THOUGHTS ON PSALM 23

Eltham Baptist Church 23rd Sept 2012

No. 390

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his names sake. 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 love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psalm 23

On my walks of late I have passed by a paddock full of sheep with their new born lambs. I love this time of year, especially seeing the young lambs frolic with each other in the sunshine. It's a pity they soon turn into ordinary grass eating mindless animals with no character or even end up as lamb chops on our tables. I was reminded of psalm 23 as I passed by every day, which speaks of Jesus our good Shepherd and all the blessings that come from us being one of His sheep. It's my opinion that sheep couldn't really exist without us humans, and neither can we Christians without our good shepherd Jesus. How would sheep get on without someone shearing them and caring for them? Cows can get by on their own, but not sheep. Sheep can't clean themselves like a cat or dog or deal with infections and bugs. Come to think of it sheep are really quite dumb; have you ever seen a sheep roll over and do tricks or jump through a hoop? They are so defenceless too against the enemy and can't even defend themselves. They don't have fangs or claws and can't bite and can be so easily outrun. Cows and goats at least have horns to defend themselves but not a sheep. It seems that sheep would not have survived through the millenniums without the help of men. The Bible likens us all unto sheep which is a bit humbling really, for we too are defenceless on our own against Satan, and we too are dirty and dumb just like sheep.
"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

We need the Good Shepherd to help us stay clean and keep us shorn (pruned). There is nothing more rough and unkempt than a hermit sheep. The sheep next door to my house are often left unshorn for a year and nearly fall over from the weight of the wool. We humans also need Jesus our good Shepherd to lead us into green pastures as we don't know what's good for us. It says that Jesus is 'my' Shepherd. That means He is my personal Shepherd. He is my own personal, caring, loving, wise Shepherd who only wants to do me good. David wrote this psalm and he of all people knows what he is talking about when it comes to being a shepherd. He once was a Shepherd himself and cared for his sheep, even laying down his life for them. He wasn't a hireling. He had a close relationship with his sheep and called them and knew them all by name. Now days here in New Zealand we muster thousands of sheep at a time and don't know them all by name as David did, for then it was all far more personal. Jesus may have millions of disciples today but being God He still knows us all by name.
"The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." John 10:3

The Bible says that a godly man cares for his animals. If we can't look after a dumb animal then how can we look after the household of God.
"The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel." Proverbs 12:10

Our Shepherd has a personal relationship with us. It's not a religious ritual to him but a real and personal relationship. He is our own personal Shepherd who knows us all by name and loves us dearly. In John chapter 10 it goes on to says that He loves us so much that He even lays down His life for us. David knew what it was like to lie next to the sheep all night and protect them from wolves and bears. Jesus is with us all the time protecting us too.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

All that He is and has He has given to us for our benefit. He is the way the truth and the life. He is the one who has given us His life. The word 'life' is the word 'Zoe' in Greek which means abundance, abundant life. It's life here on earth and one day in heaven. Life, both here in the

physical (present) and also spiritual (particularly future) existence. "I shall not want". This doesn't mean that we shouldn't have any desires as a Christian. It means that all our needs will be supplied by our good Shepherd. All that a sheep needs is supplied by the Shepherd. Sheep may think that the paddock they are in is ok, but the Shepherd in His wisdom will move them on to fresher greener pastures. This morning as I passed the paddock next to the railway line, one of the lambs had got out was now on its own, in danger of being run over by a car, the next train to Hawera, a stray dog or being frightened off and getting lost. It's the old story of the grass looking greener on the other side. The trouble with us sheep is that we can be tempted to always want something bigger, nicer, faster or newer in another paddock. We can live with the attitude that joy is only one more delivery away. We can end up living in a prison of want. Jesus always wants the best for us and will never fail us by always supplying our needs and even more than that if we are patient. When Rockefeller the famous millionaire died, someone asked his accountant, "How much did he leave"? The accountant said; "everything." The Bible shows us that life is not defined by what we have, for God doesn't look on our image and possessions, He looks on our devotion and faith. What you have in God is far greater than whatever you possess in this life.
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

"Lie down in Green Pastures". Sheep need the Good Shepherd to lead them to greener pastures and then protect them there from danger. The job of us sheep is really just to follow, to eat, rest and stay close to Him. One of the big problems we have now days is learning how to rest in a busy world and stay close to Him. I'm not an advocate of keeping the Sabbath as a particular day each week but do believe it's more important to rest in the finished work of Christ every day. Even though I don't keep the Sabbath I do think God wants us to learn how to stop and rest and especially spend time worshipping Him. In the Ten commandments the one that has the most words devoted to it isn't adultery which has 5 words or murder which is 4 words, but the Sabbath which has 96 words in all. Now what is God trying to say? We need to slow down and rest. Even the sea knows that it needs to rest as it pauses between its ebbs and its flows. "Still waters." Christ leads us to still waters. He isn't behind us shouting or driving us on with a sheep dog as a Kiwi farmer does. Jesus is in the front clearing the path and showing us the way. He's pointing out pot holes and steering us away from danger.
"We will find grace to help us when we need it." Hebrews 4:16.

Note the word "When." When the time comes God will give us grace. We think that we will not know what to do if we lose our job or lose a loved one but God draws by and gives us grace when we need it. We will have it 'when' the time comes, God will provide. We may say that "I don't know how I will ever pay my bills". God says that 'Jehovah Jireh' the Lord who provides will be there for us on the occasion. - when the time comes He provides. Maybe we want to know everything too soon and end up panicking. God will give you wisdom - when the time comes. The key is to meet today's problems with today's strength and leave tomorrow in God's capable hands.
As thy days, so shall thy strength be;"Deuteronomy 33:25.

I remember when I was preparing to go into the Rhodesian Army and wondered how I would cope. I didn't have the grace a month before I went in or even a week from the start date. It only came on the day that I went in. God said to the Children of Israel when they were in the Wilderness that they were only to pick up enough manna for the day and not to store any more over for the next day. He would give them enough for each day and they were to trust Him. That which was stored up for the next went bad and bred worms. Don't panic if your paddock seems to be shrinking and you are worried about tomorrow for your good shepherd knows your need and will soon lead you to greener pastures. Don't panic and have sleepless nights counting sheep, speak to the Shepherd. http://hottersermons1.blogspot.com