We'll turn back to our reading in the book of Psalms, Psalm 23, and just look at the whole of this psalm together.
We can read just the first couple of verses before we go into it.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
How often have you heard this psalm? How often have you heard it read or how often have you sung this psalm?
Perhaps many of you, you know it off by heart. It's a psalm that many of us learned, whether it was in day school or Sunday school, learned all of these words off by heart.
But it's the most sung psalm in Scripture.
And it's amazing just how often it's sung in the sense of the kinds of occasions that it's sung at.
It can be very happy occasions or it can be very sad occasions that these words are sung.
And that's just a reminder to us that in this psalm there's a whole experience of our lives summed up.
Whatever situation we are going through, there is a reminder to us in this psalm.
So we may be very familiar with it, but there's also a danger with familiarity.
There's a danger with being familiar with these words, but not knowing what these words are actually saying to us.
Not understanding what they are saying to us.
Just take the opening words of the psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd.
It trips off our tongues so easily.
But if we just stop there, you know these words well, but what do the words mean?
What do they mean to you today?
What do they say to you?
Do you know this Lord as your shepherd?
And as you go on and read this psalm, as we go on and sing this psalm, what do the words go on to say about the care of the shepherd, of the shepherd's leading?
What does it mean to you?
You see, there's two problems with familiarity.
There's two sayings that are often used.
One is familiarity breeds contempt.
And that means that when we have a close knowledge of someone or something, it can lead to a lack of respect.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
And that can be true of this psalm.
Perhaps it's been true in your own experience.
Or perhaps in your own experience, it's true today that this is the way that you think of this psalm.
And you're familiar with it, but it breeds contempt because it speaks of the Lord as a shepherd and the different experiences that we can go through.
And because of maybe trials you've gone through or different experiences you've had, you start to question God or wonder, is there a God?
Or why does he allow certain things to happen?
So is that you today?
Does a familiarity with this psalm, does it breed contempt in your heart?
Or another saying is familiarity breeds complacency.
And complacency is something that can be true with this psalm as well.
We can just, as we say, hear it or sing it so often, but not really take in what it actually means for us.
We can become complacent with these words.
Maybe at first it's got a real sense of power to us, but as time goes on, we become complacent with it.
Think of the example of starting a new job.
You're going to start a new job.
Also, the first maybe few months, you're turning up early, showing that you're keen.
You're on your best behavior.
You're listening, paying close attention to all the details, diligently going about your work.
But over time, as you become more comfortable, you become complacent.
And so instead of turning up early, you turn up on time.
Instead of listening to everything, you just listen to what you think you need to know.
You start to look at where corners can be cut.
And then over time, you become more and more complacent.
Once you figure out the limits, you maybe start turning up late because nothing's being said.
You cut corners.
All of these kinds of things can come in and become complacent.
And that's the way we can be with this psalm as well.
And it's the same true of the Lord in your life.
Do you love him?
Or have you loved him and now maybe becoming complacent with him?
Do you use him in that sense?
Where you see that God is only there when you need him or when you want something from him.
And these words, when we say, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, I shall not lack.
We bring them to him then and say, but God, you have said.
But we ignore him the rest of the time.
So there can be a familiarity with this psalm.
One way it can breed contempt.
Another way it can breed complacency.
But we always want to come back to it and see what this psalm is saying to us.
Reminding us of how we are to walk with the Lord close to him and know the shepherd's care.
And the cluster of psalms here, 22, 23, and 24, they speak of the shepherd in different ways.
22, speaks about the shepherd as he dies for his sheep.
This 23 speaks as a shepherd as he cares for his sheep.
And then 24 speaks about the shepherd who's coming for his sheep, that he is going to return.
So this morning we're just going to think for a short time on the shepherd who cares for his sheep.
We all go through different experiences in our lives.
And as a congregation, as a people, we know whether it's ourselves or others who are going through a variety of different trials and experiences just now.
But we pray that these words will help us to bring us close to God.
And not just for us to come close, but us to bring others close to God as well.
It to be a prayer for people to know the Lord as a shepherd in these days for each and every one of us.
And the first thing we see in this psalm is a declaration.
A declaration.
David, the psalmist here, we can be familiar with his life.
David, who was a shepherd himself, a shepherd boy who was called by God to be a king for his people.
And so he was familiar with the whole idea of what it meant to be, a shepherd.
And now he's writing these words, seeing who his shepherd is.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
And just these opening words of David, he doesn't say the Lord is a shepherd.
