WEBVTT 00:00:11.529 --> 00:00:15.669 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He 00:00:15.669 --> 00:00:19.129 makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads 00:00:19.129 --> 00:00:23.429 me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. 00:00:24.010 --> 00:00:27.730 He guides me in the paths of righteousness for 00:00:27.730 --> 00:00:32.090 his namesake. Even though I walk through the 00:00:32.090 --> 00:00:35.689 valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, 00:00:35.789 --> 00:00:40.770 for you are with me, your rod and your staff. 00:00:41.450 --> 00:00:45.549 They comfort me. You prepare a table before me 00:00:45.549 --> 00:00:48.350 in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my 00:00:48.350 --> 00:00:54.270 head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely, goodness 00:00:54.270 --> 00:00:58.070 and loving kindness will follow me all the days 00:00:58.070 --> 00:01:01.969 of my life, and I will dwell in the house of 00:01:01.969 --> 00:01:05.750 the Lord forever. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 00:01:07.409 --> 00:01:11.250 Father, we come to you this Lord's Day. Father, 00:01:11.290 --> 00:01:14.489 we thank you that we can gather together and 00:01:14.489 --> 00:01:16.950 worship you, and we thank you that we can gather 00:01:16.950 --> 00:01:20.590 together and hear from your word. Lord, we ask 00:01:20.590 --> 00:01:24.750 at this time that you would bless the ministry 00:01:24.750 --> 00:01:29.730 of your word. Lord, we know that if you don't 00:01:29.730 --> 00:01:31.890 bless your word, if you don't accompany your 00:01:31.890 --> 00:01:37.700 word, if the influence of your spirit is not 00:01:37.700 --> 00:01:41.340 present within our hearts and our minds, if He 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:43.739 does not bear witness to the truth of the Scriptures, 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:46.879 then everything that is preached and everything 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:51.140 that is said is useless and vain. So, Lord, we 00:01:51.140 --> 00:01:55.000 ask that Your Spirit would bless the ministry 00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:00.560 of Your ordained Word to our edification, strengthening, 00:02:00.859 --> 00:02:06.340 encouragement, contentment, and courage, Lord. 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:10.259 Father, we ask that you would use your word to 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:13.699 pierce the hearts of unbelieving men, to draw 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:16.740 them to yourself, that the Spirit of God would 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:20.900 give them new life in their souls. Lord, we ask 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:25.699 these things not in any right or authority that 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:29.479 we possess in and of ourselves, but Father, we 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:33.199 ask all of these things on the basis and in the 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:37.000 name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray these 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:40.800 things in his name. Amen. You may be seated. 00:02:47.419 --> 00:02:52.520 Today we're going to consider Psalm 23. If you 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:55.099 remember, a couple summers ago I preached through 00:02:55.099 --> 00:03:00.580 Psalm 51. And we just hunkered down there for 00:03:00.580 --> 00:03:05.650 a bit and studied the psalm. Sought to be faithful 00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:09.610 and exposit it and apply it in our lives. So 00:03:09.610 --> 00:03:12.430 several months ago I started prepping and thinking 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:18.430 about and feeling led to do Psalm 23. I think 00:03:18.430 --> 00:03:21.009 it will be edifying and encouraging and strengthening 00:03:21.009 --> 00:03:26.090 for us as a church and us as individuals in the 00:03:26.090 --> 00:03:33.870 body. Psalm 23 pictures the Lord as... a great 00:03:33.870 --> 00:03:40.069 shepherd of his sheep, his people. It's an individual 00:03:40.069 --> 00:03:45.270 psalm of thanksgiving. Some may consider it as 00:03:45.270 --> 00:03:49.810 a part of a triplet of psalms, Psalm 22, 23, 00:03:50.150 --> 00:03:54.449 and 24. I'm not sure exactly where I lie on that. 00:03:55.310 --> 00:03:59.930 But the psalm does encourage comfort, peace, 00:04:00.189 --> 00:04:05.710 courage, strength, And security in the knowledge 00:04:05.710 --> 00:04:11.569 that God providentially cares and watches over 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:16.029 his people. That he strengthens them. That he 00:04:16.029 --> 00:04:18.550 guards them. That he keeps them. That he protects 00:04:18.550 --> 00:04:22.810 them. That he blesses them. That he is full of 00:04:22.810 --> 00:04:28.689 lavish and abundant favor toward his people. 00:04:29.230 --> 00:04:33.240 So we're going to consider... Today, we're going 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:35.540 to consider the reality that God is called a 00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:38.980 shepherd. We're going to consider the fact that 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:44.980 God acts as a shepherd toward his people. And 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:46.819 then we're going to consider the fact that the 00:04:46.819 --> 00:04:50.720 Lord, who is called a shepherd, is also recognized 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:56.839 as a king in the second half of the psalm. So 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:58.959 we're going to do an overview of the psalm today, 00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:00.980 and then we'll pull some applications at the 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:04.490 end. Consider a few other things. And then for 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:08.889 the next several weeks, next couple of months 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:11.629 most likely, we're going to break the psalm down 00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:16.209 more precisely and spend time on each theme and 00:05:16.209 --> 00:05:19.490 part of the verse and portion of the scripture. 