A sheep’s look at the Shepherd of Psalm 23 (Part V)

We continue on in Psalm 23 looking now at verse 5.  While pondering over this passage I found His presence offered to us in ways that only God can.  He has already offered us more than we deserve.  He has offered us His presence, His provisions, His protection, and His preservation which includes protection from the power and penalty of death.  Now in this verse we see His Preparation.  There is nothing more that we could possibly ask from Him yet He continues to offer to meet the needs that we have.  Let us now take this opportunity to see what God offers us as we continue to glean what we can from His precious Word.  There is still a lot to ponder from the 23 psalm.

Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”  Once again we see the psalmist placing before us in another perfect word picture, the eloquent illustration of God’s unfailing provision and care provided for His own.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” There is not one of us reading this that has not had an enemy, some of us more than others.  Here in this passage we find that our God offers and prepares for us a table in the presence of our enemies.  To some believers their greatest enemies are their own imaginations but whether real or in thought God prepares the table.  This statement is here because of the reality of the life in which we live.  We all have enemies and those who know not the Lord are His enemies and in turn ours as well.  A truth that we can observe here is that if we did not have enemies, we are not the friends of God.  “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4b)  The bible also tells us that we are to do what we can to live at peace with all men, the best that we can is what is expected.  “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18)  Notice that the Scripture says that it depends upon us.  The author of Hebrews put it this way, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:” (Hebrews 12:14).  Once again we are to be the pursuers of peace.  Enemies are a part of life, and a fact that we must live with.  But having the blessings of God and knowing that He is there to protect us is more than any of us deserve.  With this thought in mind we can break down this passage a little more to see the greatness of it and the preciousness of our Lord. 

“You prepare a table before me.”  When taking a closer look at this passage we must first unpack the thought that it is God that is preparing the table, “You prepare a table...”  This is not the responsibility of the Master, the preparation of the table it the normal responsibility of a servant, they are the ones who prepare the master’s table.  It is the servant that is to unfold the tablecloth laying it across the table.  It is the servant who is to put the table setting in place from the dinner ware down to the folded napkins on which the silver ware rests.  The feast is at hand but here in this passage we see that it is the Master who is preparing and setting the table and He will do it for us.  As it is always His practice, we find that nothing is hurried as it is done in His perfect time.  I do believe that since it is His table that all is at peace because we are in the presence of the Master.  The normal confusion at a meal time is minimized, even though the enemy is lurking at the door.  Here we find that though we may be stressed God continues to prepare the table for His own, He is still in complete control.  Here at the Lord’s table the believer can sit down and eat in peace because he is in the presence of God and once there, everything is in perfect peace.  Notice what Scripture says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3) and “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)  He is the one who provides the peace which is directly linked to His presence.  He does this in the presence or in the sight of our enemies.  He does this to let the enemy know that He is the Master of all and there is nothing that is outside of His control.

Once He has satisfied our appetite and we have received the proper nourishment He then turns to address our spiritual needs.  “You anoint my head with oil.”  Anointing is often found as a symbol of gladness it is a representation of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Here we find that the psalmist longed for a daily blessing from God, he longed for a receiving a fresh anointing from God.  In the Old Testament economy the Holy Spirit did not dwell within the believer as He does today, so the psalmist here longed for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit in his life.  Today every believer has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” (Ephesians 1:13).  This indwelling does not exclude us from desiring a closeness with God and thus like the psalmist we can and should request a refreshing of the Spirit in our lives. 

In our search for a closer relationship with God we do so through the Spirit of God in our lives.  This is often described as the “filling of the Spirit” which is the crucial work of God.  It is specifically the ministry of the Holy Spirit that gives a believer the capability of change, the transforming of our lives and growth in righteousness.  Ephesians 5:18 we are commanded to be “…filled with the Spirit.”  This is the empowering ministry of Spirit of God.  The “filling” mentioned in Ephesians is a metaphor (or picture) of control.  We can be filled (or controlled) by fleshly desires or by the Spirit of God.  So for a believer there is one indwelling of the Spirit but there can be many fillings.  We are command to “Be filled” and so that we can follow the command to “Walk in the Spirit” (Galatians5:16).  The Spirit’s presence is permanent (at salvation as noted earlier) but we must repeatedly choose to yield to God, we must choose to experience the precious transforming power and work of His Spirit within our lives to change and to grow us.  So we see that the true Christian experience is to, “walking in the Spirit” and to “be actively filled with the Spirit.”  By our surrendering ourselves to the work and will of the Holy Spirit, we can face the many challenges that this life offers through the work and power of the Holy Spirit within us.  It should not be enough for a believer to be sealed by the Holy Spirit; we should desire an active filling of the Spirits power.  In doing so we can add to our lives a new day to day closeness to God.  This is how we as believers have “our heads anointed with oil.”

