Psalm 23 is so beloved and familiar that you probably don’t even need to open our Bibles to it in order to study it because you know it by heart. It is a popular reading at funerals, during crisis and in times of depression.
When we started the book of Psalms, we talked about how the book of Psalms itself is the place where we love to turn to in the Bible in order to find comfort for our hearts. We referred to it as a sanctuary, a hiding place of refuge, the consecrated place where we always seem to find God and were or heart is called from all its afflictions and fears. The book of Psalms soothes us.
Psalm 23 itself is like a favored secluded sitting spot within the book of Psalms. It’s a place where we all love to go. Despite its popularity, we always find ourselves alone there, yet not alone for the Lord’s presence is great in Psalms 23. That is the theme of this Psalm. Assurance of the Lord’s abiding presence with us during dark times, assurance that He is leading us to a place of rest, along the paths of righteousness, by the best route available. It is reminding ourselves of these truths which calm the anxiety, grief and fear that unsettles our hearts during dark times.
Psalm 23 is a Psalm of Confidence. In it we see a firm assertion of trust in God. This firm assurance of trust dominates the entire Psalm. This Psalm is rich in metaphors. It portrays God as our Shepherd. We are His sheep. As our Shepherd, God makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us beside still waters, He restores our soul, His rod and staff comfort us. Despite a feeling of fear being expressed, the psalmist David, expresses a submissive trust in God and God’s presence in dark times. He expresses confidence in God’s abiding presence that is ever closing watching over us and guiding us to places of rest, rich provision and places where we can experience uninhibited joy.
Many would say it’s a Psalm of Thanksgiving also. This is also a fitting category since David’s intention is to praise and bless God. This Psalm bears witness to God and the great work of God in David’s life of guiding him safely through some very dark and dangerous times.
Unlike most Psalms of Thanksgiving, there is not a restatement of a past lament now answered, but instead this is present lament expressed. This psalm is very much written in presence tense, it is a present trouble that David is undergoing, “even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, David is not far enough out of his circumstances to be able to look back and thank God and praise God for bringing him out of them and delivering him. Instead David is yet still in his circumstances, unable to see beyond them, unable to see very far forward due to the darkness he is still in. There so much David is unable to see while he is walking in the valley of shadow of shadow of death, symbolizing deep darkness, but yet David sees God and that is all He needs to see to calm his heart and to keep walking.
David looks to the presence of God with him; he looks to the person of God, the love of God, specifically towards him personally portraying God as his Shepherd. There are a lot of “my’s” and “I’s” in this Psalm. The Lord isn’t just our Shepherd. He is my Shepherd. He makes me lie down, He leads me, He restores me, He prepares a table before me. David lays claim to Yahweh as his Shepherd and He lays claim to all his benefits as his own. It’s one thing to know God is our Shepherd, it is another thing to know God as my Shepherd. This is the vast difference between grasping and gaining a truth of God from the Tree of Knowledge vs. grasping it and gaining it from The Tree of Life. You know the Lord is your Shepherd not because you have heard about it and read it but because you have experienced it, you have lived through it and continue to live this truth in life, you know the Lord as your Shepherd. David knows the Lord as his Shepherd.
David is not only aware of God’s presence and God’s person, but David also trusts in God’s provision. God provides the way through for us. David may not see a way through his circumstances. This probably not a way that he would personally prefer to go, but he trusts in the way that God has chosen as the best way, through a narrow valley yet beside still waters, to get to his destination, a table top feast on top of a mountain that God has personally prepared for him. David knows that God has the plan and a purpose and that it is good.
David trusts God in the Psalm of Confidence when he can’t see and this Psalm exhorts us to trust God in times when we can’t see. There is not a call on the rest of the congregation to join him in praising and thanking God for his abiding presence, for his continual watching over us and guiding us in dark times to places of abundant riches. This is not a corporate call to praise and yet that is the end result of this Psalm that our confidence in God is stirred up and we are also stirred up to praise God and to bless him with David for all the dark places and dark times he has safely led us through when we should have been devoured, and for all the dark places and dark times that he is currently leading us through where we are enjoying peace just because we know He is there. That is what this Psalm is about.
