SCRIPTURE: Psalm 23 (ESV)
DATE: 5-22-22
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
We’re beginning a new series today — really — it’s an old series — but it’s been awhile — so it’s a good idea for me to tell you what to expect — as far as the sermons go in this series — because they’re a bit different from our usual sermons. In this Finding Jesus series — each week I’m going to introduce you to a book of the Bible that you may or may not be familiar with. I’ll give you an overview of the book and then we’ll focus on a section of it.
Then — and this is what I hope will be most helpful — each week I’ll show you how to find Jesus. I’ll show you how to find the one story the whole Bible is telling — the story of Jesus — because the whole Bible is ultimately pointing us to him.
And in this iteration of our Finding Jesus series — we’re going to look at five books in the Old Testament often called the Wisdom literature. And — today — we’ll be looking at the book of Psalms. So if you have your Bible, please turn with me to Psalm 23.
This week we’re looking at the book of Psalms and in the coming weeks we’ll look at Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and we’ll end this series on Father’s Day — looking at the book titled Song of Songs. And that final week — parents — you’ll either want to be prepared to have “the talk” with your children — or — make sure you drop them off in Kidway — there’s my friendly pastoral warning.
And my hope — for this series — is that you’ll grow to know and love these books and spend time in them — finding Jesus — and the joy that’s found only in him.
Two final things. First, I mentioned earlier that this series — Finding Jesus — is both a new and an old series — so what does that mean? This is a series we’ve been doing for a few years now. In previous years we’ve looked at the Pentateuch — the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. We’ve looked at the Major Prophets — the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. We’ve looked at the group of books known as the Minor Prophets.
And — on our website — you can find a sermon on each of these Old Testament books and we hope these sermons will be a resource for you if you ever find yourself wondering, “I wonder what the book of so and so is about and how it points me to Jesus?” And our goal is to finish the remaining books in the Old Testament next year so you’ll have a resource on every book in the Old Testament.
Second thing, what’s the reason behind us thinking that the whole Bible is actually about Jesus? Why do we think we can find Jesus in all of Scripture?
In the gospel of John there’s an account where Jesus is being questioned by some religious leaders. These folks were experts in the Old Testament and they were constantly harassing Jesus for not meeting their expectations and understanding of what the Old Testament was teaching. In response to them — and their misunderstanding of the Old Testament — Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”
The Scriptures — here in John — refer to the Old Testament. And Jesus says that the Old Testament points to him — so we can find Jesus in the Old Testament because he’s told us that the Old Testament is about him.
Additionally — in Luke’s gospel — after his resurrection — two of Jesus’ disciples are walking on a road and — suddenly — Jesus appears walking with them and the two guys don’t know it’s Jesus. The two disciples are in a discussion about all that had happened to Jesus as it was a confusing time for them as their teacher had just been killed. And — as they’re walking — Jesus asks them what they’re talking about and they try to explain to him the whole situation — everything that had happened over the past few days. And here’s Jesus’ response to them.
“Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
This passage from Luke makes it even more clear that all of the Old Testament is about Jesus. Jesus even mentions the writings of Moses, the prophets, and then explains from “all the Scriptures” that he’s the point of the Old Testament. So this is why we do our Finding Jesus series — because the whole Bible — all of Scripture — is about Jesus. And I want you to know how to find him in all of Scripture.
BACKGROUND OF PSALMS
So let’s take some time to get our bearings in the book of Psalms — and I hope you’ll see that Psalms is a book you’ll want to go read for yourself.
First, what do we know about the book of Psalms? To begin, the book of psalms has 150 chapters with a total of 2,461 verses. The original title for the book meant “praise songs.” Translated into Greek the title means “sacred songs sung to musical accompaniment.” So the book of Psalms is the hymnal of the Old Testament.
Additionally, we know that there are multiple authors of the songs found in the book of Psalms. King David authored seventy-three of the psalms, Moses wrote one psalm, Asaph wrote twelve, the sons of Korah wrote ten, and King Solomon — David’s son — wrote a couple of psalms as well.
