The 23rd Psalm

Cane Creek Friends Meeting 5/04/25.

Before we open our Bibles, this morning let’s all recite the best we can, Psalm 23. There are only 6 verses here.

Then we can open our Bibles and read David’s famous Psalm together.

Psalm 23

King James Version

23The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4Yea, 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.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Now, one more time with explanations that I got from a preacher (not named) online.

‘The Lord is my shepherd – I shall not want.

(I shall not lack for anything I need)

He maketh me lie down in green pastures – He leadeth me beside still waters.

(I am given abundance and blessings)

He restoreth my soul

(I am given peace and assurance)

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness – for His name’s sake

(I live for Him so that I might testify on Jesus’ behalf)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, – I will fear no evil

(Even when I am in grave spiritual danger, I trust in the Lord)

For Thou art with me – Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.’

(I know the Lord walks with me, and He gives me comfort)

Imagine this morning, try to put yourself in David’s shoes. David is getting up in his years, he knows the life of being a Shepherd, he knows that now he is the sheep and God is HIS Shepherd.

In society today we try to convince ourselves that life will be better after we become an adult, or after we are married, have a good job, start a family, and so on. Then we get frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough to mind or be left alone. We believe we’ll be more content when they are older. When the kids become teens, we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. Or we tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, and we are able to go on a nice vacation, or definitely when we retire.

Then what happens? We retire, sit on the front porch and remember. What do we remember? We remember how nice the past was; how contented we were.

Somebody said that instead of having a cup that runneth over, we all have cups that leak out the bottom. Contentment should be an everyday style of living for Christians, but all too often, we find that the only thing filling our cups is fear: Fear that we don’t have enough; fear that we are not valuable enough;

fear that we will be forgotten when we die; and fear that we will face God unprepared.

We see a tremendous contrast in what David felt as he wrote the 23rd PSALM and what’s in our own hearts. How could someone write with such contentment and security before the time of hospitals and penicillin; before welfare programs and 401Ks?

David had rock-solid contentment and security in the Lord, didn’t he? What would you be willing to give for that same level of contentment or security in your life? What would you be willing to do to have that like David did?

To have that same intense feeling David had, all we have to do is truly trust our Shepherd.

Before David became King, he was a shepherd, and he would tell you that a shepherd’s job was to care for the sheep. In fact, the shepherd was the sole source of safety for the sheep. Without the shepherd, the sheep would surely die in the wilderness. The sheep come to trust the shepherd for everything they have.

King David would tell us this morning that his contentment and security in the present came from trusting that the LORD God was his personal Shepherd, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.... I will fear no evil."

God provides pauses in our lives so we will have the opportunity to restore our souls and our fellowship with Him in life’s darkest hours. We see this in verses 2 to 4. I want you to think back about some of the problems you have had in life. Those problem areas were pauses, which were put there by God. During these problems, were you totally focused on taking care of them, or did you experience God’s presence in those pauses He puts into your life? If you never experienced God, then you were like most of us – you simply were not paying proper attention to Him at that time.

If we haven’t trusted God as much as the sheep trusts the shepherd, the troubles at work, the interruptions to our plans, or the broken dreams will be nothing more than troubles at work, interruptions to our plans - the dark times in our lives.

But if we have trusted God as our Shepherd, the troubles at work, the interruptions to our plans, and the broken dreams were all pauses in life that allowed us to experience His guiding presence. And each time we experience a little of God in our lives, we grow a little bit more in spiritual maturity.

I used to be a drinker and during this time, I was not the model husband or grandparent. But about 11 years ago I nearly died from cirrhosis of the liver, but I am still here and give all praises to the Lord for letting that happen. To me, it was a pause; a pause given so that I could come back to basics and experience the Lord in my life again.

This pause in my life served to bring my focus back to God and I have since grown to a deeper level of spiritual maturity in God.

When Sir Harry Lauder received news that his son was killed in World War I, he wrote these words:

"In a time like this, there are only three courses open to man. He may give up in despair, ... he may endeavor to drown his sorrow in drink (or indulgence) ... or he may turn to God."

King David would tell us this morning the only choice that brings contentment and security to our present is to turn to God as our personal Shepherd.

In JOHN 10:11, Jesus reminded us with these words,

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

God has always been the good Shepherd, but we must trust him as instinctively as the sheep do their shepherd.

We must put our complete and total trust in God, even when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Is it an easy thing to do? No, it is not, but with constant prayer and focus, we can do it.

Here is how you can tell if you truly trust the Lord with all your heart.