Like Psalm 1 that we looked at last week describing the benefits of the blessed life. This Psalm also reminds us and builds up the idea that it truly is a blessed life that we are called to as we enjoy God as our Shepherd. In Psalms 1 the imagery was that of our being trees planted by streams of living water, always thriving, our leaves never withering, our vitality never diminishes. We always bear fruit in season. We do not have to fear future storms and disasters even though we will undergo them, because the Lord Himself provides for us and sustains in a chaotic and unjust world.
Psalm 23 is the same truth illustrated in another way showing what a truly blessed life we lead. It shows that we are always richly provided for, always carefully watched over, always guided along the best paths in life, always protected, always experiencing peace in a world that knows no peace.
I read a quote this week that stuck with me and it came back to me as I was studying. It was from one of my morning devotion books called His Victorious Indwelling. In it Major Ian Thomas talks about the way we live as Christians and how our neighbor is watching us. Often in the way we live as Christians, there is nothing remarkable about our lives that is striking that causes our neighbor to take notice. There is nothing so commendable about us, that others can’t imitate themselves without the trouble of becoming a Christian. Major Ian Thomas goes on to say:
“It is only when your quality of life baffles the neighbors that you are likely to impress them. It has got to become patently obvious to others that the kind of life you are living is not only highly commendable but that it is beyond all human explanation. That it is beyond the consequences of man’s capacity to imitate, and however little they may understand this, clearly the consequence only of God’s capacity to reproduce Himself in you.
In a nutshell, this means that your fellowmen must become convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ of whom you speak, is essentially Himself the ingredient of the life you live.
Psalms 1 and Psalms 23 both illustrate a remarkable difference between the lives of the blessed and the ungodly which becomes patently obvious to others in times of crisis. When others are withering in difficult circumstances, the blessed somehow still manage to thrive. It’s baffling. Their vitality never seems to weaken or wither. They are still fruitful. There is often still a quiet inner strength and stillness about them even though their entire world is shaken and spins chaotically around them. They have a stabilizing effect on those around them in their environment. They are the first others turn to for support. We may be grieving, we may be fearful at times, we probably don’t like our present circumstances much, we may be bowed down, but we still remain firmly planted and unmoved in our heart. Our peace is in place. We are not and cannot be blown away.
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. (Pro. 10:25)
The Lord is my shepherd;
First take note of who our shepherd is. It is Yahweh. Notice the all caps representing the personal name of God present in this bicolon phrase. Yahweh, the great Jehovah, is our Shepherd.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts: 4:12
We live in a world teeming with false gods and false images of God. Let it be clearly known to the world who our God is, who our Lord is. It is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God who defines and reveals Himself to us in our bible and through his son Jesus Christ who is the image of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15) This is the God who we submit to and who we are committed to follow. Yahweh is our Shepherd.
The metaphor and imagery of God being our Shepherd is found all throughout both the old and the New Testament. Here are just a few verses:
Psalms 80:1 – “Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth”
Isa.:40:1 – He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
John 10:11-16 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.”
The Lord is our shepherd. He protects us and watches over us and provides for us as a Good Shepherd provides for his sheep. This imagery is given to us so that we might know the Lord and know how much He cares for us and loves us as a Shepherd loves his sheep. We have some understanding of this but being from the west and living in the city a lot of the additional imagery that should flow and populate our mind from this one statement is missing because we are not as familiar with shepherds and the nature of sheep as David was and as the nation of Israel was since many of them were herdsman. So much of the meaning is lost to us unless we can understand how much a shepherd loves his sheep, the intimate relationship a shepherd has with his sheep and how they are special objects of his affection.
There is a great book called, “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23” written by a pastor named W. Phillip Keller who grew up in East Africa as a shepherd and among native herders whose customs resembled those in the Middle East. It’s a wonderful commentary book on Psalm 23 written from a deep appreciation and understanding of the ways of shepherds and sheep. I intend to share much of his commentary with you tonight and encourage you to find the book yourself and read it. It’s a classic Christian book and worth the investment in reading it.
