PONDERING... Will You Baa? (Psalm 23:1-4)

Will You Baa?

GIST: In the midst of trials, keep resting in your Shepherd and being transformed by His guidance.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 23:1-4

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

   for his name's sake.

4 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.

We’re in the middle of looking at what the Bible says about facing trials. There are so many passages we could look at here, but the one that most readily comes to mind is likely the one we’re going to look at this morning and evening--Psalm 23. It’s the classic “encouragement during hardships” passage. There is so much here. However, it’s familiar. Most of us have heard it a million times. The danger with passages like this is missing out on their significance because of our familiarity. So, let’s prayerfully approach this with open eyes and take just a few minutes to mine a couple of the lessons we can takeaway. Namely, in the midst of trials, keep resting in your Shepherd and being transformed by His guidance.

1. REST IN YOUR SHEPHERD

Let’s start by walking through this picture.

The Lord is my shepherd;

Humbling- Describing God as our Shepherd is found all throughout the Bible. Jacob was the first to use the metaphor in Genesis. It’s picked up by David and the prophets. Then, Jesus uses it when He refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. So, again, this is something we’ve likely all heard. That’s why it’s easy to miss why this is such a big deal. Shepherding isn’t prestigious. It’s dirty, tiring work--and it takes complete devotion. That God calls Himself our shepherd, is humbling. We could talk about the nature of what it means that we’re sheep, and at another time that would be beneficial, but today, I just want us to think a bit about the fact that He’s chosen to be our Shepherd. We don’t deserve that devotion, and yet, He gives it.

Deeply Personal- Likewise, this description is deeply personal. Throughout the Psalms, we frequently see God referred to in relationship to His people as a whole, and there is nothing wrong with that picture. He is the God of His people. Yet, that’s not the focus here. Look at the first person pronouns. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me. Again, we can become jaded to this truth. Even as I prepared this, there was that tendency to get to this point and think, “Well, yeah, of course He is my shepherd.” Our culture spends so much time worshiping the value of individuals that we miss out on how huge this is. And really, we have to be very intentional to get this. We don’t deserve to be His sheep. We don’t deserve to look at the God of the universe and say, my Shepherd, my Father, my Savior. There is absolutely nothing that we have done to earn this status. It is not our right; it is His amazing and deliberate grace! (Which we’ll hit more on tonight.)

I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

Provision & Peace- The idea here is since God is my Shepherd, I have everything I need. I remember reading this several months back and writing in the margin, “Do I believe this? Does it show in how I live?” The picture here is of abundant provision. The sheep are led to rich pastures...and are lying down. Sheep don’t lie down to eat. In fact, from what I’ve read, they only lie down when they are both full and feel perfectly secure. If they’re hungry, they’ll be standing up eating. If they’re afraid, they’ll be up and watchful. These sheep are lying down.

The same idea is continued with the “still waters”picture. The Hebrew phrase used here is actually “waters of rest”. Sheep don’t drink from fast moving waters. Apparently, it is actually dangerous for them. They aren’t strong swimmers and only do so if necessary for survival, and when their wool gets wet, they get heavy...and sink easily. Therefore, frequently shepherds would actually dam up creeks to create still waters for their sheep to drink in peace.

God not only takes care of His people, but feeds them richly on His abundant Word and provides peace which surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7).

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Life- As I studied this passage, nearly everyone pointed out that this “restores my soul” is still part of the sheep-shepherd metaphor. “Sheep are built in such a way that if they fall over on their side and then onto their back, it is very difficult for them to get up again...After a few hours on their backs, gas begins to collect in their stomachs, the stomach hardens, the air passage is cut off, and the sheep will eventually suffocate” (Williams). This position is referred to as being cast or cast down. Shepherds are acutely aware of this condition and watch their sheep diligently. If one is found in this position, they will immediately flip it back over and literally restore its life.

Spirit- Jesus does the same for us. Not only has He saved us and, therefore, given us life, but He is there to pick us back up when we’ve fallen victim to complacency. See, I feel the soul restoring and the paths of righteousness leading are interconnected thoughts. He restores our souls, by leading us in paths of righteousness--His paths--where we should have been in the first place, instead of laying on our backs filled with our own hot air!

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.

