Investigating God #7
Is The Lord Your Shepherd?
Steve W.
Reeves
stevesermons.blogspot.com
INTRODUCTION:
A. In
our investigation of God is there any passage of Scripture that can paint a detailed picture of God’s character on the canvas of our hearts? Is there a passage
that would leave no doubt about God’s nature?
1. Not only is there such as passage, it happens to be one of the most familiar and
quoted passages in the Bible.
2. It is also one of the most dangerous passages in the Bible. Our familiarity with it
often causes us to overlook its depth and beauty.
3. I’m speaking of the wonderful 23rd Psalm. Though it is just six verses long, the
psalm provides us with a treasure of information about the character of God.
a. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of books written about this salm.
b. We could spend months or years in this one passage and barely scratch the
surface of its rich spiritual soil.
4. The picture portrayed in this Psalm has two distinct parts.
a. The first is the beauty of the Shepherd.
b. The second is the benefit available for the sheep.
c. We will view these two pictures in a two-part series.
B. It is important to look at the 23rd Psalm with a wide angle lens.
1. Why does this Psalm occur where it does in the book of Psalms? Was it merely a
random choice?
2. Many scholars suggest that the beauty of the 23rd Psalm can only be understood
when it is considered within the context of Psalms 22 and 24.
a. Psalm 22 is tumultuous, torturous scene of God’s suffering servant. It is the
Psalm quoted by Jesus on the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me” (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:4).
b. Psalm 24 is a remarkable affirmation of God’s greatness and triumph. It begins,
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1).
c. What produced the change of tone from grief to glory? It was David’s realization
that the Lord was his shepherd (Psalm 23:1).
C. In Psalm 23 God is described in three ways.
I. PROVIDER
A. David said, “The Lord is my shepherd. David used the most intimate
term found in Psalms to describe God. In other psalms he used, “King,”
“Deliverer,” or “Rock.” Here he used the word “shepherd.”
1. This may be the most quoted and least understood verse in the entire Bible. We
have difficulty understanding it because we do not understand the essential
functions of a shepherd.
2. When King David was a youth he did not work as a paper-boy or mow people’s
yards. He did not work at a fast-food restaurant or convenience store. He was a
shepherd.
a. 1 Samuel 17:15 introduces David as the youngest son of Jesse and says that
while his three oldest brothers, Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah, were in the
army David traveled back and forth between them and his flock at Bethlehem.
b. When David volunteered to fight the Philistine giant Goliath, Saul objected
but told David he was too young. David responded in 1 Samuel 17:34-35,
“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear
came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and
rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its
hair, struck it and killed it.”
3. David understood exactly what it meant to be a shepherd.
B. David understood the role of the shepherd as a provider. Notice David’s use of the
pronoun “He,” in verses 2-3.
1. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
a. The shepherd’s greatest concern is not for his own comfort or convenience
but for the well-being of his sheep.
b. He is constantly looking for green pastures where the sheep can receive
nourishment and rest.
c. In John 10 Jesus referred to Himself as the “good shepherd.”
1.) In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
lays down his life for the sheep”
2.) In verse 14 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my
sheep know me.”
d. God is the only one who can give you rest in green pastures. Satan will
always try to make the grass look greener elsewhere. Jesus is the one who
invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.”
2. He leads me beside quiet waters,
a. Do you know why a shepherd leads his sheep rather than driving them like
cattle?
b. Sheep have extremely poor forward vision. This affects their depth perception
and ability to see obstacles on the path. By following their shepherd, they are
following one who has already been where they are going.
c. There are many things along the path of life that we are not able to see. A
diagnosis of cancer, the death of a loved one, the pain of divorce. We may be
unable to see next week or next month but God has already been there. He
owns next week and month and year.
3. He refreshes my soul.
a. The summer before I came to Harding I worked for a construction company
pouring concrete. We were laying sidewalks in a large apartment complex.
It was not possible for the truck to back up between the apartments so the
concrete had to be carried in by wheelbarrows. Guess what I did? I will never
forget one hot July afternoon pushing wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of
concrete between those buildings. I thought I would melt or die. Suddenly my
Dad showed up with a thermos full of ice cold Gatorade. To this day I
remember how refreshing it was.
b. Perhaps you are emotionally, mentally or spiritually drained today. Follow
your shepherd. He is the one who can lead you to refreshing water that can
replenish your soul (John 4).
4. He leads me in paths of righteousness (right paths).
a. Sheep do not know where they should go. Left on their own they wander
and become entangled in thorns and briars. They become lost in the
wilderness.
b. This is why Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray.”
C. When the Lord is your shepherd He makes wonderful provision for your life.
II. PROTECTOR
A. Psalm 23:4 is one of the most comforting verses in the Bible. “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.”
1. The word “death” is not found in the original Hebrew text.
2. A better rendering is “valley of deepest darkness” (NIC).
B. Do you know anyone who has been through a deep, dark valley?
1. In 2011 Tami and I left a long-term ministry, our children, and grandchildren and
moved to a small town where we hoped to help a troubled church. From the
beginning things did not go well. I had taken a substantial cut in pay on the
assumption that our house would sell and we could “downsize.” Our house did
not sell. One month after we moved my mother passed away. I slipped into
depression (my experience pales in comparison to many). For two years I
stumbled in the darkness. At the right time the Lord led us out of that valley and
restored my strength,
2. Tami and I look back on that time and see God’s protective hand over us.
C. At the turn of the 20th century there was a well-known preacher named T.B.
Larimore. He often told about a time when as a boy he had to work away from
home. At night he had to go through a deep, dark ravine to cross a creek in order
to get home. It was uncomfortable and scary. Just when it seemed his fear was at
its peak he saw the light of a lantern and heard a familiar voice, “Theophilus, is that
you?0 I’m here. Don’t be afraid.” It was his mother.
C. If you are going through a deep, dark valley, trust in the loving protection of the
Lord God.
III. PREPARER
A. Verse 5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You
anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.”
B. Steve Farrar, author of Point Man, How a Man Can Lead a Family, and other
men’s books, tells an interesting story about shepherds in Palestine. In many of the
grassy fields are snakes called Adders. They burrow 12 to 18 inches underground,
When sheep are grazing they come up out of the ground and bite the sheep. When
a shepherd prepares the pasture for the sheep he looks for the holes where the
snakes have burrowed themselves and pours oil down the hole. He then leads the
flock to graze in the pasture. The snakes can’t get out of their holes because they
keep sliding back down. The shepherd has prepared a table for the sheep in the
presence of their enemies.
C. God’s feast is a victory feast. The oil is a sign of celebration. It ushers in a time of
great celebration with goodness and mercy as long as we dwell in the presence of
the Lord.
CONCLUSION:
A. We conclude by going to the beginning. David said, “The Lord is my shepherd.”
1. David was speaking of himself. He wrote of his own personal relationship with
God.
2. The question we must ask is, “Is the Lord our shepherd?” Are we following Him?
Do we hear His voice? Do we allow Him to lead us?
B. May we invite you to make the Lord your shepherd today? Will you come to Him in
faith, repentance and baptism? If you have strayed will you allow Him to reclaim you
and bring you back into His fold? We welcome you to come to Him.