“My cup runs over.”  The cup here represents abundance that our God does supply and we cannot help but notice that the psalmist states that this abundance is more than his cup can handle.  The cup if you will overflows because of the abundance of God.  This cup rests at the table which is prepared for believers who may feast.  This table once again is set before us in the presence and in spite of the believer’s enemies.  It is here that the believer can feast knowing that God is there, it is faith and trust in His presence and knowing that we are protected by His strength and power where which He watches over us.  It need not matter where the table is spread but even in the presence of our enemies we can sit and feast in peace. 

This verse notes for us the preciousness of this table and its blessing.  Every believer who resides at this table soon comes to the realization, as our psalmist reflects that God’s provision far exceeds our expectations.  We cannot help but notice that his cup was more than full, it overflowed.  Our God provides us with so much more than enough.  We to get all of this in God, and our cup overflows because more than the psalmist had because we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well.  In Christ we are truly wealthy, for we are fully complete in Him.

To be continued…

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A sheep’s look at the Shepherd of Psalm 23 (Part IV)

We are continuing through Psalm 23 and having looked at the first 3 verses we now come to verse 4. We have seen how the Lord has had His hand on us to prepare us for life and fellowship. Knowing that all things work together because He is the Master planner we note that there is a slight turn in the flow of this passage. Now we begin our path through reality of life, we begin to see the application of His promise’s mixed with the obedient life of a believer. Here is a beautiful word picture passage for us to ponder. Here in this passage we find the closeness of the Lord and our availability to get close to Him. We can glean a lot from this verse as we continue to ponder the 23 psalm.

Verse 4

Psalm 23:4, “Yea, 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.”

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” - Here we find that even in the darkest and most trying hours of our life God is near. The valley of the shadow of death that the psalmist references here is a ravine overhung by high steep cliffs, filled with dense forests. It appeared to be purposely designed to arouse dread and fear to all that would enter to. Though this valley was one of great danger and often caused a spirit of fear to those who trespassed there it would dim in the presence of the greatest fear of all, which was death. Death was one journey that we all face alone except for the believer. Here in this passage suggests to us that even in the passage of Death our Shepherd will still be with us. Every word in this passage has great depth in its meaning.

“Yea, though I walk,” here as we begin our ponderings of this passage, we are the ones who have to do the walking. He has prepared the path but we must walk down it. He does not call us to step up the pace, nor does he call out a cadence He just calls out to us to walk. We are not to hurry especially since this path leads to death. We can calmly walk down this path with Jesus. To walk here is actually in reference to a steady advance (if you will) of a soul. We walk here almost as if we have advance knowledge of the road, and we do in a sense know its end. It is our purpose, our bent as believers, to follow the path. While we do so, we can feel safe and content because He is there. The believer who is close to the end of his path does not hurry nor does he panic and fret he simply walks. Once we are near the end we know that we cannot stand still though we may desire to go no farther, instead we simply keep up the same pace as before.