One of the first points W. Phillip Keller made in his book that penetrated deeply with me that I had never considered before was that the lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it. It depended on the Shepherds character. He says:
“The lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it. Some men were gentle, kind, intelligent, brave, and selfless in their devotion to their stock. Under one man sheep would struggle, starve and suffer endless hardship. In another’s care they would flourish and thrive contentedly.” – W. Phillip. Keller
Our lot in life as children, and even adopted children parallel this truth. Children are dependent on those who take care of them, they are dependent on the nature of their parents. There are some parents who throw everything in to the well-being and happiness of their children and there are others who exercise minimal oversight and investment.
We may not understand yet a Shepherd’s deep love for his sheep that we are about to learn about, but at this point we can understand a parents deep love and commitment for their children and how a child’s lot in life depends on the type of parents he receives by grace. However this parallel idea ends because a child’s lot changes when he or she becomes an adult. It is no longer dependent on his or her parents. The child has an opportunity to have an impact on his own lot at a future time, a sheep does not. A sheep’s entire life depended on the type of man who owned it. We are much closer to the imagery of sheep.
Our entire lot in life is dependent on who are master is, who owns us. God, Jesus is the Good Shepherd but all the other false shepherds out there, the false masters, the false idols who rule over us and own us are the bad shepherds, who would lead us to death, who would neglect our real needs, who would have no interest in us or take pleasure simply in our taking pleasure and being in a joyful state.
Our entire lot in life is dependent on who our shepherd is. The LORD is my shepherd. What a blessed lot we have found ourselves to be in.
I shall not want.
This was a bicolon phrase if you remember. There are two phrases put together. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In other words, Since the LORD is my shepherd – I shall not want. The Lord is so good to us that he does not leave us in need. The idea of want is to be lacking. We suffer no lack. The Lord meets our needs. He is not negligent towards us in His duties. Apart from His taking an interest in us and caring for us, we would be in continual want because we have no ability to meet our own needs. Sheep can’t tend to themselves. If left to themselves, it’s disaster. Sheep also are high maintenance as we will see. They have to be closely watched or they find themselves in continual trouble. The Good Shepherd continually casts his eye over his flock repeatedly throughout the day to ensure all is well with them. His eye is practiced and he knows what to watch for. He looks for signs of weakness in his sheep, signs of illness, and signs of restlessness because He truly cares about the well-being of his sheep. He takes great pleasure in seeing them fit and content grazing on the hillside before him.
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits – even the God of our salvation.” – Psa. 68:9
Those poor sheep who do not have the LORD as their Good Shepherd but whose lot in life is to suffer so poorly under the hands of another master, who continually leaves them in want.
The sadness that exists in the world. Isn’t it overwhelming to see the sadness in some people’s eyes? The peace that alludes them when undergoing crisis. The results of a drug or lust mastered life. They see the green pastures on the other side and try to enter through their own way but are never able to dwell there because they have another master in their lives who calls them back to serve his purposes. This is what our idols do to us when we allow them to become masters over us.
Then there are some who belong to the Lord but who are never satisfied, despite the rich pastures the Lord has placed them in, the gentle care he has given them, they can never enjoy it. They refuse to be content. They are continually restless and look beyond the fence in their lives thinking there is something the fence is keeping them from.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
The Lord calls us to rest. Christian life begins only from a standpoint of resting in Him and Christ’s finished work on the cross. God made the world in six days and on the seventh day God rested. Man was made on the sixth day. Man’s very first day was a day of rest, not a day of work. Everything had already been completed and prepared for him by God. Man was placed in a green pasture, a luscious garden after he was created. Everything he needed was provided for him.
