THE SHEPHERD'S PSALM

Psalm 23

I read an old fable about six men blind from birth that lived in India. One day they decided to visit a nearby palace. When they arrived, there was an elephant standing in the courtyard. The first blind man touched the side of the elephant and said, "An elephant is like a wall." The second blind man touched the trunk and said, "An elephant is like a snake." The third blind man touched the tusk and said, "An elephant is like a spear." The fourth blind man touched the leg and said, "An elephant is like a tree." The fifth blind man touched the ear and said, "An elephant is like a fan." The sixth blind man touched the tail and said, "An elephant is like a rope." Because each blind man touched only one part of the elephant, none of them could agree on what an elephant is really like.

Taking this on the spiritual realm, we often find ourselves having a very limited perspective about what God is really like. Somehow, our perceptions of God are simply based on what we have heard from other people, rather than what we have personally learned from the Bible. The problem is: our lack of knowledge about what God is really like has caused us to miss out on experiencing God in a greater way.

How many of us have really experienced God working in our lives in ways that absolutely amaze us? If we haven't, why is that so? According to the Bible, God wants us to experience this. I am convinced that the problem lies on us, not on God. Often, our lack of knowledge about God has hindered us to experience Him in awesome ways. Therefore, as believers, we must determine to know what God is like based on what He has revealed to us from the Scriptures.

King David illustrates perfectly this truth for us. His deep and intimate understanding of God had allowed him to experience some amazing blessings in his life. Starting out as a shepherd boy, the Lord had led him through significant victories that would bring him to be one of the greatest kings over the nation of Israel. With all his experiences with God, David wrote Psalm 23, a beautiful Psalm that would serve as his testimony about his God. In here, you will find David not only describing his God but literally boasting about his God. I believe it would be to our advantage to discover what David had to say about His God.

Now, in our study of some portions from the book of Psalms, we cannot afford to skip the Psalm that is considered the most popular of all the Psalms and the most memorized chapter in the entire Bible. I know that sometimes there is a danger when a preacher takes on a familiar text because people have a tendency to shut off their brains thinking they already know all that there is to know about the text. I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit can bring some fresh truths to all of us as we revisit the Shepherd Psalm. I would like to emphasize three important truths from the passage:

I     THE CONNECTION WITH THE SHEPHERD: (v.1)

Since David was once a shepherd himself, he uses in this passage the metaphor that he was very familiar with - the sheep and the shepherd. In this metaphor, God's people are regarded as the sheep, and God is referred to as the shepherd. Because of our limited exposure to sheep and shepherds, we might not appreciate the truths in this Psalm. So let's have a clearer picture first of the sheep.

The sheep is not considered one of the smartest animals that God has created. They cannot find food and water without help. They are slow and easily frightened. They are defenseless creatures. When the sheep is in danger, they don't growl or fight back. And-unlike cats and dogs they have no sense of direction and so they get lost easily. With these characteristics, the sheep is absolutely dependent on a shepherd.

David saw himself as a sheep and was grateful that the Lord was his Shepherd. Now, I hope you won't miss the possessive pronoun "My" in David's declaration. David was not writing about a distant God. David knew the Lord who intimately cares about him. Time and again, we need to be reminded of the fact that Christianity is not so much a religion as it is a relationship. This relationship provides the connection between the believer and the Lord, the God of the universe. Being a Christian means having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Please know that Jesus Christ applies the title, Good Shepherd, upon Himself:

And being a Good Shepherd, He knows everyone who really belongs to Him:

Sometimes, there are people who say they know who Jesus is. But the question is: does he know you? Do you really have a relationship with Him? To have a relationship with Him means receiving Jesus into your life, believing that He alone can forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life. John explained this by saying:

You can only say like David, "The Lord is my Shepherd," if you yourself have surrendered and received Jesus into your heart. Without this, you don't have the connection with the Great Shepherd.

II    THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE SHEPHERD:

As we have already established, the sheep cannot survive without a good shepherd. David who had been through so much in life starting from being a shepherd boy to a soldier, and then from being a fugitive to a king, he had looked to God as his Good Shepherd. David, just like a sheep takes the opportunity to boast about his Shepherd before another sheep. He highlights some of the contributions of his Shepherd:

A. General Statement - "I shall not be in want"

The meaning here is not that we won't desire or want anything, but the meaning is that we won't be left wanting. The Lord being our Shepherd has the ability to meet all our needs.

