Tag: GoodShepherd

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The Shepherd Protects, Pours Out, & Promises – More Thoughts from Psalm 23

Last week, we saw how the Shepherd provides for His people, presides over us in every valley and on every peak, and preserves us when we’re overwhelmed by the world around us. Today, we pick up right where we left off in verse 4—with the comfort of the Shepherd’s rod and staff.

We’ll see that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, protects His sheep, pours out His blessing, and promises us a home forever with Him.

In the video from last week[1], which way did the sheep run after being freed? It ran away from the shepherd. And what was the result? Right back in the trench he landed, right back in the same helpless predicament. Instead of learning and trusting that the Shepherd has our best interests at heart, we would rather trust in ourselves. He wants to protect and comfort us, and yet he often sees us running away.

He doesn’t just want to give us temporary relief. He’s not offering shallow comforts like wealth, success, or popularity that fade as quickly as they come. He offers a deeper comfort: His presence, His blessing, His peace that endures. And He promises those things not only now, but for all eternity. If we will choose to stay close to Him, we can live in the safety and abundance of His shelter forever.

And that’s exactly where David leads us next. In verse 4, he writes, “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Shepherd’s protection doesn’t just pull us out of the trench—it keeps us walking securely at His side.

The Shepherd Protects – He Comforts Us

Your rod and staff, they comfort me.[2]

Remember what Jacob refused and what Joseph provided for his brothers?[3][4] Comfort. What does the end of Psalm 23:4 say is provided for us? Comfort. All these passages use the same Hebrew word, naham, and it means “to be in a state of finding relief from sorrow and distress” and “to repent, to change one’s mind.” It may not be clear right off the bat how those two definitions fit together, but let me share with you another time this word is used in the Old Testament.

Many generations after Jacob and Joseph, God rescues his people from slavery in Egypt. God is with them, leading them through the desert as they make their escape. In the midst of this escape, we get some insight into God’s thoughts in Exodus 13:17-18. There was a direct, straight-line path from Egypt to the Promised Land, but God had a purpose in taking the long way around.

17When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[5]

“Lest the people change their minds…” Care to guess what original Hebrew word is in that phrase? Yes, naham. What’s God saying? The Israelites of that time are all effectively new followers of God. God knew one path would cause them to seek comfort in themselves and look for their own resolution. A run-in with the Philistines would cause them to retreat back to Egypt. They would try to relieve the pain of a war by putting the shackles of slavery back on.

The “changing of their mind” in this case would be an effort to change their own circumstances to try to achieve “comfort.” The changing of the mind that God wanted for them wasn’t concerned with the circumstances at all, but rather a shift in focus from the circumstances to him as their Shepherd.

Because, see, we know it wasn’t really about the Philistine army at all. God later annihilates the Egyptian army single-handedly as he drowns them in the waters of the Red Sea.[6] When God led his people into the wilderness, it was about growing them to the point that when they see trials, struggles, and even death on the horizon, they won’t turn back—that instead of trying to adjust course and comfort themselves, they look to God for true comfort.

This mindset requires a transformation, a renewal. His rod and staff, they comfort me… He leads us, grows us, molds us—to change our minds to follow him instead of our base instincts.

This example from Israel shows us that God’s wisdom, grace, and mercy may actually lead us into the wilderness for a greater good that isn’t immediately seen by us. Growth as his people means we learn to trust that there’s a purpose for those trying times, and we can still have peace by resting in him through it. We see the Israelites grow in this regard after they see God’s power in bringing them across the Red Sea and freeing them from slavery. In Exodus 14:31 it says, “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”[7] They knew at that point they had a shepherd. They knew like Joseph knew, despite the circumstances, God had ultimate good in mind.[8] They knew like Paul knew, that God is always working for the good of those who are called according to his purpose.[9]

And that lesson carried on long after the Exodus. Think about Jeremiah’s day. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”[10] We often use this verse to encourage ourselves that the road ahead will be smooth and bright. But when Jeremiah wrote it, the people of God were on the very brink of exile! Their entire world was about to be dismantled. Yet even then, God had a purpose. He was still shepherding his people, even if the path led through Babylon.

And Jeremiah doesn’t stop with exile—he looks beyond it. In Jeremiah 31, God promises that he will gather his flock back together: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness…I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you…He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.” At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”[11]

Do you see the pattern? God may lead his people into exile, or into wilderness, or through waters—but always as their Shepherd. The rod and staff are not the absence of trial, but the assurance of his presence. True comfort isn’t freedom from struggle, but trust in the Shepherd through the struggle.

God’s protection provides us true comfort by changing our perspective—we don’t look back[12], we don’t retreat, we don’t lose heart. We can burn the ships[13], because not only is the Lord there with us, he has blessings prepared for us on the other side.

