Psalms 23 Waking With The Shepherd: 3 My Way
Psalms 23:3Introduction:
Psalms
23 written by David, probably when he was older and was reflecting back
on his time as a shepherd boy before becoming King. It is Hebrew poetry that repeats ideas
instead of sounds as our poetry does. It also is the story of a year in the life of a sheep
as it follows the Shepherd from the lowland pastures in the spring through the
narrow valley and up to the highland tablelands of summer. Verse three is the beginning
of that journey at the end of spring and the beginning of summer.
Like David’s sheep, we must learn to follow our shepherd
Jesus Christ along the paths of righteousness to safe pastures and a closer
relationship with Him. We must also expect
that there will be times when in the course of my travels with the shepherd
that I will need to be restored. In
verse three David reflects upon the Lord's leading of his sheep and his care
for them when they are cast down and need the Shepherd's care.
My Shepherd's Care Lifts My Life
He Restoreth My Soul
The word "restore" means that somewhere in the life
of the sheep something has gone wrong.
There is a need, a problem or a trial that has caused the
soul to sink and joy to waver.
David wrote of such times in his own life in Psalms 42.
Psalms
42: 1-11 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my
soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when
shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and
night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? O
my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the
land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth
unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are
gone over me. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou
disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is
the health of my countenance, and my God.
David in Psalms 42 describes the condition of his soul as
cast down. It is at these hard times in
David's life that he looked for the restoration of his soul by the
Shepherd. Phillip Keller describes a literal sheep in trouble with that
word "cast."
It seems that a cast sheep was one which because of it's
long filthy coat, fatness or an accident falls onto it's back and cannot regain
it's feet. In this condition it will die unless righted by the shepherd
of the flock. After a short time, gases
build up in the body of the sheep which cut off the blood flow. Predators will wait for the cast sheep
because it is helpless and an easy meal and then move in to take its life. A
cast sheep is completely helpless unless the Shepherd comes to its resuce.
The Lifting of My Life.
As Christians we often need restoration, we can easily found
ourselves cast down.But many times our biggest problem is not in getting help,
for the Shepherd is there waiting, but our problem is in refusing to admit we
need it.
There is a mistaken belief that good Christians, real
Christians shouldn't ever be down, depressed or even afraid. Even worse is the idea that if we are down we
shouldn't admit it. Yet, if this was
true many of the Psalms would be never have been written.Founding ourselves cast down is a fact of life on this earth
and in this body.
There are many reasons why this is true. Let me give you 3 conditions that can cause us to become a "cast
sheep."
Overweight. In the same way that a fat sheep can easily
lose its feet and become cast we as Christian's are more easily cast down when
we are weighed down with the world.
Matthew 13: 22
And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and
the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he
becometh unfruitful.
Overcoat. The heavy wool of the sheep can become
matted with sticks and dirt. This can
make the sheep top-heavy and once he falls it is difficult to get back up. This
overcoat is the result of the sin and rebellion in my life. It attaches itself to life and drags me down
until I can no longer stand.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting.
Overease. Sometimes the same green pastures and still
waters we enjoy can cause the sheep's downfall.
We grow lazy and weak in the lushness of the pastures, when a difficulty
arises we cannot right ourselves on weak, out of shape legs. We can become a cast sheep by prosperity.
Deut 8:11-14 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God,
in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I
command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built
goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And
when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is
multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou
forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of bondage;
Now
notice the cure to these conditions in Hebrews
12:1-6. Wherefore
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us
run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. ¶ Ye have not yet resisted
unto blood, striving against sin. And ye
have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth
he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
We are told to "Lay aside the weight and the sin, but how
do we do that?
I must let the shepherd do his work. The Lord chastens and
scourges to cut away the sin, like a shepherd who shears the sheep and cuts
away its overgrown and dirty coat of wool.
Look at the result of our submission to our shepherd in verses Hebrews 12:11-13
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down,
and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is
lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
With chastening we find the peaceable fruit of
righteousness.
The hands that hung down can be lifted up,
The feeble knees that were too weak to stand can now run,
My feet no longer walk in crooked places but on the straight,
safe paths he chooses for me.