Our position in Christ starts from a standpoint of rest, not work. What a great reminder that we are called to rest before we work, not after. We are called to sit with Jesus before we stand and walk the Christian life. We are called to be still and to trust in the Lord and yet resting is one of the hardest things for us to do sometimes. God continually calls us to a life of rest, free of worry, friction and works and yet enjoy little rest, there is so much work to be done, so much to worry about, so much to distract us, so much we lose sleep over that we don’t enjoy our position of rest.
Did you know that resting is difficult for sheep also? It takes four things to occur before a sheep can find rest.
- They have to be free from all fear.
- They have to be free from all friction.
- They have to be free from all pests.
- They have to be free from hunger.
We were talking earlier about how the lot in life of any sheep depends upon who their shepherd is. Bad Shepherds do not care about their sheep being restless. They do not care if they are full of fear, friction and bothered by pests and hungry. They just keep them alive for the wool with minimum necessary care and send them to slaughter them when they provide them no benefit. A good shepherd is different.
A good shepherd knows his sheep are timid and easily panicked. The smallest of things can easily cause a stampede in the flock. A good shepherd is cautious about the surroundings of his sheep. He keeps an eye out for anything that would cause them unnecessary panic and shields them from it. A good shepherd also knows that his presence in the flock is what reassures them the most. Keller shared his experience:
“In the course of time I came to realize that nothing so quieted and reassured the sheep as to see me in the field. The presence of their master and owner and protector put them at ease as nothing else could do, and this applied day and night.”
In the same way, being confident of the Lord’s presence, that he is there in our midst calms us in all circumstances as nothing else can. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that is why he constantly reassures us that he sees us, he is there and calls us to rest.
A good shepherd knows how difficult it is for sheep to get along and how often there is friction in the flock. There is much rivalry in sheep flocks, especially with the older ewes and the younger ones over best grazing places and butting order. They constantly push each other out of the way and literally butt heads and can sometimes injure one another by their head butting.
One interesting note that Keller noticed as a shepherd was that whenever he would come into their view, the butting stopped. Isn’t that interesting? Don’t we do the same thing? We butt heads for status and the best placement and injure one another but when Jesus Christ comes into view we back away and stop. We know we are not supposed to acting this way towards one another. This is one reason why we need to be constantly aware of his presence. God’s presence puts an end to all rivalry.
“When my eyes are on my Master they are not on those around me. This is the place of peace.” – Keller
A good shepherd understands how badly sheep are driven to distraction by pests’ especially nasal flies, small ticks. They torment the poor sheep and they can’t get any rest and spend their days and their nights stamping their feet and shaking their heads trying to knock them loose. A remedy is for insect repellent to be sprayed on them, another is for them to be dipped to clear their fleeces of ticks. It takes a lot of time and care of the sheep to prevent them from being “bugged.” A good shepherd watches over his flock continually to see if anything is “bugging” or bothering his sheep where they can’t lay down and rest.
Doesn’t the Lord express the same concern over you? Always caring about even the smallest thing that is bugging you or bothering you and preventing you from resting? Doesn’t he care when you can’t sleep at night? Doesn’t he give you his word and Holy Spirit as repellent against negative thoughts and comments from others?
Finally a sheep can’t rest when it’s hungry. Notice that the Lord makes us to lie down in green pastures. One thing I never realized is how hard a good shepherd must work so that his sheep can enjoy green pastures. I’ve always seen pictures of sheep with their Shepherds on beautiful green hillsides. I never realized that the Shepherds had to grow these hillsides themselves. Keller points out his his book that the Middle East is primarily a dry area. It’s not natural to find green pastures in the Middle East so a shepherd has to prepare the land which took a lot of time and labor. Shepherds would have to clear the rocks, tear out the brush, stumps, and actually plow the land and prepare the soil for grass to be planted. Then special grains that would actually grow in that environment and would require irrigation for water flow and maintenance itself. It was a lot of trouble for sheep to enjoy green pastures in the Middle East.
