1 The Lord is My Shepherd; Psalm 23 May 31, 2015 There are places in Scripture that are so moving, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them. Psalm 23 is one of those places. Perhaps no reading in the Bible is better known than Psalm 23. Even today when only a shrinking minority of Americans have ever read any part of the Bible for themselves, most people still recognize the words of Psalm 23 when they see them or hear them. Psalm 23 is invoked appropriately at the joy of the birth of a child or at the sorrow of the death of a loved one. Psalm 23 provides words that touch us deeply at times when we are utterly at a loss for our own words. It invokes faith, hope, and a longing for deeper truths we instinctively and universally yearn for.

It is encouraging to note that Psalms were the prayer book of Jesus. By the way he often quotes them we can be sure he was very familiar with them and had committed many of them to memory. They had a major influence is shaping his relationship with God the Father. For instance, Jesus quotes Psalm 8:2 when he says “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise” (Matt. 21:16). And from the cross he cries out in anguish with the words of Psalm 22:1 “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). What better recommendation for us to also use the psalms as our prayer guide for how we approach God in all the seasons of our lives.

At one time the Psalms, set to music, were the only permitted hymns in the early reformation churches that were trying to break away from Roman Catholic traditions. Today believers in all churches use the psalms as guides to prayer. Most Christians know prayer is vitally important to the life of a believer but it is one thing most of us feel we do very poorly. The psalms can teach us how to pray.

There are 150 psalms, divided into five books. They were all originally set to music but one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Bible is that we have no idea what that original music sounded like. All we have left are several musical notations such as “Selah,” which for all we know is what David uttered under his breath every time he broke a string on his harp. Half of the psalms cite David as their author. Through the psalms we glimpse the

2 inner heart and soul of David for whom the Bible calls “a man after God’s own heart.” There are several categories of The Psalms. Most prevalent are the psalms of lament in which the psalmist cries to God for help in times of need (Psalm 6). Related to the laments are the psalms of trust in which the psalmist expresses confidence in God despite the present distress (Psalm 23). There are also songs of thanksgiving that praise God for an experience of healing or deliverance (Psalm 30). The hymn psalms offer more general praise to God for the steadfast love shown both in creation and history (Psalm 113 and 148). Royal psalms speak of Israel's earthly king (the "messiah" or "anointed one") and lend a messianic orientation to the book (see Psalm 72). Some readers also identify wisdom or torah psalms that derive from Israel's tradition of wisdom and teaching (Psalms 19 and 73). Songs of Zion sing of the security to be found at Zion or Jerusalem because of the protecting presence of God (see Psalm 46). The psalms teach us how to pray. We have so many difficulties in our relationship with God. Often we think we can only pray pious nice prayers, similar to the way we would

have a conversation with a beloved but delicate maiden aunt; otherwise we fear we might offend the Almighty. But the psalmists give us permission to tell it like it is. Their prayers explore every possible angle of our relationship with God. Sometimes the psalmists are filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. At other times they seem about to topple into complete depression and despair. At times they are charitable and forgiving. At other times they are downright vengeful and vindictive. The psalmists tell it like it is. They know it is not possible to fake it with God, so they don’t even try. They have the conviction that even when we are at our worst, God will be at his best. He will never turn away from us, even when it seems like there are times he had done exactly that. Most of all, like us, the psalmists are searching for a faith that will connect them with God in both the good times and bad times, even at times when it seems they are just barely holding on by their fingernails. The psalms were their prayers. And if you let them, the Psalms can be your prayers as well. Now, let’s look at Psalm 23, written by David and the most popular psalm of all. This psalm is a declaration of a

