Psalm 23

Introduction

Well, you probably already know where you’re supposed to be turning in the scriptures this morning, but if you don’t, Psalm 23 is our text for the lesson this morning. Psalm 23. We already have those who are visiting with us. We thank you for joining us on this Lord’s Day as we come together to worship our God, praise his name and song, and to study from his word, to be uplifted through our studying of the scriptures. For those who are visiting, what we’ve been doing at the 9 o’clock hour is we, or some of us anyway, are following along with a daily Bible reading plan. And each week there’s two to three psalms that we would have read during that week. And so we’re drawing our lesson at 9 o’clock from one of those psalms.

And if you kept up with reading this week and you read Psalm 23, then you probably guessed already. Oh, I bet that’s what we’re going to be reading and studying about at 9 o’clock on Sunday morning. It’s a hard psalm to pass over. I thought about it at first. I thought, well, Psalm 37 is a wonderful Psalm, too, but we talked about that a bit a little bit on Wednesday night and just came back and said, well, let’s work on Psalm 23 after all. Psalm 23 is perhaps the best known and the best loved of all the Psalms. And we typically think of it along the lines of that first line: the Lord is my shepherd. But really, when you read the Psalm, there are two metaphors that are mixed in this Psalm.

Of course, there’s the matter of our God being our shepherd, and that’s verses 1 through 4. But then you come to verses 5 and 6, and it’s not simply that he’s our shepherd, he’s also our gracious host. The metaphor has changed. And the very character and nature of God is being emphasized not only by his protection and care of the sheep, but now the nature of God being that of the host of a family, the host of his people, and what he provides for them. Let’s just go ahead and read the Psalm one more time. And we’ll be making some comments as we go back through, and just noting what this passage teaches, and then we’ll be making some different kinds of application. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leaves me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.

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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I’ll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Beautiful passage. We talked about this passage in John chapter 10 at some length a few, about a year ago, actually, when we were talking about the role of our shepherds, the fact that we have shepherds in the local flock. And really the idea of shepherds over God’s people are throughout the Old Testament. That even Israel, that the elders of the people were referred to as shepherds, and the kings were supposed to be shepherds of God’s people.

And yet we know from passages like Ezekiel chapter 34, and just reading the Old Testament, that oftentimes the leaders of God’s people failed in their responsibility. And so what God pointed to was that, well, first of all, he is the shepherd of his people. And then ultimately a true shepherd would come. And we’ll talk about that a little bit more as we go on this morning. But it’s no wonder, and no we’re we know why, that when speaking of God’s leaders among his people today, they are still called pastors or shepherds, those who have intense interest over the welfare of God’s people. But of course, even as Peter says in 1 Peter chapter 5, there is the chief shepherd as well. We have shepherds among this local flock, but they are answerable to the chief shepherd.

1. The Lord Is My Shepherd

And this is what Psalm 23 is about, who the real chief shepherd is. Of course, you understand that Israel was an agricultural community. They lived off of the land. And many of them herded. They had flocks of sheep. And the central part of the country of Israel was a highland or a mountainous region where shepherds would constantly be driving, or I take that back. I shouldn’t say driving the sheep, because shepherds always lead the sheep. And they would be constantly leading their sheep to fresh pasture, to finding those green pastures, and still waters for them. And that is, of course, what’s at the heart of what the Psalm says at the beginning.

In other words, there is nothing that I could possibly lack that God will not provide. He is constantly looking after my welfare. He is constantly making sure that I have everything that I need. And verse 2 simply amplifies that. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me. And again, he never drives, he leads the sheep to quiet, still waters. Some have said, and perhaps rightfully so, that the one who has God, the creator and possessor of all things, since he has God, he himself possesses all things. The idea being that since we serve and we follow this great shepherd, and that since all things are at his command, and we certainly would think of this not only from the physical aspect, but we think of this from the spiritual standpoint.

Even what Paul would say in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 3 that blessed be our God and Father from whom all spiritual blessings come. The idea being that we cannot want, we cannot lack, because we have God as our shepherd. But not only that, there is the care for the well-being of the flock. He leads them, of course, to these pastures, to these quiet and still waters so that they can be provided for. But then the text says, He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness. A literal reading of that would simply be, he guides me along right paths. The idea of paths of righteousness would certainly be correct, but he guides me in the right ways for his namesake. Here again, we even have the idea and the imagery of the sheep, the flock going astray.

