Still following the shepherd (Pt. 2)

 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, 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 runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Continuing from my study of the 23^rd Psalm.

 

Verse 4 – Gift of the Shepherd

“Yea, 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.”

·       David recognized that with the Shepherd leading the way, we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That the valley is neither a destination, nor a dwelling place.

·       Shadows are not tangible but are cast by something that is. In looking toward Jesus as the Great Shepherd, it can be said that we only face the shadow of death because Jesus took full reality of death in our place.

·       The presence of the shepherd does not eliminate the presence of evil, but most certainly his presence eliminates the fear of evil.

·       Just as the rod and staff used by the shepherd to both gently guide and correct the sheep, it is a great comfort to us to know God will guide and correct us when we need it.

·       The sheep take comfort in the strength of the shepherd.

·       David is declaring that if adversity were to befall him, he would lean into the providence of God. In doing so he is able to courageously endure the misfortunes he may face.

·       We can be reassured to find a source of strength and courage in God’s presence, even when we find ourselves in a dark valley.

·       Seeing how the Shepherd’s hand has guided and sustained us in our darkest hours renews our faith.

·       When we find ourselves in troubles caused by our own stubborn, self-willed actions, our Shepherd is there in tenderness and compassion.

·       We can trust our Shepherd, not only in what He does for us, but in that He knows what lies ahead.

·       Rather than focusing on fear, we can focus on the Solution.

 

Verse 5 – The Shepherd as Host

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”

·       The shepherd prepares a field for his sheep, eliminating dangers and hazards that may adversely affect the sheep, allowing them to graze in abundance.

·       Our Shepherd has provided provision and goodness which can be enjoyed confidently in perfect security, even amongst those who stand against us.

·       David paints a beautiful picture for us; the “table” suggests bounty; “prepare” suggests foresight and care; “before me” suggests a personal connection to the shepherd.

·       Despite the dangers of the presence of enemies, we can enjoy the richness of the host’s goodness toward us and be refreshed through his actions.

·       Our Shepherd provides abundantly, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” (Eph. 3:20)

·       Daily anointings of our Shepherd make is possible to react to the annoyances and aggravations of life with quiet and calm.

·       Our Shepherd is always there for us and always has our best interests in mind.

·       Dealing with daily dilemmas show the importance of continually spending time with our Shepherd.

 

Verse 6 – Future blessing of the Shepherd

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

·       The goodness and mercy are brought to us by the Shepherd and we can live in faithful expectation of it all the days of our lives.

·       We will enjoy the presence of the Lord forever. Both in our time on earth and beyond.

·       Our wayward wonderings from our Shepherd are met with goodness and lovingkindness.

·       Dwelling in the house of the Lord puts us in the Lord’s presence; this is a face-to-face relationship with the Lord, forever!

·       What an amazing assurance, we will enjoy a never-ending fellowship with God.

·       David entertains the hope that since the goodness of God never fails, God will always be favorable to him always.

·       The real and practical measurement of my appreciation for the goodness and mercy God has shown me is the degree to which I show goodness and mercy to others.

·       Our moods shift, we change our minds, and we falter in our devotion, but God never does. Where we are faithless, He is faithful. Always!

·       Just as the shepherd is devoted to his sheep, our Shepherd is devoted to us.

 

“My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them, they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them from My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them from My Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

The sheep doesn’t understand where the food and water are found, what repels the flies, or what makes it feel better after being sick or injured. All the sheep knows is that something happens when it is near the shepherd. This is all we need to know as well; things are better when we are near our Shepherd. Now and forever.

Still Following the Shepherd (Pt. 1)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, 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 runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Recently I was looking though a commentary on the 23^rd Psalm and had a number of comments really jump out at me. Since then, I have been studying the 23^rd Psalm and reading a few other books and commentaries on it and there truly is so much that can be found when taking a deeper look. Following are just a few of the things I have come across in my study.

 

-The idea of the Lord as a shepherd to His people is a common idea throughout the bible. Here are just a few: Is 40:11; Psalm 80:1; Micah 7:14; Zechariah 13:7; John 10:11-16; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25.

-Charles Spurgeon observed that David was not ashamed of his previous occupation as a shepherd.

-David has given us an analogy of a shepherd and his sheep to use as we look at our relationship with and how we can interact with God.

-Shepherd’s work was generally considered the lowest of all works in ancient times. This assignment usually fell to the youngest son. God has chosen to be our shepherd. David is telling us that the God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of us.

 

Verse 1 – A Declaration about the Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

·       David knew this in a personal sense. David did not see the Lord as just a shepherd in a theoretical sense, he saw Him a real personal shepherd.

·       This implies a profound yet practical working relationship between us and out Creator.

·        From Charles Spurgeon:

§  There is a noble tone of confidence about this sentence. There is no ‘if’ nor ‘but,’ nor even ‘I hope so;’ but he says “The Lord is my shepherd.”

§  The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, ‘My.’ He does not say, ‘The Lord is a shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as His flock,’ but ‘The Lord is my shepherd;’ if He is to be a shepherd to no one else, He is a shepherd to me; He cares for me, He watches over me, and He preserves me.

·         A declaration: All my needs are supplied by the Lord, my shepherd.

·         A decision: I decide to not desire more than what the Lord, my shepherd gives.

·         The sentiment of a sheep being completely satisfied with its owner.

·         We are not deficient or lacking in proper care.

 

Verse 2 – What the Shepherd Provides

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”

·       The shepherd is the active one, he is the leader. The sheep are to look to their leader. We are to look to and follow God.

·       To truly be at rest we must have a sense of freedom from fear, aggravation, hunger, etc. Our Shepherd will provide this if we let Him.

·        Our Good Shepherd provides us with green pastures where we can find peace.

·       A sheep does not always know what it needs or what is best for itself and so, needs help from the shepherd.  We are just like the sheep; we need to rely on our Shepherd in the same way.

·        The images of green pastures and still waters are rich with a sense of comfort and rest.

·       God is not behind us, pushing us forward. He is clearing the path and bidding us to follow Him, to come to Him.

·        Just as we need water to satisfy physical needs, our soul has needs that can only be met in looking to and following our Shepherd.

·        It is essential to allow God to lead us. He will always do the right thing at the right time.

 

Verse 3 – Where and Why the Shepherd Leads

“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

·        Restoration is a result of the provision found in the figurative green pastures and still waters.

·        We are made anew, able to recover.

·       We live in a fallen world, just normal day-to-day living will wear on our soul, especially when we don’t keep our eyes in God. Just as the shepherd will tend to a sheep that is struggling with life’s challenges, God will draw us in and restore our soul.

·       Within restoration we can find the idea of rescuing a lost one. Picture a straying sheep being brought back to the shepherd’s care.

·        Loneliness and confusion are replaced with fellowship and direction.

·       The world does not change, we change. We change because in seeking our Shepherd, we find hope which comes from Him giving us Himself. And He will never leave, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt28:20).

·        Guidance of the Good Shepherd has a moral aspect.

·        We are strengthened in our journey in following the path of God’s commandments.

·        Displaying the glory of His grace and the goodness of His nature.