When you feel empty inside, what do you do? You look for something to fill that emptiness, don’t you? If we would always choose the Lord to fill that emptiness rather than choosing something of the world to fill it, we will find contentment through Him.

We all have fears, especially of the unknown, don’t we? When we experience those fears, we always try to grab hold of something that will give us stability and strength; something that will help us be brave. If we will always choose the Lord to help get us through these times, we will find security in Him.

While contentment and security in the present comes from trusting the Lord as our personal Shepherd, King David would tell us that contentment and security for our future also come from trusting in the Lord.

A little girl had told some lies to her parents, and they got mad and made her eat by herself in the corner on a small table. As they began to eat, they heard her saying grace.

She said, ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.’

She might have misunderstood that verse just a little, don’t you think?

In PSALM 23:5 we read,

‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

We are the servants God sends out to tell others that He has invited them to be His guest, and that He wants to be their host forever more.

People who do not know God, think that they can do it all by themselves. Their motto is - "If it’s going to be it’s up to me."

These are the people who keep track of what they do, and they try their best to make sure the good outweighs the bad so they can still get to Heaven. If you’re relying on yourself or on others to see you through this life and into eternity, you don’t have the chance of a snowball in a microwave.

Parents, a loving spouse, and no church can get us to Heaven. Having a very personal and loving relationship with Jesus as your best friend and your Savior can only do that. The only retirement plan good enough for Heaven is one that is vested in Christ Jesus.

God has prepared a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Our enemies are the devil, his evil influences in this world, and our own sinfulness. These war against God and His plans for us. Those are the things that keep us in constant spiritual warfare within ourselves.

The Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin. God stops at nothing to make sure we have the chance to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Can we even imagine the love He has for each one of us? Nothing is too big for our God, and nothing is too small for Him to handle on our account. What a mighty God He is!

An advertisement for an expensive car reads, "Pursue happiness in a car that can catch it." They have lied to you. There is not a car made that is that fast.

The Western world sells contentment in a car and security in a bottle. Other parts of the world sell contentment in their equality and security in their government. God is not selling anything. The Apostle Paul would remind us at this time, "God who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Jesus, graciously give us all things?"

We want not and fear not only when the Lord is the Shepherd of our present and the Host of our future. Only then can we say in the same breath,

"I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."

and

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, [and] I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

There are many Christians who still do not have the total assurance of their salvation in their hearts. These people have fallen trap to one of the devil’s dirtiest tricks; stealing your joy and assurance away from you.

These people also hurt when they realize they just cannot guarantee themselves that they are saved in Christ and will go to Heaven. They doubt, and along with doubt comes frustration, guilt, anxiety, and they soon begin to question other things of God.

If you are one of these people today, may I strongly urge you to do something about getting rid of those negatives. They are all from Satan, and we should not be willing to hold on to them for another minute!

Psalm 23 is still powerful today. It tells us that God is with us. He will provide for us. He will walk with us through the storms of life. Go to the Good Shepherd and let Him lead you and guide you throughout all the days of your life.

A closing poem sums this all up, it says:

The old man sat there looking at his gnarled, wrinkled hands......There was a young child on the ground in front of him playing in the sand......

"Hi mister," the child said, "Your hands sure do look old."....

"Yes," said the old man, "Watch these hands and behold"-----.

Slowly, the old man opened his hands....As he did, a single drop of blood fell to the sand....

The child looked into the eyes of the old man...then looked down and saw there was a hole in each hand............

The old man looked at the child and said, "Do you know who I am?"....

"No," said the child as he looked at the old man....

"I am who I am." said the old man......

The old man reached out and touched the child and was gone.....

A smile came on the child’s face, for he knew never again would he be alone.....The child turned to play and saw where the single drop of blood had hit the sand....A rose bush did stand........The young child went on playing in the sand.....Every now and then he would stop...and look at his hands....

By William J. Patton

Story:

Some years ago, a famous actor was giving an after dinner speech. He asked his audience if there was any famous poem that they would like him to recite. There was a silence.

Eventually an old vicar raised his hand and said: "Psalm 23 please."

The actor agreed on one condition: that the

clergyman should also recite the Psalm. The clergyman reluctantly agreed.

The actor recited the 23rd Psalm and received a tumultuous applause.

The clergyman then recited Psalm 23 and there was not a dry eye in the place.

At the end, the actor stood up and said:

"Do you know the difference between my version of the 23rd Psalm and his?

I know the psalm, but this man knows the Shepherd".