The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
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.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 23 expresses confidence in a God who provides for us: “The Lord is my Shepherd: I shall not want.”
David knew how important it was for a shepherd to watch out for the welfare his sheep - to see that there was a good pasture. Sheep, by themselves, would not know where to find the best pasture. Sheep need a shepherd to bring them to fields of green grass and fresh water. Sheep need a shepherd to bring them to a place where they can lie down and rest and be nourished. Rest – Refreshment - and Renewal are the primary tasks of the shepherd in providing for his sheep. For without them the sheep would become weak and sick. The sheep put their trust in the shepherd to take care of them.
God cares for us in the same way. God, in a spiritual sense, “makes us to lie down in green pastures, and leads us beside the still waters, and restores our soul.” What David is saying, is that we can trust God for our needs in life. When we rest in God’s love, feed upon God’s word, drink of His living water, our souls are restored. Psalm 23 is about God’s provisions in our lives.
This is so important in this day when so much emphasis is put on what we can get from life. There are so many people today who are driven by materialism. They confuse their wants with their needs and as a result are never satisfied. We spend our lives trying to get more and more, trying to find happiness and contentment in life, only to discover in the end we have not found happiness or contentment. Instead, we have only found things.
Psalm 23 captures the secret to contentment in life. It is to trust in God, rather than things, to bring happiness and contentment. Jesus says that we are not to worry about what we will eat and what we will wear. God will take care of these things. That is the secret Paul had discovered when he wrote, “I have learned in all situations to be content.”
Paul knew what it was to be hungry and he knew what it was to be well-fed. He knew what it was to have plenty and he knew what it was to have nothing. He knew what it was to be warm, and knew what it was to be cold. And yet in the midst of it all, he learned to be content in God. There is a sense of peace and contentment that comes into our lives when we are not clamoring after the things we want, but rather trusting in God to provide for us the things we need. Many of you have known this too. God is a God who provides. We know that we can trust our God for “The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want.”
But Psalm 23 does not just express a confidence in a God who provides; it also expresses confidence in a God who protects: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
David knew well the dangers the shepherd faced. It was not enough to just provide for the sheep. The shepherd would also have to provide protection. Not everyone was honest. There were some who would just as soon steal another man’s sheep in order to get ahead. There were also wild animals that would prey upon the sheep.
Sheep have a tendency not to watch where they are going. They just nibble along on the grass in front of them, going from one blade of grass to another, from one clump of grass to another, oblivious to where the other sheep were, until finally, they have nibbled themselves away from the flock and become lost. It is the stray sheep that is most likely to be preyed upon by wild animals. The shepherd’s task was to protect the sheep - to guide them along the right path - the path of safety. With his rod and staff, he would gently prod the sheep back into the flock or use it to stave off the attacks of wild animals. The shepherd’s rod and staff are tools, as well as weapons of protection.
The Bible tells us that on one occasion David had to fight off a bear that was attacking the sheep he was shepherding. At another time, he had to defend against a lion. How meaningful this image of God’s protection must have been to David as he encountered his own enemies in life. As Saul sought to kill him, as he faced Goliath on the field of battle, as he waged war against the Philistines, as he dealt with treachery among his own family, David often knew what it was to trust in God to protect him. And so he declared boldly: “Even 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!”
Do you know what it is to fear? to be afraid? to be uncertain about tomorrow? to be worried about problems or situations or people? Of course you do. We all do. And yet the Bible is clear: we need not fear in the valley of the shadow of death! Why? Because, as David declared: “Thou art with me!” You see that is the key to peace in the face of life’s dangers: to recognize that through it all, God is with us... to trust in God’s presence, and in his protection.
Psalm 23 contains a curious image at this point: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.”
At first glance this image seems strangely out of place. What does a feast have to do with God’s protection? Have you ever considered that eating is a picture of peace? Have you ever tried to eat when you are worried, or sick at heart, or afraid?
For some reason food loses its attraction when we are worried and afraid. Our stomachs are taut, our adrenaline is rushing. And the last things our bodies want to do when we are afraid, is to sit down and eat something. That’s why people lose their appetite when danger comes. David is saying that even in the face of fearful situations, we can have calm inside, a sense of tranquility and peace, and that will allow us to enjoy the feast of God’s love.
Finally, Psalm 23 expresses confidence in a God of promise: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
God is more than a God who provides. He is more than a God who protects. He is a God who makes all of life, both present and future, a wonderful thing. Jesus spoke of us having an abundant life. “I have come,” he said, “that you may have life and have it more abundantly.” That’s what David described when he wrote: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
With God by our side, life is good. Our lives are fulfilled in ways we cannot even begin to imagine. Not the fullness of possessions, not the abundance of things, but the abundance of God: God’s love, God’s peace, God’s joy, God’s goodness. I can guarantee you -- if you have these things and nothing else, you are infinitely more rich than if you had all the material prosperity in the world. But there is more to this life than this present earthly existence. The 23rd Psalm reminds us that God has prepared for us a marvelous future.
Many people live life filled with uncertainty. Ask them if they will go to heaven and often they answer with words such as, “I think so,” or “I hope so.” The words of Psalm 23 are not a vague expression of uncertainty. They are a declaration of certainty -- a confidence that God has provided a glorious future and eternal home for us. David does not say, “I hope to be there.” He says “I will be there.”
In the New Testament the reason for our confidence is made clear. Paul wrote, “It is not by works, lest any man should boast.” It is “by the grace of God we are saved.” What is this grace of God? It is through Christ’s death on the cross that our sins are forgiven. It is through his resurrection from the grave that we are given an assurance of eternal life. And it is through faith in what God has done in Jesus Christ that we receive His precious promises.
When we come to God in faith, trusting in his provision, depending on his protection, we know that we can rely upon his promise. And with the assurance of faith we can declare our confidence as well:
“I SHALL not want” . . .
“I WILL not fear”. . .
“I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord, forever!”
I want you to know the confidence declared in this Psalm of David this morning. Open your hearts to God and invite Christ into your life. You don’t have to go through life searching for that which will make you happy, only to be disappointed, and left empty by the material things of life. God will provide the things you need. And God will fulfill your lives in ways you can never dream of.
You don’t have to live worried and fearful lives because of the troubles and struggles and uncertainties of life. God will give to you an inner calm, a peace that surpasses all understanding. You don’t have to live with the uncertainty of tomorrow. God will fill you with the assurance of an eternal hope.
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