He's not a shepherd like me.
He's saying the Lord is my shepherd.
He is seeing his own need.
And he's seeing that it is the Lord who is able to help him in his need.
The Lord is my shepherd, he says as well.
So it's ongoing.
It's in that tense where you see this is David's experience day to day.
The Lord is my shepherd.
You could almost say still to this day, the Lord is David's shepherd.
And for ourselves, it reminds us that God still speaks in this way to us, reminding us of our need for a shepherd.
As we read in John chapter 10, another great passage that reminds us of Jesus who is the good shepherd there for his people.
In John 10 verse 4 it says,
There is that calling of the shepherd and there is that people who are following the voice of the shepherd.
That's what David is doing here.
Is that what you're doing in your life today?
Are you hearing that call of the shepherd to follow him?
And are you following him?
You see, this is a declaration of trust.
From the very outset, David is saying,
The Lord is my shepherd.
There is a trust there.
And as he looks at the Lord as his shepherd, he realizes then that he will not want, he will not lack, as he knows the Lord as his shepherd.
Do you ever say to the Lord as you pray,
Lord, I want.
Not in the sense of lack as it is here, but I want.
I want something.
We come with our demands.
You come with your demands too.
Lord, I want you to do this.
I want you to change this.
What are you asking of the Lord in your prayer?
It's not that we would, that he would give us everything that we want.
But as David is saying here, it's more,
I will not want in the sense of, I will not lack.
That when we are trusting in him, the Lord will provide what we need.
Not so much what we want, but what we need.
Because you see when he goes on in verse 2 to say,
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
There's this sense of, this scene is something beautiful, something plentiful, and something that's easy to find.
The shepherd just leads from one green pasture to another.
But that was not the case.
It wasn't the case for David as a shepherd or any shepherd in these days.
It was hard to find these green pastures.
It was hard to find these places with the waters to quench the thirst.
We have maybe the opposite problem here in Scotland and our own island.
The struggle is to find dry ground.
The struggle here was to find a place that wasn't dry, that wasn't hard, but that was well watered, that had lush grass.
And so the shepherd very often would have to lead great distances.
Moving through barren ground, hot areas, difficult terrain, all of these things with wild animals all around.
And so the green pastures were hard to find.
But the good shepherd led them to these places.
Again, as a reminder to us that there are these dry experiences, these difficult experiences in our own life.
Times of barrenness.
But as we're looking to the shepherd, to the good shepherd, he is able to bring us to these places of refreshing as well.
And so do you know this shepherd today as he leads you through all of these experiences in life?
The question that this raises from David in this psalm is, how do we know this shepherd?
How can you know this shepherd today?
Well, again, we go back to John chapter 10 to a verse we didn't read, but it says in verse 27 of chapter 10,
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
And so this declaration that David makes, the Lord is my shepherd, it leads to that question for us,
how can I know the Lord as my shepherd?
Well, it's what Jesus says in John 10, 27.
My sheep hear my voice, and my sheep follow me.
And so the two questions that arise from that are, are you listening to him, and are you following him?
If you want the Lord as your shepherd, it's to listen and to follow.
That's the declaration that David makes here.
He is listening, and he is following the Lord.
Are you today, in that sense, listening and following him?
So we have the good shepherd and the declaration that David makes,
but we also then have a sense of restoration as we turn to verse 3.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
And 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.
So these two verses, they remind us of the restoration that the good shepherd gives.
And the first thing is, he says there, he restores my soul.
The shepherd gives life.
A shepherd, in the ordinary sense of an ordinary shepherd, he couldn't give life,
but he sought to provide care that kept life.
But Jesus is the one who gives life, because he's no ordinary shepherd.
He is the Son of God who came into this world.
And so, as we look to Jesus, we see one who finds his sheep.
And it's where he finds his sheep, as described by Paul in Ephesians 2, verse 1,
who are dead in their trespasses and sins.
That's the way we are as a sheep.
We are a sheep who have gone astray.
And yet he is able to restore.
He is able to restore our soul.
He is able to give life.
The word restore means to bring back.
And that's what the Lord Jesus does for his people.
He brings back that life that was dead in sin.
And a life that then we are able to live for him.
But when you look at these words, it's not just applying to us.
But we see them first and foremost applying to the Lord Jesus himself.
Because, as you read and as we sing often in verse Psalm 16 as well,
the soul is not left to decay, it says.
