Psalm 23

a Psalm of David

⁰¹          The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not be in want.

⁰²             He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside tranquil waters.

⁰³             He converts my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

[All] for the sake of His Name.

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My Shepherd is He!

For the Lord’s Day:  the 12^th of December 2004

 

Introduction:  What a dramatic difference between this psalm and those that preceded it.  Calvin notes that this is a psalm of “thanksgiving, from which it appears that it was composed when David had obtained peaceable possession of the kingdom, and lived in prosperity, and in the enjoyment of all he could desire.”  Further in this regard, we may appreciate that David’s memory has returned to the days of his youth, when he was content watching the flocks of sheep in the countryside around Bethlehem.  And yet, as he contrasts the peaceful scenes of his youth with his present position, he assumes the place and position of those sheep once under his care.

 

Was it last year, that the White House produced a “home movie” of the holiday season as seen by the family’s Scotch Terrier: Barney?  I can even vaguely remember my father’s barnyard from a goose level eyesight, when I shared the same limited height with the dominant gander!  The world looks different when you are two and a half, and as I remember it:  my childish perspective didn’t become semi-adult until I could reach the water faucet in the kitchen sink.  Of course at that original limited goose height – it would have been the same view as a grown sheep or a small calf.  Of course, I didn’t have to worry about the sheep or calves – so it is the goose height that dominates my memories.

 

Ah, the peace and luxury of a time of quiet – that takes David back to less stressful days when his only enemies were wolves, lions and bears.  And then the Spirit inspires him and he senses the greater relationship between man and God.  A relationship that in his mind is ever so much like that relationship we have with the barnyard animals, for which we care, know and almost understand.

 

“The Lord is my Shepherd,” David begins as he sets the theme by comparing his needs to that of a sheep.  Now the domesticated sheep is a creature that needs human care to survive.  As an animal, it is weak, defenseless and foolish.  Years ago, our best young ewe rolled over on her back up against the side of the barn, and there she died with her feet in the air because she couldn’t figure out how to get out of the predicament.  There were many other cases where individual sheep or even the whole flock had gotten into a pickle without any common sense to get back into the pasture or barn that they shouldn’t have left in the first place. 

 

Over the years, I learned from these common animals, the same thing that Al Hartman noted:  “If I need a shepherd I must resemble a sheep, and sheep aren’t known to have the keenest minds in the animal world.”  That is so truly said:  sheep more than most livestock need a shepherd just as we all need Christ as the Shepherd of our souls. 

 

Over the twenty-some years that I kept sheep, I learned to imitate the mid-eastern custom of leading the sheep instead of chasing them.  All it took was a little oats now and then to keep them coming whenever I called for them.  It is in the same way that our Good Shepherd calls us and if we listen and come we shall not be in want.

 

Development:  In the second line of verse one, David affirms the benefits of being shepherded by the Creator God and Lord: “I shall not be in want.”  Just as the majority of farmers take good care of their livestock, so too does our Lord Jesus Christ see after our necessary needs.  When I was growing up I didn’t know of a farmer who did not go out and feed the animals before he sat down to his own breakfast.  And sometimes, if there were problems to be solved, that breakfast could come very late when the morning was almost half done.  Indeed, our own Lord and Savior went to the cross on our behalf.

 

In the next two verses David lists the wondrous benefits that come from the gracious hand of the Good Shepherd.  The first benefit is listed in the first line of verse two:  “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”  Ordinarily, we take these words to mean a verdant expanse of luxurious grass.  Calvin, however – allows for another concept to grow out of the Hebrew text here.  Possibly, the word “neoth” could be transcribed as “cots or lodges.”  This means some sort of protective cover from the heat of the afternoon sun.  Our sheep and cattle always had access to the barn, and that is where you would almost always find them on a sunny summer afternoon.  Years ago, when there were more sheep around than today, in some pastures, where there was no natural cover – you would see small three and a half to five feet tall shelters.  Almost like a picnic shelter, only sheep-sized.  This intriguing possibility should inform us as to the loving care lavished not only of domestic livestock, but also upon the Lord’s own people.

