17 June 2012
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Psalm 23 -- if you would, let me read this to you this morning in the King James Version since this is the traditional version of this Psalm and the one we are most familiar with
Psalm 23:1-6 (KJV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
-- when people list the great natural wonders of this country, one of them that is always mentioned is Niagara Falls -- located on the Niagara River which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, these falls are the most powerful waterfalls in North America, dropping more than 165 feet vertically
-- to gaze out on these falls -- to feel the power of the rushing water and the mist and spray on your face -- is to feel the power of God in nature
-- the falls straddle the international border between Canada and America, which invariably brings up the question, "How do you get across the falls? -- How do you make your way from the U.S. to Canada at this point?"
-- most people cross the falls on the Rainbow Bridge -- the Rainbow Bridge is a 2-1/2 mile suspension bridge -- with four traffic lanes and additional pedestrian walking trails, this wide bridge is the safest way for people to travel from New York to Ontario
-- but, as we saw on Friday night, there is another way to make that journey -- Nik Wallenda, from the famous Wallenda family, crossed Niagara Falls from New York to Ontario by walking across on a cable that was only two inches wide -- it took him a little over 25 minutes to cross 1800 feet of wire suspended 200 feet above the gorge -- when he successfully stepped onto the platform on the Canada side of the river, Nik Wallenda became the first person to ever walk directly over the falls
-- just like there are two paths that we can take to cross Niagara Falls, in the Bible we are told that there are two paths that we can take in our lives
-- the first path is broad with a wide gate leading to it, like the road that crosses Niagara Falls from the U.S. to Canada -- this is the path that most of the world takes -- it is an easy path, and for that reason it seems like the right one to take, but it leads straight to death and destruction
-- the other path is straight and narrow with only a small gate leading to it, just like the wire that Nik Wallenda used to cross the falls Friday night -- this is a path that few can find and that fewer still can follow -- but this is the path that Jesus told us to take in Matthew 7:13-14 because this path leads to life
-- when Jesus told us to take the straight and narrow way, He was calling us to live a life of righteousness -- of moral integrity and proper conduct -- but, as we all know, to live such a life and to walk such a path is impossible for us in our own strength -- the only way we can successfully walk this way is through the presence of Christ with us
-- we see that clearly in this familiar psalm from King David
-- you know, out of all the Bible, there are probably two passages that everyone knows by heart or at least recognizes when they hear them -- John 3:16 and the 23rd Psalm
-- but, while all of us are familiar with these passages, the truth is that we haven't heard them taught often enough -- usually, we only hear the 23rd Psalm at funerals, as we reflect on the life of the person who has passed away and offer comfort to their family
-- but that's not why this Psalm was written -- it was not written as a funeral dirge, but as a song of praise to a God who walks beside us to keep us on the right path -- it was written to provide instruction and direction to those who were seeking to follow the straight and narrow path
-- so, this morning, I want us to take a moment to look at this familiar Psalm in some detail to see what we can learn about walking with Christ in our lives today
II. Psalm 23
-- verse 1
Psalm 23:1 (NIV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
-- in this first verse we are introduced to Yahweh Roeh -- Jehovah my Shepherd -- as David makes a declaration of his faith and trust in the Lord God of Israel
-- now even though we don't have a lot of sheep here in south Georgia, we're pretty familiar with the concept of what a shepherd is -- a shepherd is simply a person who tends sheep
-- but in order to really understand what David is saying here in this first verse, you have to know that the way we look at shepherds in our day is entirely different from the understanding of what a shepherd was during the time this Psalm was written
-- in our day, shepherds are removed from the flock -- the sheep are usually kept in fenced pastures where they are protected from dogs and predators -- and the shepherd doesn't spend time with them daily -- he makes sure they have food and water -- he makes sure their health is taken care of -- but his concern is more about the entire flock than individual sheep
-- but it wasn't like this in David's day -- during his day, shepherds identified with their flocks -- they didn't just put them out in pastures and leave them alone -- they lived with them night and day -- they came to know them in a way that shepherds today don't know their sheep
-- for the shepherds in ancient Israel, their flock was part of their family, and they knew each individual sheep -- they knew what they liked and how they would act and they took care of each sheep in their own particular way -- and, over time, an intimate relationship would develop between the shepherd and the sheep -- he knew them and they knew him -- they knew his voice -- they trusted that he would take care of all their needs -- they put their faith in him and followed where he led
-- that's the picture that David is trying to give us here of Jehovah Roeh -- of God as our shepherd -- not a distant, impersonal God -- but a God that knows us -- a God who knows our names -- who knows who we are on the inside -- who knows our strengths and our weaknesses -- a God who meets all our needs and leads us down the path He wants us to follow rather than the path we might want to take on our own
-- in Isaiah 40:11, we see a touching picture of God as our shepherd -- Isaiah writes, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."