And that's speaking of the Lord Jesus.
And here we are reminded that Jesus was one who gave his life,
but who took his life up again.
It's a great reminder to us as we approach the time of Easter
and remembering the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And look at verse 4 and how that applies to the Lord Jesus as well.
Through the valley of the shadow of death as he went to the cross,
as he died there for our sins.
There's a reminder here that the good shepherd has experienced all of this himself.
And so the life that he is able to give is a life that he has given for us,
that we might have life through him.
And so the shepherd here provides life.
He is life because he gave his own life.
But the good shepherd also leads his sheep.
And again we see that both in verse 2 and verse 4.
So that whether the paths lead us through the still waters,
the green pastures,
or whether the path leads us through the deep valley as described in verse 4 here,
the valley of the shadow of death,
there is that promise of his presence.
I will fear no evil for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
The shepherd's tools were the rod and the staff.
One to catch, one to direct.
Always used to keep the sheep on the right path,
whatever experience they were going through.
And it's a powerful reminder to us here of how often maybe we don't like the paths
that we are being taken on.
But that when we find it difficult,
even in the valley of the shadow of death,
we have the promise of the shepherd who is near.
And there's a temptation here for us all,
for you and for me,
in terms of where we go in our time of need.
It's to often think that the grass is greener in some other way.
That we don't need the Lord,
that the Lord doesn't care about us.
And therefore we go and look for that comfort,
that care somewhere else.
The grass is greener.
We are like sheep.
We wander off.
And so the question is,
what path are we on today?
What way are we going?
What way are we turning,
even in the midst of times of hardness?
Yes.
The Bible speaks about two paths we can go,
the broad road and the narrow road.
The broad road is often the easy way to go
and the easy way to turn.
But it says it leads to destruction.
But the narrow path,
although it may be difficult,
although it may be hard,
it's the one that leads to everlasting life.
And so which path are you on today?
Which way are you going with the shepherd?
Are you turning away from him
and going your own way?
Or are you turning to him
that he might lead you?
We like to be independent in many ways.
Are you an independent person?
Are you one who says,
well, I'm going to do it,
but I'll do it my way?
And we're quite dogmatic.
We see it in some sort of courage now
to think for yourself
and to do your own thing.
And all of these kinds of ideas
to be trailblazers.
And there was a saying that said,
do not follow where the path may lead you.
Go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail.
And that's kind of the attitude
that many people will take.
Perhaps it's your attitude today,
the way that you want to go.
It's not to find the path to go
and that you're being led on,
but instead to find a place
where there's no path
and to leave a trail.
It's that selfish,
independent attitude.
But instead we are to look to the Lord
because you could say
the only one
who has gone away
where there was no path
and left a trail
is the Lord Jesus.
Because he's the only one
who could go the way of the cross
and give his life in this way
and leave a path for us
to follow.
I'm sure many of you
have been involved in sheep
over the years
and taking them out to the moor.
I can't say it's my favorite pastime,
but I often enjoyed going out the moor
because it was just the openness of it.
And as you were taking either
gathering sheep
or taking sheep out,
you would find
there was always well-throdden paths
that the sheep would follow.
And this is the way
you would often follow them as well.
But there was also reminders
of what it meant
to go off that path.
Where you would see a sheep
who's maybe
gone off in its own direction,
gone its own way
and become stuck
because it's gone off
the proper path.
And it's a reminder to us as well
of what path are we on?
Are we going the way
the Lord has gone?
Or are we thinking
we know a better way
and a way that we can find
peace for ourselves?
And we only end up stuck
in this life,
lost in this life.
So he's giving us a way.
He's giving us a promise
that he is with us as well.
Because you see here,
the sheep are passing through
the valley of the shadow of death.
And even though there are times
when as the Lord's people,
we have to go through
the most frightening
and the most dangerous
of places,
we have a promise
of a companion,
of a companion
who will never leave us.
And that was David's confidence.
Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil.
That we will be able
to say that ourselves today.
even though we go through
the valley of the shadow of death.
And we do.
We all do.
And we know others
who are going through it
even now.
But we have to see
that the Lord
is there for us.
And notice how it says
the valley of the shadow
of death.
It's like the shadow
is over us.
But a shadow
cannot harm us.
There was a father
who was driving
to his wife's funeral
with his children.
And as they were traveling
along the road,
they stopped
at some traffic lights.
And in front of them
was a big lorry,
a big lorry
with a trailer
on the back.