The Shepherd Pours Out – He Blesses and Elevates Us

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.[14]

When the Israelites changed their minds and sought comfort in the Lord and not themselves, they saw his blessing. He blessed them in the most powerful ways even in the presence of their enemies. They were heading to a land flowing with milk and honey.[15] They would be given all that they needed even in the wilderness that they would be traveling through—bread from the sky and water from a rock.[16] The Lord was their Shepherd, they would not be lacking.

Maybe you don’t always look to yourself for peace and comfort. Maybe you turn to your spouse, to your family, or to a close friend. If you come to me for comfort, I will do everything I possibly can as your friend and brother. But, I am not the Shepherd. I’m a sheep, just like you. Your friends and family members are all just sheep. We all have the same need of a Shepherd.

The good news is, the Good Shepherd is here. A little over 2,000 years ago, he was born on the earth as a man to literally walk with us so we could learn to trust him to walk with us for all eternity. We go back to what Jesus tells us in John 10:10—he came so that we may have life and have it abundantly.[17] Remember how the father celebrated the return of the Prodigal Son? He held a lavish feast in his honor.[18] Jesus even compared the Kingdom of God to a wedding feast.[19] Surely our cup overflows with him. He told the woman at the well that the water she found there would only temporarily quench her thirst. He promised her living water—a spring of water welling up to eternal life.[20]

He has anointed us with His Spirit. An anointing of healing, comfort, and true blessing. We see a picture of this in the parable of the Good Samaritan, he carefully treated his wounds with oil and wine.[21] As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:21-22 – “…21 it is God who establishes us…in Christ, and has anointed us, 22and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”[22] The Spirit is an immediate blessing of comfort and peace, as well as a guarantee of the promises still to come as a citizen of God’s Kingdom.[23]

The Shepherd Promises – He Secures Our Future

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.[24]

Do we have confidence in the Shepherd that he holds our future? There’s an old hymn that says: “I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day. I don’t borrow from it’s sunshine, for it’s skies may turn to gray. I don’t worry o’er the future, for I know what Jesus said. And today I’ll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead. Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.”[25] Like we talked about last time, he’s promised his presence with us through all circumstances. He’s given us his Spirit to dwell within us. And yet still so often we let outward circumstances bring us to unbelief. Israel kept forgetting as they wandered in the wilderness. He fed them from the sky and watered them from a rock, and they still had trouble seeing him as their Good Shepherd.[26]

See the blessings of today as evidence of blessings to come. His presence can be enjoyed today, no matter what’s going on around you. His Kingdom is both “already and not yet.”[27] The Kingdom has come,[28] we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places,[29] we are citizens of that Kingdom,[30] and yet we still eagerly await the fullness of his plan,[31][32] when the Son of Man comes in his glory and we will inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the beginning.[33]

Remember what Jesus told his closest disciples as he was preparing them for his departure from their physical presence? “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”[34] The dwelling place and our inheritance is secure. Peter tells us that this inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for [us].” [35] We can trust in God’s promises, because he’s already got them firmly in his hand. There may be a “future” for us, but God is outside of time. As the writer of Hebrews explains, “his works were [already] finished from the foundation of the world.”[36]

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When we find ourselves in the trenches of life, can we trust that the Shepherd is still there leading? He provides all we need. He is always present, and he wants to preserve us. Can we look for the ways He might be using the wilderness to teach us how to lean into Him more? Will we seek his comfort and not our own? Will we give him credit for the blessings in this life? He’s a Good Shepherd who pours out abundantly. Will we trust him with our lives now and in the future? Are we leaning on his promises?

This is all easier said than done, but the Lord wants us to seek him and walk with him, and he grants us the strength to do it. In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and…He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”[37]

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is our source of comfort now and in the future—protecting us in every trial, pouring out His honor and blessing, and promising a home with Him forever. In every trial, take comfort in the Shepherd who protects. In every blessing, rejoice in the Shepherd who pours out. In every step, hold fast to the Shepherd who promises.

As James said, “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”[38] Draw near to the Shepherd today.

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The Shepherd Provides, Presides, & Preserves – Thoughts from Psalm 23

There’s a video that went viral a few years ago—a sheep got itself stuck in a trench with no hope of getting out on its own. The owner of the sheep, let’s call him a Shepherd, ties a strap to its back leg and pulls the sheep up and out of the trench. The sheep, unable to properly exercise its newfound freedom, promptly runs off and falls back into the trench just a few yards from where it was freed.[1]

It’s fitting that God’s people are often referred to as Sheep in the Bible. We really are helpless. Left to our own devices, we’d be in deep trouble. And yet, so often we think that we’re fully capable of being self-sufficient. We’re fiercely independent, and we certainly don’t need a god that we can’t see. We end up bouncing around from one part of a trench to another, always chasing something but never quite obtaining it, never satisfied and often discouraged. We quickly reach for someone to blame when we wind up in the valley, even if that someone is ourselves. We are glad to give ourselves credit when we finally reach a high point. Just when we think we’ve achieved a state of satisfaction, we realize that it was fleeting. Our tanks never stay full. Perhaps there’s a problem with what we’re filling them up with in the first place?