Illustration: My Grandfathers grapevines had to be cut back.
Grandad used to have a garden and in the middle of the
garden was a huge grapevine. It
stretched over a hundred yards from end to end.
When we would go visit, if it was the right time of year we would go to
the garden and pick 5 gallon buckets of grapes until our hands were dyed purple
from the juice and our backs ached from carrying those 5 gallon pails. The vines weren't this productive by
chance. No. Granddad had to know what he
was doing. Every year he would look at
his vines and begin to prune them with the hands and eyes of experience. When he did this the vines would produce 10 times
more than if he left them alone.
The same is true in
our relationship to God. Jesus said in John 15,
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me
that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he
purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." We must be willing to let our spiritual shepherd
shear and the spiritual husbandman prune
if we are to have the best God desires for us.
Transition: Once the shepherd restores me and puts me back
on my feet, he beckons me to follow Him.
David wrote…"he leadeth me in paths of righteousness"
My Shepherd's Leadership Directs My Life
He Leadeth Me in Paths of Righteousness
With restoration comes the need for getting back into
life. David follows "He restoreth
me soul" with "He leadeth me in paths of righteousness."
A good
shepherd realizes that sheep must me moved from pasture to pasture. If this is not done the sheep will destroy
their own land by overgrazing and overuse.
Keller writes, "Sheep are notorious creatures of
habit. If left to themselves they will
follow the same trails until they become ruts, graze the same hills until they
turn to desert wastes, pollute their own ground until it is corrupted with
diseases and parasites."
David
is saying that the shepherd knows better than the sheep where the sheep
should go. He knew that by following God
rather than his own desires he would be led to what was best for his life.
The Leading of My Life
Am I willing to follow the Shepherd to new pastures? Or have I grown so comfortable and so lazy in
my present condition that I only wish to be left alone?
Do you
wonder why your relationship with God has grown stale? Why there is no excitement in your
Christianity? It may be because I am not
following the Lord to new pastures.
New pastures are not necessarily a change in my scenery but
seeing changes in me. There must be new
challenges, new experiences and new heights I reach with my shepherd.
How long since I have been challenged by Bible study or by
an encounter with an unbeliever? How
long since I experienced a test of faith?
How long since I have climbed to new heights in my relationship with
Christ?
How long since I have stepped out in faith when Jesus calls
from his word and says, "Follow Me."
Sometimes it has been so long that you don't even recognize the
call. Just like you may not be recognizing
it right now. You're saying to yourself,
"I'm glad he's talking to someone else. I don't hear anything."
The fact that you don't feel anything should be the most
condemning of all. How long since you looked up
from the pastures of your own self-interest and looked to see where the
shepherd is? How long since you've heard
his voice calling you?
Illustration: Livingston and the "good road volunteers"
David
Livingstone was one of the greatest missionaries of the 19th
century. He was one who was ever ready
to follow his shepherd into "new pastures" in some of the most
unforgiving and unexplored areas of Africa.
Once a missionary society in South Africa wrote to David
Livingstone and asked him, "Have you found a good road to where you are?
If so, we want to send other men to join you." Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will
come ONLY if they know there is a good road, I don't want them."
Am I willing to follow my shepherd just as long as there are
good roads? Then Livingstone's answer
may be the same one I hear from God when I ask why He isn't using me, isn't
working in my life, isn't blessing my church.
"I can't lead you to the blessings if you're only willing to follow
me on the old ruts and the easy roads."
Transition: There is something more though for David adds
"for His names sake." This
speaks of the shepherd's reputation, his name before others.
My Shepherd's Love Seen By My Life
For His Names Sake
Stephan Haboush, the Galilean shepherd writes about a
Shepherds reputation.
Stephen Haboush writes in My Shepherd Life in Galilee,
"In this third verse the sheep is continuing his remarks about what his
Shepherd does for him. He uses the word
'leadeth' the second time. From this it
is to be remembered that the shepherds of Palestine, from time immemorial,
invariably lead their sheep and hardly ever drive them. For two reasons: first, because of the wild
beasts, and second, because of the unfenced fields of grain. The pastures and planted fields are divided
by narrow paths, and here and there by low stone walls. These stone walls are intended more for
landmarks than for fences. During the
planting, growing, and ripening of the grain the fields are forbidden ground. Thus, when they move their flocks from one
pasture to another, the shepherds must not permit any of their sheep to stray
from the beaten paths into the fields.