What about when — when were the psalms written? Given that we have multiple authors, the time when they’re written depends on who wrote them. Psalm 90 — written by Moses — is the oldest psalm written more than a thousand years before the birth of Jesus. The last psalms to be written were most likely authored after the Babylonian exile — about a thousand years after Moses lived.
And what’s the point of the book? The point of the book of psalms is to give God’s people words they can use to praise God for who he is and all that he’s done no matter their circumstances. Thus we find an array of different genres in the book — different moods and emotions to cover all of what we experience in life.
For example, there are hymns. These are psalms that praise God for who he is and they’re songs full of reasons for God’s people to rejoice.
There are psalms of lament. These are psalms that are a crying out to God because of pain being experienced. In these songs you’ll find personal struggles, enemies that are on the attack, doubts about what’s being experienced, and so on.
There are psalms of thanksgiving — which — you can probably guess — are full of thanksgiving. And often this is thanksgiving for God answering the cry of lament expressed in other psalms.
Then there are psalms of confidence — psalms that express the author’s confidence in God.
There are psalms of remembrance. Songs where a specific past act of God — demonstrating his faithfulness — is remembered.
There are psalms of wisdom — psalms that contrast the ways of the wise with the ways of the foolish — much like the book of Proverbs which we’ll look at later in this series.
And there are kingship psalms. Psalms that highlight God as King or focus on the king of Israel.
MAIN PASSAGE
Now that we have an overview of the book — let’s turn to the psalm we’re going to focus on today. Hopefully you’ve had time to find Psalm 23. We’ll begin in verse 1 as we discover a way to find Jesus in the book of Psalms — and in all of the Bible.
“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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6 ESV)
GOD OUR SHEPHERD
Independence — a thread woven throughout our nation’s history. Something ingrained in us Americans — from an early age — is the idea of being independent. And — though historically one of our greatest strengths — this trait seems to be becoming one of our greatest weaknesses — as I’ll explain.
Now — biblically speaking — God has created us to be independent — in the sense — that he’s created us not to be in bondange or enslaved to others. This isn’t just an American citizen right — this is a human being right. All humans — being created by God — have been created to be independent of the abusive ruling power of others. Another positive aspect of independence is seen in children growing and maturing into adults — no longer dependent upon their parents for everything in life.
Yet — God’s created us not to be independent — in the sense — and this is how our greatest strength is becoming our great weakness — independence has led us to believe that we don’t need others. This can be seen both in and outside of the church.
For example, we need people who are doctors, nurses, teachers, emergency responders, researchers, architects, bankers, plumbers, electricians, and on and on I could go. None of us can do and be all of these things independently — we’re dependent on each other.
Yet — many of us — if not all of us — have felt the downside to this dependence. Some people are not dependable — some people are not trustworthy — there’s a risk we take when we depend on others — but it’s an unavoidable risk. Even some parents fail their children — and I’m not meaning in the occasional small way — but in the complete abandonment of their responsibilities to provide for their children. I know of folks in our congregation who have this as their life experience — which makes it hard for them to trust others — especially to depend on others.
But there’s this tension we all live in. We live in this world of striving for independence while also living in a world where we’re dependent on others — and some will show themselves unreliable. Thus many try to run from this dependence — try to avoid the fact that we do need others — we try to live independent lives — taking our strength and turning it into a weakness — and this has had a great influence on how we view our relationship with God.
There are many who try to live independently from God — yet we’ve been created to be dependent on him. And this isn’t bad news — this is great news — because dependence on God is where true life is found. Yet many try to live independently from God as they search for happiness and fulfillment. They’ve taken the gift of independence — that God’s given to us to protect ourselves from the oppression of others — and we’ve used this gift against the Giver who’s never an oppressor towards those he loves — for he is a good and faithful Shepherd and Protector.
And this is the good news that we find in Psalm 23. Let’s begin back in verse 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” (Psalm 23:1-3 ESV)
We begin with a blessing given to those who are dependent upon God. What’s the blessing? We have a Shepherd who guides us. In a world offering all kinds of guidance by so-called trustworthy experts — there’s One whose guidance will never lead you astray — and that is God. David says that with God as his Shepherd he has no want — meaning everything he needs has been provided for by his Shepherd — including his need of rest, restoration, and righteousness.