“Yea, though I walk through…,” – one thing to point out here is that it is not so much that we walk in the valley, but we are to walk through the valley. Our goal, our objective is that we must go through the dark valley of death; no man can pass on this. We know that there is fear in this valley because of its existence, but the believer also has the assurance that Christ walks the path with us. We walk with this understanding that He is with us. We can confidently step out into the light of eternity because He is there with us and will welcome us home. As believers in Christ we must realize that we do not die, but we do but do sleep to wake up in glory. In his book “The Treasury of David” Charles Spurgeon says, “Death is not the house but the porch, not the goal but the passage to it.” We must realize and understand here that this walk through the valley is in a sense, our walk home.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley” – The psalmist is referring to a valley here to give us word picture and reference point in our own lives. We know that in life storms will come and go, some we can easily endure but there are those that take us off the mountain placing us in the valley. It is in the valley where we find peace that is so desperately need to calm the troubled soul. Many of us can testify of spending time with an aging saint who is facing their last days and find them more peaceful then those who surround them. They are at peace in their walk with Christ and have the peace that He offers and they are ready to meet Him. Their peace grows with each passing moment knowing that they are closer to the time that they will meet Him. While we are young life can be rough as we struggle on our way but it is often in the valley where we make the most progress. It is here in this psalm that we are confronted with a different view of the valley; it is here where we find shade, rest and refreshment. More believers have felt more alive here on their final passing through than they ever did when they were alive and well.

“… the valley of the shadow of death,” an interesting observation here is that this it is not “the valley of death,” but “the valley of the shadow of death.” This is important because death is not a threat to us, that has been removed, “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). With the power of death removed all that remains is its shadow. We must also note that if there is a shadow to be seen then there has to be light somewhere. With this in mind we know that Christ is the light and death can only cast a shadow in His presence. All it can do is stand idly by as we pass through this valley. Life can be a fearful place but all of it dims in the presence of His Glory. There is nothing to fear in a shadow for it cannot harm us. It may startle us from time to time but there is nothing to fear from it. The light that shines around it is that which comes from heaven, coming from the reigning Son of God, the eternal light is there. It is no wonder that the words “I will fear no evil” follows the mention of the path.

I will fear no evil; - Why should we fear? The psalmist says this with strong confidence. He did not say that there would not be evil because he knows that there will be. He goes beyond that thought and assures us that we do not have to fear it. We who know Jesus know that as our Shepherd will carry us through the times of evil, I do not need to fear them. He said “I will fear no evil,” letting us know that even his every fear, including those hiding out in the shadows and those in the light were forever gone. Sadly, the worst evils many of us face in life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. Here in this thought we find that the psalmist offers us the cure for the disease of fear, he said “I will fear no evil,” that would include the Evil One himself. This thought would even include the fear of dying. Death may be the last enemy that we face but, we can look upon its face as a conquered foe, an enemy that has already been defeated in Christ.

“…for You are with me;” – what a comforting thought to know that He is with you. How often we fail to recognize the closeness of the Lord in our lives. “…be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) One of the great joys of being a believer is knowing that the Lord is there with you. We are safe in the shelter of His arms which is something few believers ever get a handle on. We can experience the Peace that only the Lord gives once we realize that He is there and that He is there for you. We can say with the psalmist in complete comfort and security “…for You are with me.”

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” – The rod and staff are the tools by which the shepherd protects his flock. They are a sign of his protection and care. In the light of the Lord they represent His sovereignty, His mercy and His grace. They are there not just to protect me but to comfort me as well. They comfort because He is the gate to the sheep fold and there is nothing that can or will get by Him that He does not allow. And that which He does allow He is in complete control of. This can be our standard in all things that we fear, even death. Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This is a thought that many have claimed over the years until they begin to get close to death. Paul went on to say in verse 23 of this same passage in Philippians, “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” Our desire to be with Christ is better, but letting go is the real issue we face. Letting go is what we fear most, yet one day, we will be united with Christ in presence. This hope is strengthened in us through this passage knowing that His Rod and Staff are there to comfort you even in the times of great pain and sorrow.


To be continued.

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A sheep’s look at the Shepherd of Psalm 23 (Part III)

We have previously looked at verses 1 & 2 of Psalm 23. As many will testify, this is one of the most beloved passages in Scripture. Continuing on in Psalm 23, we are looking now at verse 3, here we will see God’s continued care for us. What we find in this verse is a beautiful explanation
of the restoration and reconciliation that is offered us from the Lord found in this passage. Though often overlooked this passage has a lot to offer us. Let’s see what we can glean from this verse as we continue to ponder the 23 psalm. He has claimed ownership to me in verse one. In verse two He has given me a place rest and much needed nourishment, now we turn to verse 3.