00:05:20.110 --> 00:05:24.089 So first this morning, let's consider that God 00:05:24.089 --> 00:05:29.769 is called a shepherd. We think about the Bible. 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:34.560 and the word of God, and think about all the 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:39.360 various ways that the scriptures use language 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:46.379 to convey who God is, and how he treats and how 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:51.300 he relates to his people. There's all kinds of 00:05:51.300 --> 00:05:53.920 different images that probably come to mind. 00:05:54.620 --> 00:05:59.480 One of the most prominent metaphors are... uses 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:02.660 of language in the Bible to describe God and 00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:06.839 his relation to his people is that of a shepherd 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:13.939 and sheep. So today, we're going to begin considering 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:18.720 this theme throughout the scriptures. We're going 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:22.279 to consider the reality that David here sees. 00:06:23.740 --> 00:06:31.259 Yahweh, his covenant God. As a shepherd to him. 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:37.139 As his shepherd in his life. Who watches over 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:40.920 him, guides him, directs him, protects him, preserves 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:48.319 him, and blesses him in his life. Now, in the 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:52.360 context of ancient Israel, shepherding was a 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:56.040 big thing. Because of the nature of that culture, 00:06:56.220 --> 00:07:00.579 their region, the agriculture. So this was something 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:05.120 that the people knew very, very well. They understood 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:11.120 the nature of a shepherd and his sheep. They 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:15.420 understood the unique interactions and the unique 00:07:15.420 --> 00:07:19.040 intricacies and the dynamics of that relationship. 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:23.089 They were always around it. It was... It was 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:26.370 something that was close to home for them. They 00:07:26.370 --> 00:07:33.050 could understand this language very, very well. 00:07:33.209 --> 00:07:38.449 And what about David himself? King David. King 00:07:38.449 --> 00:07:42.269 David was what, brothers and sisters? He was 00:07:42.269 --> 00:07:46.949 a shepherd before God called him and while God 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:49.810 called him and anointed him to be the future 00:07:49.810 --> 00:07:55.139 king of Israel. We can turn to Psalm 78, 70. 00:07:56.579 --> 00:08:04.120 And we'll see this. In Psalm 78. Starting in 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:08.680 verse 70. Listen to this. Speaking of King David. 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:15.740 He also chose David his servant and took him 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:22.399 from the sheepfolds. So God. calls David to be 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:29.160 king, and he calls him from the business of shepherding. 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:34.779 From the care of the ewes with the suckling lambs, 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:39.220 he brought him to shepherd Jacob, his people, 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:44.019 and Israel, his inheritance. So he shepherded 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:48.019 them according to the integrity of his heart 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:54.110 and guided them. with his skillful hands. So, 00:08:54.149 --> 00:09:01.309 in some ways, David is in a uniquely specific 00:09:01.309 --> 00:09:07.669 place where he can write this psalm because he 00:09:07.669 --> 00:09:11.129 understands a shepherd and a shepherd's outlook, 00:09:11.230 --> 00:09:13.850 what is required of a shepherd, a shepherd's 00:09:13.850 --> 00:09:19.769 heart, in a sense. And so we find... That David 00:09:19.769 --> 00:09:23.409 was a shepherd. He knew the ins and outs of that 00:09:23.409 --> 00:09:27.529 work. He knew the ins and outs of sheep. He knew 00:09:27.529 --> 00:09:30.649 the ins and outs of the shepherd's heart. But 00:09:30.649 --> 00:09:34.549 we also find in scripture that God himself willingly 00:09:34.549 --> 00:09:41.970 takes upon himself the role of shepherd. Or the 00:09:41.970 --> 00:09:46.549 title of shepherd. We could look at Ezekiel chapter 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:53.240 34. Starting in verse 11, where the Lord calls 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:58.820 himself a shepherd to his people. For thus says 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:02.679 the Lord God, Behold, I myself will search for 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.679 my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:09.779 for his herd in the day when he is among his 00:10:09.779 --> 00:10:13.340 scattered sheep, so I, speaking of the Lord, 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:17.539 so I will care for my sheep. and will deliver 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:20.500 them from all the places to which they were scattered 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:24.340 on a cloudy and gloomy day. I will bring them 00:10:24.340 --> 00:10:26.899 out from the peoples and gather them from the 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:29.360 country and bring them to their own land, and 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:32.500 I will feed them on the mountains of Israel by 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:35.059 the streams and in the inhabited places of the 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:39.559 land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:41.500 their grazing ground will be on the mountain 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:44.639 heights of Israel. There they will lie down on... 