My bible, as those of you know me will attest, has almost every page covered in great hues of black, red and blue; notes and references jotted down everywhere. These are notes collected over the years from excellent messages and those personal thoughts the Holy Spirit has revealed from time to time. I know that there is another book contained in them when I finally set my mind to the task. A few weeks ago I was reading some thoughts collected over the years pertaining to one of my favorite passages of scripture and I trust what the Holy Spirit brought to remembrance will be as much of an encouragement to you has it has been to me.
It seems as though, in times of trial, the Lord always leads me to the Psalms. As I slowly began to look for the familiar words written there among all those handwritten notes and arrows, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and asked me to reflect on what I had written. An hour later as I put my bible down to start the day I thought how the Holy Spirit never wastes our time. How every time I had added another note or thought on this page, seemingly separate and distinct, He was orchestrating a message for just this moment in my life. That message of God’s love is what I would like to share with you; encouragement for those times when you find yourself in need of His loving touch in the midst of your crisis.
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
It is interesting to note that David makes it very clear who he considers his shepherd; Yahweh … Jehovah … I Am! This is not some distant and unknown god but His God, whom he knows and calls by name. This is the same God who said to Moses; I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Ex 3:6). I think that is why this whole Psalm is about Yahweh Roiy (raw-aw), Jehovah my Shepherd (1Ptr 5:4; Heb 13:20; Isa 40:11; Jhn 10:14; Ezek 34:11; Gen 49:24; Ps 80:1); David’s personal God, the one who has been tending the descendents of Abraham for a long, long time. He is the one who sees to His flocks’ every need from water and pasture to protection from predators and sickness and from the comfort of a friend to the lessons of the headmaster. David sees in Jehovah Roiy his sole and complete source for everything … I shall not want.
That word “want” in Hebrew is chacer and it means to be in lack. With God as his shepherd, David boldly states that he will never be in lack. The living bible says: Because the Lord is my shepherd I have everything I need. I find that especially comforting when I reflect on the fact that God will never ask anything of me that I can’t accomplish in Him and that He is fully prepared to supply everything I need to complete it (Phil 4:19; 1Cor 10:13). Like David, we can boldly move forward in our individual place in His kingdom, knowing full well that we will never be in lack if we follow Him. Because I have Him and He possesses all things, I have all things that are good for me; all just because He loves me.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Let’s look at the where before we look at the why. He takes me to the green meadow beside the quiet stream. How many times have you pictured that in your mind? That serene, pastoral picture of warm sun, singing birds, blue sky; not a care in the world. We don’t get there often enough do we? Maybe that is why David opens this verse the way he does: He makes me, He leads me! Sheep don’t follow very well and neither do we as it isn’t our natural way, being the independent creatures that we are. Likewise, we don’t like to lie down when we’re asked to; to submit.
This is a position in which all four legs of the lamb are folded under its body; it isn’t going anywhere. Why does He make us? Is it perhaps, like sheep, we don’t know enough to stop and rest in the midday sun when the heat is the greatest? I think what David is saying is that God makes us stop when we have pushed to far away from Him. He makes us pause and partake of the nourishment we need. Sheep only lay down after they have been fed and watered. For us it means that the needs of our soul have been met and we are able to rest and enjoy that fullness under His watchful eye.
In times of trial I have a great tendency to push on in an attempt to “get through it all” when God knows that I need to stop and rest in Him, while He fills me with His Word (green grass) and His Spirit (still waters). It’s interesting to note that David, being a shepherd and familiar with the habits of sheep, says that God leads him beside still waters. Sheep are strange animals (guess that’s why God chose them to represent us) in that they won’t drink from fast running water — it needs to be still water.
I find that “fast water” seems to represent fear in my life. I take no comfort in drinking from it at all. Calm water, on the other hand, represents “comfort” and I take great pleasure in being comforted! One of my favorite scriptures is Ps 46:10: be still and know that I am God. It is fear that keeps me from quenching my thirst, fear that keeps me from the comfort of The Spirit that restores me in times of trial.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
I am so thankful that I have a loving Shepherd that restores me. In those times when I’m flat on my back and can’t get up, He is the one who gets me back up on my feet. He helps me to rest and restores my strength. It’s during the times of resting “with” Him that I am fully replenished. We must not rush through the green pastures and by the still waters for if we do we will find ourselves suffering the effects of a weak body, soul and spirit. The word “restore” here means to “refresh” and it is referring to our soul; our very being.
Next, David says the Lord leads him; keeps him on the right track and headed in the right direction. Sheep need to be led because if left to wander on their own they never fail to get into trouble. A good shepherd knows that he needs to keep his flock moving. If allowed to stay in one place too long they will over drink and over graze. Sounds like getting moved out of your comfort zone, doesn’t it? We are like that and we need to keep a balance in our life between resting and moving ahead, but always under the leadership of the Good Shepherd. But where does He lead us?