Verse 3

Psalm 23:3, “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

“He restores my soul; …He restores my soul, what a beautiful thought from the Lord. Here He presents to us His restoration, what more restoration do I need after salvation you may ask? What more can He give me? The truth is a lot. To restore the soul is to revive or quicken it, notice here in Psalms 19:7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;” (ESV). We can also turn over to the passage in Ezekiel we have looked at earlier and we find, Ezekiel 34:16, “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick;…” (Ezekiel 34:16). Here is restoration from the Lord, offered to us by His gift of Grace, making us full aware of His presence and help in several ways.

He restores my soul in fellowship, I John 1:3, “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” We have fellowship of the Father and the Son, what is the true depth of this verse? That which was taken away by sin has now been restored by His Grace. That which was dead has now been made alive. We have communication with the God of the universe. This communication includes access to God the Father and the Son, John 14:13-14, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” One of my favorite verses states it this way, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3). This is communion of fellowship, not just mere fellowship but one of restoration, precious because it was once removed.

He also restores my soul through the privilege of kinship – at the moment of salvation we are adopted into the family of God. We are now the sons of God, related through the saving blood of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures tell us that to be in Christ is to be an heir with him. Romans 8:14-17 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” We now belong to Christ and are brought back into relationship with God through His shed blood. We see that He has awarded us benefits as part of this adoption. He has made us a part of the family of God. Our adoption allows us the privilege and rights of son-ship. We are children of God, and then we are heirs. Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

He restores my soul in Grace – “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) How much do I love Him? I say more and more with the passing of each and every day. The Lord graciously restores this poor, tired and drying up old soul of mine daily. It is a blessing to know that, when our soul is fearful He lovingly revives it; when it is oppressed by the weight of this world He strengthens it; when it suffers because of sin He convicts it so that He can sanctify it. You see we need restoration, and we need it daily. Daily restoration is necessary to keep and preserve our relationship with Him and with those around us. Only Christ can do this, He is the one the restores and refreshes us. After restoration we will want to follow Him so…

“… He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Jesus our shepherd is committed both to us and to God the Father for our care. He will guide us as only He knows best and as it glorifies God, which is the ultimate goal. He is faithful to the task of leading, guiding and protecting His flock. This is done in obedience to the plan that God the Father had ordained for all men. The key to all of this for the believer is found in the word obedience. Many are obedient, but the real question is, are they obedient out of love, or of fear? Many believers treat the commandments of God cafeteria style; they want to be obedient to some commandments and forgetful of others. This is not pleasing to Him. We do not have the right to pick and choose; rather we are called to be obedient to them all. This is evident since the psalmist wrote this in plural voice, “the paths of righteousness.” Notice that this is plural “paths”, as in many.

“…paths of righteousness” – the paths of righteousness or the paths of the right are our privilege as believers to walk. We are called to walk where He walks and in doing so we are walking with Him. It is our delight to walk with Him and to be obedient to Him. These paths are for our safety, they are directed by God, and above all pleasing to Him. He is not only our master; He is the source of love. Our delight should be to please Him and to please Him is to walk here He leads. To walk where He leads is a walk of faith, obedience and self denial. This path calls out to us to be obedient and to walk along them with our loving and righteous Savior as our guide, not the other way around.

“…for his name's sake” – we are to do so out of respect or regard for who He is. What ever the task that the Lord may lead us to do we should do so whole heartedly being led out of a great love for Him. Someone once said, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God will not protect you.” Some believers overlook the blessing of our sanctification, and all that we do have in Him through salvation. If we could be saved from wrath, and yet remain the same enregenerate sinners that we were, where would God get glory? Yet in spite of this some believers choose to live this way. Beloved we are not saved as we desire but as He wills. One of the strongest desires for any believer is that we desire to be saved from sin and led away from self and into the way of holiness. This is accomplished because of one simple word called “Grace,” He has done so out of pure free grace. Notice that the verse says “for his name's sake.” It is out of honor and respect of our great Shepherd that we should strive to be a holy people. We should be focused, walking in the narrow way of righteousness. In doing so we will be led and we will be guided along and through these paths. Above all we must never fail to love and adore the care that we receive from our heavenly Shepherd.