A shepherd went through a lot of work to provide green pastures for his flock. God goes through a lot of work so that we can enjoy green pastures in our lives. We too need a special diet but are forced to live in a very dry world. It takes a lot of tending and irrigation work for God to provide green pastures for our hearts to thrive in such an environment. God our Good Shepherd, Keller points out so poignantly in his book, works to remove the rocks from our life, he tears out roots of bitterness, he breaks up and plows the hard ground of our hearts and he plants the seed of his word and tends to it and directs his water to it so that it can grow and so that we would be well fed and fat and content and can rest.
He leads me beside still waters.
Did you know that sheep are afraid of moving water? If the water is moving, no matter how thirsty a sheep is he will not drink from it. This goes to show how easily frightened sheep really are. The Lord knows this about us. Since he knows how easily frightened we are, he leads us beside still waters.
How does a sheep find water in the desert? Is not the sheep dependent on the shepherd once again to lead it to water? The Shepherd knows where water is to be found, clean water for his sheep. If the sheep are not well watered with pure water, they will drink anything to satisfy their thirst. They will drink water from puddles with urine to satisfy their thirst when a shepherd intends to give them pure water.
In the same way, the Lord knows we are thirsty and continually need of pure water and how often we go after other sources for satisfaction.
Another important aspect of planting the green pastures that Keller points out is that it allows for dew to be found on the morning grass. A sheep can go for months without drinking as long as there is a heavy dew on the grass in the morning when he feeds. That is why the sheep feed very early in the morning hours before the dew dries up by the heat. The dew itself is a pure source of water for the sheep.
This is also a reminder of how important it is for us to rise early each day and feed on God’s word. It waters us and prepares us for the heat of the day. Those who are most content in their spiritual walk are those who have been watered early.
He restores my soul.
Even those who are able to enjoy the best of God’s care, experience times when their spirits are cast down feeling dejected.
In Psalms 42:11, David cries out, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” We all know what it’s like to be cast down. Which you may not know is that there is a direct parallel in caring for sheep that David is alluding to. A cast down sheep is an old English Shepherd’s term for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself.
“A cast sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to stand up, without success. Sometimes it will bleat a little for help, but generally it lies there lashing about in frightened frustration.
If the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonable short time, the sheep will die. This is but another reason why it is so essential for a careful sheep man to look over his flock every day, counting them to see that all are able to be up and on their feet. If one or two are missing, often the first thought to flash to his mind is, ‘One of my sheep is cast somewhere. I must go and search and set it on its feet again.’” – W. Phillip Keller
What a sad sight a cast down sheep must be! What a miserable sight a cast down soul is who nobody can see is cast down but God. When an Ewe is pregnant there is a higher chance of her being cast down because of the extra weight and easy to become off balance when she rolled up and she would get stuck. Then both the mother and the baby would die if not rescued. In our lives, I think there are times when we are more prone to be cast down, then at other times. Times when we just get stuck and are unable to roll ourselves back over and languish. How comforting it is to know that the Lord is watching us to make sure we are not cast down. We are under his constant care. It is comforting to think that even if one sheep is missing, he will go looking for us and set us up right again. We may not feel like we matter much, that he would leave an entire flock to come find us but this does show that God cares for each one of us personally. How blessed we are to have the Lord as our Shepherd. He restores our soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Shepherds must deliberately lead or drive their sheep onto fresh pastures every day otherwise the sheep damage the land by gnawing the grass down to the dirt making green pastures look like wastelands. A good shepherd’s reputation was based in the appearance of his pastures. If they were run down and not very green with deep ruts in them, then he was not a very good shepherd or manager. The owner’s reputation would be on the line.
Because of this a good shepherd often had a planned rotation of grazing areas for his sheep often in a clover like shape. One day they would graze in one area and the next they would move to the new area so that they were continually being fed with fresh pasture and maximum benefit was reached for both the sheep and the land.
A good shepherd was intimately familiar with his land, all the best grazing areas, the most favorable spots and the most dangerous spots and he would lead his sheep into areas that would most benefit them and meet their needs.
It is the same as the Lord leads us in paths of righteousness. However, we don’t always trust him that where he is leading us to our best benefit. Instead like sheep, we often like to stay in the same pasture, and work ourselves down into the same rut and same paths if we had our way. The Lord calls us forward to fresh areas every day new ground.
