Psalm 23 - The LORD Is My Shepherd and My Host

[Music] today we take the privilege of looking at the tremendous psalm perhaps the most beloved psalm of all 150 Psalms the beloved Psalm Psalm 23 I'm gonna begin just by reading the psalm in its entirety because it's not very long and it's beautiful just to read it and to receive it ready the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he makes me to lie down in green pastures he leads me besides the still waters he restores my soul he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake yay through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever now like many other Psalms this beloved Psalm bears the simple title a psalm of David that's all it says about it and most people acknowledge while King David wrote it it was a psalm of his maturity in other words we sense we can't say for certain of course but we sense this is something of an older David giving this Psalm yet with a vivid remembrance of his youth as a shepherd because we remember that David was a shepherd boy and he wrote this remarkably eloquent and beautiful psalm speaking about the Lord being our shepherd there's a old preacher named Henry Ward Beecher and he's quoted in Charles Spurgeon 's treasury of David about what he had to say about this psalm Henry Ward Beecher said this about Psalm 23 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 seashore it is comforted the noble hosts 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 and 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 morning not so much that he was gone as because they were left behind and could not go to I think that's a beautiful description of the power of the psalm let me add one more thing before certain taking apart verse by verse it's from James Montgomery Boyce and his excellent commentary on Psalms he says this about Psalm 23 millions of people have memorized this Psalm even those who have learned a few other scripture portions ministers have used it to comfort people who are going through severe personal trials suffering illness or dying for some the words of this psalm have been the last that they have ever uttered in life it's true isn't it what a powerful beautiful Psalm we read it in its entirety all six verses it's only six verses long let's take it apart now verse by verse verse one the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want you see David thought about God the God of Israel the Lord Yahweh that's the name of the Covenant God of Israel and he thought about his relationship with God I'm sure David understood that God was a mass stir and david was a slave that god was a father and david was his son that God was a king and David was his subject maybe even David had the thoughts that God was like a Potter and David was like the clay we could go on and on with these analogies but in this particular Psalm David draws on his memory as a shepherd and he says the Lord is my shepherd it's the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep God was like a shepherd to David and David was like a sheep to God now in one sense this is not unusual there are other references to this analogy between a deity and his followers in the ancient Middle East there's also the thought politically that there were times when a king referred himself to being a shepherd over his subjects in the ancient Middle East but it's also a familiar idea throughout the Bible now we find it perhaps most beautifully and poetically stated right here in Psalm 23 but this is something that covers throughout the Old Testament that this idea that the Lord is a shepherd to his people the idea begins as early as the book of Genesis where in Genesis chapter 49 verse 24 Moses called the Lord and Moses of the author of Genesis the Lord the shepherd the stone of Israel in Psalm 28 verse 9 David invited the Lord to Shepherd the people of Israel and to bear them up forever in Psalm 80 verse 1 it also looks to the Lord as the Shepherd of Israel who would lead Joseph like a flock Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 11 speaks of the word of the wise which are like well driven nails given by one Shepherd Isaiah chapter 40 verse 11 tells us that the Lord will feed his flock like a shepherd he will gather the Lambs with his arms Micah chapter 7 verse 14 invites the Lord to Shepherd your people with your staff as in days of old and Zechariah chapter 13 verse 7 speaks of the Messiah as the shepherd who will be struck and the sheep will be scattered by the way that passage is quoted in Matthew chapter 26 when Jesus was arrested so throughout the Old Testament we find this idea that the Lord is the shepherd of God's people that Yahweh is the Shepherd of Israel and I think it's remarkable that the Lord would call himself a shepherd our Shepherd you see in the ancient world a shepherd's work was considered low if a family needed a shepherd it was always the youngest son the one who had the least esteem and the family who got the unpleasant assignment you remember in 1st Samuel when the sons of Jesse were invited to a feast by the prophet Samuel because the prophet Samuel had been told by God that the next king of Israel the King to anoint the the person to anoint as the next king of Israel was among the sons of this man named Jesse who lived in Bethlehem David didn't even