#703 The Good Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23 KJV

“It has charmed more griefs to rest than all the philosophy of the world. It has remanded to their dungeon more felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows, than there are sands on the sea–shore. It has comforted the noble host of the poor. It has sung courage to the army of the disappointed. It has poured balm and consolation into the heart of the sick, of captives in dungeons, of widows in their pinching griefs, of orphans in their loneliness. Dying soldiers have died easier as it was read to them; ghastly hospitals have been illuminated; it has visited the prisoner, and broken his chains, and, like Peter’s angel, led him forth in imagination, and sung him back to his home again. It has made the dying Christian slave freer than his master, and consoled those whom, dying, he left behind mourning, not so much that he was gone, as because they were left behind, and could not go too.” (Beecher, cited in Spurgeon)

One of the first passages I memorized as a child, and surely there is great comfort to be found herein, not just in the repeating but also the believing. 

The Lord is my Shepherd - David draws upon an image that he is quite familiar with. He was the youngest of His father's sons and so he was the tender of the flock. For some in the old world this was one of the lesser jobs to be associated with, but here David heaps so much honor upon it as to call the Lord his own Shepherd. King David has called God his King, and the earthly king is not ashamed of his own pastoral heritage, but the shepherd king here numbers himself as among God's sheep. Our Lord Jesus was not embarrassed by this analogy either, and in calculating and careful manner, it was the shepherds standing watch by night that first heard the news of Christ's birth. 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock.…John 10:10-12

I shall not want - Because the Lord is my Shepherd. I read somewhere that the shepherd was everything to the sheep. They follow him to find food, he is their protector, physician and compass. Knowing that he is there is knowing that all I need is also with him. 

Lie down in green pastures - The shepherd knows not only where to find food but also rest. That he makes the sheep lie down seems to infer that they do not always know what is best by themselves. There is sustenance in the green pastures, it is a comfortable place, and as one writer mentions of sheep, they will not willingly lie down if certain conditions aren't met. If they are afraid then they stand ready to move, if they have the worm or the ground is too wet, then they will not lie down. If their stomachs are empty or the flies are thick then they will want better pastures, but the shepherd knows all these things.

Beside still waters - Be still and know that I am God. It is in the quiet still pools that we can reflect. When the water is undisturbed it is like a mirror, and the truth is the sweetest of all beverages to those who are truly thirsty. Here, in the quiet, the voice of the shepherd is always more clear, His words are ever a song upon the wind and a comfort in the ear. 

Restoreth my soul - What is gained by food and rest? The soul is strengthened, the heart has seen that what the shepherd says and where he leads is good. Wherever He leads I will go. If a thing needs to be restored then it was either spent or a thing needed that had been missing all together. Sheep do not go about interviewing shepherds, it is the shepherd who makes them his sheep, who leaves the 90 and 9 to find the one that is lost and restores him to the safety of the fold. 

I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.…John 10: 14-16

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. 39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”…John 6: 38-40

His name's sake - For the sake of His own good name, that what He says He will accomplish by His own power. As Clarke so well puts it:

i. For His name’s sake: “To display the glory of his grace, and not on account of any merit in me. God’s motives of conduct towards the children of men are derived from the perfections and goodness of his own nature.” (Clarke)

Valley of the shadow of death - Death was once a thing to be feared, and sometimes the thought of it still frightens us, but our great Shepherd has conquered the grave, so all that is left is but a shadow, a bark without a dog. It is no longer a place of fear for the Shepherd leads us, and while all the rest of the world may groan or panic, the apostle says, "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain." 

Thy rod and Thy staff - Moses was the prophet who lead Israel out of Egypt, who also declared unto them them the word of Lord. Aaron was the priest who ministered unto the Lord, the hook that brought the sheep back to what the Lord had said. Both of them were mere shadows of the Prophet/Priest/King to come. Moses failed when he took his staff and struck the rock in anger, this was not the direction of the Lord. Aaron failed to establish the rod, rather than guiding the people back from destruction he led them to commit idolatry after they had agreed to what the Lord had said, "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images." It is the same for shepherds today, the preachers and elders in our churches, they should not go where God has not brought them, and they should lead according to the word of God. If they would like to be prophets then they must profess the word of God, neither adding to or taking away from the completed work of the Bible. There is a path that has been laid and I remember my wife's dog Eli, he was an Australian shepherd. When we would walk with him on the beach, I would wait till he wandered ahead and then I would stray off to the side. When he saw this he would come guide me back, but if I ran he would nip my heels. Thy rod and Thy staff do comfort me, if I look up it is there to protect me, to see the way to go, and if I stray then then You will draw me back.  

The presence of mine enemies - Even in a world that hates You, with enemies present all around, yet You still manage to provide for me, to sup with me. If you live in the world and have no enemies, then it is questionable that you have ever stood for anything. If Christ had enemies, and you are in Christ, then in the world you will have tribulation, but be not discouraged for He has overcome the world. David knew well the demands of a shepherd, he had killed both the lion and the bear, but there were also thieves who would rather steal what someone else had cared for then get it legitimately on their own. Remember to keep your eyes on the shepherd, for the time of the thief is passing quickly. 

Thou anointest my head with oil - You have declared me as Your own, Your spirit has been placed in me. Not only is my cup full but it is overflowing, so I must take this message, the joy of my salvation and tell the world the riches of what You have done.  

Goodness and mercy - Regardless of the toils of this life, as I look back, I have been waited upon by these two great angels. Even on the darkest days they have brought light and oh it was not in me but rather Your mercy that guided me, that showed me the way, that took my vile nature upon Yourself. You put Yourself in harms way, when I was lost You found me, You broke my legs and carried me. I became Your burden, and then I learned to walk under the shadow of Your wings. You did not leave me in my filth, but cleansed and sanctified me unto Yourself, so that I might dwell in the house of the Lord forever.