-- verse 2
Psalm 23:2 (NIV)
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters
-- when I was studying for this message, I learned something that I didn't know here in verse 2 -- all my life, I had been reading this verse wrong -- when it says here that God "makes" us lie down in green pastures, the image I always had in my mind was that we were being forced to do this -- that this was something that God knew was good for us so He forced us to do it -- He "made" us do it
-- but, as I started studying this, I realized I had been misreading this -- when David uses the word "makes" here, he isn't referring to God forcing us to do anything -- instead, what he is saying is that by following God's path -- by being in His presence -- we find ourselves in green pastures that otherwise we would not have known
-- in other words, simply by following God and his straight and narrow path, we will be led into fields of blessing -- our world is transformed -- made new -- because of Him
-- a better way to read this would be to say, "He makes it possible for us to lie down in green pastures"
-- David goes on to say that we are led beside quiet or still water -- he is referring here to the Lord our Shepherd leading us out of danger and into safety
-- sheep don't do well with moving water -- for one thing, they don't swim well, and if they get caught in a current, they could easily get swept away and drown -- for another, the sound of rushing water drowns out the sound of predators approaching -- they would avoid these areas and would not drink as they should -- so, shepherds today still tell people to provide water troughs of still and quiet water for their sheep to drink from
-- what David is saying here is that if we trust God -- if we follow His leading -- He will lead us to the place we should be -- fields of green grass and areas with still water where we are safe and protected and blessed
-- verse 3
Psalm 23:3 (NIV)
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
-- the Hebrew word that is translated as "restores" here carries with it the meaning of repentance -- of turning back -- of returning to the place where you once were
-- when David talks here of God restoring his soul, he is referring to a sheep that has wandered -- a sheep that has left the path and strayed away from the flock
-- but because God is our shepherd and He cares about the lost, He leaves the flock to find us -- to restore us and bring us back to the place of righteousness -- back into the fold once again
-- in Luke 15:3-7, Jesus gives us the parable of the lost sheep and says that if one sheep gets lost, He would leave the 99 in an open field until He found the one that was lost
-- this is a picture of God's prevenient grace -- what John Wesley called "preventing" grace -- the grace that seeks us when we are lost -- the grace that speaks of a God who loves us so much He can't live without us and who will move heaven and earth to bring us home again
-- God wants us to follow Him -- He wants us to stay on His path -- the path of righteousness -- the path of a right relationship with Him -- He leads us and guides down this path as a shepherd leads his sheep because He wants nothing but good for our lives
-- verse 4
Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
-- here we see a shift in the Psalm -- if you look at the first three verses, you'll see that God is referred to in the third person -- you get the sense that David is telling someone else about God -- about what God has done for him -- about the ways that God has led him and restored him and blessed him through his life
-- now, beginning in verse 4, David shifts and begins to direct his thoughts and his message to God Himself in an affirmation of his faith and trust
-- David says that even though he walks in the valley of the shadow of death, he will fear no evil, because God is with him
-- the other night, as we were watching Nik Wallenda cross Niagara Falls on the tightrope, I found it interesting to listen to his conversation with his father as he walked -- he was saying how much harder the path was at the beginning because he was headed downhill -- into a valley that sloped at the middle of the cable right over the falls
-- you could see that he was having difficulty -- his counterbalancing pole was moving all over the place as he walked down that cable towards the valley -- but then he began praising God on live TV -- "Thank you, Jesus, for being with me -- I can trust that I will be okay because You are with me"
-- that's the same thing David's saying here in this verse -- when we find ourselves walking down in the valley -- when life is hard and things are just not going well and we're not sure if we can keep putting one foot in front of the other -- we can take heart and keep on going because we know that God is with us -- we have nothing to worry about because He is balancing our life