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:48.379 Good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:52.779 and mountains of Israel. That's God himself saying, 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:58.320 I am a shepherd to my people. I will watch over 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:02.059 my people. I will shepherd them. They are my 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:07.639 sheep. Nobody else's. I take care of them. That's 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:14.019 God willingly identifying himself. As a shepherd. 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:16.100 Now think about that for a moment brothers and 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:21.240 sisters. Think about the condescending love. 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:27.720 And grace of God. That he would willingly identify 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:33.820 himself. As the one who rounds up those wayward 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:38.340 sheep. Think about the reality of God's condescending 00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:42.980 mercy. And his condescending care. to stoop to 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:48.379 the place of a shepherd to watch over his people. 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:53.899 It wasn't the most glorious of tasks that a person 00:11:53.899 --> 00:12:00.399 could have in their life. Yet the Lord, in his 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:02.820 grace, in his mercy, in his loving kindness, 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:09.139 willingly chooses to identify himself as a shepherd 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:13.440 to his people. And we find that David's most 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:17.919 likely emulating. And he's learning from Jacob, 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:22.139 his forefather, as well. When at the end of Jacob's 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:28.299 life, he calls God the shepherd of his life all 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:31.919 his days. Because he sees God's providential 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:35.539 hand and God's guidance and his care at work 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:41.559 so clearly throughout his life. So we find that 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:44.019 God is called a shepherd. But consider also, 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:49.519 secondly, that God acts as a shepherd towards 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:55.120 his people. He treats his people as a shepherd. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:58.519 It would be one thing if a person says, I'm a 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:02.039 shepherd. I will call myself a shepherd. But 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:07.799 they're unwilling to actually treat the people 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:11.950 like a shepherd. It's like a person who would 00:13:11.950 --> 00:13:16.950 say, yes, I'll be a pastor. I would love the 00:13:16.950 --> 00:13:20.950 name and the title of pastor, but I refuse to 00:13:20.950 --> 00:13:26.029 love the people. I refuse to shepherd the people, 00:13:26.129 --> 00:13:30.529 to treat them as in accordance with the title 00:13:30.529 --> 00:13:36.289 or the rule. We don't find that with God. God 00:13:36.289 --> 00:13:39.139 says, yes, I am a shepherd. But then we find 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:42.240 that God treats his people like a shepherd. That 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:45.299 he acts like a shepherd towards them. We see 00:13:45.299 --> 00:13:50.720 this in verses 2 -3 and verse 4 of this text. 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:57.120 We find that he provides for his people. Notice 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:04.779 he says, I shall not want. Meaning, God's going 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:09.080 to provide for me. God has provided for me and 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:13.379 God will provide for me. He takes care of my 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:16.940 needs. I'm not going to need anything. I'm not 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:21.580 going to want anything. He recognized that God 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:25.860 provides for him. And how does God provide for 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:29.159 the psalmist, for David? How does God the Great 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:34.600 Shepherd provide for his lowly, needy people? 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.080 We find according to the text that he nourishes 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:43.779 his people. He cares for them. Listen to this. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:49.340 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:54.700 me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:59.799 He guides me in the paths of righteousness. That's 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:06.990 God concerned about the welfare. Of his people. 00:15:07.870 --> 00:15:13.169 Their condition. Their well -being. Their safety. 