Psalm 23 is often cited as a source of comfort, usually in the face of death. No funeral in the movies is complete without it. Most of you probably have the first line going through your minds right now—The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Who is my shepherd? Is it really the Lord? It’s one thing to read it or recite it. But do you believe it? Is that statement true for you? When we experience the inevitable lows in our life, do we know we have a Shepherd to trust in? When we experience joys in this life, do we acknowledge the true source? Can we see that the valleys and the mountaintops are all part of the same journey, and we’re being led by the Good Shepherd all the way? Maybe those lows, those valleys, those times in the wilderness, are from God himself for our good…

The Shepherd Provides – Contentment

The LORD is my Shepherd, I will never find myself lacking what I need.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.[2]

Where are we seeking contentment? Often times, if we’re honest, we seek contentment in the outward circumstances and physical pleasures of our lives. How is my career going? Do I have the position and influence I want? Am I making enough money? Is my house and car nice enough? Are my kids in the best schools? We’re deceived to think we can ever be truly satisfied in these things.

Once we’ve achieved a certain level, we realize that we feel the need for more. Instead of realizing there is something wrong with the road we’re on, we think we just haven’t gone down that road far enough. If I could just make a little bit more, or have better stuff or experiences. The more we have the more we want and it’s never enough. That’s how addiction works. That’s the reason we feel empty. That’s the world’s recipe for success and a feeling of worth—and it will always set us up for failure. We’ve seen it—the ultra wealthy of the world end up being so unhappy. They reach this pinnacle and realize it’s not what they thought it would be.

Charles Spurgeon said: “As to money, every man will have enough when he has a little more, but contentment with his gains comes to no man.”[3]

Ecclesiastes 2 shows us Solomon tried everything and still found it empty. He says in 2:11 – “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” [4]

What does the first part of Psalm 23 remind us of? It’s the Shepherd that provides. And if he’s providing, we’ll never lack what we need.

We’re reminded in the Sermon on the Mount that God takes care of even the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field—how much more will he take care of us?[5] If we seek him, seek his Kingdom, he’ll take care of the rest. If we let him be our goal, that’s where we find true peace and true contentment.

What can come along and cause us to forget the Lord’s provision and care? Both the lows and the highs can contribute to this. We like to take credit for the good. Can we forget that the Lord is behind the blessings? And certainly, the lows of life can cause us to believe the lie that he isn’t there and he doesn’t care. What did the Apostle Paul say about this? He says can go through all circumstances—the highest highs and lowest lows—because of Christ who gives him strength.[6] Are we measuring contentment by our circumstances or by the presence of the Shepherd who provides?

The Shepherd Presides – Peaks and Valleys

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…[7]

Let’s look at two well-known characters in the Old Testament and compare their response to the highs and lows of life—Jacob and his favorite son, Joseph.

Jacob’s very name meant “heel-grabber” or “deceiver.”[8] Though chosen by God to be the father of His people[9], he often tried to secure blessings through his own efforts. Ironically, the deceiver was himself deceived[10], and his family life was marked by favoritism and strife.[11][12] When his sons decide to sell his favorite son Joseph into slavery and told their father he was dead[13], Genesis 37:35 says “he refused to be comforted” and cried, “I shall go down to Sheol to my son.”[14]  Years later, during a great famine, with Simeon held in Egypt and Benjamin demanded by an Egyptian ruler[15][16], Jacob groaned, “Everything is against me”.[17] Even when told the best news of all—that Joseph was alive—Genesis records that his heart was numb and he could not believe it.[18]

Let’s examine Joseph’s perspective on some of those same events. Joseph’s life was a roller coaster. He was his father’s favorite,[19] but his jealous brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery.[20] In Egypt, he found favor in Potiphar’s house, because, as Genesis 39 says, “the Lord was with Joseph and caused all that he did to succeed.” Even Potiphar recognized it.[21] But soon after, Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison.[22] Yet again, Genesis tells us, “the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love.”[23] Years later, God lifted him out of prison and into Pharaoh’s court, second in command over all Egypt.[24][25] When he named his sons, he testified through the meaning of their names that God had made him forget his sorrows and made him fruitful even in affliction.[26]

