with this truth in that he often went through great tumult in his walk with God. At one point, he told his closest friend, "There is but a step between me and death" (1 Samuel 20:3). He often struggled through betrayal and rejection. His soul became betwixt within him. He labored through life, but every time, he felt the Lord was the one to restore his soul.

Jesus is the great restorer of souls. He longs to set your soul aright. Think of his grace with Peter, a man who so loudly and passionately declared he'd never deny Christ. When he did, embarrassingly, around a fire, and to a few lowly servants, he went out and wept profusely. He had failed the Lord, a miserable experience for any believer. But Christ, after he'd risen, set his sights upon Peter. One day, after fishing, Jesus prepared another fire. To the man who'd denied him three times, Jesus asked three times, "Do you love me?" It was his way of restoring his man. He told Peter to feed and tend the flock of God. He wanted Peter to know his life was still useful, and more useful, now that he'd restored him. He worked hard to set Peter's soul aright and, if we avail ourselves of his leadership, he will work hard to set our souls aright as well.

4. By Forging New, Right Paths For You

"He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:3)

The shepherd also leads the sheep into new and right paths. Sheep, like humans, will tread the same paths until they turn into ruts.

Philip Keller wrote:

"Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves, they will follow the same trails until they become ruts; graze the same hills until they turn to desert wastes; pollute their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites. Many of the world's finest sheep ranges have been ruined beyond repair by over-grazing, poor management, and indifferent or ignorant sheep owners."

Lacking wisdom and insight, a sheep will not dare to venture into uncharted yet healthy areas. Prone to wander, yes, but not towards the healthy paths of righteousness the Lord has in store.

Our Shepherd has new and right paths designed for us to walk in, but, each time, they frighten us. Think of the original disciples. Many of them were accustomed to fishing, but Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." This was his way of inviting them into a new and right path for their lives, but the fright within them was real. Who was this man, this rabbi, asking them to go on a fresh and new journey, to take a new path?

But the paths the Lord has for you are good and right. Though intimidating at first, the believer who obeys and follows their Shepherd soon discovers how good these new paths are. When a new believer is taught about financial generosity, it comes across as a shocking and frightening new path. Why would I want to make myself less secure by releasing my money? But the Christian who enters into this path will soon learn of God's provision for their lives, discover a heightened victory over the trappings of covetousness, and an accelerated love for the work of the church and their neighbor. When called onto a new and right path like this one, we are often hesitant, but our Lord will often call us beyond our comforts, for our great good. If we stay where we were, the ground beneath our feet will begin to pollute. We must move out and on with our Lord.

Jackie Hill-Perry, in her book Gay Girl, Good God, wrote powerfully about her encounter with Christ and surrender to him. He became the all-beautiful One she wanted to follow. As a lesbian, she had come under the conviction of God. She knew she could not pursue her desires. Though her same-sex attraction did not immediately dissipate, as a new believer, she knew God had a new and right path for her. Over time, as she followed this foreign path for her life, she gained victory over the flesh. Eventually, she found herself in love with a wonderful and godly man whom she eventually married. But her description of those early days, and even her current days, is a beautiful detail of a new and right path her Shepherd called her to walk. She, and all others who have come out into the paths Christ has for them, rejoice.

5. By Leading You Through The Valleys.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rode and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

David experienced many dark valleys in his walk with God. He endured Saul's spears and attempts to take David's life (1 Samuel 18-19). He endured wilderness wandering brought on by Saul's incessant hatred (1 Samuel 23-25). He endured war with Ishbosheth, Saul's remaining son, after Saul's death. He endured the betrayal of his own son, Absalom. He endured the breakup of his family through incest and rape and abuse and murder. He watched the nation reject him. He felt the pains of death in his life. But, all the while, his Shepherd Lord stood by his side, leading and guiding his life.

Ancient shepherds would have to, annually, take their sheep to greener pastures by driving them through the dangers of the valley. As they roamed those ancient countrysides, the sheep, to get to the safe places for nourishment, had to pass through frightful terrain. In those moments, off the range and into the valley, the shepherd's relationship with the sheep shifted. No longer could he watch the flock from afar, tending to individual needs when called for, but he had to personally engage with the sheep to get them to their desired destination. He would lift them over rocks, steady them on cliffs, and encourage them through the climb.

The shepherd's need to handle the sheep is why David's song became personal at this point. Rather than sing about God, David began to sing to God. He had said, "The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down. He leads me. He restores me." But now, when walking through the valley of the shadow of death, he sang, "You are with me," for it is in the trials and tribulations of life the Lord becomes personal to us. It is in the despair of life we begin to feel and know him intimately and personally.

In the pains and pressures, our theories about God become a reality. It is in the hard and challenging times we learn who he is. We say he is good, but in the valley, we feel and experience and bask in his goodness. The same Lord who saw his disciples "straining at the oars" also sees you (Mark 6:46-48). He knows your struggle and pain as you enter into the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10). He will stand with you. Whenever Paul was at the bottom, in the pit, Christ encouraged his heart. In Corinth, in Jerusalem, in Rome, during the times of deepest fear, Christ stood with Paul.

"But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. (2 Timothy 4:17)

And our Lord is the Shepherd who will rescue you from the lion's mouth, as well.

6. By Bringing You To The Life He's Prepared For You.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." (Psalm 23:5).

At this point, it feels as if we've passed from the world of sheep and into the world of humanity. What does a sheep have to do with bountiful tables and overflowing cups? Why would a sheep celebrate this type of future? Surely, David has moved into the human realm?

Not so fast! Ancient shepherds were nomadic. Often, they would leave their sheep to scout a location they'd need to take their flocks to during harsher climates. The shepherd would depart for an expedition, searching for the perfect place to take his flock when the time came. And these mesas and tablelands would provide protection for the flock during the harsher months of the year. Once the shepherd found the tablelands, he would prepare the ground beforehand. He would often bring minerals with him to enrich the soil, readying it for the flock.

All of this preparation went unknown to the flock. Unconscious of the shepherd's movements, the sheep could merely trust the goodness of the shepherd to provide for their future.

And our Good Shepherd also leads our lives today. He goes before us, finding and preparing tablelands for us. On one hand, you could say heaven is the ultimate tableland he has for all his sheep. You could also say Christlikeness is another destination he has in store for all of us. He wants each one of us to become more like Jesus, and this is the mesa he has for us.

Let's trust our Shepherd. Let's believe he is working to deliver us to the tablelands.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28–30)

Conclusion: I Am Privileged

"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" (Psalms 23:5-6).

David ends the psalm on a high note. He believes God's goodness and mercy will pursue him all the days of his life. The word follow is a military word, like being chased in the wilderness by a military power, something David knew all about. But just as Saul had chased him, he believed God's goodness and mercy would also chase him.

You see, we are a privileged people. We have the gospel. We have the indwelling presence of the Spirit. We have our Father in heaven. And we have the Good Shepherd who watches over us. "Goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."