For if they do, they will not only have to pay damages to the owners of
the fields, but they will ruin their reputations as shepherds. However, when the harvest of the grain is
over they are allowed to enter the fields, but not until then. Now I look back with satisfaction to the fact
that, though the fields of temptation were on either side of the paths, yet
none of my sheep strayed into them, because they would hear my voice and follow
me."
The
Shepherd’s reputation, his name, was tied to the behavior of the sheep and how
and where they followed him.
The Purpose of My Life
Am I upholding the name of Jesus Christi, the Shepherd who
loves me? Do others understand by the paths I walk in this world that I am
following Him? Actually, this is my purpose in life, to show the world Jesus
Christ and to bring glory to his name.
Ephesians
1:11-12 says we are to be to the "praise of his glory."
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory,
who first trusted in Christ.
What do
others think of my Shepherd when they see the paths I'm walking?
When they see where I'm at on Sunday morning or Sunday
night. Am I where my Shepherd has lead
me or following a false shepherd who wishes me harm.
What do
they think of the Shepherd when they hear my speech?
When they hear profanity, or worse making His name into a
curse word. When they hear me tell a
story or joke that is lewd or off color.
When they hear me gossip or tear others down?
What do
they think of the Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep when they see
the flock I'm with on weekdays.
Is it really
too hard to follow Jesus? Does He
ask too much and give too little in return.
Mark 10:29-30
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath
left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in
this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and
lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
To follow Jesus means I must leave behind the old, the
familiar even the loved. I do this for the
sake of Jesus and the gospel. Yes, with the blessings there will be persecutions
and challenges, but my Shepherd promises me it is worth the difficulties and
trials. You can’t reach the highlands unless you follow and honor Him.
We do it for "his name's sake.” I must realize that it is Jesus' name which I
am an example of as I follow Him. To many the only Jesus they will see today,
is the Jesus they see in me.
Illustration: I Saw Jesus by Summer Waters, age 11
I saw Jesus last week.
He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt.
He was up at the church building; He was alone and working
hard.
For just a minute he looked a little like one of our
members.
But it was Jesus .
. . I could tell by his smile.
I saw Jesus last Sunday.
He was teaching a Bible class.
He didn't talk real loud or use long words, But you could
tell he believed what he said.
For just a minute, he looked like my Bible teacher.
But it was Jesus .
. . I could tell by his loving voice.
I saw Jesus yesterday.
He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick.
They prayed together quietly.
For just a minute he looked like Brother Jones.
But it was Jesus .
. . I could tell by the tears in his eyes.
I saw Jesus this morning.
He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a
special lunch.
For just a minute he looked like my mom.
But it was Jesus .
. . I could feel the love from his heart.
I see Jesus everywhere, Taking food to the sick ...
Welcoming others to his home, Being friendly to a newcomer
...
and for just a minute, I think he's someone I know.
But it's always Jesus .
. . I can tell by the way he serves.
Conclusion
Jesus, my shepherd, brings me to the quiet pastures but he
also leads me out of them when the time has come for challenge and growth.
Unlike the sheep however, my will is strong, and my mind
often convinced that I am right. I
ignore the matted overcoats of sin and the rutted trails of my life and it is
only when I am cast down that I realize I've lost sight of the shepherd who
loves me. I've wandered into fields
where He did not lead me. I've grazed in
pastures of poison weeds and drank at streams of polluted sin.
Listen though, He's calling even now, will you answer him
now and let him lift you up? Will you
call out and let him lead you to paths of righteousness? Will you heed His call to live your life for
his name's sake? When you hear Him call
will you commit yourself to follow wherever he leads?
Perhaps William Bradbury felt as David when he wrote the
hymn "He Leadeth Me."
He leadeth me! O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,
By waters still, o'er troubled sea,
Still 'tis His hand that leadeth me!
Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmer nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Sense 'tis my God that leadeth me!
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By his own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
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