And when Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers during the famine, he said: “Do not be distressed…for God sent me before you to preserve life…so it was not you who sent me here, but God.”[27]

When Jacob was finally reunited with Joseph, he recognized that God’s hand had been at work all along. Even in the famine, God had already provided what was needed, arranging it long before Jacob could see it. Looking back, Jacob confessed in Genesis 48:15–16 – “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil…”[28] In the midst of his trials, Jacob couldn’t see what God was doing. Ironically, Genesis 48:10 adds that Jacob’s physical eyes were failing, “dim with age, so that he could not see.”[29] When he was nearly blind, he finally saw most clearly. If Joseph had not been lost for those years, Jacob’s family would have perished in the famine, Egypt and the surrounding nations would have starved, and his brothers would not have been humbled. What seemed like tragedy was in fact God’s preparation to preserve His people and lay the foundation for the faith of Israel.

After Jacob’s death, Joseph reassured his fearful brothers: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive…So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”[30]

In that moment, Joseph became a shepherd to his brothers, providing for and comforting them. Notice the irony: this is the same “comfort” Jacob once refused when told Joseph was dead. Joseph invites his brothers to rest in his care, while Jacob so often chose to walk his valleys alone.

But Joseph, for all his wisdom and compassion, was only a shadow of the greater Shepherd to come. Jesus never leaves us to walk the valley on our own. His care is not temporary or limited. Our Good Shepherd is present with us in every step, and he presides over every circumstance, both the peaks and the valleys. Paul points us to this truth in Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”[31]

The Shepherd Preserves – Trust vs. Self-Reliance

What is a sheep without its shepherd? The viral video referenced at the beginning demonstrates the sheep’s need. Relying on itself, it might have worked its way out of the trench one time, maybe twice, but as the pattern continued, it would eventually run out of strength. Jacob is a good representation of this. He didn’t reach for God in the dark times—instead, he wished for a shortcut down to Sheol.[32][33] What did he fail to believe in those moments? He didn’t see that he had a shepherd all along. He relied on himself for his own preservation, resulting in anxiety, despair, and unbelief. Even though he knew God’s blessing was on him—God promised him that directly[34]—he didn’t hold onto that knowledge when it was tested. He didn’t really believe it. Joseph, in contrast, never lost sight of his Shepherd. He experienced peace and confidence in even the darkest times. This is belief in action. He didn’t let his external circumstances, no matter how good or how bad, alter his internal trust and belief. He knew God was with him, even if he couldn’t always see how God was working and what was coming around the corner. He found rest there. After all, if God told us every little detail of what was down the road, we couldn’t stand under the weight of that, and we certainly couldn’t put our focus on the here and now.

Who is the Shepherd that can preserve us even in our darkest moments? Jesus says in John 10: “3bThe sheep hear [the Shepherd’s] voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out[35]… 10bI came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.[36]

What can be added to this picture of a Savior and his people? He calls us by name. We are his sheep. He will never leave us or forsake us. He came to give us abundant life. He loves us so much that he lays down his life for us. The wolves will come, but the Shepherd is stronger.

What happened when Mary was looking for Jesus after his resurrection? She didn’t recognize him at first, then he called her name and she knew it was him.[37]

Isaiah writes in Isaiah 43:1-3 – “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”[38]

Even after we come to Christ, we will face valleys; we will face struggles.[39] We will face the waters, rivers, and fires, as Isaiah writes. But we have a Shepherd through it all. Will we trust him enough to keep walking with him? He can’t lead us to the peaks if we don’t walk with him through the valleys. He will preserve us.

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Whether we like it or not, we are sheep. And as sheep we must put our trust in a Shepherd. Through the grace of God, we’ve been given that Shepherd in Jesus Christ. He came to give us life and everything we need in His Kingdom. He came to lead us in the paths of righteousness. Sometimes, that path goes through a valley. As we saw with Jacob and Joseph, he is working it out for our good and for his glory. He’s the only one that can see the whole picture. Will we respond like Jacob, or like Joseph? He used the wilderness to put Joseph where he wanted him. We’ll look in the next message how he used the wilderness to teach and grow Israel as a people. David went through the wilderness.[40] Ultimately, Jesus himself went through the wilderness.[41] When we admit that we are blind and submit to him as the Shepherd, we find peace and rest.

We have hope in his authority, provision, and love. In 1 Peter 5:4, Peter writes “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”[42] John writes in Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”[43]

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is our source of peace in the present, regardless of circumstance, whether on the peaks or in the valleys. In every need, trust the Shepherd who provides. In every path, follow the Shepherd who presides. In every season, rest in the Shepherd who preserves.

Do you trust him? There is no greater Shepherd, there is no better friend. He provides, presides, and preserves. He is saying to all of us: “28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”[44]