One of the most beloved passages of scripture is the 23rd Psalm and rightly so because it’s about the good Shepherd and the benefits He is to His sheep.
Psalm 23:1 (ESV) — 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Could it get any better than that? Well, it does.
Psalm 23:2–3 (ESV) — 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
But wait! There is more.
Psalm 23:4–5 (ESV) — 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
With the Lord as your Shepherd, there is only one conclusion:
Psalm 23:6 (ESV) — 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
What assurance there is in resting in the Lord as your Shepherd. His sheep have every reason to be content since He is a caring Shepherd Who also is in complete control. Consider how Jesus identified Himself as the “Good Shepherd.”
John 10:11 (ESV) — 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Our understanding is often helped by a comparison. Jesus compares His shepherding to that of a hireling, who really doesn’t care for the sheep. Jesus not only cares for His sheep but knows them and that means everything about them. In fact, there is not a detail about His sheep that He doesn’t know and about which He doesn’t care.
John 10:12–15 (ESV) — 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Luke 12:6–7 (ESV) — 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
As emphasized above, this shepherd is willing to lay down His life for the sheep. He’s not only willing to lay down His life and die but He, as our good Shepherd, lives today for His sheep and is dedicated to their well-being.
Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) — 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Romans 8:33–34 (ESV) — 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Hebrews 7:24–25 (ESV) — 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
As you consider the Lord Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the shepherd in Psalm 23, consider His words in John 10:10.
John 10:10 (ESV) — 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Abundant living is the description of the life of a sheep in Psalm 23. So, if the life that Jesus as the great Shepherd of the sheep has secured for His sheep is abundant, why are so many Christians living with a “just get by” attitude? Maybe it’s because they haven’t been focusing upon the Shepherd. Notice again the words of Psalm 23 where the Shepherd and abundant living is viewed from the eyes of one of His sheep.
Psalm 23:1–6 (ESV) — 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. 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 mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Notice how the emphasis is upon the Shepherd and His care for His sheep. Notice the benefits come from being close to Him, noticing His tender care, and yes even His correction in the rod and the staff that bring comfort as a result. Notice how the Shepherd doesn’t avoid conflict, rather makes a scene before enemies to be a scene where He brings such assurance and grace as He anoints the head of His sheep that their cup overflows. The confidence then for all of life is His goodness and mercy that lead to His house of blessing.
In 1563 the Heidelberg Catechism was published, and the first question and answer have been a source of great strength and comfort because as Psalm 23, it points to the Good Shepherd.
Question 1. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Answer: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