00:15:13.529 --> 00:15:18.509 Their peace. Their contentment. We read in Psalm. 00:15:20.610 --> 00:15:28.830 19. Just a few chapters before this. Starting 00:15:28.830 --> 00:15:34.399 in verses 7 and 8. The law of the Lord. Is perfect. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:39.779 Restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord. 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.379 Is sure. Making wise the simple. The precepts 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:49.240 of the Lord are right. Rejoicing the heart. The 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:51.980 commandments of the Lord. The commandment of 00:15:51.980 --> 00:15:58.139 the Lord. Is pure. Enlightening the eyes. It's 00:15:58.139 --> 00:16:00.799 not just that he nourishes his people. That he 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:03.919 cares for his people. But God gives His people 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:07.340 rest and He works in their heart to bring healing 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:10.720 and restoration and strength and joy and contentment 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.759 and peace and security and safety in their souls 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:17.399 so that they are conscious and aware of it, brothers 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:21.440 and sisters. This is the work of a shepherd. 00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:26.600 He nourishes His people. He gives rest to His 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:30.740 people. But we also see that He leads and guides. 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:37.820 His people. In this text. Consider where the 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:42.580 shepherd. Is leading. The sheep to. And what 00:16:42.580 --> 00:16:48.700 he's doing. The shepherd. In Psalm 23. Leads 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:53.500 them beside. Quiet waters. Now sheep. Because 00:16:53.500 --> 00:17:00.120 of their. Easily frightened nature. They don't 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:05.210 like fast. moving waters. They don't find rest 00:17:05.210 --> 00:17:11.509 near rivers. They can't cross rivers because 00:17:11.509 --> 00:17:17.289 they're incapable of it. They would die. The 00:17:17.289 --> 00:17:20.950 water would drown them. It frightens them. In 00:17:20.950 --> 00:17:23.309 that day and age, I found a chuckle of this when 00:17:23.309 --> 00:17:27.470 I was studying for this. Do you know what a shepherd 00:17:27.470 --> 00:17:30.190 would carry with them? They had various things 00:17:30.190 --> 00:17:32.849 that they would have with them. But one of the 00:17:32.849 --> 00:17:35.349 things the shepherd carried with him was a flute. 00:17:36.329 --> 00:17:39.369 Now why in the world would a shepherd need to 00:17:39.369 --> 00:17:44.250 carry a flute for his sheep? To calm their nerves. 00:17:45.349 --> 00:17:51.589 And to keep their spirits up. Think about that, 00:17:51.609 --> 00:17:55.069 brothers and sisters. That says something about 00:17:55.069 --> 00:17:57.910 the nature of the sheep, the neediness of the 00:17:57.910 --> 00:18:02.619 sheep, but also It says something about the heart 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:06.660 and the kindness and the care of the shepherd. 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.920 He doesn't lead them to waters that frighten 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:14.180 them. He brings them to green pastures where 00:18:14.180 --> 00:18:18.240 they can freely roam in safety, where they can 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:20.819 lie down and rest, and he brings them by waters 00:18:20.819 --> 00:18:23.440 that don't frighten them, that don't threaten 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:28.789 them. The shepherd cares for his sheep. And God 00:18:28.789 --> 00:18:33.470 cares for his people. And we know that because 00:18:33.470 --> 00:18:39.809 he treats his people like a shepherd treats his 00:18:39.809 --> 00:18:44.730 sheep. He leads them and he guides them. And 00:18:44.730 --> 00:18:47.410 David says that he does all of these things for 00:18:47.410 --> 00:18:53.250 his name. For his namesake. Because of who he 00:18:53.250 --> 00:18:59.480 is. He doesn't so much do it because the sheep 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:03.039 are so pretty, because the sheep are so cute. 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:07.740 He does it because of who he is, because of his 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:09.920 good name, because of his goodness, because of 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:14.480 his character. So in that, brothers and sisters, 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:17.140 there's great encouragement because there is 00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:21.640 promise in the reality that God performs the 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:23.900 role and function of a shepherd in the life of 00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:27.130 his people. for His good name and not for our 00:19:27.130 --> 00:19:36.230 name. Will God mar His name? Will God bring disrepute 00:19:36.230 --> 00:19:42.230 upon His name? Absolutely not. There is promise 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:47.470 found in those words. We can gain assurance and 00:19:47.470 --> 00:19:51.250 confidence that God will perform His role as 00:19:51.250 --> 00:19:56.730 provider, providential caretaker for his people. 00:19:57.130 --> 00:20:01.789 As sovereign over their lives. As a sovereign 00:20:01.789 --> 00:20:06.509 shepherd in the lives of his people because of 00:20:06.509 --> 00:20:12.650 his name. Because of who he is and what he is 00:20:12.650 --> 00:20:16.009 like. He provides for his people. So we know 00:20:16.009 --> 00:20:21.859 that he treats his people in accordance with 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:24.460 this metaphor and the language that David uses 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:29.660 as a shepherd to sheep. But we also see that 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:31.619 it's not just that he provides for his people. 