It’s also important to note that it is for the Lord’s name sake that he leads us. Our well-being and joy reflects back on his character, his management, his ownership of us. Our being at rest, and being well fed and protected and content enjoying him and all his benefits speaks volumes for his care of us.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Up to this point the sheep have been at home in their own pastures with their Shepherd. But now they are going on a journey. During the summer, most shepherds endeavor to take their sheep to distant ranges. They lead them on long “drives” through the Hill country up to the mountaintop and allow them to graze all the way there and back. When autumn comes, they begin their way back to lower elevations. During this time they are alone with their Shepherd and have even more intimate contact with him.
A mountain would not be a mountain without having its valleys. On either side of the mountain are deep ravines. The best way to the top of the mountain is always along these valleys. The Shepherd gently leads his flocks up the winding paths through dark valleys. This is the best way, the easiest, the gentlest grade for his sheep to reach the summit and the most well watered route. Along the dark valleys are usually streams, springs, pools of water provided for them and the best foliage to be found. The sheep can graze on the richest of feed in the valley.
However, the valley is dark, the walls are steep and the sun is unable to reach them until high noon when it is directly overhead and then it is quickly gone again. The steep walls are often full of cliffs and deep ravines where predators like, coyotes, wolves, bears and cougars prefer to hide on prey on his flock whenever possible. The shepherd is continually watching to protect his flock from being preyed upon.
The phrase “shadow of death” is frequently used in the bible to refer to the deepest of darkness and a place where we reside before God’s light shines upon us. It is the place void of light as death itself.
Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness itself: and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness. Job 10-21-22
There is no darkness, nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. – Job 34:22
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. – Psa.107:14
The people what walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. – Isa.9:2
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, o guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)
The shadow of death, refers to times of the deepest of darkness in our lives when there is no light, no understanding to guide us through them. It is the times of depression, of crisis, of deep grief, of confusion when there is no order. It’s times when we feel like the Lord is leading us through the dark and it’s difficult to see even him leading us.
In the Christian life we often speak of mountaintop experiences, moving into higher ground with God. However, the only way to get there is by walking long distances with him through the lowlands and climbing up through the valleys. And it is through these dark valleys that we do find refreshment from God in our difficulty and we do find the richest of food for our souls.
“I willingly bear witness to the fact that I owe more to my Lord’s fire, hammer, and file than to anything else in his workshop. Sometimes I wonder if I have learned anything except at the end of God’s rod. When my classroom is darkest, I see best. – Charles Spurgeon
Sometimes it takes us being out of the valley and reaching the mountain top to see and appreciate the valley he took us through to get there. Then we can see it was the best route, or the only route to bring us to higher ground. The Lord is always moving us to higher ground.
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
A shepherd carries both a rod and a staff. The rod serves as the shepherd’s weapon and cannot be separated from him as a soldier can’t be separated from his gun. From the time he is a boy, he practices and learns how to use it. He picks out the sap and has it carved to fit his hand. He practices in competitions until he can throw his rod a great distance with great accuracy.
He uses his rod to throw to discipline his sheep when one would begin to wander off. He uses his rod to protect his sheep, using it against predators. David spoke of having to attack a bear and kill it when it went after his sheep. The rod is the Shepherd’s weapon of power.
The rod speaks of authority and power. It is the word of God that comes swiftly into our hearts when we begin to wander. It is what God uses to goad us, into his path.