Well, we know that righteousness is the place of “right standing” with God, a place in which we are fully justified in being. Jesus paid the price for that on the cross and when the veil of the temple (Jesus’ body) was torn in half the door was opened. His sacrifice allows those who believe in Him to walk in the paths of righteousness here on earth (Matt 6:10). We can walk upright before Him because He paid the price … it was for His name’s sake. This one has always been a little hard for me to get hold of. But one way of looking at it is because His name is upon us.
Name’s sake is literally translated a mark or memorial of individuality implying honor, authority and character because of or on His account. He does this for us because He sees Himself in us. We are His and therefore He has made us righteous (right standing) in His sight. Isn’t that a great thought? We have every right to be where we are with Him and He will refresh, restore and lead us to that very place because He loves us so much. You know, like sheep, we don’t really grasp just how good we have it and we are the first ones to start crying when the sky starts to get dark around us!
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Well, now we’re getting down to where the rubber meets the road, or the hoof meets the path. Up to now it’s been no lack, lying down, tender green grass, still cool water, refreshment, rest and the perfect path. All of a sudden this perfect path has become a dark valley, shadowed in death and filled with fear and evil. Ever been there? Well, one of my many “starred” and “double underlined” passages is: walk through the valley.
We looked at that very subject in detail in The Stillness Of The Valley. In the midst of a crisis or trial in my life I can’t tell you the number of times that I have forgotten that God has a plan for me to GET THROUGH the valley and not be stuck there for eternity. But I need to keep moving if I’m going to get through it. If memory serves me correctly, it was Pastor Ray Bentley who said that every mountain we climb has a valley and that the easiest path up the mountain is through the valley; it is usually the gentlest grade. My problem is that I forget that fact and only look at the steep sides of the mountain (the impossibilities) and the darkness (fear) … but!
We need to look at this from David’s perspective to get the full impact. In the Hebrew it’s the idiom for “thee blackest darkness”; a place surrounded by great peril. In the midst of this, what does David do? He sings out to us a chorus here that should lift each one of us into song … IT IS ONLY THE SHADOW OF DEATH. How many times have I forgotten that in the midst of a trial and found myself getting eaten up by fear. Let me give you a great word picture here that you can use next time you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death.
In his wonderful book, The Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan writes about Pilgrim (his metaphor for a Christian) walking along a path and on both sides there are very large and roaring lions. He becomes fearful and his guide turns to him and says: the lions are chained and cannot reach you if you stay on the path, but if you step off the path they can devour you. It brings to mind the wisdom of Peter who warned us:
1Ptr 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
This is the picture I see when one of those valleys comes into my life and fear is trying to tell me that this is the last valley … the one I’m never going to get out of … yup, Pal … you really missed God on this one … you pushed too far this time … He’s not going to bail you out of this one!.
How comforting that David has been there before us and he has the answer. He tells us boldly that we are not to fear evil (it’s a chained lion that has already been defeated). Even more important we must not forget one little word in this verse; “lo” — no! No evil (lo ra) means no evil (affliction, adversity, calamity, displeasure, distress, mischief, misery, sorrow, sickness, trouble, etc.). There isn’t one thing the enemy can throw at us that we need to fear. Remember the words of Isaiah: No weapon formed against thee shall prosper (Isa 54:17). Why? David tells us that God was there with him to comfort him with His Rod and His Staff.
Some time ago while preparing a Sunday lesson, I looked up the words for Rod and Staff because I thought shepherds only carried this staff with a hook on the end for catching wayward sheep. What I found was very interesting and it helped me to understand what David was implying in verse 4(c).
A rod is a shebet and is made from the knot of a root. The shepherd finds just the right one and he polishes it and balances it just right. Then he practices throwing it for hours. It becomes an excellent weapon against a predator that is endangering his sheep. For David that represented the Word of God. It was there to protect him from the attack of the enemy, to be thrown (used) with accuracy. Or, if you will, as the sword of The Spirit it is to be thrust at the enemy (Eph 6:17b). God uses His Word to slay the predators that try and destroy His sheep.
The staff, on the other hand, is that long pole with a hook in it. It’s called the mishenah and is primarily used for support. It is also used for correction or guidance. How often do we need that in the valley as we try and make our way? I can also imagine that hook has been gently placed around my stiff neck a time or two to keep me moving through the valley when, given my choice; I would prefer to sit down and have a pity party with all who would join in. Or, perhaps it caught me just before I was about to bang into something that I couldn’t see in the dark. You know, one day God is going to show us all those things in our life that were going on around us in the spirit during our trying times. All those things we are going to be glad we didn’t bump into or even see. That is the wonderful touch of our shepherd’s staff … The Holy Spirit. The Living Translation has a great way of putting it:
5 Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way.
I like that, close beside me, guarding and guiding all the way. What better description of The Holy Spirit is there? The rod and the staff, The Word and The Spirit. What else could we possibly need? The answer is nothing. But in the midst of this what does God do?