Rest — David’s Shepherd has led him to a place of rest where he can lie down even as his enemies are pursuing him. And this rest results in David’s soul being restored and refreshed. I’m sure you can imagine how being on the run from your enemies — would be a restless and exhausting experience. Yet, David’s God guides him to a place of rest and restoration even as he’s being pursued by enemies.
Now most of us haven’t experienced the pursuit of an enemy — like what David’s going through — but there are many kinds of enemies that pursue us. Depression can be an enemy. Grief can be an enemy. Different medical situations can feel like an enemy pursuing you. A terrible work situation can feel like you’re headed into a battle every day. And what David’s telling us is that God can guide you to rest and restoration even while being in the midst of these situations.
Now — something I’ve yet to mention — is that this picture — of God as our Shepherd — would imply something about us then. And that would be that we’re sheep. Well here’s something you may or may not know about sheep. One scholar writes, “Owing to their timidity [sheep] refuse to lie down unless they’re free of all fear. Because of their social behavior within a flock, sheep will not lie down unless they’re free from friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. [And] lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.”
To rest, sheep need freedom from fear, from friction with others, from pests, and from hunger. And do you know something our American culture has a serious lack of? An ability to rest. We love to point towards our productivity or busyness as our reason for not being able to rest, but often these are surface level factors that don’t expose the root of our restlessness. So what’s at the root of our inability to rest?
Fear. Friction with others. Pests. And hunger. To rest means we must face our fears. It’s why we don’t like silence — silence forces you to be with those thoughts that disturb you. The most disturbing thought being, “I will die.” “That doesn’t bother me, Josh.” OK. For the remainder of this sermon, we’re going to sit in silence and the words “I will die” will be on the screens for you to stare at. Don’t distract yourself. No checking your phones. Just stare at the screen for the next 20 minutes and think about your death. Are you ready? OK. We’re not going to do that as we’ve got more verses to get to — but I dare you to explore how fear is robbing you of rest — maybe even your fear of your death.
Friction with others makes us unable to rest. It’s why parenting teenagers is so exhausting. Or why marriage makes many tired and weary. Friction with others is why it’s easy for Life Groups to not feel like a place where connecting with others is taking place. Something that should be refreshing to your soul — gathering with others who love Jesus — becomes a place of restlessness because there’s friction within the group. And on and on we could go with how friction with others robs us of rest and restoration.
Pests keep us from rest. For the sheep it was literal pests — like flies. For us — pests come in different shapes and sizes. Social media can be a pest. So can the news and podcasts we listen to. These things don’t have to be pests — but they can be — and for many of us — the pests in our lives keeping us from rest and restoration.
And hunger keeps us from rest. Physical hunger can keep us from physical rest — but we can’t ignore how spiritual hunger keeps us from spiritual rest.
Many are spiritually restless in our day and age because they’re spiritually starving — even people in the church — even people in this church. We’re spiritually starving even though spiritual nourishment is being offered to us. Yet David knew to trust in his Shepherd to guide him to the rest and restoration he needed.
And David knew that God — his Shepherd — would lead him on the path of righteousness. Do you know that sheep wander aimlessly if they’re not led? The role of the shepherd is to lead the sheep where he wants them to go. If sheep act independently — they wander aimlessly. If they depend on their shepherd — they’re led on the path of righteousness. Why is this important for us? One pastor explains.
“The Palestinian shepherd was a master at reading tracks. [There were] many marks and paths sprawled across the rugged terrain. Some were made by wilderness beasts; others by robbers lying in wait. The wind also etched its subtle ‘track’ in the sand. [And] to the untrained, dull eye of the sheep, they all looked alike — like real paths. But they led nowhere.
The sheep were wise to follow only their shepherd, who always led them along the ’right track.’ After all, it was the shepherd’s reputation that was at stake.”