Whatever path or goal He gives us we know that He not only prepares the way but that He leads us through His grace and love. The ultimate goal is of course the Glory of God which is to please Him and to want to serve Him. Thus when serving Him we do what we do for His name sake, He gets the glory, not us. We do so in honor of the Great Shepherd who has already given us His all. The path is the narrow way and we must keep our heart and mind focused upon Him so that we do not fail. I once read a statement that said, “The Will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.” Wherever He leads us He will protect us because He is leading us for His namesake and He will honor that.

To Be Continued…

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A sheep’s look at the Shepherd of Psalm 23 (Part II)

As we have previously mentioned the Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved passages in Scripture. As we continue on into unpacking this precious Psalm number 23 we must seek both His face and His presences as we look into this passage. This verse is a beautiful word picture of His provision for us. This is one verse that we sometimes speed read over and do not give much thought to it. I would like at this time to take this opportunity to see what we can glean from this verse as we continue to ponder the 23 Psalm. Here in this verse we find that not only is He My Shepherd but He leads me to the place of provision.

Verse 2

Psalm 23:2, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures: ...” As this passage continues the image that it produces continues to be peaceful and pleasant in soothing the heart and mind of the reader. It is not hard for us to picture the shepherd leading His sheep to pasture and to rest. Many pictures of Christ as the shepherd come to mind as we read this verse. The center focus continues to be that of the shepherd Himself, He is the one who is leading. We know that it is the shepherd in this passage who is leading his flock and in our life that is Christ who guides us. We are His flock and He guides us as He deems best, making sure that needs of His flock are met.

I also want to focus for a moment on the phrase “green pastures” which literally means “pastures of tender grass,” we can not simply look at this in respect to food, but as places of cool and refreshing rest. This is a picture in words; it allows us the thought of a place of rest that will always be fresh and in plentiful supply. There is no fear of running out, no fear of loss. Here the grass is comfortable for us to lie down and rest, it is also sweet enough to provide the needed nourishment that we continually need on this journey. We clearly find both physical and spiritual needs met here in this place. Through faith we find rest in the promises of the Word, much like the sheep find rest in the sound of the shepherd’s voice. All is at peace; all is at rest because all is in the care and control of the shepherd.

“He makes me to lie down ...” – He makes me lie down, not by force but through the gentleness of His word. Here we find that the Lord through His mercy and grace provides this pasture for us. He prepares it as much as He prepares us to receive the preciousness of the rest that it provides. Here the Psalmist says that “He makes me to lie down ...” with a gentile word He calls us to rest and we do so out of a grateful spirit for this precious promise that is provides us. We must realize that this pasture is a place of provision for us, yet it is only ours through His promise. Those that do not know Him are made aware of the pasture but it is not theirs to lie down in. That blessing belongs only to those who have faith and believe in the One who provides it. It is His grace that provides us these pastures. These places of comfort and safety allow us the privilege to experience His presence and all that it affords. It allows us the opportunity to rest listening to the sound of His voice.

In the last posting I made reference to Ezekiel 34, I want to grasp a thought from there again. Ezekiel 34:12-15, “As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. (14) I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. (15) I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD.” Notice here in this passage, God gives reference to Himself as our shepherd and to those of us who are His are the flock. He will take us to good pasture and make us lie down. It is obvious that David was not alone in using this metaphorical statement.

“… He leads me beside the still waters.” – This passage continues with an interesting statement. “… He leads me beside the still waters.” This literally says, “waters of stillness,” it is referring to a place where only He can take us. A place where the waters are cool and quiet, whose flow invites to rest and to relax, to literally put your feet up, close your eyes and melt into the provision He provides. They are contrasted with boisterous streams that we constantly face in life. Though the waters are still they are not stagnant, nor are they offensive. Quite the opposite, these still waters refer to deep pools of cool water bringing forth the nourishment needed to quench the thirsty soul.

The old adage goes “Still waters run deep” and how true it that to the fountain of God? It is not a noisy place but rather a quiet place of rest for the child of God. Here the hustle and bustle of the world is held at bay by the silence of the presence of God. We must also note that we were led here beside the “still waters.” We are brought to a place where we could not go by ourselves, a place where He peacefully and patiently leads us. This is a place where we can go to be refreshed, strengthened and revitalized in the Lord. We can see from this passage how He orchestrates the necessities that we need in life.

