-One of the most well-known and memorized chapters in the whole Bible! The image of God as a shepherd has been beloved throughout history. Charles Spurgeon called it “The pearl of Psalms.”

-And this Psalm also takes on new meaning for us living on this side of Jesus’ life, because He then picks up the imagery from this and describes Himself in John 10 as the “Good shepherd.” So while David was thinking of his relationship with God, when we view it through the lens of Christ it takes on much fuller and deeper meaning for us today!

READ/PRAY (pg. 261)

1. Abundant Life (1-3)

-What does it mean to describe God as a shepherd? As we talk about pretty much every Christmas, being a shepherd wasn’t a lofty position. Wasn’t something people laid awake at night dreaming of pursuing! It was a coincidence that David, the youngest of all his brothers, was the shepherd. He drew the short straw because he was the youngest. No one wanted to be a shepherd! It was tedious work, monotonous work (no wonder he had so much time to write a bunch of songs!)

-But God being described as a shepherd elevates that position to a whole new level, doesn’t it? A good way of summarizing the role of a shepherd is with 2 Ps: protection and provision. First, protection. The shepherd has to look after the sheep because there’s always dangers to be aware of, and sheep aren’t great at defending themselves. In Israel David had to watch out for lions! When I was growing up and my uncle had me help him with his sheep he introduced me to his llama who protected that herd from wolves (and sometimes my uncle, much to his dismay!) Second, provision, which we’ll get to as we walk through this section! But the shepherd had to ensure the sheep had everything they needed to eat and drink, they weren’t good scavenging for food. When David describes God as a shepherd, he’s saying that God ensures we will be protected and have provision.

-A helpful way we are reminded of this idea regularly is when we use the term “pastor.” So often when we use words we don’t take enough time to understand what we actually mean, or dig into the history of that word. The word “pastor” is taken from the Latin word (pastor) which means “shepherd” and taken from the verb “pascere” meaning “to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat.” So when we talk about a pastor, we’re talking about a shepherd who provides for sheep. Therefore, “pastoring” is derivative of what God does in all our lives, and gives a slightly different perspective on a passage like 1 Pet. 5:1-2 “I exhort the elders: shepherd the flock of God that is among you” Why? Because the Chief Shepherd is coming! Because God is our shepherd, and not anyone else, it leads us to not wanting.

-Can you say you don’t have any wants? Let’s stop for a second and think about the way you pray. Do you thank God for his abundant provision in your life, or do you jump straight to the needs you think you have? I think of the way my kids pray (which I know they picked up from their parents) “Hey Lord, thanks for a good day, and I hope…”

-But the language David uses here actually points back to the time of Israel’s wilderness wanderings (basically walking in circles for 40 years before they arrived in the place God told them to go). The book of Deut. Is Moses’ last sermon to the people where he recounts what had happened to lead them out of slavery in Egypt to where they were at the precipice of entering the Promised Land. At the beginning and at the end this idea of not lacking comes up:

–Deut. 2:7 “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”

-But then, as Moses goes on to warn the people to be obedient to God’s law, look at how he describes the consequences of not following Him:

–Deut. 28:47-48 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.”

-The fact that David has no wants signifies that he is living according to God’s law. This is one of the aspects of Christianity that I’m trying to emphasize for my kids that I didn’t feel was emphasized enough growing up. That is that we obey God not just because He told us to, but because obedience is what leads to full and complete flourishing as a human. Even sociology supports what the Bible teaches! I was reminded this week about that fact, listened to a podcast that referred to a sociological study that said the best way for a child to succeed is to have them grow up in a home with their biological father and mother. Where have I heard that before? Oh right! These rules aren’t in place to ruin our lives, they’re here to help us succeed in the world God created! So what else does God, as a good shepherd, provide?

-He makes me lie down in green pastures.

-At the end of a day, how much does someone need to force you to lie down? I love my bed! We’ve got a great thing going on together, spend a solid 8 hours a night together! But it’s a little different for sheep.

-Sheep are social animals, need literally nothing nearby (predators, flies) for them to feel comfortable laying down. Even lying down for sheep can be an alarming task! Did you know that they if they roll over they have no way of righting themselves, and would be stuck upside down, have gasses build up in their intestines, and die! Once again, this is another way God provides for his people: even throughout the night He watches out to ensure they’re not stuck upside down! 

-Not only is this nightly provision, it also signifies provision of food. The shepherd regularly has to move the sheep so they don’t kill the place they’re living. Sheep aren’t smart. If they could, they would eat so much they’d kill themselves! But God cares enough to ensure they have everything they need, eating the best grasses available. So good is provided as is:

-He leads me beside still waters. Once again, notice who’s in charge here. God! God is going before us to ensure we have everything we need.

-Contrast still waters with white water rafting. One of these you have to sign your life away to participate in, the other you let your children play in. Definitely a time and a place for those rapids! But think of the safety that comes from still waters.

-A more literal translation: “Waters of resting places” This is, once again, David reminding himself of some of the ways God has provided for His people in the past.

–Gen. 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and caused him to rest in Eden.”

–Deut. 12:9 “you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.”

-This is both a look back and a look forward to the ways God provides for His people.

-But God doesn’t just care about physical provision, He also provides spiritually. He restores my soul.

