Psalm 23

Shall we turn please to the book of Psalms, and I'd like to read with you Psalm 23. Psalm 23, David's psalm, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

May the Lord bless to us then the reading of his word. It was Martin Luther who said that Psalm 23 is like a nightingale, very small, very beautiful, and a lovely melody. It's also been said of Psalm 23 that it may well be the best loved psalm, perhaps the least believed.

I want to leave with you three things about Psalm 23 this afternoon. I hope you won't mind that there may well be a bit of repetition here. Psalm 23, you will remember, is David's psalm.

David spent his life as a shepherd. David was a shepherd of his father's sheep before he became a shepherd of God's sheep. But in Psalm 23, David takes the place of a sheep.

Here's a man who can speak from experience. I'll just suggest to you quickly that Psalm 23 was not written when David was a teenager. I'd rather enjoy going through some of David's psalms and trying to pinpoint when they may have been written.

I have a reason for saying that. These are not the words of a teenager. These are the words of a man of experience, a man who has learned a few things in life, and a man who has come to learn something of the greatness and goodness of God.

Psalm 23, David the sheep, speaks of the Lord as his shepherd. It's been said that were there no Psalm 22, there could be no Psalm 23. It might sound like rather a trivial statement to make, but you know what it means.

I said three things about Psalm 23. First of all, the setting of it. Psalm 23 beautifully is located between two very important psalms.

We have the psalm of the cross on the one side, the psalm of the kingdom on the other. The psalm of Calvary in Psalm 22, and the psalm of the coming of the Lord Jesus in Psalm 24. And in between, Christians, we have a beautiful psalm that I want to look at in these three respects.

It's Old Testament setting, it's New Testament significance, and for the believer, I'll suggest to you there is a sequence in these lovely verses of Psalm 23. A progression that runs through them, that goes from the beginning of a believer's life to the conclusion of a believer's life as far as earth is concerned. Psalm 22 is the psalm of the cross.

Psalm 22, you will have heard it said many times, is the psalm of the good shepherd, John chapter 10. Psalm 24, we can parallel, I know it's a different context, with 1 Peter 5, the chief shepherd. And of course, that being the case, we'll take Psalm 23 to Hebrews 13, where the God of peace that brought again from the dead that great shepherd of the sheep.

Psalm 23 is the psalm of resurrection, Christians. The psalm of the resurrected Christ and his care over his people. You will have drawn the little analogies, of course, that in Psalm 22 you've got the grace of the Lord Jesus.

Psalm 23, we have the guidance of the Lord Jesus. Psalm 24, we've got the glory of the Lord Jesus. It's a lovely picture, whether you take it in relation to his going into heaven or his coming into Jerusalem in the coming day.

We have the glory of the Lord Jesus in Psalm 24. All right, then in Psalm 23, will we notice this, please? We have six little verses. I would leave it with the younger ones.

You want to break them up in three twos or two threes, either way. Because they can be beautifully developed. But let me draw this to your attention, first of all.

It's been said in Psalm 23, there are three secrets. The secret of a happy life. Every need has been met by the shepherd.

The secret of a happy death, every fear has been removed. The secret of a happy eternity, every desire has been fulfilled. As you run through Psalm 23.

We have six verses about the shepherd. If you want to check, you might notice down in these six verses, you'll find the personal pronoun applying to David some 17 times. If you go into your New Testament in John's Gospel chapter 10, which is the Good Shepherd chapter of our New Testament, of course, you'll find there are six references to the shepherd and 17 to the sheep.

So six about the shepherd here, 17 about the sheep, and your little parallel with John 10. Take it on into Romans if you want, Romans chapter 8, and you'll have, again, 17 things that will never separate a sheep from the shepherd. Lovely little truths that run through in our New Testament.

I've said to you, Psalm 23 is the psalm of resurrection, the resurrection of Christ. Just for a moment then, when you come into your New Testament, the cross behind, the coming before, just think with me for a moment when you look at the verses of Psalm 23. Sometimes I like to go through the different resurrection appearances of the Lord Jesus.

Verse 2 says, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. It's in John 20, I find a woman. Her name is Mary Magdalene, and she has no rest until she comes to meet the Lord Jesus, and she's brought to the green pastures.

Verse 3 says, He restoreth my soul. You go again to John 20 or Luke 24, and you're reminded that there is a man called Peter. You remember the words of Mark 16? Go tell his disciples and Peter.