What a continuing precious picture in words. He leads His sheep beside the water where they can freely drink from untroubled waters. He is the one who determines where the sheep go and where they will receive nourishment and refreshment. He continues to provide for us as we travel through our Christian journey. We are not to stay in the pasture and feed because we are on a journey. It is through this journey that He continues to lead us both to “pastures of tender grass” and to “waters of stillness.”

It is beside the still waters where the Spirit ministers to us. Here He cleanses, revitalizes and refreshes us. It is here that the Holy Spirit of God ministers to us individually to care and provide for us. As with the green pastures, those who do not know the Lord nor the Spirit of God can be aware of the waters mentioned here but they will not receive the blessing here because they are not connected to Him.

Some of the greatest sources of daily stress are found in the little things of life. They are often rooted in the simple things of our daily wants and needs. This verse reminds us that Christ as our shepherd, He is responsible to and for the needs of His flock. One other thought here is that this is a daily place of rest. That which we received yesterday will not sustain us today. Much like the manna that was given to the Children of Israel in the wilderness this is a daily supply. We must go to Him daily for instruction, for care, for leadership and as we have seen in these first two passages, we must go to Him daily for rest and restoration from the trials of the day and preparation for those of tomorrow.

To be continued…

A sheep’s look at the Shepherd of Psalm 23 (Part I)

A sheep’s look at the Shepherd of Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved passages in Scripture. I have memorized it and found it comforting in times of need. A short while back I was asked by a close friend to clarify a verse of this psalm to him. I told him that the best way to unpack part of a passage is to actually go back to beginning to see what the passage was speaking about. I did so and these next few postings will be my pondering on the six verses of this beloved Psalm number 23. We will carefully ponder one verse at a time to see what God will have for us. One thing that makes this one of the most precious Psalms is that was written for us to claim passion of. Those of us who claim the name of Christ can relate to this as one of the most truly personalized passages. There are over 16 personal pronoun statements in this passage. It is no wonder that David started out by saying, “The Lord is MY Shepherd.”

Verse 1

Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

What a beautiful and timeless passage of Scripture this is. This passage starts out a picture in words of who our Savior is to us, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Here we see the Psalmist lovingly introducing the Lord to us in a way that was very familiar to him. He does not say “if” or “I hope” he distinctly says, “The Lord is my shepherd.” He expressly calls him “my” Shepherd. You can almost hear the precious longing in His voice, He is actually saying that the Lord is a Shepherd to me; He not only cares for me, He watches over me, and He preserves me. He is stating and claiming His submissiveness to the shepherd. He was not his own, he belongs to the shepherd. This verse is implying to us that we, who are His followers, are considered not just a flock but His flock. If we look at this verse along with the gleanings of Christ our shepherd in John chapter 10 and we see the blessedness of our Great shepherd. We are not simply under His guidance and direction. We are His, we belong to Him.

We know and understand that the shepherd leads the flock, and our Lord does so in a way that that meant for our safety. He is constantly watching over the flock and keeping them always in His care. When they are hungry He has already provided a safe pasture to feed them, graciously providing the need at the most opportune time. If any have strayed (and we are all guilty of doing so from time to time), He brings them back to the fold. He provides shelter in the time of storm. In times of great affliction, He becomes our haven of rest. No matter what the need He is there, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

This passage also says, “I shall not want.” To this I must add how can they want, how can we? John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Jesus Christ is not just a good shepherd, He is our Great Shepherd, and because of this I shall not want. We are His and are known of Him. He, as our Shepherd laid down His life to save his flock. We have what we have in Him because of this. If this is what He has done for us should we not be in tune with His voice? Should we not want to hear and rest upon His every word?

This passage says, “I shall not want.” And in regards to His strength and protection, I shall not want. This Great Shepherd has all power in heaven and earth; therefore he can protect them. There is no need to fear, there is no need to fret He is there and had promised to never leave us. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6) and again in Hebrews 13:5, “…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This passage says, “I shall not want.” And in regards to His meeting the needs of my daily life, I shall not want. The bible says that all the silver and gold are His, and the cattle on a thousand hills; with this in mind we know that there is nothing with in His ability to sustain us. As he sent the ravens to feed the prophet and few fishes to feed the multitudes, He will meet my needs as well. Paul said in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” In this passage again we see ownership to the Shepherd, notice “…my God...”