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd – Ecc. 12:11
The road of a shepherd was also used to examine and count the sheep. Each of the sheep would pass under the rod of the shepherd and the shepherd would count them. As the sheep passed beneath the rod, the shepherd would use his rod to part the heavy wool on the sheep to look over the sheep and make sure everything was well with the sheep. Because of the heavy wool it was not easy to see wounds or disease that a sheep might have so they needed to be carefully examined. So as each animal came out of the gate, from time to time, they would have to pass beneath the rod to be examined and to see below the surface.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psa. 139:23-24)
The shepherd’s staff identified a shepherd as a shepherd. No one else carried such a staff. It was a trademark. The purpose of the shepherd staff was simply for the comfort of the sheep. While the rod symbolizes power and authority, the staff symbolizes all that is long suffering and kind. The shepherd used his staff to lift new born lambs to their mother so the scent of their hands would not turn their mother against them. The shepherd would use his staff to guide his sheep by laying the tip against the sheep’s side and gently pushing it in the direction it was to go. Sometimes the shepherd would hold his staff on the side of the sheep as they walked like an intimate touch of walking hand in hand. Sometimes he would use his staff to untangle a sheep from a bush. Often times, the Shepherd would lean on his staff during long days as he watched over his sheep. So the Shepherds staff speaks of the shepherds love and tender care for his sheep and their comfort.
Both the rod and the staff of God, brought comfort to David as a rod and staff brought comfort to the sheep knowing they were protected and cared for.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Now it is high summer and the sheep have reached the high summits. These high mountains are known as aplands or tablelands which are highly sought after by shepherds. These high plateaus are called “mesas” in the Western United States and in southern Europe which means “tables” in Spanish. The African word for table is also “mesa”. What David was referring to as a table was actually the entire high summer range. What a large table that the Lord laid out before him. You would think that a picnic or a sandwich would be in order when on such a journey instead of such a wide spread of food that a table offers.
Often the shepherd would have to go ahead of the sheep to prepare the “table” for them to graze. They would rid the land of any dangers, especially any poisonous plants that might be present before allowing the sheep to graze. In this way the sheep would graze openly in a table like atmosphere to their hearts content in the presence of their enemies without fear because their shepherd watched over them.
What a lot of trouble to go to just so that the sheep could enjoy such a great table feast on top of the world. Yet it brought good shepherds great pleasure to see their sheep contented and at rest that they would take the time and the effort to lead them to such places and then sit back and watch and just enjoy them enjoying themselves. Do you think God ever looks upon us this way? Just content and taking pleasure in watching us take pleasure in the places he brings us? Do you think God enjoys seeing us doing well and being delighted? I know he does and this is a reminder that he does as a parent takes delight and great pleasure in just standing back and watching their child completely healthy playing and enjoying life. It brings God pleasure to see us well and enjoying his pleasures that he has given us.
you anoint my head with oil;
The only bad thing about picnics outdoors and summertime in general are the flies. Those pesky little flies that can drive a person and a lamb absolutely batty. There can be no rest with bothersome flies around. Sheep are particularly troubled by a nose fly. It will bother them so much that they will bash their heads against trees and rocks and hurt themselves. They just go crazy when they get a fly up their nose and I suppose we would too.
As a protection against flies, the shepherd would mix oil, sulfur and tar and smear it all over the sheep’s nose and head for protection. It would have to be reapplied as needed to keep the flies off and out of the sheep’s noses.
We know that oil in the bible represents the Holy Spirit. In the same way, our Good Shepherd anoints our head with oil, continually reapplying it against pesky irritations that would come into our life and prevent us from enjoying his benefits and resting but we have to come to him. We have to come before him so that he can anoint our heads with his holy spirit every morning so those small daily irritants don’t drive us nuts.
Summertime is also what is called “scab-time.” According to Keller, scab is an irritating highly contagious disease common among sheep the world over. Microscopic parasites cause this disease and it spreads quickly through infected heads. Sheep like to rub their heads together affectionately but when they do the disease quickly spreads from the head of one sheep to the head of another sheep and can quickly infect the whole flock. The only antidote is to soak the entire sheep in a solution of oil that prevents scabs, but the most difficult part to treat is the head which also must be submerged against the sheep’s will, but it’s also the most important part since they will rub heads. This dipping solution was the only antidote for a scab.
As Christians we are also at risk of contamination in this world by sin that quickly spreads from one person to another when we “get our heads together.” We have to be submerged continually in the word of God to get our thoughts straight.
my cup overflows.