Comfort in Darkness- Here we have the most famous portion of this Psalm. Most often, we hear this read at funerals, and that’s not unfitting. We have this beautiful picture of the Shepherd’s guidance even in the darkest hours of our lives. Even in the worst, He is there, so we have nothing to fear. In fact, at the most dire time of our lives, as our physical bodies waste away, only He can be there, and it is precisely because of that that Christians have nothing to fear in death--for He is with us, and we are in His arms. Outside of Christ, saying death is going to “a better place” is simply euphemism. In Christ, it is our greatest joy.

Fighting, Directing, and Being-And look at how He is comforting us in these dark hours. He has a rod and a staff. The rod was used by shepherds to fight off wild beasts, and the staff was used to direct the sheep. Jesus likewise has already defeated sin for us, and continues to fight on our behalf as He leads us where we need to be. And the most encouraging point of all here is He goes through these dark valleys with us. This is no distant comfort.

Also note there is a shift in POV here. David transitions abruptly from talking about God (third person “He”), to talking to Him(second person “you”). It’s almost as if in his meditations he’s driven to prayer, to praise. Honestly, these truths should have the same effect on us.

We can rest in this Shepherd. This doesn’t mean life will be easy. We’re told He will lead us down the path of righteousness, which Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:14 is narrow and hard. (14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.) And verse 4 just described walking through the valley of the shadow of death as a “will happen”, not an “even if it happens” situation. We’ll be talking about this more this evening, but it is important to remember who is leading us even in our trials. Externals aside, we can and should rest in the provision of Jesus. Don’t miss out on what He’s doing in your life.

2. BE TRANSFORMED BY HIS GUIDANCE

He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

We’re suppose to live our lives so others see us and praise Him (Matthew 5: 16 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.) This is not because God is an egomaniac, but because this world’s deepest need is Jesus--and He’s chosen to use us to demonstrate that to them.

When you’re struggling, remember, Jesus wants you to stand. He’s personally invested in you fighting the good fight. That should change the way you pray. Jesus, don’t let me ruin this for my kids, because I know they’re watching me. I know they will be following my example, and what they grow up assuming about You and Your people will be largely based on what they’ve seen in my life. Please, keep me pure so they know You’re faithful. Please, control my tongue, so they know You’re righteous. Please, make me slow to anger, so they understand Your grace. Jesus, help me face this with you, so the world sees who You are, so my colleagues come to know and love You. In times of joy and strife, we’re reflecting our Shepherd. What are you showing?

3. LET THIS BE YOUR NORM (KEEP BEING…)

This is the “keep” part of the gist statement. Don’t wait for the valley to start resting in your shepherd and being transformed by His guidance. If we look to follow Him only in the trials, we won’t. It’s like trying to learn to build a house in a hurricane. It will be a struggle to even find your tools let alone do anything with them. Remember, Matthew 7:24-27?

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Build your house on the foundation now, then you’ll be ready when the storms come--and the storms are coming.

TAKEAWAYS:

The takeaways are this week’s points. Chew deeply.

• Rest in Your Shepherd: This can only happen if you can truly call Him yours. If you do not know Jesus as your personal savior. If you have not come to Him, believing He is God, believing He died for your sins, seeking His forgiveness, and giving Him control of your life--then He’s not your shepherd, and you don’t have this rest. If you have, rest. Sometimes Christians can be the most frantic group of people. Why? Aren’t we following the Good Shepherd?

• Be Transformed by His Guidance: Remember, you’re reflecting Him to the world.

While passing thro' this world of sin, And others your life shall view,

Be clean and pure without, within, Let others see Jesus in you.

Your life's a book before their eyes, They're reading it thro' and thro',

Say, does it point them to the skies, Do others see Jesus in you?

-from “Let Others See Jesus in You” by B.B. McKinney

• ...Now :D: Don’t wait.

Side note from Warren Wiersbe worth a few seconds of your time:

“The compound names of Jehovah in the Old Testament reflect the contents of this psalm.

• I shall not want”–Jehovah-jireh, “the Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14)
• still waters”–Jehovah-shalom, “the Lord our peace” (Judg. 6:24)
• restoreth my soul”–Jehovah-Rophe, “the Lord who heals” (Ex. 15:26)
• paths of righteousness”–Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness” (Jer. 33:16)
• thou art with me”–Jehovah-shammah, “the Lord is there” (Ezek. 48:35)
• presence of mine enemies”–Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord our banner” (Ex. 17:15)
• anointest my head”–Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, “the Lord who sanctifies” (Lev. 20:8)”- from Warren Wiersbe BE Bible Study Series accessed on BibleGateway.com.