If Mary is brought to the place of quietness by the resurrected Christ, Peter is brought to the place of restoration by the resurrected Christ. When you look at verse 4, Yea, though I walk through the valley, go into Luke 24, and there are two going through the valley of discouragement as they go from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Yea, though I walk through the valley, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, and there was one that walked along with them on the road.

When you look at verse 5, thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Go back to Jerusalem, and you'll find there's a little band of disciples in a room with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, and suddenly the Lord himself is in the midst of them. When you go to verse 6, surely goodness and mercy, go again to Matthew 28, and the Lord is leaving them by way of the Mount of Olives.

All power is given unto me, lo, I am with you always. You can follow a progression in relation to resurrection appearances, but what I've got on mine particularly is this. I want you to think with six words, one for each of the six verses of Psalm 23.

Six words, and I am going to suggest them this way. It's the beginning of a Christian life, it's the end of a Christian life as far as earth is concerned, and let's slip through them fairly quickly looking at it in that regard. First of all, then, in verse 1, I want you to think of the person, the Lord is my shepherd.

Number two, obviously, I would like you to think of the pasture. He maketh me to lie down in green pasture. Number three, obviously, we've got the pathway, the paths of righteousness, and I am thinking, we need to know the person of the shepherd, the pasture of the shepherd, but the pathways of the shepherd.

I'll suggest to you in verse 4 that not only do we have this, but we have the protection of the shepherd. Yea, though I walk through the valley, he's there. Then we have the preparation of the shepherd.

You can call it the privilege if you like, a table in the presence of my enemies, and then there is the prospect that the shepherd gives, dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Let's start with number one and run through just quickly. The Lord is my shepherd.

Could I again suggest, David, dear David, later in life, when a lot of water has gone under the bridge, David can say, the Lord is my shepherd. Here's a man who had given his life for sheep, but he's so thankful that he knows of one who cares for him. Could I ask this afternoon, closing afternoon of our conference meeting, is the Lord your shepherd? I'll say to you just quickly, for a good many, too many years in my life, I didn't know the Lord as my shepherd.

I didn't know the Lord at all. I was a lost sheep gone astray. I'll tell you thankfully now, I came to that point by the grace of God where I found the wonderful truth.

I was a poor, lost, helpless sinner, but I saw Christ died for me. The Lord is my shepherd. I am so thankful for it.

Oh, I'll jump ahead to the house of the Lord forever, but I'm suggesting at the beginning, a Christian life starts with the realization the Lord is my shepherd. Salvation, the blessing of it. Salvation, the importance of it.

Psalm 1 then brings us to the truth of salvation. The Lord is my shepherd. Then I look at verse 2, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

He leadeth me beside the still waters. Not so much now getting into the setting of this in relation to the sheep and Israel and everything else, but lie down in green pastures, still waters. Just pick up the significance, the symbolism of this for a moment.

In the days of my being away from the Lord as a lost sheep, could I tell you this? Like the rest of the world, there was no still water. There were no green pastures. It's rather a simple question, you all know it.

When do sheep lie down? The unsaved person of this world has no rest, no stillness, no contentment. Because inside there is always, always the uncertainty, always the drive for more things. More of the world, more of this, more of that.

And you all know the answer to the problem. Because the unsaved person of this world is striving for things that will bring contentment. And material things will never satisfy a needy soul.

But now Christians, verse 1 again, The Lord is my shepherd and what has my shepherd done? All very well, he's given himself for me at Calvary, died for me on the cross, he's brought to me salvation, the forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and so on. All of these are wonderful things. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, leadeth me beside the still waters.

Would it surprise you if I said this? When I was first saved, I thought the Christians of the assembly where my wife and I had gone, the closest thing to heaven that I had ever seen. I have often said this jokingly, if you had told me that there were two wings on their back under their coats, I probably would have believed it. But I did notice this.

Those Christians of the assembly, now in my earliest days of going there, Christians, I learned a wee bit since. But in my earliest days, I saw this. They didn't talk about cars or houses or airplanes or stock markets.

Not these Christians. They had found the green pastures. They were by the still waters.

They were sheep that had been fed and they were contented. They had found Christ. When I was saved first, did I care about bigger homes or better cars or those kinds of things? The only thing that mattered in my life is I have found what I've wanted for years.

I have peace with God. I have Christ as my savior. Green pastures, I was satisfied.