attend the feast why because he was out tending the Sheep he was the youngest and most despised in his family yet as James Montgomery boy says the great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me now as we said David knew this metaphor in a unique and powerful way because he had been a shepherd himself and so this is a remarkably wonderful metaphor Derek Kidner in his commentary on the Psalms points out that that you have the more distant king or deliverer used as a metaphor impersonal words like rock or shield but Shepherd a shepherd lives with his flock and is everything to it the Shepherd is the guide to the flock the physician to the flock the protector of the flock the feeder of the flock everything and that's what the Lord is to his people now if you look at that first line in verse 1 it says the Lord is my shepherd you see David knew that in a personal sense he could say my shepherd it was not just that the Lord was a shepherd for others in a theoretical sense no he was a real personal Shepard for David himself I like what Charles Spurgeon said about that point he said this the sweetest word of the whole is that mono syllable my he does not say the Lord is the Shepherd of the world at large and leadeth forth the multitude as a flock but he says the Lord is my shepherd and if he were a shepherd to no one else he as a shepherd to me he cares for me watches over me and preserves me now of course David doesn't mean that to the exclusion of other people nor would we but it's a wonderful thing to take it deep in your soul he is my shepherd and overwhelmingly the idea behind God's role as Shepherd is a loving care and concern David found comfort he found security in the thought that God cared for him like a shepherd cares for his sheep and of course we know David knew how a shepherd cares for a sheep David lived it he experienced himself he had the heart of a shepherd for his own flock and now he takes such delight in the thought that God cares for him that way the David also felt that he needed a shepherd you see the very heart of this Psalm doesn't connect with someone who is self-sufficient but those people who truly sense their need those people who are the poor in spirit that Jesus described in the Sermon on the Mount they find great comfort in the idea that God can be a shepherd to them in a personal sense you see Spurgeon said that before a man can truly say the Lord is my shepherd he must first feel himself to be a sheep by Nature I mean you can't know that God is your shepherd unless you know that you have the nature of a sheep and sheep can sometimes be foolish sheep are always dependent and sheep have somewhat of a warped will that's what you got to see yourself as if you're gonna say the Lord is my shepherd now the Lord is my bird the next line of verse one I shall not want you see David for him the fact of God's Shepherd like care was the end of any need that could not be satisfied he said I shall not want and I believe that statement I shall not want it was both a declaration but it was also a decision what what do I mean by that well I shall not want means that all my needs are supplied by the Lord my shepherd he supplies everything I shall not want I'm okay I'm good I'm set the Lord is my shepherd but I shall not want is also sort of a declaration that says I decide to not desire anything more than what the Lord my shepherd gives whatever he gives me it's enough and I decide that now that's the first verse let's take a look at the second verse how the shepherd sustains the sheep he says this he makes me to lie down in green pastures he leads me beside the still waters no what does the Shepherd do he makes me to lie down the Lord as a shepherd knew how to make David rest when he needed it just as a literal Shepherd would care for a sheep the implication is that the Sheep doesn't always know what it needs and it doesn't always know what's best for itself and so it needs the help that the Shepherd brings now this is a beautiful a lovely image can't you just picture it in your mind can't you just picture the the beautiful calm morning and the morning Sun is beginning to shine over the beautiful green pasture and there's the Shepherd in the field with the Sheep and there's the green pasture and the sheep are lying down there's the Sheep I don't know how many there are there's 20 there's 30 there's 40 sheep and they're all lying down there and the Shepherd is standing taking this wonderful Shepard leaked air over them isn't that beautiful picture that if there's a little creek running by can't you see the creek you can hear it it's quiet it's beautiful he says he makes me to lie down in those green pastures now it's the green pastures because the Shepherd also knew the good places to make his sheep rest so he faithfully guided the Sheep to green pastures now there's a wonderful book on Psalm 23 I dug out my old copy of it it's by a man named Philip Keller and it's called a shepherd looks at Psalm 23 and in this classic work on the 23rd Psalm Philip Keller writes that sheep do not lie down easily let me I should just explain Philip Keller was a shepherd he was a professional shepherd and he wrote a book and the title of the book was a shepherd looks at Psalm 23 so in it he explains that sheep do not lie down easily and they will not lie down unless four