3 joyful, almost delirious, trust in the Lord as the good Shepherd-King. We don’t know when David wrote this psalm. I like to think that it was near the end of his long out-sized life of almost constant adventure. Plucked from the pastures where he was herding his father’s sheep as a young man, David is almost instantly propelled to greatness when he faces down the gigantic and fearsome warrior Goliath on a field of single combat whose outcome would determine the fate of his nation. He enters into service with the increasingly unstable King Saul, marries Saul’s daughter Michel, and becomes best friends with Saul’s son Jonathan. But it is not long before David is forced to flee for his life and then follows years of hiding out in the wilderness, constantly hunted by Saul’s soldiers until he finds refuge with the Philistines, the mortal enemies of Israel. But Saul is killed on the field of battle and David becomes king. Under his energetic leadership Israel gains a pocket empire and takes its place in the order of nations. But David’s personal weaknesses almost undue everything he has accomplished. His adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, an

upstanding and loyal officer in his army, brought him to edge of moral ruin. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David genuinely repents but not without incurring a horrible price for his sins. His family will forever be unstable, marked by murder and rebellion. But never-theless, out of the house of David would come the future Messiah. Jesus found it quite fitting and pleasing to be referred to as “the Son of David” in addition to being the Son of God. David discovers, as I hope we all do, that out of all his titanic highs and almost fathomless lows, his startling victories as well as his agonizing defeats, God remains constantly faithful. David is declaring something we usually can only see most clearly in hindsight. We are sheep constantly watched over by the Good Shepherd who is vitally interested in our well-being and cares for us in ways we hardly dare imagine. Sheepherding was a risky proposition, especially back then. The land was often arid and offered only minimal grazing. There were extremes in weather to contend with. Flash floods in distant mountains could send sudden unexpected and deadly torrents of water cascading down normally dry valleys. Predators, animal as well as human, were a

4 constant threat. It would seem like a very precarious life for sheep and shepherd alike. But the wise and good shepherd knew where to find the upland pastures lush with vegetation and still waters that were safe to lie down next to. Life is often hard and difficult. Unexpected crisis can come out of nowhere and threaten to overwhelm us. The longer we live, the more we are aware of just how fragile our lives really are. The mistakes of others, our own limitations and errors, microscopic disease organisms, the now almost constant upheavals in the job market, concerns for our children and other family members, can all worry and distress us. We all know what it is like to stare at the ceiling at night as our fears and nightmares crowd around us and torment us with all their whispered what-ifs. But time and again, just when we need it most, we find rest for our souls. A favorite Bible verse we memorized long ago, a line from a beloved hymn, the hug of a friend or lover, the smile of a stranger are sometimes all it takes to snap us out of our worries and we realize once again life is at its essential heart good and decent and worthwhile. We can trust… we have to trust… and that trust is not misplaced if it is centered

on Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd, who proved the extent of his love for us by taking all of our sin and guilt upon himself and dying our deaths for us so that through him we may all live truly. David also discovered that although it was not usually apparent at the time he was going through a particular episode of his life, God was guiding him always. How necessary it is to seek God’s guidance, especially in this day and age. Through modern media and advertising there are so many lies out there and we see so many people mindlessly following those lies. The allure of drugs, the false appeal of perverted sex, the temptation of wealth, the acquisition of endless amounts of things, the inventive ways we can deceive ourselves and others, and the vain promise of pleasure and cheap entertainment, are just a few of the things that shout at us constantly. But for the attentive sheep of the Good Shepherd, we know we can be guided in all the paths of righteousness. We know the unchanging laws of God will never throw off our moral compass even in these times of flagrant immorality. We know there is no substitute for a good education and hard work when it comes to obtaining the necessities

5 of life. We know that living by honesty, integrity, humility, charity and forgiveness are always the keys to the good life. We do not make excuses for breaking the laws of either God or man like those who do so and then whine like entitled brats when the authorities are rough with them. We know that when we make vows, either to God or to each other, we keep them, no matter what, always and forever. We know when we love our neighbors as ourselves and take the time to help out people in want though no fault of their own, we are always close to the heart of God. These are the paths of righteousness God will lead us on if we let him.

can spend a lot of time fearing the “what-ifs.” But usually it is the things we never anticipate, those things we never see coming that can suddenly reach out and rob us of our health, our possessions, our homes and even threaten our lives.

Sometimes, in order to find the high pastures of green grass and still waters, the Good Shepherd will have to lead his sheep through narrow passes where the sun is sometimes blocked and the shadows long and menacing. Narrow ledges sometimes made risky falls possible. These places are often the haunts of predators and deadly in times of sudden flash floods.