-Ever had a big project that you needed to finish? Last summer I replaced the flooring in my house, which involved removing hard wood to get to the subfloor. Many late nights trying to knock that thing out! But you work your hardest and then at the end you get a huge glass of water that is the best tasting water you’ve ever had. That’s what this restoration looks like. Think of how Jesus describes obedience to Him in Matt. 11 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gently and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

-Friends, stop trying to earn God’s favor, stop trying to be good enough. You can’t! That’s why a passage like this is so important for us to soak our minds in! We can’t restores ourselves, we need Jesus to do that for us! That’s why Augustine said “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.” And then, when are hearts are fully satisfied in God:

-Leads me in paths of righteousness (the right paths)

-Not coercive or manipulative, he leads we willingly follow

–Eph. 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

-God knew each step of your life, each breath you would take, each beat of your heart before you were born. God knew the sinful tendencies you would have, the struggles you would walk through, the ways you would insult Him, yet He still walks with you (or in front of you in this case) each step of the way.

-Did you know that you can’t out-sin God’s grace? Every sin you’ve committed came millennia afterJesus died and rose again, yet Jesus’ one-time sacrifice was enough to cover all our sins!

-All of this abundance has led to the last part of vs. 3 “for his name’s sake”

-We are blessed by God so that we can bless others. God loves all and wants everyone to come to repentance in Him. So as Pastor Bruce LOVES to remind us: we are meant to be His ambassadors. What do ambassadors do? They serve as representatives of a different nation. The reason we exist on earth right now is to represent God, to join with Him in His mission to seek and save the lost. We are here to invite others to be a part of this new kingdom that we represent

-David is thanking God that He gets to represent God to others

• Blessed Life (4)

-It’s one thing to be praising God and saying “I shall not want” when things are going well like in those first 3 verses, but what about when difficulties come?

-Carson, “The truth of the matter is that all we have to do is live long enough, and we will suffer.” 

–Job 1:21 “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord.” 

-Valleys are places where fear comes. Shadows are cast that can either by an enemy out to destroy or the branch of a tree. 

-If you’ve been in an empty church building at night you know that feeling! Every shadow causes your mind to race, every noise could be a footstep from someone you don’t know. Your nerves are on edge and you just wait for someone or something to jump out at you. But even in these situations, there’s nothing to fear.

-Doesn’t say death, it’s the shadow of death: where you’re on death’s doorstep. Even when you’re given every opportunity to doubt, to struggle, to question, what does David remind us of?

-He’s recounted God’s promises and provision up until this point, why would a series of questions or doubts throw David off? Even when it feels like life is falling apart, did you know that God is still there?

-“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” CS Lewis The Problem of Pain

-Pain doesn’t meant God’s out to get you, pain doesn’t mean you’re paying penance for wrongs you’ve done, God allows you to walk through pain to grow closer to Him. God allows difficulties and suffering so that you can work out your faith muscles and become stronger in who He’s called you to be.

-This is the center of this whole Psalm, everything previous builds up to it and everything after points back to it: God is with us. 

-God’s presence is the reason Job can say blessed by God’s name; God’s presence is the reason the disciples believe in Jesus after the resurrection. God’s presence is always with us, even when we’re walking at the precipice of death’s door, God is with us. 

-Rod and staff: protection, correction, and guidance.

-Sheep are not smart. As I’ve shared, they can get stuck upside down and literally die! They can eat until they explode, they can wander off and get lost in a moment’s notice! So the shepherd needed some way of keeping the sheep in line. The rod was used to defend against predators, and the staff was used to correct wayward sheep!

-Do you view God’s discipline as a kindness and a blessing? How can discipline bring comfort? Because it means you know whose family you’re in

–Heb. 12:6 “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives…If you are let without discipline…then you are illegitimate children.” 

–Rom. 2:4 “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” 

-When you live a life of repentance, God will bring you comfort. Martin Luther, when he posted his thesis to the door in 1517 began his list of 95 reforms needed by saying “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.”

-God’s presence leads us to repentance, which finally lands us:

• Comforted Life (5-6)

-A table in the presence of my enemies 

-Back to physical provision. Even when enemies surround me, even after surviving the shadow of death, God continues taking care of me. Think of how helpful a meal is after you’ve weathered a difficult season.

-Just a few months ago when we were initially told that one of our babies wouldn’t survive Erin Rivenburg that night brought us a meal and gave Cara a hug. That was a moment of relief in the storm that was wrecking our hearts. And that’s just 1 example! 

-But this is also meant to contrast the provision of David vs. his enemies. Enemies won’t last, David will. Don’t miss this, friends: all suffering has an expiration date! We’ll be able to feast either on this side of eternity, or in the life to come! But the fight isn’t fair. We have God on our side! 

-Anointing

-Ceremonial or provision. Oil helped with dry skin on sheep, and served as a layer of protection from insects. But oil was also used to signify someone as God’s chosen person, so when David was anointed King, it was with oil. Either way, it’s another picture of God’s abundant provision of His people!

-As if that wasn’t enough, his cup overflows. Never reaches the bottom, that’s how deep God’s provision goes! Like if you’ve ever gone to Chili’s and gotten their “bottomless” chips and salsa, trust me, there’s a bottom! Can’t just eat forever, and they will eventually kick you out! But not so with God. God’s provision is more than we could ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20) 

-Because of God’s presence, goodness and mercy follow forever

-David uses a weird word here that’s better translated as pursue, as if goodness and mercy are relentlessly chasing after him! It’s most often used to refer to enemies who are doggedly pursuing someone. But what if it’s not an enemy who keeps chasing, but instead it’s goodness and mercy? David is so blessed, his enemies have been dealt with, and now his only pursuers are goodness and mercy. That’s how blessed his life is!

-And where does David end up? In the house of the Lord forever, in God’s presence.

-Remember, the hinge point of this Psalm is God’s presence! First we saw God as a Shepherd, protecting and providing for his people, then God’s presence was with His people in their darkest moments, and now the dwelling place of God’s people is in God’s house. Once again, this is a reality that points to the future of all time.

-Rev. 21:3 “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

-Because God is a good shepherd, we have a life that is: abundant, blessed, and comforted.