conditions are met what are the four conditions well first of all because she part Emmitt they will not lie down if they're afraid secondly because they are social animals they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep number three if there are flies or parasites that are troubling them they will not lie down and number four finally if sheep are anxious about food if they are hungry they will not lie down so as Philip Keller explained rest comes when the shepherd is dealt with fear friction flies and famine and that's what the Lord does for us he wants to deal with our fears and say lie down in green pastures he wants to deal with the friction that we have with other people and especially with other believers and he says let me bring peace to that situation he wants to knock away and drive away the Flies or the parasites that would trouble us and finally he wants to feed us he doesn't want us to lie down hungry he wants us to be full in our souls of what he alone can provide so he makes me lie down in green pastures and he leads me beside the still waters the Shepherd knows when the sheep needs green pastures and he knows when the Sheep needs the still waters again these images are so rich with a sense of comfort care and rest it's not the rushing Rapids it's the still waters there's calm there's peace there's grace there's all the food in the green pastures that the Sheep could want there's all the the water in the still waters that the Sheep could need to drink and then he continues on how the Lord leads along the way verse 3 he restores my soul he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake now it's interesting the tender care of the shepherd described in the previous verse had the intended effect but by caring for the sheep but by making him lie down in green pastures but by bringing him beside the still waters that the soul of the sheep was restored that the Shepherd's work had its intended effect David's soul was restored by the figurative green pastures and the figurative still waters that the shepherd brought him now there's something to think about here that word restores at least in the translation of the New King James Version which I'm teaching from that said there he restores my soul that may very well picture the rescue of a lost sheep James takamore boy said and Derrick Kidner agrees he says in Hebrew the words restores my soul can mean brings me to repentance or to conversion so he restores my soul he leads me in the paths of righteousness you see the shepherd is also a guide think about this the Sheep didn't need to know where the green pastures were where the still waters were sheep didn't need to know all the sheep needed to know is where the Shepherd was because the Shepherd would guide the Sheep to whatever he needed when you need the green pastures follow the Shepherd the Shepherd will take you there when you need this Stillwater's follow the shepherd the shepherd will take you there and he leads me in the paths of righteousness you see the leadership of the shepherd did not only comfort and restore the sheep it also guided him into righteousness God's guidance of David had a moral aspect they were paths but they were paths of righteousness and he did it all notice that last line of verse three for his name's sake the Shepherd guides the Sheep with an overarching view to the credit and the glory of the Shepherd's own name now take a look at the gift of the Shepherd's presence here in verse four yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me here the shepherd is still at work and we could say that even though the shepherd is still at work this is the first dark note that we have sounded in this beautiful Psalm you see previously David is talking about green pastures and still waters and paths of righteousness and I look pretty good didn't we we had that picture in our mind and it was beautiful yet when following the Lord as a shepherd you may still have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and David used this very powerful phrase to speak of some kind of dark fearful experience you know it's kind of interesting we don't know exactly what the phrase means it's a little imprecise walk through the valley of the shadow of death it's one of these interesting phrases that you can't say exactly what it means but poetically speaking it makes perfect sense it's a dangerous place it's the valley of the shadow of death you see it's a valley it's not a mountaintop or a broad meadow a valley suggest it's being hedged in and surrounded it's not everywhere it's one locale and it's the valley of the shadow of death facing what seemed to David as the ultimate defeat and evil what could be worse death but notices please it is the valley of the shadow of death it's not facing the substance of death but the shadow of death it's casting its dark fearful outline across David's path but it's just a shadow now notably David recognized that under the shepherds leading he might walk through the valley of the shadow of death it wasn't his destination or his dwelling place it was a place to walk through and like the preacher in Ecclesiastes David might ladies might say that that all of life is lived under the shadow of death and it is the conscious presence of the Lord as Shepherd that makes it bearable I'm not trying to depress