Psalm 23

Psalm 23

The Only Good Shepherd

1. Only Christ is able to faithfully shepherd us properly in life, so we must trust The Good Shepherd to be all we need to lead us properly, and provide for us fully (Vv. 1-3)

1. God is eternal, all powerful, all knowing, all present, and has no equal. Yet He condescends to the lowly role of shepherd, to lovingly care for and walk with each one of His sheep. To understand the roles of shepherds and sheep, we must look to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, which demonstrates the selfless and loving nature of the Good Shepherd. All who submit to the Good Shepherds cleansing in their lives, receive His personal guidance and provision. (v. 1; Exod. 3:10-15; Ps. 37:4-5; John 13:8; 10:2-4, 11-16, 25-28; Rev. 1:8)

2. “He makes me lie down in green pastures”. Sheep need green pastures where they find enough good food to fill them and give them peaceful and contented rest, or they’ll wander around discontentedly, and stray into danger. All of humanity is restless, struggling for peace, purpose, fulfillment, and rest but never being able to find it. The Good Shepherd promises to remove our burden of sin, feed us with His Word, and give us rest. (v. 2a; John 6:27, 35a; 14:27; Matt. 11:28-30)

3. “He leads me beside quiet waters”. Sheep can’t be driven; they must be led. Sheep won’t drink from turbulent waters, but they become impatient when thirsty and will drink from polluted still puddles that can kill them. Tragically, often we’re all easily driven to settle impatiently for polluted water, when the Good Shepherd calls us to come to Him and follow Him to Living Water. (v. 2b; 4:10-14; 6:35b; 7:37-38; Jer. 2:13)

4. “He restores my soul”. Sheep often rest by laying down in depressions in the ground, but can roll over onto their backs and become trapped. Unable get back upright, they can die within a few hours if not “restored” by the shepherd. Sometimes we get a little too fat and happy with the world, neglect our spiritual health, and become trapped upside down. But the Good Shepherd is faithful to restore us and set us back upright when we call on Him. (v. 3a; Ps. 19:7; Matt. 26:69-75; John 21:15-17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Gal. 6:1; Heb. 10:24-25; Jas. 5:19-20)

5. “He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”. God doesn’t compare us to sheep, so we’ll feel stupid and inept. The great need of the sheep serves to highlight the Good Shepherd’s complete sufficiency to guide and provide, even in our weakness and stubbornness. God has chosen to identify His Name with His children, and reveal Himself through us. He accomplishes that by leading us on the right paths to accomplish His will; we must trust Him and follow Him. (v. 3b; Isa. 30:21; 53:6; Matt. 5:13-16; John 13:6-10; 15:1-11; 2 Tim. 2:19)

2. Only Christ is able to faithfully shepherd us properly in life, so we must trust The Good Shepherd to sustain us abundantly in all life’s circumstances, and keep us forever in Him (Vv. 4-6)

1. A shepherd leading sheep from winter to summer grazing lands, will lead them through the valleys, which provide the least stressful terrain, the most abundant grazing and water, but also the threat of darkness and predators. In the darkness and threats of the valley, the sheep are comforted by the presence and power of the shepherd. His rod fought off predators that would attack and kill the sheep and his staff gently directed the sheep and drew them in to himself. The Good Shepherd leads us through all the circumstances of life by walking with us and providing peace and certainty in even the darkest times of life through His power and presence. (v. 4; Deut. 31:6; Ps. 118:6-7; Isa. 26:3; 41:10; 43:1-2; Heb. 13:5b-7)

2. As the shepherd led his flock back to the fold, he would go ahead of them to prepare “tables”, or plateaus, by scouting for predators and removing poisonous plants. He would stand watch over the flock as the rested up. Sheep won’t rest if they’re irritated by pests, so as they returned to the fold, the shepherd would put a salve on their heads to keep the insects away, fill their trough with food so that they had all they needed in abundance and could rest, and stretch out across the door protecting them throughout the night from predators. Like sheep, we need the safety and assurance of the Good Shepherd. He alone is able to walk with us and go before us. He provides for our every need, sustains us abundantly in all circumstances, and gives us rest while He guards the door of our lives during the night. (v. 5; Ps. 119:103-105; John 10:7-9; 14:12-18, 26-27; 16:13)

3. Life has moments that seem extremely low, dark, terrifying, and unpredictable, but God is faithful to meet every need of His flock. He sustains us in every way, causes all things to work together for His glory and our good, and continually assures us that He’ll keep us now and eternally. (v. 6; John 10:27-30; 14:1-6; Rom. 8:28, 31-39; 1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor. 1:20-22; Eph. 1:9-14; Phil. 1:6; 1 John 3:1-2; Jude 24-25)