Because it was wintertime,
there was a long shadow
being cast from the lorry
across into the field
beside the road.
And the father said
to the children,
look at the shadow
of that truck.
If you had to be run over,
would you rather be run over
by the shadow
or the truck itself?
And one of the children
was piped up
from the back.
The shadow, of course,
because that cannot hurt anybody.
And the way he went on
to explain it then
was to remember
that Jesus let the truck
strike him.
So that all we could have
was the shadow
that would not destroy us.
And he went on to say
that because her mother
was a Christian
and because Jesus
had taken upon himself
all that pain of death,
that it was only the shadow
that had been cast on her.
That even now,
death passed over her
because she was alive
with the Lord.
And that's what this psalm
speaks of,
the valley of the shadow
of death.
Because of what Jesus
has done for us,
we know that he bore
that pain on the cross.
That it's only the shadow
that comes on us.
Because Jesus said,
I have come
that they might have life
and have it abundantly.
And the gospel of John
is full of life.
Life to the full.
And today,
I know some of you
are going through
your own grief.
You go through your worries
and your fears
and all of these things
are the valley
of the shadow of death.
But we can take heart
because the Lord
is with us.
He will not let
his people go.
And he is there
to comfort
by his rod
and his staff.
He came
that we might have
life
in him.
So we have that
sense of restoration.
He brings back.
He gives life.
He helps
even in the valley
of the shadow
of death.
death.
The final thing
we see here
just briefly
is there's preparation.
In verse 5
and verse 6,
you prepare a table
before me
in the presence
of my enemies.
So there's a sense
here of a feast,
of rejoicing,
that he brings us
through,
but that he is
preparing a better way,
a better place
for his people.
That Christ,
in Christ,
we have victory.
Romans 8
is full of that
as it speaks
of nothing
being able
to separate us
from the love
of God
which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Not even death
can separate us
from that love.
And so here
he is saying
he is preparing
a place
for his people.
And when you look
at, again,
the Gospel of John
as Jesus was going
to the cross,
as he was with
his disciples
before he went
out to the cross,
what does he say?
He says,
let not your hearts
be troubled.
Believe in God.
Believe also in me.
In my Father's house
are many rooms.
And I go
to prepare
a place
for you.
So there's preparation.
He is going
to prepare
a place
for you.
and he has
prepared
all things
for his people.
He has prepared
for us
for this day
while we are here
on earth.
And he says here
that he gives
a cup
that overflows.
You could ask
yourself,
then how is
your cup
today?
Even in the
difficulties
and trials
that we face,
if you are
trusting in the Lord,
he is able
to make your cup
overflow.
In these days
of David's time,
if you are visiting
and you were
a guest
in a house,
the host
would keep
filling the glass
as he was enjoying
your company.
But when
the time
was over,
when the evening
was coming
to a close,
the host
to indicate
that it was
time to leave,
instead of
filling the cup
up to the top,
would instead
only half fill it.
And that was
the indication
it's time
to go.
As long as
the cup
was being
filled,
you were there
and you were
enjoying his
company,
and he would
say,
he would be
saying,
I'm liking,
I'm enjoying
your company,
stay for a
while longer.
Well,
that's the image
that we have
here.
Not just
the host
filling the
cup,
but the cup
is overflowing.
He longs
to be with
his people.
And so he
promises help
for today
to his people.
He says in
verse 6,
Surely goodness
and mercy
shall follow
me all the
days of
my life.
He gives
grace.
That's what
goodness and
mercy sum up
to.
It sums up
to the grace
of God
that follow
all the days
of my life.
He is there
to give us
that grace
for everything
that we need.
And so what
do you want
for this life
day by day?
Where do
you find
your help?
You can find
it in the
grace that
he gives,
in the goodness
and mercy
that he gives
day by day.
But it says
too that there
is more to
come.
What do you
want for
eternity?
Do you
desire God's
house
forevermore?
That should
be the longing
of every
Christian.
To know
that hope
that there
is a place
not just
here
but for
all eternity
that we
can dwell
in his
house
forever.
And that's
what the
shepherd does.
He leads
us in
this life.
He leads
us by
his grace
day by day
but always
with that
reminder
that there
is more
to come.
And so
this psalm
is a
psalm
of great
comfort.
Comfort
in every
experience.
Comfort
day by
day.
Comfort
through times
of joy
and times
of sorrow
that he
gives grace
for all
of our
needs.
We are
familiar
with this
psalm.