you but I just want you to think for a moment is it not true that all of life is lived under the shadow of death that that when a baby is born and is healthy and as strong as it may seem there's something in the heart of every person that holds or looks at that baby and says I hope they make it it's a dangerous time the first few weeks of life we think of our children and we love our children but we realize that some tragedy could take them away in an instant when we get older we recognize the same thing and when we come to old age we recognize that that all of our lives are fragile you could say that all of humanity lives under the shadow of death but it is just a shadow now this is especially suggestive when we read this Psalm with an eye towards Jesus who of course is the great Shepherd a shadow is not tangible but it is cast by something that is okay this book if it was held in the right light could cast a shadow if the lights back here the book is in the way the shadow is cast before it so the shadow itself is not real so to speak it has no substance but it is caused by something that is real well death is real the shadow it casts over life doesn't have to be real Jesus took the full reality of death in our place so that we would not have to fear the shadow of death and that's why David can say yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death that line from the psalm as well as the psalm as a whole but that line in particular has proven itself precious to many dying people of God throughout the ages they have been comforted they have been strengthened they have been warmed by the thought that the Lord would Shepherd them through the valley of the shadow of death I wonder I wonder how many precious believers on their deathbed have thought or have said or have had spoken to them though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death and those words have been on their lips as they passed from this life to the next now when the saint comes near death they still can calmly walk I like that we don't sprint through the valley of the shadow of death we don't have to jog or run we can walk calmly we don't have to run or quicken our pace in alarm or panic no near death the Saint does not walk in the valley but through the valley again if I could read another quote from Spurgeon you you can imagine Spurgeon preached a lot of sermons on this Psalm and they're beautiful sermons he says in one place quote death in its substance has been removed and only the shadow of it remains someone has said is that when there is a shadow there must be a light somewhere and so there is let us then rejoice that there is a light beyond nobody is afraid of a shadow for a shadow cannot stop a man's pathway even for a moment the shadow of a dog cannot bite the shadow of a sword cannot kill the shadow of death cannot destroy us this is wonderful this has application not only to the person who is close to death but it is for every I want you to know something in the the verb tense of this fray yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil it's not talking about the future tense although it includes the future tense but really it's right here right now it's it doesn't have to be reserved for a distant moment God can give you that assurance now so in the midst of it David can say I will fear no evil despite every dark association with the idea the valley of the shadow of death under the care of the Lord who is his Shepherd David could resolutely say this I will fear no evil even in a fearful place a place where you might say fear was merited note David says instead I will look to the presence of the Shepherd his pregnant presence sends away all the fear of evil you could even say this that the Shepherd's presence did not eliminate the presence of evil but it eliminated the fear of evil and why for you are with me this emphasizes that it is the presence of the Shepherd that eliminates the fear of evil don't miss that line in verse 4 for you are with me as long as the Shepherd is with the Sheep the Sheep are going to be ok no matter what the present environment was David could look to the fact that God's Shepherd like presence was with him and he said you're with me and if you're with me I will fear no evil now significantly it is at the dangerous moment pictured in this Psalm in verse 4 that the he of the first three verses changes to you in verse 4 don't you like that ok all the way up until the third line of verse 4 it's been he he he now it is for you are with me your rod and your self it instantly comes now in the first person Lord I'm speaking to you directly it's no longer he it's you and it's your rod and your staff that comfort me the rod and the staff were instruments used by a shepherd the idea was of a very sturdy walking stick used to gently as possible guide the sheep and to protect them from potential predators now there's some debate among commentators as to if David had in his mind the idea of two separate instruments the rod and the staff does that describe one instrument or does it describe two instruments the Hebrew word for a rod it's something like say bet here it seems to imply just a stick that could have a variety of applications the Hebrew word for staff seems to speak of a support something that would be something of a walking stick they could refer