Still waters, my needs have been met. That's what we have in Christ and that's verse 2 of this little chapter. But before I leave it, how does that characterize you today? Come on now, Christians.

Does verse 2 characterize you as a believer? Green pasture and still water or are you the rambling sheep? I didn't say wandering sheep, close analogy. But anyway, are you the rambling one who still just can't get enough of what's out there? Has Christ not met your need? Please remember material things, we'll leave them all behind. We'll go one day when the shout is given.

Never mind the other article. We'll go when the shout is given. Has Christ not met the need of your soul? Has he not met the need of your life? Salvation, the Lord is my shepherd.

Satisfaction, he maketh me to lie down. I'm content in Christ. What do we got in verse 3? He restoreth my soul.

It's one of the reasons why I suggest that Psalm 23 is written later in David's life. I hardly think we've got a teenage boy here that's thinking of some little thing or other. More likely we've got a man who's made tremendous blunders.

I can't pinpoint Psalm 23 as far as the year is concerned. But I am wondering about Psalm 51. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.

I'm wondering about Psalm 32. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. I am wondering, Christian, if David hadn't made some major mistakes.

But at this point he can say, the Lord is my shepherd. He restoreth my soul. Would there be one here today and your need is restoration? Your need is to be brought back.

Did I say one? Would there be many here today? Your need is to be brought back into the satisfaction that first you had in Christ. He restoreth my soul. Notice what it says.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Now, will we stop just for a moment? If we were to think, and I'll go here quickly, if we were to think of David in the land of Judea, if we were to think of a shepherd for a moment in the land of Israel, you likely would know all the settings and the backgrounds and the circumstances of how it's not quite Iowa or the USA or Canada. You would remember how a shepherd would have a little flock.

And you remember he would know them all by name and he would lead them out. And you know John 10, my sheep hear my voice, I know them, they follow me. And you likely understand the setting that it's not the luscious green grass country in the world.

He's going to lead them out into what's called the wilderness. And the shepherd will know where the grass is and he'll know where the water is. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.

David would know. Any shepherd in that environment would know this. I'm going to make a wee bit of a change for a minute.

Any shepherd would know that he has to lead them in the right paths, else there'll be no food nor water. So the shepherd will lead the right way. I would tell you that when we come to the New Testament application of this, salvation, satisfaction, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.

That our shepherd, the Lord Jesus, has given us the perfect pathway for the New Testament Christian. And here it is in our Bible. Will you for a moment just notice now.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness and I'm thinking of a little flock of sheep and somewhere out there there's the water and the grass that they need. I don't suppose in Iowa you would allow me to re-translate the Bible, would you? He leadeth me in the right paths for my sake. I'll starve to death if he doesn't.

He leads me out in the right pathway to the food and the water for my sake. But you're not going to let me get away with that, are you? Because the verse actually says, he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. But again, just practically, what if a David or what if any shepherd just took the sheep any old way at all? And there's no water and there's no grass.

And the sheep just don't make it. What would it do to the name of the shepherd? Well, I don't need to answer that question, do I? But what I'm really saying is this. What if you, what if I, what if we as the Lord's people are not obedient to the voice of the Lord in relation to the right pathway? What rather if the pathway that we take leads here or there or wherever as far as the world is concerned? What does it do to his name's sake? Tell me what's happened to the name of Christ when you look at all the confusion that's called Christendom.

What has it done to the name of the Lord? It's just created utter confusion in the world. But my point is simply this. The one who is my shepherd leads in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

I'll just suggest to you, Christian, his name is the key thing here. We follow the pathway that he leads. It obviously will bring honor, we've been hearing about that, to the shepherd.

We follow another pathway, it's dishonor to the name of the shepherd. Can I repeat what Brother Murray said? In relation to the name of our Lord Jesus, will we remember? Neither is there salvation in any other, none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. It's the name of salvation.

You'll know that in your Bible, baptism is linked with the name of the Lord Jesus. That's the pathway. You'll know that prayer is linked with the name of the Lord Jesus.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, and all I'm trying to emphasize, his name's sake. We live in a world of utter confusion when you look at what's called Christianity or Christendom. Utter confusion.

Multitudes of people don't know what's up or what's down, in or out. They can't make head nor tail of it. Because the paths of righteousness are not being followed.

I won't stay with it longer. Simply to ask every believer, get into your Bible and see what it is that Christ has set before us. Salvation, yes.