You are
familiar with
it I'm
sure.
But what
does it
stir up
in your
soul
today?
Does it
stir up
that
contempt
where still
you say
but God
he allows
all these
difficulties.
How can
he be a
gracious
God?
Well we
can see
it because
of what
he has
done
for us
in giving
his son
to take
that death
upon himself
so that
only the
shadow
could touch
us.
But it
can also
breed
complacency
where we
become
complacent
with the
Lord.
And if
that's
you today
if you
are one
who is
complacent
today
perhaps
it's
time to
ask
yourself
do I
need
to return
to the
Lord
in this
way?
Do I
need to
come back
and see
for myself
the Lord
as my
shepherd
again?
We all
need
the Lord
as our
shepherd.
Somebody
said
about
this
psalm
if the
thought
of his
grace
here
and his
glory
there
in other
words the
grace that
he gives
for today
and the
glory of
eternity
the thought
of his
grace here
and his
glory there
don't light
your fire
then your
wood
must be
wet.
Isn't that
a good way
of putting
it?
If the
thought of
his grace
here and
his glory
there don't
light your
fire then
your wood
must be
wet.
Contempt
complacency
they can
pour water
on the
wood of
our fire
that burns.
Is your
wood wet
today?
As you
think of
the Lord
are you
stirred up
in your
soul
to think
of his
grace
for here
and now
and his
glory there
that we
long to
see.
May his
word not
just be
familiar to
us but
may we be
familiar more
and more
with the
shepherd it
speaks of
so that our
hearts would be
stirred up by
these words
to find
comfort
to find
grace in
time of
need
but also
to find
that hope
that longs
for better
that looks
to a place
of God's
dwelling
forevermore
and to
know the
shepherd
who leads
us there.
May his
word, may
this psalm
stir our
hearts in
that way.
Let us
pray.
Lord our
gracious God
we thank you
for the
wonder of
these words
words that
we sing
so often
words that
we are so
familiar with
and yet
words that
we need to
hear on a
daily basis
that we
need your
goodness and
mercy day
by day
here that
we need to
have that
hope that
we can look
forward to
a dwelling
place with
you forever
more and
it's all in
knowing the
shepherd, the
good shepherd
who came to
lay down his
life for his
sheep.
We pray
Lord today for
these words to
challenge us, to
convict us, that
we would not be
complacent or
that we would
not have contempt
towards him,
but that we
would have that
longing, that
desire to
know them
more and
to help all
who need you
in these ways
whether it's
times of the
still waters
and the
calmness of
life rejoicing
in you or
whether it's
going through
that valley of
the shadow
of death,
whatever place
we find
ourselves today
may we know
the rod and
the staff that
comfort, that
keep, that
uphold us
day by day.
So Lord be
with us, go
before us,
pardon our
sin, in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to
conclude by
singing to
God's praise
in Psalm 95.
Sing
Psalms version
page 126.
Psalm 95
We'll sing
from verse
1 down
to verse
8.
O come,
let us
joyfully
sing to
the Lord,
to the
rock of
salvation.
Let us
raise our
voice.
Let us
come before
him,
expressing our
thanks.
Let us
with loud
singing,
praise him
and rejoice.
We'll sing
from verse
1 to
verse 8
to God's
praise.
the
tune of
St. Daniel.
O come,
let us
joyfully
sing to
the Lord.
To the
rock of
salvation,
let us
raise our
voice.
Let us
come before
him,
expressing
our
thanks.
Let us
with light
singing,
praise him
and rejoice.
The
Lord is
the
great
God
King
over
all
gods.
The
earth's
deepest
places
he
holds
in
his
hand.
The
heights
of
the
mountains
belong
to
the
Lord.
The
oceans
are
his
and
he
formed
the
dry
land.
Come,
let us
bow
humbly
and
worship
the
Lord.
Let
us
kneel
before
him
our
make
God
in
prayer.
For
we
!
He
is
our
God.
He
shepherds
and feeds
us
in his
loving
care.
Today,
if you
hear
and attend
his
voice,
don't
harden
your
hearts
as you
did
on the
way.
In
menopause
desert
you
quarreled
with me,
you
quarreled
with me,
you
tested
my
patience
at
Massa
that
day.
After the
benediction,
I'll go to the door to my left.
We'll close with the benediction.
Now may grace,
mercy,
and peace from
God,
Father,
Son,
and Holy
Spirit rest upon
and abide with you
all now
and forevermore.
Amen.