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VBS this year is based on this wonderful Psalm 23. The promotion reads, “Our kids learn how to cross from anxiety to peace, from fear to faith, and from uncertainty or doubt to a firm foundation in God’s Word through a relationship with the Good Shepherd.” But it’s a great Psalm for adults as well. You probably memorized it but let’s read it together.
Psalm 23:1-6 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. [3] He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. [4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. [5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. [6] Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Notice the content of the Psalm before and after Psalm 23. Psalm 22 is prophetic of our Savior on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 24 presents our Lord as sovereign and the returning King of glory. And nestled between these two is this Psalm 23 presenting our Lord as our loving, faithful Shepherd, “The Lord is my shepherd.” A more beautiful, comforting, and strengthening Psalm was never written. David wrote all three, but as a shepherd himself he especially understood his Lord’s shepherding care of His people.
Here you have in just 6 verses everything you need for this life and eternity. It’s not just for funerals or nursing homes. Navy chaplain Howell Forgy read it through a loudspeaker to the troops on June 6, 1944, as they prepared to land on Normandy. It was read at a memorial service for the seven astronauts killed in the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. And it’s for you right now in your life. Feed on it and it will feed your soul. We are the Lord’s sheep; He’s our shepherd. He cares for us in every conceivable way, in every possible situation.
OUR GOOD SHEPHERD
Verse 1 sets the theme for the Psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,” meaning I have all I need. If the Lord is your shepherd, you are among the most blessed people in the world. He’s on duty 24 hours a day shepherding you. You’re never out of His sight, out of His care. At school, at work, in the kitchen, in your garage, on the ball diamond, in your car, while you watch TV, plant your garden or mow your lawn, hanging out with friends, visiting with in-laws, or even vacationing, this good Shepherd is always watching over His sheep.
This Psalm is intensely personal, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Spurgeon said that the word “my” is the sweetest word of the whole verse. Not a shepherd, the shepherd, but my shepherd. What does it mean to have a personal relationship with the infinite, eternal, self-sufficient, unchanging, holy yet compassionate, loving, merciful, gracious Lord and creator of the universe? Everything! Everything else in the Psalm flows from this fact – the Lord is my shepherd.
If you aren’t a Christian, one of His sheep, now is the time to bow your knee to Jesus Christ. Hear His voice, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened down, and I will give you rest – eternal rest” (Matt. 11:28). Someone or something is shepherding your heart. To whom are you looking for your daily guidance, direction for your decisions, and the issues you are dealing with every day? To whom are you looking for your heart’s satisfaction, joy and happiness, confidence and purpose in this world? Who or what is shepherding your heart? That’s the question I want you to think about as we take a look at what it means to have Jesus Christ, the Lord God Almighty, as your personal Shepherd. He’s the one with nail prints in His hands and feet and scars on His head because He loved you while you were totally unlovely, a vile and guilty sinner, and laid down His life for you. If the Lord is really your shepherd, here’s what it means in a practical way.
#1 He’ll provide you with everything you really need.
Psalm 23:1, The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
When your Shepherd promises to provide all you need, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Psalm 34:10, The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
You may not have everything you want, but your Shepherd promises you’ll have all you need to live for Him as a healthy sheep. Second Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.” In John 10:10 our true Shepherd says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Count on it. If the Lord is your Shepherd, you have all you need. Your Shepherd is your sufficiency.
#2 He’ll provide all the spiritual nourishment you need.
Psalm 23:2, He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
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Your Shepherd knows you need healthy food and refreshing water and He provides both. Sheep feed daily on fresh, tender grass and your Shepherd wants you to be spiritually healthy and nourished on the great truths of God’s Word. He’ll feed you from Genesis to Revelation, from creation to the cross to His second coming. How does He feed us? Through daily times in His good Word. Through listening to sermons that feed your soul. Through learning how to study the Bible like Manny is teaching us right now in Sunday School. Through memorizing and meditating on His truths, those strengthening doctrines right from the Shepherd’s hand.
Your Shepherd leads you in the ways of peace. He doesn’t drive you like cattle. He leads you to those quiet waters, those gently flowing streams. When sheep get thirsty they go looking for water and may drink from polluted potholes and pick up parasites and diseases. And sheep don’t like rushing, swirling, turbulent waters. If they fall in, their soggy fleece may drag them down and they may drown if not rescued quickly. According to Phillip Keller in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, sometimes a shepherd may dam up a rushing stream to provide those quiet waters. Your Shepherd leads you to quiet waters and makes sure you have refreshing spiritual drink. Jesus promised in John 7:38-39, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit.” Along with quenching our spiritual thirst, Christ leads us to inner peace. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…. Let not your hearts be troubled.”
#3 He’ll guide you where you need to go.
Psalm 23:3, He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
When you are weak and stumble around and even wander out of the way, your Shepherd has His eye on you and will bring you back where you need to be. He restores your spiritual strength. Isaiah 40:31, “They who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles.” Keller describes a cast sheep, one which has rolled onto its back and is unable to right itself because of their center of gravity and heavy fleece. A healthy sheep somehow gets turned upside down in a hollow area with his legs sticking up like a helpless turtle. The sheep kicks frantically, which makes matters worse. If the shepherd doesn’t come in time and the weather is hot, he may die in a few hours. Ever feel that way? On your back with your legs kicking, losing air, wondering what’s going on? That is the time to cry out to your Shepherd, who is an expert at restoring your soul.
