The Lord is my shepherd and I am nothing but a dumb sheep.
The Bible describes us, not as wise owls or as strong lions, no it depicts men as sheep. Sheep are dumb animals who without a shepherd to guide them will wander off the path into all kinds of danger and trouble. The 23rd Psalm is probably the most known Bible reading; even many non-disciples of Jesus are familiar with it. The reason for that is we truly are like lost sheep. Isaiah described us just that way in Isaiah 53:6 saying, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” But good news fellow sheep; God has sent us a shepherd.
Psalm 23:1
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. “
Psalm 84:11 gives us a promise that He will withhold no good thing. So whatever it is in your life you are lacking you can trust that if it was good for you right now He would provide it. You and I do not know what is best for ourselves. We are just dumb sheep.
Psalm 23:2
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
Sheep tend to get all worked up and they at times need the shepherd to apply pressure on them to make them lie down. Our shepherd will do this too. Sometimes we need an illness to get us to lie down and just have to depend on God. Sometimes we need a little affliction to drives us to a despair which causes us to give up on self and to just rest in Him. Sometimes we need to feel alone and have no choice but to seek Jesus in our loneliness. These are the times when Jesus is allowing us to be pressed down so we will look up for Him. We are just dumb sheep.
Then we when we get settled down a little He leads us to the still waters where we can drink deeply of His love. Jesus speaks to us clearly in John 7:37-38 saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” We dumb sheep need to be led to the water.
Psalm 23:3
“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
To restore our soul means Jesus brings back our souls. Our sinfulness messes up our minds and emotions, we get ourselves all out of sync. We run to drugs, alcohol, and even often to secular psychology trying to get our souls to feel right again. But only Jesus can restore our souls and then lead us to the “paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” First we are saved by His blood then He works on us the rest of our earthly lives to conform us into His likeness.
Psalm 23:4
“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.”
The world seems scary and if we are not carful our fears and our depression can lead us to be so afraid we become unproductive in our walk. But notice that those who are led by the Great Shepherd merely walk in the valley of the “shadow” of death. Shadows, though they project a scary image cannot hurt you. Without light there are no shadows. Jesus is that light and if there is a shadow then He is also there. But Jesus does not leave us in that valley; He takes us through it. And as He does we can trust that He will use His rod to beat off those wild animals that want to hurt us and His staff will used to keep us on the safe path for like sheep without it we will stray. We are just dumb sheep.
Psalm 23:5
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
In the midst of our worst enemies Jesus had prepared a safe place to find sustenance. At the table of communion we can sit with Him and eat and drink. As we do see we can remember that His blood has covered our sin and we are safe under that umbrella. The oil He anoints us with is His Holy Spirit who will teach us and guide us in His ways.
Psalm 23:6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
The word surely here is not a question; it is a word meaning certainly. If you are in the flock of Jesus then this final promise of the 23rd psalm is yours. Take hold of this Psalm and commit it to memory and preach it to yourself every time you get afraid. Preach it to yourself every time you stray off the path. Preach it to yourself every time you go to worship and praise God.
We may be just dumb sheep but we have the Greatest Shepherd of all time leading us to the Promised Land. David knew the truth of this Psalm. Job knew it as he declares this in Job 19:25 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”
Maybe you feel as if you have gone too far and there is no hope. Not so my friend. Hear the words of Jesus Himself as he addressed this very concern.
Luke 15:3-7
“So he told them this parable:
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Are you a dumb sheep? I am. But that’s ok. For I don’t need to find my own way and I do not need to protect myself for “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. “ How about you?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment