“The Lord is My Shepherd” – Psalm 23
Lord God, as we are gratefully gathered here today (and also gathered through the technology you have given us), we pray that your Holy Spirit would have full reign in all of us, guiding both my words and our hearts. May we not leave today the same as when we came, but more closely aligned to You and Your Will. In Christ’s name by the power of the Spirit we pray, amen.
Psalm 23. Those familiar words. Those words we likely learned as children in Sunday School. Those words that many of us can probably recite from memory, especially in the Old King James version. And yet, we have to ask ourselves – as familiar as these words are, do we truly believe them?
After all, we live in a world in which the phrase “I lack nothing” might apply to others, but it might not seem to apply to us. For some of us, we may not feel like we’re in “green pastures” or being led by “still waters.” Maybe our souls don’t feel refreshed. We feel like we might be in dark valleys, and we DO fear the evil around us, and God seems so far away. Far from running over, our cups are running dry. And at the end of the day, we may scornfully wonder “where is that goodness and mercy and love that’s supposed to be following me all the days of my life”? At the end of the day, we may shake our heads at David, saying to ourselves “what does that little shepherd boy David know? Reclining in the green grass with the sheep? He’s just living a sheltered life. He knows nothing of the real world.”
But perhaps we should think twice before judging David so harshly. Warren Wiersbe and other scholars suggest that David did NOT write this psalm in the midst of his youth, but rather wrote it in his old age, reminiscing about his days as a shepherd. David writing this psalm in his old age changes the dynamic of this psalm entirely. Because David did not have an easy life. Far from it. His life was a life of struggle, even from his youth. When we read David’s story, as recorded primarily in 1st and 2nd Samuel, we find that he had a hard life. After his anointing by Samuel and his famous defeat of Goliath, David began to serve in King Saul’s army, winning great renown. That made Saul extremely jealous, and Saul hunted David and even tried to kill him at numerous points. When Saul died and David was made king, you’d think things would have gotten better. But no, things were still a struggle for David. He still had to defeat the enemies of Israel around them in order to bring peace and security to Israel, and had many fierce and dangerous battles.
Eventually, with God’s help, David did subdue the enemies of Israel, and you’d think that would have brought lasting peace. But no, it didn’t. Even in peacetime, David still went through struggle. He famously committed adultery with Bathsheba, which brought shame upon his household, brought the death of one of his children, and brought constant infighting among his sons, who all jostled amongst each other for the throne. One of the most famous instances was when David’s son Absalom sought to take the throne for himself, forcing David to flee his own palace until the threat was ended. In the end, though David was considered the greatest king of Israel, a man after God’s own heart, his life was one of struggle. He endured hardship, shame of sin, threats on his life, exiles, and loss – losing at least two of his sons, and losing his best friend Jonathan.
And yet, as Wiersbe notes, the evidence suggests that this psalm, Psalm 23, was written at the end of David’s life. It was written as he looked back on all of these events in his life, including his days as a shepherd. It was written, not from a place of youthful ignorance, but from elderly wisdom. It was written by someone who was not immune to the difficulties of life, but by someone who had experience more difficulties than the average person.
Given these things, we might wonder then – how? How can David see the Lord as His shepherd? How can David see the Lord as One who brings him to green pastures, still waters, a refreshed soul, right paths, safety in the darkest valley, an overflowing cup, goodness, mercy, and love? Especially when, from our perspective, David had spent much of his life NOT experiencing these things?
Well, perhaps David learned to have a different perspective than we often do – a spiritual perspective. And perhaps it would be wise for us also to learn that perspective, especially when it comes to this old, familiar psalm. I think David learned, first of all, that we as humans are often a lot more like sheep than we like to admit. Most of us probably haven’t worked with sheep much, but sheep are pretty helpless animals. They wander off. They are vulnerable to predators. To be honest, they are pretty dumb and defenseless. Simply put, they need a leader and protector – a good shepherd – or else, they will die.
And David learned that in his own life. Looking back, he saw that there were many times he was like a sheep. He strayed away from God and into trouble by pursuing Bathsheba. He was helpless before his enemies when pursued by Saul and Absalom, and when he was before enemies such as the King of Gath. David knew that his wandering was that got him into trouble, and he knew that apart from God’s care for him, the king would have certainly perished. And yet, David had not perished, but had come through. Despite all his folly, and all the perils that he faced, David was able to live to old age and die peacefully. David knew that God had been his shepherd throughout his life.