When David used the title Yahweh, which is translated Lord in the text, I believe he intentionally brings to light the self-existent of God or the self-sufficiency of God. In other words, He is the God with unlimited power and resources, and He is the God who has the ability to meet all our needs.

How about you, do you see God as sufficient for you? Many times, it's so hard for us to see God as sufficient for our needs because we ourselves don't know exactly what we need. Listen to these words by Jason Lehman:

It was spring. But it was summer I wanted
  - The warm days, & the great outdoors.
It was summer. But it was fall I wanted
 - The colorful leaves, & the cool, dry air.
It was fall. But it was winter I wanted
  - The beautiful snow, & the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter. But it was spring I wanted
  - The warmth, & the blossoming of nature.

I was a child. But it was adulthood I wanted
  - The freedom, & the respect.
I was 20. But it was 30 I wanted
  - To be mature, & sophisticated.
I was middle-aged. But it was 20 I wanted
  - The youth, & the free spirit.
I was retired. But it was middle-age I wanted
  - The presence of mind, without limitations.

Then my life was over, & I never got what I wanted.

I believe it is safe to say that if we have legitimate needs and we faithfully look to the Lord almighty as our Shepherd, He promises to supply all our needs. Paul shares the same truth to the Philippian Christians:

If the Lord is your Shepherd, He promises to sufficiently meet your needs.

B. Particular Statements:

With my limited time, I realize that I would not be able to discuss the next verses beginning in verse 2 exhaustively in order to show the remarkable contributions of our Great Shepherd. To make it easier to understand, we can categorize God's contributions into three key areas:

1. Physical - "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters"

Commentators have said that the sheep will never lie down in pastures unless they are already full and satisfied. Then, there's also the provision of waters. The Great Shepherd makes sure both food and water are sufficiently provided. When was the last time you really appreciated the material provisions of God? Often, He provided more than what we needed.

2. Spiritual - "he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

As we have stated earlier, sheep can go astray easily. Just like sheep, we often make bad choices and go astray. It is good to have Shepherd who will guide us consistently in the paths of righteousness. How does He keep us in the right path? As our Shepherd, He uses the rod and staff of disciples. Of course, both instruments can be used to provide protection whenever the sheep are attack by predators, but it is also use for preservation. They are use to correct a stubborn sheep. Sometimes the process will hurt the sheep, but the intention is to keep the sheep closest to the shepherd. This reminds us of the words in Hebrews concerning our discipline:

3. Emotional - "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."

Since sheep are very vulnerable creatures, they are always exposed to a lot of dangers just like passing through dark valleys where their predators can hide and sneak on them. Yet, in their most dangerous times, the presence of the Good Shepherd can calm them down. He is fully equipped to protect them, so they don't have to be afraid. In the same way, we have a God who promises never to leave us or forsake us in life:

Now, this same presence provides us with a great sense of confidence even in the midst of enemies. Notice that God doesn't need to eliminate the enemies in order to give us joy. Our joy and communion with Him can take place in the presence of our enemies. The preparation of table symbolizes our communion with Him and the anointing and cup overflowing speak of the blessings He imparts to us because we are important to Him.

Beloved, the Good Shepherd is also a Great Shepherd because He is able to sufficiently meet all our needs -physically, spiritually, and emotionally. This is the reason why David can boldly say, "I shall not be in want."

III   THE CONSTANCY OF THE SHEPHERD: (v.6)

Lastly, King David also emphasizes his assurance that this relationship will not only be temporary. It is going to be permanent extending even to the next life. He stated this in two ways:

A. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life:

This is a beautiful statement reminding believers that God's favors and loyal love are literally pursuing (follow) us through all of life. While it is true that we live in a difficult world, yet we are always watched over. God is committed to show us show his goodness and love throughout our entire lifetime. David in another Psalm declared:

B. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever:

After life on earth is over, we will still continue to experience God's favor through our eternal destination. We will live in the place that God Himself has prepared for us. Once we get there, there will be an unhindered fellowship with our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

It's great to know that we don't have to go through life alone. God is offering Himself to be our Shepherd. I trust we will humbly recognize our need of Him. Life will be much better having Him.