to the same thing just repeated twice or it could be that David had in mind two separate things I can't really say for sure which David had in mind but that instrument or the instruments the rod and the staff whether they were one thing or two things those instruments of guidance were a comfort to David they helped him even in the valley of the shadow of death to know that God guided him even when God guided him through correction because sometimes the Shepherd needs to correct the sheep with the rod or the staff and it's a great comfort to know that God will correct us when it's needed now we're gonna pause just for a moment here at the end of verse 4 because what many people don't really think about when it comes to Psalm 23 is it presents us with two great images of God the first great image is of course as the Lord is our Shepherd we saw that through the first four verses but in the last two verses of Psalm 23 there's a shift there's a different image introduced now starting at verse 5 and comprising verses 5 & 6 we have the Lord not as a shepherd but as a host someone who invites us into the hospitality of his home ready here verse 5 you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over you see without departing from the previous picture of the valley of the shadow of death David now envisions the provision and goodness of God given as a host it's inviting David to a rich table prepared for him it's almost like okay here we are as far as you know we're still in the valley of the shadow of death and what does God do he prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies what a beautiful picture first of all a table suggest bounty I don't want to seem flippant with this but it's not he prepares a box lunch for me in the presence of me it's a table there's so much food so much provision that there's bounty there it needs a table you prepare a table and by the way prepare suggest for us foresight and care this wasn't something hurriedly thrown together no it's been prepared and before me so just the very personal connection here for you David here is a table prepared full of God's bounty for you and it is prepared if you notice that line there the first line of verse five in the presence of my enemies what a striking phrase you see the goodness and the care suggested by the prepared table is set right in the midst of the presence of my enemies so the host has great care and concern for his guests who is David in the situation and us but it doesn't eliminate the presence of my enemies but it enables the experience of God's goodness and bounty even in their midst do you understand this that it's not like well he shows us goodness by chasing all my enemies away that day will come but in the meantime God says even in the presence of your enemies I'm gonna take care of you there's gonna be a table set in the presence of your enemies I can't resist reading another quote from Charles Spurgeon here he says this quote when a soldier is in the presence of his enemies if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal and then he hurries off to the fight but observe you prepare a table just as a servant does when she unfolds the beautiful cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion nothing is hurried there's no confusion no disturbance the enemy is at the door and yet God prepares a table and the Christian sits down and eats as is everything we're in perfect peace that's how it is and then when you come to the table do you see the host has very good manners you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over there am I'm sitting at God's table in the presence of my enemies and what does God do you says hey let me take care of your head now it was common in those days when a host received his guests or her guests into the home they would anoint the head with oil it felt cooling it felt good it smelled good they'd pour little oil on the head and then David's cup well David's cup it's running over there Stephen cup and he's never thirsty because the cup is full there's always bounty at the table of God so you see despite the dangers about in the presence of enemies David enjoyed the richness of his hosts goodness he was refreshed by a head anointed with oil and his cup was overfilled and brings us to the last line of the psalm verse 6 surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever I love that line don't you surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life the hosts care brought the goodness and mercy of God to David and he lived in the faithful expectation of it continuing how long all the days of his life now when it says goodness and mercy that word mercy is the great Hebrew word that sometimes translated loving-kindness in some other translations it's translated steadfast love or covenant love or loyal love that's that great Hebrew word has said and it's one of the great words of the Psalms and the Old Testament it talks about God's loyal love his covenant love his loving-kindness and God's goodness and mercy will follow us you can count on it matter of fact I want you to think of this if goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life don't you have a couple of bodyguards following you all the time you've got an entourage you've got a posse of people following you you've got God's goodness and mercy