And because of all that God had done to protect him, David could confidently say “The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing.” Though he had gone through a lot in his life, David grasped the simple yet profound truth that if one has God, they have everything they need. If we have God, we have green pastures, still waters, a restored soul, and right paths. We often think that in order to have such things, life has to be easy and perfect for us. However, David shows us that we can have such things even when life is NOT easy or perfect. The world around us could be chaotic, as it was for David. But David reminds us that with God, no matter what circumstances we may find ourselves in, we have someone who is watching over us, leading us, guarding us, and nourishing us by His Word and His Holy Spirit. It’s not about the circumstances of the world around us. It’s about how close we are to our Shepherd.
David could also confidently say that even when he walked through the darkest valley, he did not need to be afraid, since God was with him. No matter what dark valleys we might face in life – loneliness, poverty, illness, grief – we do not go through it alone. The Lord goes with us, just as He was with David, and never abandoned David, even in the most difficult times of his life. Furthermore, as David was comforted by the rod and staff of God, we too can trust in God’s loving guidance, provision, and protection in the most difficult moments of our lives. Again, it’s not about the circumstances of the world around us. It’s about how close we are to our Shepherd.
With all the ways God watched over David and protected him, despite his enemies, surely David must have felt as if God were preparing a table, anointing him with oil, and letting his cup run over in front of them. After all, despite how Saul, Absalom, and so many other enemies had threatened him, David still outlived them all under God’s care. And for those who trust in God’s care and provision today, we know that they will not be put to shame, no matter what enemies they may face.
Why? The final verse reminds us: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This verse is the climax, the one that pulls everything together – reminding us of what has been, what is, and what is to come through the Lord. Warren Wiersbe makes the crucial reminder that, though it may be hard to see it in the moment, we know that God’s grace and goodness is always at work in some way. He calls this verse the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 8:28, where the apostle Paul famously says “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We might not be able to see it right now, but we can have confidence that no matter what happens in life, God is still good and loving to us.
And finally, there comes one of the most wonderful sentences in all of scripture “and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” As great a hope as it is to know that God works good throughout our earthly life, it is an even greater hope to know that God will take us to be with Himself when this earthly life is over. He will take us to the house of the Lord – and David is not talking about the temple in Jerusalem here, but the eternal dwelling place of God – heaven.
It's so easy for us to lose sight of the glory of heaven when we are surrounded by the cares, distractions, troubles, and pains of this world. But David rejoiced and looked forward to being with God forever. David looked forward and had faith that his eternal destiny was with his Good Shepherd in heaven. Along with other Old Testament believers, David clung to the belief he wrote in another psalm, Psalm 16:10-11 “you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay… you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
And that promise that David looked forward to was fulfilled through the coming of God, the Good Shepherd, in the flesh – through Jesus Christ. As we heard earlier from John 10, Jesus acknowledged His role as the Good Shepherd – a Shepherd who loves and cares for His sheep, and was even willing to die for them. And that is exactly what He did. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for His people – for His sheep – in order that they would be kept safe and protected. And He did this so that they would be protected and saved from the greatest enemy of all – sin and death.
For those who would believe in Him, Jesus’ death on the cross takes away the penalty of sin, and His resurrection ensures eternal life. And that eternal life is in heaven, in the house of the Lord – a place where there is no more pain, suffering, mourning, or crying. A place where we will be able to look back and see the full extent of God’s goodness and love in our lives, and where we will experience God’s goodness and love into the unending reaches of eternity. Hallelujah and thanks be to God! What more could we ask for? What a wonderful, Good Shepherd we have!
May we give that Shepherd Glory. May we listen to His voice, and closely follow Him throughout life. May we realize that true peace comes not from the absence of struggle, but from staying close to our Shepherd. May we trust our Shepherd, and in His goodness and love. May we rejoice in where He is leading us – into His wonderful house. And finally, as we are led by our Good Shepherd through life, may we join in His mission of bringing others into the fold, into the one flock led by the One shepherd, so that they too may experience His goodness and love, along with us, both now and into eternity. Let us pray.
Lead us, O God. Be our Good Shepherd. Whenever we are tempted to wander from You, towards sin, towards questioning You, we pray that You would lovingly draw us back. Whenever we would be afraid from walking through dark valleys, comfort us with Your rod and staff – Your protection and provision for us. We pray that You would open our eyes to all the ways Your goodness and mercy follow us. And if we cannot understand, then grant us steadfast faith to trust You. And help us Lord to rejoice in following You – for we know that You are leading us to Your house. And help us to tell everyone we meet about our Good Shepherd and His loving care for us – a love so great, He even came and died for us and rose again through Christ. It is in His name we pray. Amen.
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