This passage says, “I shall not want.” And in regards to His fellowship, love and compassion, I shall not want. He has all that we need, and His heart is full of love reaching out to man. The problem is that we do not talk to Him. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” There is nothing therefore that falls with in His will that He will withhold from anyone of His own. That which stops the blessings of God is man’s sin, his selfishness and stubbornness. Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”

This passage does not say “I do not want,” it says, “I shall not want.” In other words no matter what comes my way He will be there. In this life I may face famine, ship wreck or desertion of friends and family but through it all “I shall not want.” Even in the midst of the aging process with its frailty or even death He will be with me, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The lost always want, they strive selfishly to meet there own needs because their heart is far from satisfaction. I shall not want because He is my shepherd; this thought alone causes us to dwell in the palace of content which the psalmist is speaking of. I am reminded of the passage in proverbs “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV) If He is our shepherd then should we not, as this passage says, place our full hope and trust in Him.

I do know that panic and despair sets in once someone has taken their eyes off of the Saviour. Once someone redirects their focus from Him, for some, all hope is lost. Remember Peter in Matthew 14:28-32, “And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ (29) So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ (31) And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ (32) And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”

I know that it is sometime hard to focus upon the Lord at all times and especially when we are stressed out beyond measure or burdened beyond belief but that is the call of this passage. As sheep of His flock we are not free to make our own choices, to strike out on our own paths, we are to lean upon Him and to trust in Him. Why? Because we belong to Him, He is Our Shepherd, He is our guardian and He is our guide. We are His responsibility and our responsibility is to Him.

Notice what this passage in Ezekiel says:

Ezekiel 34:12, 16, “As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. (16) “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick;…” Verse 31 goes on to say, “‘You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord GOD.”

I cannot help but overemphasize this; those of us who are saved and who claim the name of Christ belong to Him. He is Our Shepherd, He is our guardian and He is our guide. We are His responsibility and our responsibility is to Him. He will care for us; notice the possessive statements in Ezekiel 34:30, My flock, My pasture and I am your God. What a powerful statement!

To be continued…
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They have gone home glorified to our glorious Savior

A dear friend of mine passed away last month going home to be with the Lord. The loss is one that many will bear for some time. For many of us this life will now be a lot sadder and the days that pass a bit darker, if you will, because they are gone. Heaven on the other hand will be a bit brighter because its shining star has now gone home. It is a truth that our loss is heaven’s gain. As the cloud of grief over shadows us they will shine more in heaven as our friend reaps in the blessings of heavens glory. One day soon grief will give way to memory and the light that they once were will return to us in loving thought and recollection.

Life is a beautiful gift from the heart and mind of God. How much greater is that gift when we return to Him “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This world dims in the light of eternity and eternity shines in the light of the one who has gone home.

Will they be missed? Absolutely
Will they always be a part of our life? No doubt
Will they always have a place in our heart? Most definitely
Will they ever know the impact that they had on our life? Most assuredly for one day we too will go home to be with Christ and to spend eternity together with them. Then the other half shall be told.

God tells us in Scripture that the passing of a saint is precious to Him, "Precious int he sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints (Psalm 116:15). Their death is precious because He can now receive them home from all their wanderings. As an earthly father we rejoice when we receive our children home after an absence. When one of our children is even the smallest bit over due we begin to fret because any absence can bring thoughts and illusions of many dangers that exist in our world today. With this thought in mind we must think of how much more shall God rejoice to receive his children home? He loves his children far better then than we can imagine. He knows that their suffering is now over and that their sorrow is past.

Their passing allows Him the opportunity to truly display for them the sufficiency of His overeign grace. How do we know this? Because the passing saint goes directly into the arms of the Lord, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8). We are saddened for a time yes, but part of that sorrow is an extension of the desire that we too have to be with Him. They are with Christ, the one that they loved and the one that truly loved and cared for them.

