Psalm 23:1. In this psalm, therefore, David is able to identify with the sheep, for he says, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want

1 Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was on one of the hills of Samaria. There ...
Author: Phillip Waters
1 downloads 0 Views 70KB Size
1

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want

One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was on one of the hills of Samaria. There was a lone shepherd, - dressed in the way you have seen in the Bible story books, - and he was walking along in front of his little flock of sheep. He didn’t have too many, only about nine or ten. But there they were, obediently following him along the path. Of all the Psalms the ‘Shepherd’s Psalm’ is the most wellknown, and perhaps the favourite of so many people. It has been sung and quoted in all types of situations and circumstances. Many people who never darken a church door know Psalm 23. It is the psalm written by the pen of a shepherd, sung from the lips of a shepherd, for it originated in the heart of a shepherd. David, here, sang of what he knew and that is what makes this psalm so beautiful. He could remember leading his flock by the waters in the warm summertime, and how he made them lie down at the side of the river; he could remember leading them up on to the hills that they might feel the cool air; and how, when the winter set in, he had led them into the valley that he might shelter them from the storm. Well could he remember the tender care with which he protected his flock. … Even when he became a king he often looked back upon as his days as a lowly shepherd. In this psalm, therefore, David is able to identify with the sheep, for he says, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. IDENTIFICATION ∗ It takes a certain type of person to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd” – not everyone can say it! ∗ David felt that he had something in common with the sheep, D.G.

∗ ∗

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

∗ ∗

2

In the same way, we can also say, The Lord is my Shepherd; consider what he meant and see the resemblance. I’m sure, many a time, like myself you have driven up over the hills and you came across the flocks of sheep; ∗ Many of them were lying by the roadside, some were walking on the road slowing you down as you drove along in your car; ∗ When you sounded your horn it panicked them and you needed to be careful in case they would run into a ditch. A sheep is recognised as one of the most unwise of creatures. It will go anywhere except in the right direction. Left to itself it wouldn’t be very long before it strayed into the path of danger. Isn’t it so easy to identify with them at this level? Left to our own devices, where would we end up? If the providence and grace of God had not intervened where would we have been today? What would we be doing? I know for sure that my foolishness in my late teenage years, - if it had gone unchecked, - would have led me into a life of misery and unhappiness. I can identify with a lost sheep feeding from a barren land and coming dangerously close to the edge of a precipice. I know and I am certain that the Lord is my Shepherd because He came and searched for me, and He didn’t stop until He found me, and He took a hold of me with those hands that created this world and He brought me back into the safety of His fold and into the tenderness of His care. You too can recall how Christ found you and held you close to His heart and reminded you that you belong to Him. You used to think yourself wise and clever, and able to direct your own life, but then one day you came to recognise and to know that without Christ you were empty, ∗ It doesn’t matter how clever you think you are, ∗ It doesn’t matter how much money you make, D.G.



∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗



∗ ∗

3

… you realise that apart from Christ you are nothing and you have nothing and you are heading nowhere, and that all you have is because of Him. And you fell at His feet and dedicated yourself to Him. The child of God follows after the Shepherd, and especially along the path when it becomes rough and narrow … Yes, and because the sheep tends to be a foolish creature, it does make him a very dependent creature. The sheep can only last for a limited time on its own, and it needs the care and attention of the shepherd. That’s something else that proves the worth of a child of God, - he has become totally dependent upon his Father. ∗ You don’t ‘take a break’ from serving Christ … the way some professing Christians are prone to do. ∗ You don’t merely serve Him when it suits or the occasion conveniently presents itself, - you are His possession, He owns you, He has bought you and He has paid the price to have you as His! You owe your life to him. On Friday morning I was reading the passage in Lk 21:1-4 where Jesus points out to the disciples the widow who put her two copper coins on to the collection plate in the Temple. Jesus commended her and reminds us that while others might see what we give … God sees what is left and by that He measures the gift and the condition of the heart. … You owe your life to Him, - you are not your own! How long can a sheep last without the care and protection of the shepherd? How long can a church/believer last without an absolute dependence upon God? ∗ How many churches are closed because they decided to ignore the leading of God? ∗ How many believers are failing because they set aside prayer and Bible study? D.G.