In this age of information that we live in — an age where it’s hard to discern which is the right path to take — hard to tell which paths have been made by beasts or robbers waiting to attack — which path is nothing more than the blowing of the wind — can we admit that it’s difficult to discern which path of information we should follow and trust these days? Thus — if we live independently— we may never know if we’re following the right path. But if we live dependent upon our Shepherd to lead us on his path — we’ll be led down the path of righteousness — of being made right with God.
And God — just like the Palestinian shepherd whose reputation was on the line as he led the sheep through the wilderness — God has put his reputation on the line in leading his people down his path of righteousness. How confidence-stirring and rest-giving this should be for us.
God has said, “My reputation is on the line. Follow me as I lead you down my path of righteousness.”
Yet David recognizes that even as we follow our Shepherd — the path we find ourselves on will not always be the easiest path to follow. In verse 4 he writes…
“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.” (Psalm 23:4 ESV)
Sometimes we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death. And yet — even here — we’re promised comfort. In fact — two sources of comfort. One — our Shepherd’s presence — and two — his rod and staff — give us comfort.
Our Shepherd doesn’t just tell us where to go. He doesn’t point us in the direction — “See, that valley that’s dark like death over there — yeah — follow the path going in that direction.” No — our Shepherd — walks with us through the valley. And God’s presence — through life’s dark valleys — will give us comfort. But only if we recognize our dependence upon him.
If we go at life independently — we’ll have no comfort in the dark valleys of life. Maybe you’ve experienced the loneliness of the valleys. Maybe you’re experiencing that loneliness right now. All of us will walk through the valley — but — when in the valley — what will you focus on? The darkness of the valley or the presence of the Shepherd who’s with you?
But notice that David doesn’t say this is “the valley of death” but “the valley of the shadow of death.” This means this isn’t the valley of death — just the shadow. And — as you know — a shadow isn’t the real thing. But a shadow tells us the real thing is nearby.
And during these dark valley moments of life — maybe it’s cancer or a job loss or the end of a relationship or the loss of someone you love — though these valleys can be painful and feel unbearable — they’re not death. They’re a shadow of death. A reminder that the real thing — death — is near all of us. And — back to our fear of death — the way to not fear death is to know your Shepherd is walking with you in the shadow. The way to not fear death is to recognize your dependence upon him because death is near.
And your dependence upon the Shepherd means he will use both his rod and his staff for your good. A shepherd uses his staff to keep his sheep from wandering away. It’s a tool of love used to keep sheep from going towards danger. And he uses his rod as a tool of protection to ward off enemies who are a danger to his sheep.
And God — our Shepherd — uses his staff and rod to lovingly guide us and protect us from dangers we’re often unaware of — using his staff to guide us to his table where he’s prepared a feast for us — even as we’re surrounded by our enemies. And we can sit and feast at his table — while surrounded by our enemies — because we know his rod is protecting us. We’re in verse 5.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5 ESV)
And here’s something — I think — we often miss in this picture David’s describing for us. One pastor describes what’s going on well.
He writes, “God has a celebration meal with us not after we finally get out of the dark valley but in the middle of it, in the presence of our enemies. [Our Shepherd] wants us to rejoice in him in the midst of our troubles.” You see, this feasting takes place in the presence of the Shepherd while our enemies are nearby. Why? Because our Shepherd wants our enemies to see how he cares for and protects and provides for his sheep — how our Shepherd lavishes us with a meal — even as we’re surrounded by our enemies in the valley of the shadow of death.
And once again — the Shepherd provides rest for his sheep — for he anoints them with oil. Not only an honor — like the anointing of a king — but for sheep — oil was put on their heads to ward off those flies and other pests. You can’t rest if you’re constantly being bothered by pests — and you can’t feast either — but the oil keeps the pests away — the oil of the Shepherd wards off the pests.
And then David concludes the psalm with…
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6 ESV)
The Shepherd’s goodness and mercy will follow his people all the days of their life. And the path he’s leading them on arrives at the house of the Lord where they will live forever. Once again, David reveals to us something that should astonish us about God. He’s not distant. He’s not far off somewhere uninvolved in the lives of his people. He’s leading us. He’s protecting us. He’s guiding us. And he’s following us.