Keller shares a story of how shepherds would often carry a bottle of brandy and water in their pocket on their journey. Whenever an ewe or a lamb would become wet and chilled from exposure in stormy weather he would poor a few spoonful’s of brandy and water down its throat and it would warm up again.
He reminds us that our master is with us in every Storm and shares his wine with us, the blood of his own suffering. He pours his strength and vitality into our so the cup of his life overflows into the cup of our life lot. His blessings pour into us as our blessings and our lots, our portion, our containers, overflow. We can’t contain his blessings towards us or his goodness.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
This is somewhat of a boast. David has nothing to fear with such a Good Shepherd leading him. His lot in life is determined by his Good Shepherd and he has absolutely nothing to fear when looking forward to the future.
Many times we look to the future, the unknown with fear. We think the joys of today do not last. We are afraid every time the Lord leads us to new pasture, to new areas and new surroundings but this reminds us that goodness and mercy await us continually.
It also reminds us that goodness and mercy follow us. This is the trail we leave behind for others. Because of the Lord’s management of our lives, because his goodness and mercy overflow from his life into our life, and our life overflows with goodness and mercy into the lives of others, this is the legacy we leave behind in whatever we do or wherever go we go that people flourish because we had been there. Our employer should flourish because we were there. We leave blessings and peace and order behind us.
Is this the way that people feel about us as we leave? Or do we leave chaos and disorder behind us?
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The sheep have finally come home again after the long summer. The word “house” in this poem refers to the flock or the household of the Good Shepherd. He is confident that he will dwell in the house of the Good Shepherd Yahweh, notice the all caps, the personal name used once again at the end, forever. He has no fears of living anywhere else.
Keller closes his book with the vivid images of his neighbor’s poor pitiful sheep looking at him through the fence. They were not as fortunate to be under the care of a good shepherd but their lot in life was tied to a bad one. They were unkept and skinny and dejected looking. A couple would escape to his side of the fence and he would always have to sadly bring them back to their owner because they did not belong to him and entered his pasture through another way and to get in on their own. There is no getting into God’s pasture on our own.
In the same way, those apart from Christ also have a cruel uncaring master. They live sad and dejected lives. They often starve for their basic needs to be met and for their wounds to be tended to, their afflictions and irritants addressed.
“I am the door: by me if any man enter it, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
Keller ends his book stating:
“Almost every day I am literally rubbing shoulders with men and women “on the other side of the fence.” What is my impact upon them? Is my life so serene, so satisfying, so radiant because I walk and talk and live with God, that they become envious? Do they see in me the benefits of being under Christ’s control? Do they see something of Himself reflected in my conduct and character? Does my life and conversation lead them to Him – and thus into life everlasting?”
What a convicting statement! Do others see the blessed life we lead? Are they baffled by it? This goes back to what we spoke of in the beginning of this lesson the contrast of how the blessed and the ungodly live. Let’s reread the quote from the beginning.
It is only when your quality of life baffles the neighbors that you are likely to impress them. It has got to become patently obvious to others that the kind of life you are living is not only highly commendable but that it is beyond all human explanation. That it is beyond the consequences of man’s capacity to imitate, and however little they may understand this, clearly the consequence only of God’s capacity to reproduce Himself in you.
In a nutshell, this means that your fellowmen must become convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ of whom you speak, is essentially Himself the ingredient of the life you live.
It’s because our Great Shepherd is Yahweh that we are so well taken care of to such an extent that it is truly baffling. His great love is baffling. I think our challenge in this lesson and even in last week’s lesson is to enjoy Him. To enjoy our Good Shepherd and all his benefits and all that he offers us. Our Good Shepherd calls us to rest and we should endeavor to enjoy our state of rest in a restless world. How Jesus could rest on a storm tossed ship is absolutely baffling to us, that is until we know his Father as He knows His father and can enjoy his oversight and care as Jesus enjoyed the knowledge of his oversight and care. Then we too can find rest and sleep in the most baffling of places to the world.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
For you alone, O LORD, make me
Dwell in safety.
(Psa. 4:8)