6 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
I’ve always had this picture of a flock of sheep moving, reluctantly, through this dark valley and all of a sudden there is this huge banquet set up; linen, crystal, silver, candles, and food of every type — the whole works. There it sits, right smack in the middle of the trail through this very dark valley. Well, to some extent, that is exactly what David had in mind.
David is painting a picture here of the exact opposite of “want.” Not only will he not want, God is giving him a feast in the midst of his trial. And God has made it personal; before me (for me)! Right there in front of all his enemies, in spite of them. Just to show them how much God loves him; a vivid depiction of God’s favor. David’s enemies were forced to see God’s divine favor toward David. And if that isn’t enough God anoints David’s head with oil.
In the Hebrew it means, thou dost pour oil on my head so abundantly that it seems to be made fat with it. God wants to anoint us in the presence of our enemy. That’s awesome. Right in the middle of the enemy’s attack, God wants to show His divine favor and joy in us. He wants to cover us with the oil of gladness (Ps 45:7), so much so that our cup runneth over. This may be the greatest blessing of all.
If you were a stranger passing through the land of Israel in the first century and it was dinnertime (suppertime if you grew up in the 40s), you could stop at anyone’s home and they would invite you in and feed you. As the meal progressed with good conversation the host would lean over and fill your wine glass half full. It was his signal to drink up, as it was now time for you to leave. On the other hand if he started to fill your cup and he kept pouring until it ran over the top he was asking you to stay the night. He was telling you how much he enjoys your company and is asking you not to leave. In light of this, what a statement David is making!
God not only invites him in, anoints him and feeds him … He asks him to stay and abide. That is just what Jesus wants of us (John 15:4-5). He has “poured out” His wine (blood) to overflowing in our cup. He is asking us to abide with Him. To enter into that deepest of relationships that is only known between intimate friends. A relationship in which He says … let Me be the host … let Me supply everything on your journey … just stay here with Me and I will take care of everything.
To me, in this one verse, David has captured the essence of God’s love for us. The entirety of Ps 23 focuses on our life and how God sees us and longs to care for us. It is through the reverse vision of David’s eyes that we see why God has such a love for us. As sheep, we are the neediest of all animals. We are completely helpless without a shepherd. And what a shepherd we have!
As I read this Psalm, I am moved with the love that God so readily pours out on us like the oil that anointed David’s head. It poured down in such measure as to appear to enlarge his head. In the darkness He watches over us and keeps us on our feet and on track. When the going gets tough He finds a place for us to rest. When it seems as if we can’t go another step and we feel the most alone in life He sets a banquet of His favor before us …just for us alone … for everyone to see. He rejoices in blessing His sheep and ensuring that they are the best cared for flock in the entire world. In fact we are so well taken care of that David almost shouts with joy as he gives us the closing 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.
What a summation! Surely the fulfillment of God’s perfect will (Goodness) and His covenant love (Mercy) will follow (Pursue) us all of our days. Did you get that? We don’t have to go looking for it; it comes after us! And we will dwell in His house (His Presence) forever. Jesus’ life was the ransom that paid for all of that; a price freely paid out of love for each of us because He wants us in His flock. He is our shepherd and to Him, each one of us is the “1” He will leave the “99” to find and bring home.
John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
We have the opportunity to live in eternity today. An eternity of the Good Shepherd’s love and care, but it is our choice. Eternal life was given to us the moment we made Him our Lord and Savior. It’s our choice to begin living in it today, it’s ours to enjoy right now. We just need to settle into the flock and let Jesus begin guiding our path and caring for our every need.
In this beautiful Psalm, we see many of the faces of God. David has so carefully woven them into this poignant word picture. A loving God whom we know by name who watches out for us:
- Jehovah Roiy … God is my shepherd … who provides for every need no matter how big or how small.
- Jehovah Jireh … God is my provider … who fills us with peace in those moments when fear would overcome us.
- Jehovah Shalom … God is my peace … who heals us body, soul and spirit.
- Jehovah Raphah … God is my healer … who forgives our sins and sees us in the righteousness of His Son.
- Jehovah Tsidkenu … God is my righteousness … who never leaves us.
- Jehovah Shammah … God is ever present … who always sees to our ultimate victory.
- Jehovah Nissi … God is my banner … the beginning without end.
- Jehovah El Olam … God everlasting … Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever.
Yes, He is Yahweh — Jehovah, I Am That I Am and the God of Israel — who at the same time chooses to be my personal shepherd. He looks after each and every one of my needs just because He loves me so much. I don’t know how and as I look at my life I sometimes don’t know why. I only know that how and why don’t make any difference to Him because He chose me.
So, like David, I choose to be a part of His flock. To let Him love and care for me, to listen for His voice in the daytime and the nighttime hours and to trust Him in all things at all cost. Yes, because He loves me and paid the price for me I can make that wonderful choice … I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!