Before he went on to establish the Methodist renewal movement in England, John Wesley assumed that because he grew up in a Christian home and studied to become a Christian minister, he was in fact a Christian. Upon his ordination into the Church of England he volunteered for the toughest assignment he could imagine, that of being a missionary to the American colonies.

The dangers of this world are very real. We can have life insurance, medical insurance, secure locks and bolts and even little buddies such as Smith and Wesson close at hand. We

But even when we have to walk through the valley of the shadow we can have the marvelous freedom from the fear of evil. Many Christians who have gone through the very worse that life can dish out testify that with the sure and sturdy conviction that God is with them no matter what, they can face any fear, deal with any danger, cope with any loss.

But his experiences in the Georgia colony blew away all of his assumptions about himself and his relationship with God. After

6 succeeding only in getting people mad at him, along with a failed love affair and being placed under house arrest for deformation of character, he couldn’t wait to go back to England. But the trip home was rough and stormy. At one point the waves were so big they threatened to capsize the ship and send it plunging to the bottom. Everyone was scared to death, especially John. But then he noticed a group of Moravian German Christians calmly clustered together singing hymns, praying and worshiping. John realized they had something he did not. They feared no evil. This set John Wesley on the path that ended a few months later at a home Bible study in London on Aldersgate Street where he felt his heart strangely warmed and he knew for the first time in his life that his sins were forgiven and he was indeed a child of God. “Your rod and staff protect me.” The shepherd’s staff was for rescuing sheep if they were turned upside down and couldn’t get up or if they had fallen into a crevice. The rod was a stout pole a shepherd could wield with deadly force against an enemy of the flock. Even at times when we feel alone and defenseless, we can know our Good Shepherd is watching over us with his rod and staff. Remember, for the child of God, even

if we have to die, it is not necessarily the worst that can happen. For when we die in faith we are taken to the place in Heaven called Paradise and there we will be in the direct presence of Jesus who will wipe away our every tear. David next speaks of more than just surviving the dangers of this life. Yes, there may be periods we have to go through of severe want and deprivation. After I lost my first wife I was saddled with $10,000 in medical bills when I was only getting paid $10,500 a year. It took four years of living lean and moonlighting to finally pay off those bills. And again, while pursuing the lawsuit against the negligent surgeon and nurses who killed my second wife, I ran up $70,000 in legal obligations I would have been responsible for if I had lost my case. In addition I had my vow to my children I felt obligated to fulfill that they would graduate from their respective universities debt free. My elderly local attorney seemed hopelessly outclassed by the powerful high-priced Milwaukee firm the hospital threw against us. But my little guy knew what he was doing and against all odds we won out, one of only six successful medical lawsuits out of hundreds filed in Wisconsin that year. All my financial cares

7 evaporated with the thunk of a judges’ gavel. There are no guarantees, but we will often experience rich abundance, sometimes when we least anticipate it. Even when surrounded by enemies, God often sets a table before us of all things richly to be enjoyed: more than adequate provision for body and soul, food and clothing, homes and jobs, people who love us and whom we can love in return. Our heads are anointed with the oil of healing and our cups overflow. David could look back at a lifetime of experiencing God’s faithfulness in his life. With that assurance he could look to the future with equal assurance. “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Some would say by the term “forever,” David was only referring to the boundaries of this life. The Old Testament holds few certainties about life after death. However David seems to have a conviction that there was more to come. But we have the promise of Easter; that what God once did in a garden tomb just outside of Jerusalem, he will repeat on a grand scale for all who put their

faith and trust in the risen Lord of life. By quoting Psalm 15:9-10 in one of his sermons in the Book of Acts, Paul claims David even predicted the resurrection of Christ when he said: “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Oh you who are the beloved of Christ, when you find yourself weak, in the dark, uncertain of the future. When all the color has drained out of life, and your soul is downcast, look up. Fix your eyes on Jesus, your Good Shepherd. In all ways possible stay close to Him. Trust that he knows the way through this valley and will see you safely through. Believe that he has good reasons for taking this route, even though it is hard and unfamiliar. And hold on to the truth that there is something better waiting on the other side of this valley.