 April 14, 1999
EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
Peace and rest can be
found with Good Shepherd
___ Psalm 23:1-6
___By Dillard Wilbanks
___Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___Psalm 23 is considered by most to be the pearl of the entire book of Psalms. By it multitudes have lived and in the faith of it multitudes have died. Every child of God should pause to thank him for these promises  and for the power to appropriate them.
___ God leads (Psalm 23:1). This psalm is perhaps the most universally known and most widely read of them all. We must note, however, that its promises do not universally apply. It is intensively individualistic--the he-me psalm. Thirteen times David refers to the Lord and seventeen times to himself. Verse 1a is a prerequisite to all the verses that follow. "The Lord is my shepherd..." The God of the Bible, "Yahweh," is Israel's God. For David, however, faith in him is not tribal or corporate but intensely personal.
___No one can claim to be the Lord's sheep apart from a renewed nature. The unconverted are pictured by Jesus as sheep without a shepherd. He distinguishes his sheep as those who know him personally, respond to his voice and follow him (John 10:27). Because David had been a keeper of sheep he understood both their needs and the many cares of a shepherd. Thus, his total confidence in the Lord's total provision. How will this happen?
___ God provides (Psalm 23:2-3). First, he provides nourishment and rest from weariness in green pastures (fresh shoots). These are lush meadows were the sheep can graze and rest in soft grass. In our goal-oriented culture we feel guilty when we rest. As a caring shepherd, God may at times make us lie down before we break down. Second, he leads to a quiet watering place free from the rippling waters which would frighten sheep. We all need the delight of a personal quiet time enjoying God's presence which "restores" the soul.
___Once our souls are restored, we are ready to be led "in the paths of righteousness." Only changed people can lead changed lives. The path of righteousness is manifesting God's rule through our lives in submission to him. Through our transformed lives his name is glorified.
___ God's protection (Psalm 23:4). We are all aware by this time that David is not referring to the moment of death. For him death is not a dark valley but the doorway to dwelling with the Lord forever (v. 6). For the Christian there are many experiences in life that are far more excruciating than the moment of death, when in the place of ultimate risk our fear is eclipsed by the very presence of God. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).
___ God helps (Psalm 23:5). Here the metaphor changes from the Lord as shepherd to the Lord as bountiful host to his own. At his Lord's banqueting table David is seated in the presence of his enemies. In his home he is anointed with "oil" and his "cup" filled to overflowing as a sign of God's fullness and blessing.
___ God's security (Psalm 23:6). Such celebration will never end. Such "goodness" and "mercy," God's covenant love, will follow (pursue) David until the end of his journey when he will dwell in the very presence of his host forever.
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