∗ ∗

4

How can you tell a discontent Christian? How can you tell a Christian who is not walking close to the Lord? … You can, - for it shows itself in their commitment … or lack of it … to God and His people … If we are God’s people we cannot but do anything else other than depend upon Him and stay close to the Shepherd. Yes, the sheep is a dependent creature, always needing some help, and so is the Christian, and he realises the blessedness of his dependence when he can say, The Lord is my Shepherd.

So there is an identification, - only a certain type of person is able to say, The Lord is my Shepherd. Secondly, there needs to be an … ASSURANCE ∗ It is one thing to say, “The Lord is a shepherd; it is a completely different thing to say “The Lord is my Shepherd”. ∗ We might all sing the hymn, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, but deep-down it doesn’t mean a thing, ∗ For the Lord to be our Shepherd, ∗ He must be the Example we set out to follow, ∗ He must be the most precious Gift we possess, ∗ How do you know it to be true, that The Lord is my Shepherd? ∗ Because, first of all, you can remember that He found you when you were lost. ∗ There was a time when you knew you were a stranger to God, - you weren’t always a Christian. ∗ But one day/evening, you heard the message of Saving Grace preached, and God was speaking directly to you, ∗ God the Holy Spirit came and convicted you of your sin and convinced you of your need of a Saviour, and He breathed into you His free and sovereign grace. ∗ You didn’t earn it or work for it; it wasn’t owed to you by virtue of being brought up in a church family or by being a ‘good’ person, ∗ … no! Your salvation is totally a gift from God. D.G.

∗ ∗ ∗

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

5

And you can say, The Lord is my Shepherd because you know He came and found you when you were lost in sin. You know, too, that He is your Shepherd because of how He has answered your prayer, Give us this day our daily bread. He has been there for you in so many different circumstances, and his help/encouragement has been so powerful, so perfect, so complete and so wonderful that you cannot hold back from testifying, The Lord is my Shepherd. Aye, even in the hard times through which God has allowed you to pass you can look back and remember His faithfulness and guidance, Isn’t it even so beautiful that He has held on to you, and that you haven’t wandered away off like many an other who has blamed God for all their troubles. Indeed, you have proved it … that The Lord is my Shepherd. Yes, the Shepherd leads the sheep where He pleases, and you can be sure He will lead them properly into the fold.

This leads us on to our final consideration. There is the identification of the person who is able to say “The Lord is my Shepherd”; along with the identification there comes the assurance with which such a person is blessed. Our final consideration, then is this … THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PSALMIST ∗ Many a Christian wouldn’t say it openly, but by the way they live, it’s what they mean, “The Lord is my Shepherd, … but … I’m still wanting/lacking!”, i.e. I’m still not satisfied! ∗ There continues to be something spiritually lacking, why might that be? ∗ “I don’t have the faith, love, joy, hope I ought to have; what’s wrong?” ∗ Well, by virtue of the fact you have asked that question means you are concerned about your lack of things spiritual …and that’s a good thing, because you are likely to do something about it! D.G.





∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

6

Many a ‘Christian’ is unconcerned about their disinterest in prayer and Bible study; they are unconcerned about the sharpness of their tongue and the murkiness of their mind … and that is a bad thing! But then there are others who are truly saved and they are continually searching for more; here is what the Bible says, ∗ Psalm 84:11, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. – That’s a promise from God! What does it mean? … in Christ comes complete and full satisfaction. It doesn’t mean He will provide a mansion in Beverly Hills, or a Rolls Royce, or a holiday in the Carribean every year, It means that in Christ you are totally fulfilled and at one with Him. It means you’ve got a peace the rich man could never buy. It means you have a joy and a satisfaction no lottery win could ever bring you. When you lie down in bed at night you can be content to know you are wrapped in those beautiful words, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

Conclusion. … There is no substitute for knowing God as my Saviour and my Shepherd.



∗ ∗

None of us knows what is before us, - it’s better not to know! It might be good, it might be painful and sorrowful, I don’t know … but I know He knows, … and He’s my Shepherd, … and it’s Him that’s leading me, … and I’m following after Him. Those sheep I saw following the shepherd hadn’t a care or a worry, - not as long as the shepherd was before them. I have a little banner in my study, it says simply, “God never acts on impulse; He always works to a plan”. … That is how I can trust in these simple words of the Psalmist, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

D.G.

Suggest Documents