 

Johnny Cash once sang of “the green, green grass” of home.  And it is of course the pleasant pastures that feed the sheep their daily sustenance.  The sheep of course had their favorite plants and by mid-summer, one could easily find the tall scraggly weeds that the sheep would not eat.  The boys were sent out to dig them out by the roots to improve the pasture’s ability to grow a healthier green crop.  A little fertilizer now and then enriched the soil to gain a better cover and prolong the green season a few precious weeks into the dog days of August when more grain and even a little hay had to be added to the diet of our small flock.

 

The second benefit is also in the second verse:  “He leads me beside tranquil waters.”  My father’s farm had a flowing spring as well as a seasonal ditch, so he only had to water the flock when they were brought into the barn for the late winter’s lambing season.  We kept a large tank or two always filled and sometimes on hot summer days, it would have to be refilled in mid-afternoon.  The word “tranquil” here is simply a descriptive term to remind us that sheep do not like to approach rushing waters, and fast flowing streams.  The water in biblical times would usually be raised from wells or diverted from a flowing stream into a trough or pond.

 

Commentators make much of the Oasis atmosphere of the Arabian areas, yet I am inclined to think that ancient Palestine was more verdant than modern understandings would imply.  After all, since Jewish settlers moved into the dry deserted areas after World War One, there has been an improvement in the local environment.  Orchards, fencing and better management have all had a significant impact on the local environment.  It is often said that the well managed farms of the Amish appear not only more prosperous, but also greener than the corporate modern agri-business facilities which dominate more and more of our American farmland.

 

Application:  In the listing of benefits three and four, David begins to leave the sheepfold behind to focus upon the greater spiritual benefits that are those given to the people of God.  “He converts my soul.” David lovingly begins in verse three.  The words that I have used are a literal rendition of the Hebrew.  Calvin notes:  “as it is the duty of a good shepherd to cherish his sheep, and when they are diseased or weak to nurse and support them, David declares that this was the manner in which he was treated by God.”  By this passage we may well appreciate the blessings of the second birth.  David, as have the majority of us: understood this new birth as the work of God in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Fourth in our ordering of benefits we read:  “He leads me in paths of righteousness”  By this announcement we may understand that even our sanctification is guided and directed through the precious hand of the Lord God of heaven and earth.  By this statement we do not mean that we are like some battery operated Christmas toy with radio controls.  A better example would be the invisible fence method of protecting dogs and puppies from straying from the safety of their yard and household.  And yet, this picture too has its valid limits.  So let me turn it around.  Years ago, when I worked in the public sector, an animal rights teacher was concerned that I was gunning for a runaway dog or wild coyote that was worrying my sheep.  Simply put, she argued that we catch the roving animals, put a collar on them and thus protect our pasturage and barn lot by keeping the predators out.  Obviously, that concept is laughable when it comes to worldly management.  However, the scriptures do indeed speak of the spiritual hedges that surround us for our own good and protection.  Growing up in the wild sixties – I and many of God’s children did not become all that we might have wanted and desired: all because of the staying influence of His presence.

 

Again, when I was growing up, the local churches pretty much had a workable theonomy in our township.  Wayward youth, really – truly had to work hard or travel a long distance to get into significant trouble.  Parental teaching is also important in laying the groundwork for a type of habitual sanctity.  And yet, at some point in the lives of our children, the Lord takes over and leads them through the power of His divine Spirit.

 

We are left with one final line at the end of these wonderful benefits:  “[All] for the sake of His Name.”  And here, David tells us the reason for the kindness, grace and mercy bestowed upon us.  All things are to demonstrate the work of God, the witness of the scriptures and the honor of Christ.  Spurgeon captures God’s revelation here:  “It is to the honour of our great Shepherd that we should be a holy people, walking in the narrow way of righteousness.  If we be so led and guided we must not fail to adore our heavenly Shepherd’s care.”

 

Some times, when I was out in the barn or standing outside the pasture, I would watch my flock, and sometimes – if I didn’t hurry on to other things, they would soon realize my presence and turn their attention towards me.  Shepherd watching the sheep watching him, we could describe it.  May we learn to imitate this habit day to day.  And even when we are too relaxed to realize the surveying look of our Lord and Master – even then we can be convinced:  He is watching over us.  Amen.

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PREACHING RESOURCES

 

Calvin, John:  Commentary on Book of Psalms.

Delitzsch, F:  Commentary on the Old Testament – Psalms.

Hartman, Al.  “Psalm 23”.

Spurgeon, C.H:  Treasury of David.

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