There are many reasons for people to feel anxious in our ever-changing world. There are uncertainties that come from political leaders making decisions that affect all our lives. Times of dramatic change creates levels of anxiety. Then, there is just the ordinary pressures of life. For some it is raising a family in a world of ungodly values. For those attending school, it is wondering if they will be accepted, or if attending college, then it becomes about the cost and the opportunities for the future.
Decisions are constantly before us at every stage of life. We are all making decisions that affect our future. Some are trying to secure a job that will be meaningful to them, for others it is relationship decisions, who to marry, or how to work through difficulties in marriage, or how to be content as a single person. For those who are struggling with aging and health issues, these bring their own sense of anxiety. We are also living in a time of incredible change. Everything in life seems to be coming at us with a quicker tempo. There are external pressures and then there are internal pressures that we put upon ourselves, such as our own expectations. There are also the pressures from within our souls from insecurities to disappointments. Believers also address the spiritual component of dealing with spiritual attacks and how they impact our lives.
So, how can we find peace in an anxiety-filled world? Psalm 23 was written expressing some powerful concepts that speak of deep confidence in God’s loving care. It is a Psalm that I repeatedly find myself reflecting on much in my own life to address the pressures that I face as a pastor. Here in this Psalm, we are invited into a metaphor rich with meaning. The inscription states that it is a Psalm of David, the Shepherd King. It becomes apparent that David is walking through a difficult season in his life and affirms that God is his Shepherd and all that this entails in his confidence to face his challenges. Here in this beautiful poetic passage, we find the amazing care of God over us, His people. There are two pictures painted for us of God’s amazing care for us, which we will focus on the first one.
THE FIRST PICTURE OF GOD’S AMAZING CARE IS THE SHEPHERDING CONCEPT
In their book, The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary, Bruce Waltke, James Houston, point out that:
Conditions of shepherding in ancient Israel, however, differed from most modern practices: ‘Sheep were not fenced in and left to fend for themselves. Instead they were totally dependent on shepherds for protection, grazing, watering, shelter and tending to injuries. In fact, sheep would not survive long without a shepherd.[i]
It is rare to receive from strangers. As children, we generally receive what we have from our parents. It flows out of relationships. The same is true in the kingdom of God. “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing (Psalm 23:1).” Psalm 23 is a metaphor describing the blessings of being a child of God. The analogy of shepherd and sheep is used to paint a picture in our minds of the beauty of our relationship with God.
We do not have the same appreciation as the people who were first exposed to this psalm. They were acquainted with shepherds and their flocks and therefore understood what the Psalmist was trying to convey. As a shepherd boy, David had a lot of time to reflect on the relationship between shepherd and sheep.
A. First we see the concept expressed of Divine ownership. It is the Lord who is our Shepherd.
When we fail to recognize or appreciate that we are dependent entities waiting upon the gracious care of our Heavenly Father, we tend to struggle more intently with our limited resources. We try to make it all happen. The only thing that occurs is anxiety and a stress-filled life. We must come to grip with the idea that we belong to God. We are not our own. Paul points this out to the Corinthians.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.[ii]
As far as God is concerned, all people belong to Him because He is their creator. But to us who have entered into the New Covenant with God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, we are His people. We have been set free from the penalty and power of sin through Christ’s death on the cross. We belong to God. We are not our own. We don’t just go out and do our own thing. We are a special people with a Divine destiny.
B. Secondly, David described the Lord as ‘my Shepherd.’
A shepherd was the one who met the needs of his flock. Sheep are the most defenseless and gentle creatures. They are dependent upon the gracious care of their shepherd. David knew that the welfare of the sheep was entirely dependent upon the nature and abilities of the shepherd. David certainly was delighted with the concept that God was His shepherd. There is no greater place to be than in the fold of God, where God Himself personally cares for us.
The Lord isn’t just the Shepherd; He is my shepherd. If we cannot say this, it is a great tragedy. There are so many people who come to the end of their life, never having known the great Shepherd. They have never experienced a personal relationship with God and lived with that confidence that God is watching over them. When we fully embrace and personalize this relationship with God, we can have that same confidence that there is nothing we need. David uses the personal name for God that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush, where when asked his name, God answered, ‘I am that I am.’ He is the self-existent God.
When we reflect upon this truth that ‘I am’ is my Shepherd, consider all that He has done and will do. My Shepherd created our universe, He created each of us. He was the One who led the people out of Egyptian slavery with powerful miracles. He is the One who parted the Red Sea and provided and sustain a nation in the wilderness for forty years. He is the One who led them into the Promised Land and conquered people whom He gave four hundred years to repent but did not, though He spared Rahab, a prostitute, and her family because she believed and put her trust in Him. He is the One who came to earth as a baby, healed the sick, raised the death, and then died for our sins. May we realize that this same God is my Shepherd. He is worthy of our confidence and trust.
C. In the Lord, we find rest for our troubled souls.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.[iii]
It is sad to think that someone here today may still be outside of that detailed and total care of the Shepherd. Phillip Keller, in his insightful book on this Psalm, points out his experience as a sheep rancher. He relates the story of a neighbor who ought not to have been a care giver of sheep.