One author writes, “What a surprising way to describe God! We’re accustomed to a God who remains in one place. A God who sits enthroned in the heavens and rules and ordains. David, however, envisions a mobile and active God. Dare we do the same? Dare we envision a God who follows us? Who pursues us? Who chases us? Who tracks us down and wins us over? Who follows us with ‘goodness and mercy’ all the days of our lives?”
To live independently is to reject God’s mercy and goodness pursuing you and protecting you every single moment of every day of your life. But to live dependent upon God is to receive his mercy and goodness as your protection and comfort every single moment of every day of your life until you arrive at the house of the Lord in eternity.
JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
And now let’s find Jesus. And — if you have any familiarity with Christianity — you’re not going to be surprised at how we find him in Psalm 23. Honestly, it’s been difficult to not bring Jesus up thus far in the sermon.
In John’s gospel, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” He goes on to say, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me – 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:11, 14-15 ESV)
Three times Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd. Twice he tells us that he will lay down his life for his sheep. He tells us that he knows his sheep and — if you read the rest of the chapter — you discover Jesus’ determination to protect his sheep. And Jesus says that he is his sheep’s salvation — for he has come to give his sheep the abundant eternal life.
And — then — Jesus says these words of hope and promise and rest. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29 ESV)
Jesus says that his sheep know their Shepherd’s voice. Though there are many voices trying to get your attention — many pests and paths to follow — do you know the voice of the Good Shepherd?
For those who know Jesus’ voice as their Shepherd — follow him. They follow him along his path of righteousness. They know that their Shepherd is with them in the dark valleys of life. They experience the comfort of their Shepherd’s mercy and goodness which pursues them every moment of every day of their life. And just as sheep were anointed with oil to keep the pests away — those who have Jesus as their Shepherd are anointed with the oil of the Spirit of God who protects them.
I’ll ask you again — do you know the voice of the Good Shepherd? You find his voice in this book — the Word of God. If anything you’ve heard today is stirring a desire in you to know Christ — I’d encourage you to go to the What’s Next Wall where we have a free Bible for you— if you don’t have one. Begin in one of the Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John and hear the voice of Jesus — the Good Shepherd — and respond to him.
CONCLUSION
Psalm 23 is the most popular psalm among American adults. A psalm — of about a hundred words in English — yet it sums up every one of our needs in life — Christian or not. And this psalm tells us how every one of our needs are met — our needs are met in Christ. For Psalm 23 begins with the words ‘the Lord’ and ends with the word ‘forever’ and the psalm shows us that a life of rest — a life of protection — a life of feasting — a life full of goodness and mercy — is a life with Jesus as your Shepherd — it’s a life dependent upon him.
Are you aware of your dependence upon Christ as your Shepherd or are you living independently of him? Do you desire the presence of the One who loves you — who’s demonstrated his love by laying down his life for you? Do you desire his loving presence — as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death? Do you desire comfort and protection and feasting — even in the presence of life’s enemies? If so, then listen to the voice of the Shepherd who’s calling out to you right now. Listen to his voice as we pray together. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
Most gracious Father, thank you for the comfort found in the words of the psalm we’ve looked at today. Your promises to those who trust in you — who recognize their dependence on you.
Spirit of God, you are the oil of protection we’re anointed with when we believe in Jesus. Thank you for the countless times you’ve protected us from our enemies without us even being aware.
And — Jesus — our Good Shepherd — thank you for providing us with rest. Thank you for restoring our souls. Thank you for protecting us from our enemies. Thank you for walking with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Thank you for lavishing us with a feast and inviting us to join you at your table of celebration. Thank you for leading us on the only path that makes us righteous. We thank you for all of these blessings that are possible because you laid down your life for your sheep — for us — so we might be given eternal life through faith in you. In your name we pray. Amen.
BENEDICTION
May you go listening to the voice of your Shepherd as he leads you on his path — as he walks with you and protects you and provides you with rest and restoration. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.