He restores those who are going astray. It’s the same principle that Jesus was amplified in the parable of the lost sheep. Ninety-nine were safe, one went astray, and what did the shepherd do? He went looking for the one. That’s the idea behind he restores my soul, the soul being what stands for the whole person. He restores me to his flock. I went astray, he led me back. And now he is leading me in those paths that are right. I took the wrong path. But my shepherd went looking for me. My shepherd brought me back. And now he is leading me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. We look at this passage as this may only be talking about one phase of life.

That there’s a times of life where we’re in green pastures and we’re led to quiet and still waters and everything seems to be at peace. And yet there’s also these times of life when we’re going through these valleys, the valley of the shadow of death, or your translation may possibly read, the valley of darkness. But really, I think when you look at the Psalm, what the psalmist is implying is not that the valley of the shadow of death is something that you temporarily enter and the Lord leads you out of. It’s the idea that you are constantly in this valley of the shadow of death. That in this world and this life, you’re in a dangerous position. Certainly when you look at the hillside and the countryside of Judea.

The very wilderness in which our Lord spent the 40 days and nights as he was being tempted by Satan. Very dangerous places. Places where, if you weren’t careful, the sheep could get lost, fall to their death, fall prey to predators. Constantly in danger.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death is not a temporary aspect of life. It is a permanent fixture of this life. We are constantly in danger. We are constantly in the valley of the shadow of death. And yet, what is our shepherd doing for us, even though we are in that valley? He’s still leading us to green pastures. He’s still leading us to quiet and still waters. Even though there’s danger all around, our shepherd is still providing for us. And so the psalmist can say, I fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Shepherds would, in fact, carry two implements with them. The longer crooked staff of the shepherd, which was used to bring the flock back into line, a safety precaution, if you will.

You don’t want them to get straying, and so you would gently with your staff bring them back into line so that they would continue to follow. Then a shorter rod that you may carry in your belt. Like we may think of a policeman’s billy club. That when danger came, you could bring this out and you could use it to defend your flock. The psalmist says, I’m constantly in danger. Yea, though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. You are with me, your rod, your staff, they comfort me. The sheep couldn’t look to the shepherd. The sheep could know. We’re safe. We are protected. And so is the household of God, the flock of God. Even though they live in a dark and dangerous world, the valley of the shadow of death, the valley of great darkness.

2. Our Gracious Host Prepares a Table

Yet the Lord is still providing. The Lord is still leading to green pastures, to quiet and still waters, and the Lord is still protecting. Like we said, the imagery changes in verses 5 and 6. We’re not talking about sheep anymore. We’re talking about people. Of course, we’ve been talking about people all along, but the metaphor is now talking about people. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Again, this idea that the danger is always there. The enemies are always looking on. And yet, what does the Lord do for his gathering? He prepares this banquet table. This place where feasting can happen. Even though there are enemies all around looking. And yet the Lord, even in their midst, has prepared the feast.

The table is set before them. You anoint my head with oil. A host, as his guests came to symbolize his honor and respect of them, would anoint their heads with oil. And so here, our God, as we have come before him. And now we are feasting with him, anoints us. My cup overflows. This is abundance. There’s no scarcity here. There’s no just a partial feast. No, my cup overflows. The idea that when the cup is emptied, it continues to be refilled and refilled and refilled. The abundance of God. And again, we stress, even in the presence of enemies. And yet the table is prepared. But then we come to verse 6. Surely goodness, and your translation may read mercy. New American Standard and other translations will read loving kindness.

Surely your goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Did you note the subtle change in verse 6? Verses 1 through 5 seem to be talking about what is currently happening. The Lord is currently my shepherd. The Lord is currently providing for me with green pastures and still waters. The Lord is currently protecting me from my enemies. The Lord is currently providing for me a table in the presence of my enemies. The Lord has anointed me. The Lord continues to fill my cup. But verse 6 not only points to what has happened, it points to what will continue to happen. Surely, goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life.

Loving kindness is a significant term in the Old Testament scriptures. The loving kindness of God is often associated with God’s covenants. That when man is brought into this relationship with God and God has bound himself to the welfare of this man or this nation or this people. It is the loving kindness of God that allows him to do that. And that’s what the Psalmist is reflecting on. That I have the assurance that going from this point forward, I will continue to enjoy these blessings. He will continue to provide for me pasture and water and safety and protection and this abundant feast, it will continue to follow me throughout. Why? Because of his loving kindness. Because he’s brought me into this relationship. He has bound himself to me.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Again, it’s a future matter. And a literal translation of this may actually read, I will return to the house of the Lord forever. The idea being that even though I have to go on my way and we do our things in this life, the idea being that we continually return to the banquet that’s set by our Lord. We continue to return to his house. And that’s the assurance that the psalmist has. You can picture David and thinking of worshiping God at the tabernacle. And this notion that while he has to go about his duty and his business, and yet he will continually return to the house of the Lord forever. God’s people have that assurance.