following you staying close they are very close to the child of God and then the final beautiful expression of the hosts here are you ready I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever you know you think about that you think of the guest being invited into a home that's the idea there in verses five and six how long can he live in that home I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever the psalm ends with the calm assurance that he will enjoy the presence of the Lord forever both in his days on this earth and beyond darica Kidner says this in the Old Testament world to eat and drink at someone's table created a bond of mutual loyalty and it could be the culminated token of a covenant so to be God's guest is to be more than an acquaintance invited for a day it is to live with him and if I could say it's to live with him forever and we've been making our way through the Psalms we've stopped at the end of each psalm and asked the question how does this particular Psalm point to Jesus so it's almost funny to bring it up at the end of this isn't it how does Psalm 23 point to Jesus does anybody have an idea of course Jesus is the great Shepherd in John chapter 10 verse 11 and in John chapter 10 verse 14 Jesus clearly spoke of himself as the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the Sheep and who can say I know my sheep and I am known by my own Jesus consciously identified himself as the shepherd of his people he said my sheep hear my voice my sheep know me I take care of my sheep Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20 speaks of Jesus as the great Shepherd of the sheep 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 25 calls Jesus the Shepherd and overseer of your souls and 1st Peter chapter 5 verse 4 calls Jesus the chief Shepherd dear child of God you can go back before this Psalm through it and just look at all the ways that Jesus is to you your Shepherd Jesus has that shepherd Lee love care concern and guidance for you he is the great Shepherd and be very careful about putting your trust in any other Shepherd and you know I I call myself and not that I take the title unto myself but that title has been given to me of a pastor Pastor David guzik I don't demand that people call me pastor it would seem very strange to me for that but if somebody does want to give me a title it's normally pastor because I have been a paster that's that is but pastor simply in its original meaning just means shepherd now I'm grateful for the calling that God has put in my life and the opportunity that he's given me to serve as a shepherd among God's people I think that what I do with Bible teaching even if it's teaching right here you know through the Psalms I think that what the God is giving me to do in Bible teaching that's a way that I as a shepherd I contribute to the feeding of the Sheep I'm feeding them God's Word but I am never the great Shepherd I am never the chief Shepherd I am never the Shepherd that could ever in a thousand years replace the place of Jesus in your life you have a shepherd and God may have what sometimes we're called as pastors under Shepherds look or maybe more properly sheepdogs I don't know whatever you want to say anything that would distinction we have a role in caring for the Sheep but it's definitely below the role in the authority in the care and the love of the great Shepherd the chief Shepherd Jesus Christ Jesus is all over this psalm now one last thought though Jesus is not only in this psalm as the great Shepherd we do see that but also as the great hosts remember that in verses five and six this Psalm presents to us not only the Lord as our Shepherd but the Lord as our host and I want you to think about this Jesus is the great host did you know that Jesus went to heaven to prepare a place for you he did if you're his child if you're born again by God's Spirit if you're part of his New Covenant if you've repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ all of that belongs to you then Jesus went to heaven to prepare a place for you just like a good host would now he cares for us very well until we get there he doesn't start taking care of us as a host when we get to heaven he takes good care of us here he takes good care of us now but there's an ultimate heaven for us to go into where we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever let me pray and thank God for this beautiful Psalm Lord God in heaven we thank you that you are our Shepherd we thank you that you are our host and we are so pleased to receive your Shepherd li care we are so pleased to benefit from your hospitality we love you God we thank you for the warm-hearted care and concern you displayed to us through wonderful Psalms like this we pray that this Psalm would continue to meet the deep needs of soul for us and for others and we thank you Jesus for being our great Shepherd our great hosts we love you Lord and praise you in Jesus name Amen [Music] you

Channel: David Guzik

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Keywords: david guzik, guzik, enduring word, psalm 23, the lord is my shepherd and my host, jesus christ, christ, david, shepherd, host, leader, lead

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Length: 41min 22sec (2482 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 13 2020