He just let his sheep go. It was so sad to see the neglect of this particular neighbor’s sheep. He showed no concern for his sheep. They were drinking from dirty mud puddles and picking up parasites and other various diseases. Their wool was shabby. It was sad to see them on the opposite side of the fence, grazing on brown, dried out grass. Meanwhile, Keller’s sheep were grazing on green, lush pasture lands, where there was a slow, clear running brook.[iv]
It is tragic to see not just sheep that are neglected and abused. What about people? Many people are living lives of quiet desperation, and spiritual destitution. People are struggling with life. Many are struggling with the sense that nobody really seems to care, and who can really provide for the essential needs for our well-being, namely being loved without strings? Who can really give us a sense of significance and value in our world? Only God can provide for those critical and essential needs.
What a joy to see people who have been living in spiritual ignorance and darkness come to the Great Shepherd of their souls and experience that wonderful life that is only found in Christ.
Many times, when you are working with people, you may wonder about what is really transpiring in a person’s life. Years ago, I was asked to visit an inmate in jail. This man shared his story: the story of a destitute life. Incarcerated, without hope, overwhelmed by his own sense of failure, this middle-aged man responded to the good news that Jesus Christ cares, forgives and restores. I shared the gospel, and he received Christ, as Savior in jail.
Later when I when to see him again, I wondered if his earlier response was just another con. His whole life was one of continued self-deception and manipulation of others to get his way. But as I walked into the room, I noticed a brightness in his eyes. The joy of Christ was evident. He shared his gratitude for his present situation. He was thankful for being in jail. He recognized that God Himself reached down and stopped him from his present course of self-destruction.
He had been eagerly reading the Scriptures and for the first time was able to understand. Where once his life was filled with hatred and anger, joy now filled his heart. He told me that, in the past when he had spent time in this very jail, he withdrew from people, grunting at the guards, filled with anger. Now he was polite and appreciative of everything. And with a smile on his face told me, “They don’t know what to make of me.” The other prisoners think I’m crazy because I’m not ashamed of the gospel. I told them I’ve come out of the darkness. They don’t understand, but now I do. It doesn’t bother me that they make fun of me because I understand where they are at, because I was there.
All the blessings that we receive flow from relationships. This is especially true for children. What we as parents will do for our children is only because of the uniqueness of the relationship. Many parents are willing to give more to their child even at the expense of themselves. Where does this magnanimity of spirit come from? It is an expression of the image of God within our lives. God is truly our Father and the One who delights in meeting our needs. Once we understand the basis of God’s provision for us is relationship, we can then see what kind of provisions He has in store for us.
Here the psalmist is talking about the source of blessing. A rich life. People try to find satisfaction in all kinds of activities. We are involved in a whirlwind of activity, hoping that they will bring rest for our weary soul. In His wisdom, Jesus has to make us lie down. There are times in our lives that He slows us down, so that we can refocus our lives on Him, the true place of rest and soul satisfaction. Augustine points out: “Thou has made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it rests in Thee.”
It may mean allowing circumstances or obstacles to come our way to change our levels of activity that are leading us away from Him.
Years ago, while traveling in Delhi, India, we came to a traffic light that was red. What struck me about the light was a word was written in English in the red light. It said ‘relax’. Just then another vehicle came alongside us and ran the light. I said to my fellow passengers, “That guy isn’t relaxing.” Then the thought occurred to me, he’s endangering himself and others. When we don’t stop, relax, and trust God that’s exactly what we are doing. We are endangering ourselves and others.
Pastures speak of a place where sheep are fed. A place where the Word of God is our daily bread. God utilizes the challenges of life in such a way that He forces us to turn to the word of God for our daily sustenance. Another way of saying that our soul is satisfied is by using the analogy of thirst. “He leads me beside quiet (or still) waters (Psalm 23:2).
It is interesting to note that He uses the analogy of hunger and thirst. Pastures speak to some degree of hunger and then rest. To the thirsty soul, Jesus is the living water. So often people are drinking from stale or diseased pools. There is something refreshing about cool, fresh water to a thirsty body. Scriptures love to paint word pictures in our mind. You may know the story of the Samaritan woman who came to the well to replenish her supply of water at Samaria. She came in the heat of the day, all alone, because she was rejected by the mainstream of her community because of her lifestyle. She had lived a broken and fragmented life, divorced five times and now lived with someone else.
Jesus, compelled by the Spirit, came to her and promised her living waters that would always satisfy. He promised life by challenging her source of soul satisfaction. She was searching for her needs to be met in human relationships alone, but Jesus knew that she was still thirsty.
What a promise to each of us. He is the One that will lead us to still waters. Sheep are afraid of fast, agitated waters. They pose a hazard to their wellbeing. The good shepherd leads us to places where we find inner refreshment.