That because goodness and loving kindness, they follow us. We can return, and we can dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Well, that’s a simplified version of simply what the passage states. Let’s just go a level deeper, if we can.

3. God Has Always Been the Shepherd of His People

This language of God being the shepherd of his people is not new to David. And in fact, what David may be alluding to is the fact that God has always been the shepherd of his people. And in particular, when God brought them out of Egypt, God was the shepherd of his people. Just note a couple of other passages in the Psalms, if you will. Psalm 78 and verse 52. There we read that God led forth his own people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. In Psalm 77 and verse 20. Speaking of God again, you led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. There’s the idea again, God being the chief shepherd. Moses and Aaron had a position in shepherding God’s flock.

But God was leading them. And again, that hearten back to the Exodus out of Egypt. Psalm 80 and verse 1. Oh, give ear, shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth. Again, this is a present crying out to God, but it’s a recognition that God has always been leading Joseph. That’s an interesting thing. Joseph, of course, being the favored son of Jacob. But Joseph’s not the one whose name was changed to Israel. That would be Jacob. But Joseph, of course, was the one who was sold into slavery, and the one who went down into Egypt. And so it may even be that the psalmist is hearkening to the fact that when God’s people first went to Egypt, God was still shepherding his flock.

And so you continue to shepherd Joseph. You shepherd Israel. Then you come to other pastures, even in the historical record, of how God dealt with his people. Exodus 15 and verse 13, when God leads them to Mount Sinai, he talks about my holy habitation. Literally, a holy pasture. God brought Israel out of Egypt to the habitation of God, to a holy pasture. Numbers 10 and verse 33, when God is talking about where the ark would reside, and he makes note that this will be a quiet place. It will rest there. And it’s the same idea as behind the still waters. Israel can come. They can come and worship God. This will be a place of rest, a place that is still. Deuteronomy 2 and verse 7, as Moses is speaking to the children of Israel, this second generation, he’s reminding them of what their God has done.

So the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done. He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These 40 years, the Lord your God has been with you. You have not lacked a thing. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. That’s what Moses is emphasizing here. Even though you’ve been in this wilderness for 40 years, you do not lack a thing. Why is that? Because God was their shepherd. And so when the psalmist, when David comes and pens Psalm 23, he can know that God is currently his shepherd because God has always been the shepherd of his people. Past reflection is always essential to understanding what God is presently doing for us. When we think about how God has acted through history, and we wonder, is God still there for me today?

Well, yes, why wouldn’t he be? If God is still faithful to his covenants, like he was with Israel of old, why wouldn’t he be faithful to his covenant now? And so the psalmist can reside and rest in this fact. God has shepherded his people in the past, and the Lord is still my shepherd. And therefore I shall not want.

4. I Will Shepherd My Flock Again

The prophets, in dealing with Israel in their captivity because of their own iniquity. The prophets would reflect on the fact that God would still shepherd his flock. In Jeremiah 31 and verse 10, Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 10. The prophet says, Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare in the coastlands far off, and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock. We, of course, know Jeremiah, a prophet of the captivity. He stayed in Judah. He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem. He knew firsthand that first the Assyrians and then the Babylonians had scattered God’s people. No fear. The flock is dispersed, but the shepherd will bring them back. Clearly a hearkening to the return of how the Old Testament ends of God’s people coming back and again being God’s flock.

But then we mentioned earlier in Ezekiel 34 how God had blasted, if you will, blasted out the current shepherds of his people. They had utterly failed. But God also said, Another shepherd’s coming. I will shepherd my flock again. Ezekiel 34 and verses 11 through 13. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. 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 are scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. 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.

Again, Israel suffered because of poor shepherding, but God’s saying, I will once again be the shepherd of my people. And so when Jesus comes, we have to remember oftentimes when the Old Testament is speaking about this return of the remnant, and God shepherding his people once again, there’s also a spiritualized aspect of that as well. The remnant that returned to Jerusalem, the remnant that returned to Israel in the Old Testament, were rarely faithful. They were very much like their predecessors. So oftentimes when God is speaking of shepherding and caring for his flock and returning the people, he’s not only looking to that historical event, he’s looking to the event when ultimately his people would come back to him, and he would yet again shepherd his flock.

5. I Am the Good Shepherd

Passages like Ezekiel 34 were well known to the Jews of Jesus’ day. And so when Jesus makes the claim in John chapter 10 and in verse 11 that I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches him and scatters them. He flees because he’s a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. Even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold.