-- this verse go on to say that the Christian is comforted by the rod and the staff of Christ -- the rod alludes to the shepherd's crook -- the shepherd uses this to guide the sheep as they feed in green pastures -- as they pass by, he uses it to count them to make sure none are missing -- the rod is security for the sheep
-- some scholars suggest that the word "rod" in this context may refer directly to the word of God or the gospel message -- Solomon used the same word when he wrote, "spare the rod and spoil the child" -- in both instances, we could take this to mean that staying close to God's word -- living life in close proximity to the Word of God -- will keep us from wandering away and will restore us when we do stray
-- the staff refers to the protection of the shepherd -- the staff was used to fight off wild dogs and other predators that might harass the sheep -- if we remain in the protection of the good Shepherd, then we have nothing to fear, because His staff will keep us safe
-- verse 5
Psalm 23:5-6 (NIV) 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
-- this verse speaks of God's continuing protection and watch over our lives -- in David's day, covenants were solemnized through the sharing of a meal -- when David talks here about God preparing a table for him in the presence of his enemies, he is saying that God is making a covenant of protection with him -- that from this moment on God will be his God and he will belong to Him and trust in Him for safety and security
-- the anointing oil that is referred to here is a symbol of God's presence through the Holy Spirit -- it is a promise that God will never leave him or forsake him -- that God will continue to guide his steps and direct his path -- and his cup will overflow from the many blessings that come from a close relationship with the Savior
-- his life will be filled with goodness -- with righteousness -- with the blessings of God -- he will know God's love and His grace and His mercy -- he will experience God's presence throughout his whole life
-- and, at the end of the path -- at the end of the straight and narrow way -- David says that we will find God's house -- God's dwelling place -- and we will dwell there with Him -- we will live with Him for eternity
III. CLOSING
-- most of us have heard the story, "Footprints in the Sand," before -- you may have seen it on cards or on plaques -- it's a very common story in the Christian community
-- but have you heard the new version of "Footprints in the Sand?" -- Mark Littleton wrote this in 1990, and I want to share it with you
-- "Imagine you and the Lord Jesus [are] walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your prints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures and returns. For much of the way it seems to go like this. But gradually, your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends.
-- "This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: your footprints that once etched the sand next to the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints is the small 'sand print', safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one.
-- "This goes on for many miles. But gradually you notice another change. The footprint inside the larger footprint seems to grow larger. Eventually it disappears altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.
-- "Again, this goes on for a long time. But then something awful happens. The second set of footprints is back. And this time it seems even worse. Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints. You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream.
-- "Now you speak. "Lord, I understand the first scene with the zigzags and fits and starts and so on. I was a new Christian, just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you."
-- "That is correct."
-- "Yes, and when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I followed You very closely."
-- "Very good. You have understood everything so far."
-- "Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with Yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming like you in every way."
-- "Precisely."
-- "But this is my question. Lord.. Was there a regression or something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first."
-- The Lord smiles, then laughs. "You didn't know?" He says. "That was when we danced."
[Source: Mark Littleton © 1990]
-- as we consider the two paths that lay before us -- the wide and broad and the narrow and the straight -- let me encourage you to take the path from which Jesus beckons
-- let Him guide you through your life -- on the mountaintops and in the valleys -- through fields of green grass and beside the still waters -- trust Him as your enemies gather around you -- rejoice in the promise of eternal life with Him in His house
-- and don't just follow Him -- but dance with Him in joy along the way
-- let us pray
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