We are confident from the Scripture that the LORD takes special notice of His children and cares for us in a special manner. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1). “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…” (Isaiah 43:2) Just to mention a few. Then we find in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.” This should be precious to us as well. This statement from God brings before us an aspect of death that which we sometimes fail to consider. It gives us a glimpse of what may be termed the God-minded view of the subject. We cannot contemplate death as a final thought, which is an earthly view, taken solely from our perspective. This passage opens up the heart of the Lord showing us from His viewpoint of Heaven. In the eyes of the Lord the death of a saint is not horrible but “precious.” Precious because that which is His is now going home to ever be with Him. We must learn to rejoice as David did with the passing of a loved one as found in 2 Samuel 23:23, “But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I
bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

We do pray for their family and all the friends that the Lord God will flood their hearts, minds and thoughts with memories and that His presence will overshadow them during this time of grief.

You've Got a Friend In Me

David & Jonathan – a relationship that was more than companionship, closer than friendship, it was a relationship that Christ desires of us today.

In this day and age that we live in, we find that friends are a very precious commodity. It is easy to find someone to befriend you but it is very rare to fine one that you can truly be friends with. A friend is someone who you know and trust to have your back at all times and at all costs. You need not worry and or fret because you know that you are covered. Some may say they are your friend but you have to keep an eye on them, sleep with one eye open and walk with a constant looking over your shoulder. This is because to be a true friend they have to be trusted and trust is something we hold tightly to our breast and find it hard to let go of. It is something that has to be earned before it is extended to someone. To trust someone without a consuming worry or fear of back lash or reprisal is a rare commodity at best.

The bond of friendship should never be overlooked or worse yet, taken for granted. One true test of this bond is seen in times of disagreement; you may see or take opposite sides yet still be friends. This is almost in direct conflict with Amos 3:3 which says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” I believe that a true friendship can and must cross that line at times and yet still survive. It is really a matter of trust and trust with respect which I believe stems from the origins of a new birth relationship. The kinship that comes from Christ is knitted in the realm of friendship, it is something that most never experience and few date to attempt. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” We find that Christ sticks closer than a brother and we too, should do the same regardless of our own desires, differences, preferences, prejudices and convictions. In the area of friendships pettiness is a selfish desire we cannot afford because it stifles restoration where needed along with compassion and rebuke if and or when necessary.

The best biblical example of friendship is found in David & Jonathan they had a relationship that was more than companionship, closer than friendship, it was a relationship that Christ desires of us today. As a friend you are not there to judge but to honestly and openly care for one another. It is obvious from Scripture that these two men were also very good and close friends. In their relationship we can see at least three qualities of true friendship. First of all, their friendship was sacrificial in nature, each placing their needs second to the others and their own. Second, In 1 Samuel 18:4, “And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.” we read that Jonathan gave David his clothes and military apparel. In this selfless act, Jonathan show us that he recognized that David would one day be king of Israel this action of Jonathan’s signified this. We can see from this act that he was selfless, not envious or jealous in fact we see that Jonathan did so in submission to God’s will and sacrificed his own right to the throne. Third, we find in Scripture that Jonathan’s loyalty toward David is seen in his defense even in against his father Saul, 1 Samuel 19:1-3, “Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. (2) So Jonathan told David, saying, ‘My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. (3) And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you." We find that Jonathan stood up to challenge his father having him remember David’s faithfulness to him including his killing Goliath.

People who have tried to misrepresent the relationship between David and Jonathan have never understood the relationship of those who share a common battlefield experiential relationship. I have shared a foxhole with another. I have also trusted another with my very soul. We shared many things together and were closer than brothers but not once did the thought of any other relationship cross either of our hearts or minds. I have friends now that I entrust everything to, even and including my very soul. I experience joy when I see them and am glad to receive a call, txt or e-mail from them. We laugh together and there have been times when we cried together. But not once have we ever desired to cross the lines that God has set in order.

I do thank God for those few men that God has brought into my life. They are there when I need them and I will be there when they need me. There is a bond that we have and share that holds our friendship above and beyond the norm. Accountability is there, counsel is there but even more, the love of the Savior is there. It is His example, His love that keeps our friendship above and beyond most friendships.