I must bring them also. They’ll hear my voice, and they’ll become one flock with one shepherd. This idea of God’s people having been scattered throughout the nations in the Old Testament, not only hearken to the fact that literal physical Israel have been scattered throughout the nations, but looking forward to the fact that one day people from all the nations, God’s people would come out of those nations and belong to God. And that’s what Jesus is saying here.

I know my flock. And I have other sheep who aren’t part of this flock. But I’ll bring them to myself. And there’ll be one flock and one shepherd. And all those things that David could rely on in Psalm 23.

The true green pastures. The truly quiet and still waters.

And the lavish provisions of the table of the Lord were all ultimately realized in Christ. In Revelation chapter 7, speaking of his people that would come out, if you will, of this tribulation, this great persecution of the people of that time. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore. Nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat. For the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, or guide them to the springs of water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Here were a people who hungered, but no longer. Here were a people who thirsted, but no longer. Here were a people who were not being tended. Because here they were lying out exposed in the sun.

But now the Lamb is their shepherd. And they’ll not suffer any longer. The Psalm has a significance. Historically, currently, and future.

6. For His Name’s Sake

And yet He’s still leading us, and ultimately leading us to the place where, yes, God will in fact wipe away every tear. And where all of God’s provisions are made manifest. But going back to the Psalm one more time, there’s one phrase that I skipped over, and I did so on purpose because I wanted to come back to it at the end. And it’s the phrase in the Psalm that I’ve just not paid much attention to throughout my life as I’ve read the Psalm. And that’s what’s found at the end of verse 3. Where you read in verse 3 that He restores my soul, he guides me in the paths of righteousness, and then we just kind of attack on there for his name’s sake. Well, that’s highly significant.

We talked about this in an earlier Psalm, which we read, but let’s just look at how this phrase, his namesake, is used in other psalms. Psalm 25 and verse 11. For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. What is the psalmist asking for there? Pardon me because I’m so great? No, you pardon me, Lord, for your name’s sake. My iniquity is great, but please pardon me for your name’s sake. Psalm 31 and verse 3. You are my rock and my fortress. For your name’s sake, you will lead me and guide me. Here is protection. You are my protection. You will lead me and guide me. How do I know that? You’ll do it for your name’s sake. Psalm 79 and verse 9.

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name and deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. Again, a recognition that we are undeserving of this. We haven’t done enough to earn or merit this, but we’re pleading with you, deliver us, forgive us for your namesake. And then finally, Psalm 109 and verse 21. But you, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for your namesake, because your loving kindness is good. Deliver me. What do all those passages emphasize? The Lord acts the way he does, not because of who we are. The Lord acts the way he does because of who he is. And my friends, that’s the greatest assurance that this Psalm provides for you. The great assurance of this Psalm is not the fact that it states that God is our shepherd, or that God leads us to green pastures or quiet waters, or that he protects us, or that he provides us gracious feast for us.

The assurance of this psalm is that he acts for his namesake. That once he has promised to do this, he will do it. And so God’s people always have assurance. Our assurance is not dictated by what happens in this world. Our assurance is not dictated on whether or not I am facing adversity. Our assurances dictate on the fact that he’s the shepherd. And he acts because of who he is. Loving kindness and goodness are a fundamental aspect of who he is. And so if I’m a part of his flock, and he’ll continue to act for his namesake. He will be holy. He will be righteous. And he will manifest his loving kindness until the end. This doesn’t neglect or downplay our role in following him. No, we still have to follow.

Conclusion

But the assurance is this I follow. Not so that I can receive what I have earned. I follow not so that I can receive blessings because of how good I am. I follow him because I have this assurance.

And so I will follow him, knowing that because of that, because of who he is, he’ll continue to provide and he’ll continue to protect. Our time is up for the morning. But let’s stand, if you would, and let’s pray to our great God, our great shepherd, and then we’ll be dismissed to our classes. Our Father, we come before you this morning. For truly you are our shepherd. And there is nothing, Father, of which we lack. There is nothing which we want. For you, Father, make us lie down in green pastures. And you to this day lead us beside quiet waters. Father, you restored our soul in bringing us back out of evil. And you continue to guide us in paths of righteousness. And Father, we know this will continue for who you are, and because of your namesake.

So, Father, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil. For you are with us. Your rod and your staff, Father, they comfort us. You prepare a table before us in the presence of all of our enemies. You have truly anointed us with oil, and our cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow us all the days of our life. And Father, we pledge to dwell, return to your house forever. Amen.