Baptism, yes. The assembly, there's nothing like it. It's God's pattern.

But there's others beyond that. Go on in the right pathway for his name's sake. Whatever you do, don't deviate, because it's the name of Christ as well as your spiritual well-being that's at stake.

We come to verse 4. I said the protection of the Lord. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And again, now just a little point.

If we were to slip back just for a moment to the land of Israel and a shepherd taking his sheep out into that wilderness. As I said, it's mostly, as you likely know, a barren, empty area. But there are the little wadis, the little valleys, the little places where there will be the grass and there will be the water.

It's appropriately the valley of death. In essence, by the way here, it's not dying that's the point. It's a shepherd taking his sheep out and down there where there will be food and there will be water.

But as they go into the valley, there's the bushes and the rocks. And lurking in the bushes and lurking in the rocks, there are the enemies of the sheep. Oh, Mr. Bear is there somewhere, perhaps Mr. Wolf.

You will appreciate this, won't you? I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. If for just a moment we had a picture of a shepherd standing there looking over his flock and the sheep are just enjoying the grass and enjoying the water and the bear is over here and the wolf is over here. You'd understand that the sheep may not see the bear or the wolf.

The other way around, it's not true. The enemy sees the sheep. What is the obvious answer to this? Where is the safest place for the sheep? As close to the shepherd as it can possibly get.

But then, just for a second, if the sheep begins to wonder, just a little bit, you know, the grass looks good over there. I don't know if bears grin or wolves grin, they may, but in any event, can you see the enemy there? And the closer the sheep wanders to the enemy, the farther the sheep gets from the shepherd. What's a poor innocent little sheep going to do about it with a bear or a wolf? Nothing.

I tell you, this, Christian, when we get it into our minds, there's an ungodly world and there's a power behind the ungodly world that's out there. The farther we stray from Christ, the closer we get to the enemy and we're no match for that enemy. You stay close to Christ.

When I say close to Christ, don't draw the little parallel, I will fear no evil, thou art with me. I notice it says, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. I'd like to make a little distinction here, by the way.

You'll all know that the shepherd's staff, we've all seen the pictures, the shepherd's crook, that which you'll use to reach over the edge, can I say, to lift up the falling sheep. I'd like to look at the shepherd's rod in a different sense. He likely carries a sling and stones as well.

But I'm thinking the shepherd now has something he can contend with the enemy. I see David as a sheep saying this, I glance at my shepherd, I see a rod, I see a staff. I see his ability to take care of the enemy.

I see his ability in the staff to take care of me. I'll fall over the edge, says David. I'll trip and stumble.

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. My danger is out there, but he can take care of that. From within here, I'll be over the ledge in no time.

But he'll lift me up. They comfort me. I'm just simply saying, Christian.

Close to the Lord Jesus, he alone can deal with the enemy. Close to the Lord Jesus, he'll lift us up when we slip and fail. And that we will.

Yea, though I walk through the valley, Though preparest a table before me, the little setting, of course, is this. There are these sheep, Surrounded by the enemies, But they've got all that they need. A table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

I can't stay with it, Christian. Will you think for a moment? We have got all the blessings that are ours in Christ. We can meet, we can remember the Lord Jesus.

We can enjoy the Bible. We can enjoy his salvation. We can enjoy his presence.

Never you mind all that's around as far as the world is concerned. Let me bring it to a close quickly. We can look at the oil and the anointing and so on.

But surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. I make a distinction, by the way, between those two words again. The goodness of God and the mercy of God.

And I just suggest to you that the mercy of God, the loving kindness of the Lord, Would take us back again. A little reminder of our own shortcomings, our own failings. I would look at verse 6 and say this.

There's two viewpoints here. I see a man looking back. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.

I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I'll suggest to you that the day will come when we'll look back. And we'll be able to say this.

I can see the goodness of God all the way through. But I can see the mercy of God with my blunders. I can see the goodness of God on the one hand.

The mercy of God looking after me on the other. But look in the other direction. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I'm not thinking of David's house now. I'm thinking of this. I'm thinking of a day that's coming when a shout will be given.

That in Christ shall rise first. We who are alive and remain shall be caught up. Together with them to meet the Lord in the earth.

So shall we ever be with the Lord. It begins with salvation. It ends with the prospect of ever being in the Lord's place.

May God bless His word.