God is speaking about His people Israel in Ezekiel 34, but He’s our Shepherd too, and the principles apply to us.
Ezekiel 34:12-15, As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. [13] I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. [14] I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. [15] I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD.
And when you are confused, wondering what to do next, here He comes to guide you in the right path. He’ll give you godly counsel so you can make wise decisions.
Psalm 25:4-5, Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. [5] Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
Your shepherd will guide you, for example, to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15; to control your tongue in James 3; to pay your bills in Romans 13:8; to return good for evil in Romans 12:17; to forgive those who offend you in Colossians 3:13; and to get the log out of your own eye before you try to take the speck out of your fellow sheep’s eye in Matthew 7:1-5. This is what your Shepherd does! He guides you in ways that please the Father.
And notice how verse 3 ends – not for your name’s sake but for His name’s sake! Your Christian life is for His sake. He didn’t call us into His flock because of our good deeds or merit. He chose you and saved you for His name’s sake. All of His loving and caring and guiding us proceeds from His free and sovereign grace (John Calvin). You are His sheep to bring Him glory, that the world may know you have a wonderful Shepherd!
#4 He’ll never leave you nor forsake you.
Psalm 23:4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
David switches pronouns from He to You in verse 4. Come what may, the severest trial where death lurks in the shadows, as long as He is with you, you can have courage. The shepherd led the sheep through narrow, shadowy ravines where enemies lurked. Death was there. This valley of death’s shadow can take many forms besides literal physical death. You and I may go through painful, death-like trials. My parents lived to see their 34-year-old son die of cancer and just two years later their youngest and only daughter die of leukemia. I don’t know their thoughts, but during those difficult days in those shadows they may have thought, “God, where are you?” And in such times your Shepherd answers, “I’m right here, going through it with you as I promised. Trust Me. It’s hard, it hurts, but I’m with you. Fear not. I have purpose here. I’m bigger and more powerful than every one of your enemies. I won’t desert you, ignore you, forget you, forsake you. I’m your good and loving Shepherd. I went through death myself and turned it into a shadow for you. Death has lost its teeth for you. I conquered that last enemy. Fear not. The shadow of a sword can’t cut; the shadow of a gun can’t harm you. Death is a shadow for you. Fear not.”
I was taking our dog for a walk several months ago when we came by a neighbor with a big, black, mean-looking dog in the driveway. “Are we safe?” I asked. “Don’t worry,” the owner assured me, “He can’t see you or hear you. He’s deaf and blind.” That’s death for a believer – don’t worry. It’s a shadow. It won’t bite.
As we go through these difficult times, be assured our Shepherd carries his shepherding tools: a rod or cudgel on his belt to protect you from every enemy, and the staff to correct you when you go the wrong way. How blessed to be Christ’s sheep. With His protection nothing will pluck us out of His hand. And with His correction, when you go the wrong way He’ll take that staff and bring you back. Think about what God, what Christ your shepherd is saying to you here. Who can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? Nothing at all! Don’t forget those golden words of assurance, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me!”
#5 He’ll turn your defeats into victories and renew your heart with His grace.
Psalm 23:5, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Even when your enemies are pressing hard, your Shepherd sets the food on your table right in the presence of any enemies that lurk. David had many enemies who tried to snuff out his life, but God took care of him time after time. God prepared a table for Joseph in the presence of his enemies. When his brothers meant it for evil, God sustained Joseph through all his conflicts and battles. Same with Job. Your life is here to prove to Satan and all your foes that God is worthy of your obedience, regardless of what happens.
What about that oil and cup? Keller describes the nose flies that torment and even drive a sheep to frenzied behavior. These flies lay up to 25 larvae in the sheep’s nose mucous. As they become little worms they can work their way up into the sheep’s head, even into their sinus cavities, causing great irritation. A good shepherd will rub special oil on its head and the sheep will settle down. When you get weary in this fight, in this battle, whether with your own flesh or the world or even with other people, your loving Shepherd knows how to pour the refreshing oil of renewing grace into your heart. He knows how to fill your cup with joy in your trials. When you come to church eager to worship and meet with God; when you open your Bible with a prayer in your heart that God will bless your life this new day – these are your good Shepherd’s anointings with oil and overflowing cups.
#6 He’ll care for you to the very end of your sojourning on earth.
Psalm 23:6, Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
“Surely” means ponder this. No question about it. Someone taught us Psalm 23 shortly after our salvation. I’ll never forget what he said about goodness and mercy (KJV). These are the Shepherd’s two sheepdogs that will faithfully follow you for the rest of your life on earth. When you doubt, Goodness will be right there encouraging you. And when you are guilty, Mercy will wash your wounds with forgiveness.
And where are we headed? To the Father’s house! Our Shepherd told us He’s going to the Father’s house to prepare a place for us! What sweet assurance is here. Remember Jesus’ promise.
John 10:11,27-30, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. [27] My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; [28] and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. [30 ] I and the Father are one.”
Can you honestly say, “The Lord is my Shepherd?” Is Christ shepherding your heart?