Psalm 23 can bring comfort in mourning and grief; strength in times of weakness, and always hope in times of despair. I suppose that this is the most loved of all of the Psalms. For sure it is wonderfully written, a
masterpiece of prose. It has been paraphrased, analyzed and memorized. It has been set to various pieces of music, and has inspired paintings. But much more important than any of that, is that Psalm 23 contains absolute truths
about our faith. And so I say again that this Psalm can bring comfort in mourning and grief; strength in times of weakness, and always hope in times of despair.
The psalm begins with a wondrous statement that the Lord is my shepherd and it concludes with the profound statement that I can look forward to living in the house of the Lord forever! Let us look again at these words.
The Lord is my Shepherd. We probably have the wrong idea of how the biblical shepherds were. If you are like me, you carry images from Sunday school books and leaflets, and then you may
have the image from countless Christmas cards of the shepherds gathered around the manger with Mary and Joseph. Those shepherds were always quite neatly groomed with nice clean long
hair, attractive robes, and wearing wonderful gentle expressions as they leaned contented on their shepherds' crooks.
The shepherds of biblical times were nothing like that. They were rough and tough men who lived out in the scrub and on the hillsides. They did not spend their evenings and nights in a house like
our popular notion of shepherds, the fact is that they spent their time with the sheep watching them and protecting them. They were often loners who kept their flocks separate from others.
And they would have had the characteristics of men who lived out and who lived rough. Their clothes would be hard-wearing but not necessarily neat and clean. And while their hair would
have been long, it would most definitely not be the nice clean groomed blond hair of Christmas cards! They were rough and tough hard men used to hard work and sleeping out in all weather.
And the Psalmist has the vision to say that "the Lord is my shepherd !"—Wow!
This is a much more revolutionary thought than you might at first consider. That the almighty,
all-powerful God of all creation, was to be compared to one of these rough, tough, out doors men. And those ancient words were a powerful forward look ahead to Christ!
According to Mark, Jesus had no time for the Pharisees' false
piety, and their stress on outward appearances and personal importance. Jesus said that to be first, one must be prepared to be last, and that to be served one must first be prepared to become a servant.
In the reading from Mark, the Disciples had been discussing among themselves, just who was the greatest among them. It seems an odd topic of discussion, but then we do odd things at
times! All of us! And so Jesus asked them what they had been discussing. Probably aware that it was not a topic that Jesus would have approved, they fell silent and refused to answer.
How foolish of them. He knew what they had been discussing, but rather than chastise them, He simply said, listen, if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.
And then in the words from John, Jesus said that He was the Good Shepherd, He said that there would be many impostors, wolves and hirelings posturing as false shepherds, such
shepherds did not know the sheep and cared nothing for the sheep. But with great love, Jesus then said; "I am the good shepherd and the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
Jesus had no time for false airs and graces, no time for selfish motives and no time for self-righteous judgmental behavior. Jesus was and Jesus is a wonderful, practical, and saving
shepherd. And the psalmist was right, the Lord IS my Shepherd and I rejoice in that!
When I wander away, my Shepherd comes after me and brings me home. When I doubt my ability
to cope with a situation my Shepherd affirms my ability. When I feel disappointment my Shepherd builds me up again. When I am weak He gives me strength and when I grieve He lifts me up. And
on and on my Shepherd takes care of me. Yes, without a doubt the Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want for anything. And it is my fervent hope that each of you share with me and with
the Psalmist—that the Lord is your shepherd and that you shall indeed want for nothing.
Psalm 23 goes on to say "he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters."
With those words, the psalmist is continuing his pastoral illustration of our Lord as the shepherd and we as the sheep. For the most part the sheep of those days in that part of the world would
have survived on the scrub and on whatever grass they might find. It was a tough life not only for the shepherd, but also for the sheep. It is a small country and probably the area around Jerusalem was heavily grazed.
And so for the sheep, the ultimate luxury and the greatest provision would have been to find themselves in a lush green pasture and to be able to just lie down and relax from their
wanderings. And if that green pasture just happened to be next to a body of cool still water well, that would have been everything!
And the good shepherd would do every thing possible to find such a place and would lead the sheep to it. Do you see the image? Do you see
what the Psalmist is saying? We get so tired in life sometimes and we long to be able to find real rest—physical and emotional rest. We get hungry and thirsty emotionally and spiritually and we
long for the clear refreshing water that takes care of us. Sometimes we get close to exhaustion as we worry about ourselves, or someone close to us. And sometimes even close friends seem to wear on us as they off er advice
and solutions. We long for that green pasture and that still cool water that refreshes and renews us. And the Psalmist is telling us that the Good Shepherd will lead us there.
If we will just learn to put our trust in God, we will find relief in the most difficult of times. If we will just learn to put our trust in God, we will find a way through the most difficult of situations.
Christ is the truth and Christ is the way. Christ is the Good Shepherd who in the midst of chaos will lead you beside still waters. Christ is the Good Shepherd who in the most trying of conditions
will let you lie down in green pastures — if you will just come to trust Him.
The next phrase in Psalm 23 is a wonderful summary of all that has been said so far. We have
heard that the Lord is our shepherd—the perfect and the good shepherd—strong and practical. With Him, we need never want, and with Him we will find relief and renewal as He leads us to still
waters and green pastures. And in all of this "He restores my soul." Restore, restoration—the very word conjures up a picture of something that has become worn and perhaps broken and yet
has some intrinsic value that justifies the cost of restoration. Worn-out antique cars of great value that cannot be replaced are restored. Broken antique furniture that has a unique style of
years gone by is restored. Tired and worn-out buildings are restored as an alternative to being pulled down and destroyed.
There are times when each of us feel broken, when we feel worn out and tired, when we feel
beyond help. Here is the promise of God, that He considers us irreplaceable and He considers each of us unique and of great value. And so He has promised us restoration. He has restored my
soul. By Christ's death upon the cross I am forgiven of all my mistakes and I am renewed and restored. Thanks to Christ my good shepherd, I am guided and I am refreshed and fed, and I am renewed. Join me in thanking Him!
Psalm 23 can bring comfort in mourning and grief; strength in times of weakness, and always hope in times of despair. 