D. My Shepherd restores my soul.
The prophet Isaiah points out we have all been like sheep and have gone astray, we have all gone our way and discover that it doesn’t satisfy. We find that something within us is broken and needs mending. Our soul needs to be restored, and that’s exactly what the good shepherd provides for us. It’s not if He will restore us, but rather when. The nature of sheep is to wander off, searching for greener pastures. We all think at some point in our lives that we tried to make it on our own, or we get so absorbed in the very aspect of living life that we find ourselves drifting away from an abiding trust and confidence in the Lord.
The word translated “restore” here is literally, “to bring back.”
The literal translation ‘he brings me back’ makes clear that the sheep is lost and the good shepherd is obliged to go after it, find it and carry it back.[v]
What wonderful moments when we come to Him and He restores us into intimate fellowship with Him.
E. My Shepherd guides my life.
God will direct our paths, because of who He is. He is true to His promises. “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name sake (Psalm 23:3b).”
He leads us in the right path. Too often we fret and wonder regarding the will of God. We are afraid of missing His will. Listen to the promise. He will guide us in the right path, because of who He is. What is the key for this to happen? The song writer had it right when he sang, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” He can even “lead us through the valley of the shadow of death…” [He is speaking here of this life, where death casts it’s shadow.] It is interesting that the very next verse offers guidance and deals with God’s protective care in the hard and difficult places of life. We would tend to think that God had either abandoned us, when we reached those places or when we had strayed. Yet, He guides us in both places of rest and places of testing. Even in those hard and difficult places of life, He can lead us through.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.[vi]
God does not necessarily promise to spare us from some difficulty, rather He promises to be with us through them. We will pass through them. Notice he does this because of who He is. Waltke and Houston point out this amazing reality.
The good Shepherd does this for the sake of his name. A. S. van der Woude notes: ‘Because names represent the personality, bearers must be concerned with their names, i.e., their good reputations. One acquires a name in the sense of fame if one increases one’s honor … through mighty deeds.’ I AM’s fame rests ‘on faithfulness in keeping his covenants (Ps. 138:2) and displaying his power on behalf of the nation (2 Sam. 7:23; Neh. 9:10; Jer. 16:21 …). The idea of acting ‘for your name’s sake’ often, along with the concept of maintaining personal integrity, means acting to uphold this reputation, whether by guiding (Pss. 23:3; 31:3 [4]), pardoning (Pss. 25:11; 79:9), sparing (1 Sam. 12:22; Isa. 48:9; Jer. 14:7, 21; Ezek. 20:44) or delivering (Ps. 106:8; 109:21; 143:11).’ Since name and person are inseparable, if one loses his name he fades from memory and ceases to exist on earth. The ontological I AM cannot die [God’s existence], but epistemologically [the limits of our human knowledge] he could cease to exist in human consciousness. He lives existentially because he acts faithfully and beneficially to those who trust him. Were he to lose one sheep along the path of life due to misadventure, his name would be tarnished in its honor and could not be trusted with all of his subjects’ heart. In other words, I AM’s existential existence on earth and the psalmist’s well-being are inseparably connected. I AM will not lose any of his faithful people to Death (Rom. 8:38–39), as the Pioneer and Completer of the Christian pilgrimage demonstrated. We live in a universe wherein God’s interests and his people’s interest cohere [same], not compete.[vii]
Because of who He is, God will never fail us. He will see us through, though there are moments when we feel at a loss about what is happening when life is so challenging and God is nowhere to be seen, but the reality is that He is right there with us.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.[viii]
Here we see a subtle shift from the Shepherd leading to the Shepherd with us through the darkest times in our lives. He is there to keep us from succumbing to fear. Fear brings torment into our lives. However, when God is present helping us, fear dissipates, and we are confident. How does God lead us through the darkest times? We read of the Shepherd’s rod and staff. Derek Kidner explains these two instruments in helping guide the sheep.
The rod (a cudgel worn at the belt) and staff (to walk with, and to round up the flock) were the shepherd’s weapon and implement: the former for defence (cf. 1 Sam. 17:35), the latter for control—since discipline is security. Setting aside this metaphor, only the Lord can lead a man through death; all other guides turn back, and the traveler must go on alone.[ix]
The rod was an instrument of protection. It was used to count sheep as they passed under the rod, and it was used to protect the sheep from thieves and wild animals. David used the rod to strike the lion and the bear that had attacked his father’s sheep.
The staff was to guide and comfort the flock. It is worth noting that when God called Moses to lead his people out of slavery, he was to take the staff that was in his hands, which he had been using to guide his father-in-law’s sheep, now to guide the sheep of God’s pasture.
If the Lord is my Shepherd, I can walk through this journey of life with quiet confidence. He who created all and sustained all, will carry us through every situation in life. He will provide, protect and guide us through. We need not live in fear for He is with us.
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[i] Bruce Waltke and James Houston, The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 437.
[ii] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, The New International Version of the Bible, Zondervan, 2011.
[iii] Psalm 23:2-3a.
[iv] Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970),
[v] Kenneth E. Bailey, The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey from Psalm 23 To The New Testament, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 44.
[vi] Isaiah 43:2.
[vii] Bruce Waltke and James Houston, The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary, 440.
[viii] Psalm 23:4.
[ix] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72: An Introduction and Commentary, Volume 15, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 129.