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:37.180 He guards and keeps his people as well. Look 00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:41.480 at verse 4. Even though I walk through the valley 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:46.700 of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:51.069 are with me. And here it is. You're wrong. and 00:20:51.069 --> 00:20:59.210 your staff, they comfort me. The rod and the 00:20:59.210 --> 00:21:04.890 staff of the shepherd. Two other items that a 00:21:04.890 --> 00:21:07.970 shepherd of that day would carry with him. The 00:21:07.970 --> 00:21:12.890 rod was a shorter piece of wood with a large, 00:21:12.990 --> 00:21:18.849 almost bulky, round knob on the end. Now, we 00:21:18.849 --> 00:21:23.769 can imagine what the rod was used for. When bears 00:21:23.769 --> 00:21:28.910 or lions or predators would come at the sheep, 00:21:29.150 --> 00:21:32.650 the shepherd sheep, he would take out his rod 00:21:32.650 --> 00:21:35.549 and he'd beat them back. He'd take out the rod 00:21:35.549 --> 00:21:37.809 and he'd whack them in the head. He'd take out 00:21:37.809 --> 00:21:40.650 the rod and he'd strike them hard and he'd run 00:21:40.650 --> 00:21:42.769 them off. He would defend the sheep. He'd protect 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:45.250 the sheep. He'd keep the sheep that were his. 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:52.200 But what about his staff? The staff was a longer 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:56.519 stick and most likely had a hook or what would 00:21:56.519 --> 00:21:59.400 be called a crook on the end. We probably heard 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:03.640 the shepherd's crook. This wasn't used so much 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:08.779 for protection against outside forces, we could 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:12.579 say. The shepherd's crook or the shepherd's staff 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:17.779 was used more to keep the sheep. in line. If 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:20.079 a sheep started veering to the right and getting 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:22.799 wayward and going this way and say there's a 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:25.079 cliff or there's danger over there, we would 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:27.720 take his shepherd's crook and he'd reach out 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:30.259 with that loop on the end and he'd grab him by 00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:34.000 the leg and yank him back. He'd pull him back 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:36.660 in close to the flock. He wouldn't let him get 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:41.680 too far. Or, if he's in the middle of the sheep 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:44.930 and they start getting nervous, maybe thinking 00:22:44.930 --> 00:22:47.250 that he's not present and in their midst, he 00:22:47.250 --> 00:22:50.509 tapped them lightly. Letting them know that he's 00:22:50.509 --> 00:22:52.849 present and that he's with them, that he's in 00:22:52.849 --> 00:22:55.089 their midst, that they are close to him and that 00:22:55.089 --> 00:23:01.890 he is close to his flock. So the author of Psalm 00:23:01.890 --> 00:23:06.329 23, King David, who was a shepherd, he knows, 00:23:06.369 --> 00:23:12.759 brothers and sisters, that God is not just with 00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:18.380 him in the green pastures of his life. He knows 00:23:18.380 --> 00:23:22.119 that God is not just with him by the still waters. 00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:27.140 He knows that God is with him in the deep, dark 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:31.440 valleys of his life as well. And he looks to 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:35.119 the rod and the staff, the protection and the 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:41.200 keeping power of his king. of his God, of his 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:45.519 shepherd, to protect him and preserve him in 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:49.940 the midst of this valley of the shadow of darkness, 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:53.619 this trial, this hardship, whatever it might 00:23:53.619 --> 00:23:58.079 be in his life. He looks and he finds comfort 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:03.859 in the rod and staff of God. The protection and 00:24:03.859 --> 00:24:08.740 preservation and security of the Lord is the 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:14.640 source of great comfort, encouragement, and courage 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:19.920 for the psalmist, for David. Why do I say encourage? 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:25.519 Because, listen, he says, even though I walk 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:33.019 through the valley of the shadow of death. The 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:37.789 psalmist... Still says he walks through the valley 00:24:37.789 --> 00:24:42.970 of the shadow of death. He's not running like 00:24:42.970 --> 00:24:48.130 a frightened boy. He's calmly walking through 00:24:48.130 --> 00:24:53.130 the darkness. He's calmly and steadily taking 00:24:53.130 --> 00:24:56.109 one step after another, even though he doesn't 00:24:56.109 --> 00:24:58.309 know what's in front of him, even though he doesn't 00:24:58.309 --> 00:25:01.430 know what's around the corner. He's looking to 00:25:01.430 --> 00:25:03.990 the rod and staff of the shepherd for his peace, 00:25:04.130 --> 00:25:08.049 but also for his courage to walk through the 00:25:08.049 --> 00:25:13.670 darkness in his life, whatever it might be. David 00:25:13.670 --> 00:25:18.130 had a really balanced view. This is one of the 00:25:18.130 --> 00:25:20.069 things I appreciate about the psalm so much. 00:25:20.990 --> 00:25:24.329 David had a really, really balanced view of himself 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:29.880 and God's providence and God's care. in his life. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:33.440 Why do I say that? Well, here's what I mean by 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:38.359 that. David knew that God would provide for him. 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:42.339 He knew that the Lord would care for him, that 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:45.180 he would nourish him, lead him, guide him, and 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:51.900 he knew that the Lord would be with him. But 00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:57.839 he had no expectation that he was exempt From 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:03.440 those dark valleys. He had no expectation that 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:09.000 he was exempt from the reality that all men endure 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:14.200 and experience. The valley of the shadow of death. 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:22.420 Trial. Hardship. Suffering. Difficulty. Pain. 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:28.869 Sickness. Loss. Hopelessness. Trial, brothers 00:26:28.869 --> 00:26:34.769 and sisters, David knew because he's a man living 00:26:34.769 --> 00:26:37.890 in a fallen world that was full of sin. He knew 00:26:37.890 --> 00:26:41.410 that he would go through trials in his life. 00:26:42.210 --> 00:26:45.230 He knew that he would go through hardships in 00:26:45.230 --> 00:26:51.549 his life. But he knew that his God would be with 00:26:51.549 --> 00:26:57.019 him in and through those trials. And he found 00:26:57.019 --> 00:27:03.339 great, strong encouragement and comfort in that 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:08.599 reality. But he also knew that the shepherd would 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:13.539 bring him through the valley. The shepherd wouldn't 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:17.660 exempt him from these trials either. The shepherd 00:27:17.660 --> 00:27:21.759 knew what was best for the sheep. And so David 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:26.500 had a very well -balanced view of himself. and 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:29.680 a very well -balanced view of providence and 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:35.859 God's care in his life. There's an idea oftentimes, 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:40.880 I think, and it's not even associated with the 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:45.420 prosperity gospel and modern Christianity. I 00:27:45.420 --> 00:27:49.880 think there's the idea, at times, that people 00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:52.640 think, well, I'm going to become a member of 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:56.579 the church. I've been saved. The Lord has given 00:27:56.579 --> 00:28:00.000 me a new life. He's regenerated my heart. I love 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:03.059 the Lord. I desire to seek the Lord. God is so 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:06.460 good. God is so faithful. And I think there's 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:10.279 the idea sometimes that because that has taken 00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:13.839 place, because God has saved you and brought 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:16.640 you into the flock, that all of a sudden our 00:28:16.640 --> 00:28:20.559 problems are going to disappear. The hardships 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:24.859 are going to go away. The trials and the struggles 00:28:24.859 --> 00:28:29.759 are going to gradually dissipate in life. But 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:32.700 brothers and sisters, that's not how Christianity 00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:38.700 works. The reality is that God saves us in a 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:44.740 fallen world. God rescues us from our sins and 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:48.660 the penalty of our sins as a result of Christ's 00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:51.289 work. But listen, brothers and sisters, He does 00:28:51.289 --> 00:28:54.289 not deliver us from the presence of sin in this 00:28:54.289 --> 00:28:58.750 life. We are still surrounded by sinful men. 00:28:58.869 --> 00:29:01.710 We are still surrounded by sinful people. We 00:29:01.710 --> 00:29:04.230 are still surrounded by a sinful culture. And 00:29:04.230 --> 00:29:11.910 we still have a remnant of sin within us. Christianity 00:29:11.910 --> 00:29:18.960 doesn't fix all the problems in the world. Brothers 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:22.819 and sisters, Christianity saves us while we're 00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:26.000 in the world. And Christ keeps us in the world. 00:29:26.019 --> 00:29:29.759 This is why he prays in John 17 to protect them 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:33.599 from the evil one while they're in the world. 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:40.319 Do we respond to things differently as believers? 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:44.920 Yes. Do we solve a great deal of issues in our 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:48.079 life? Because we've been awakened and our faculties 00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:50.980 have been alive and we start being who God made 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:56.059 us to be in life? Yes. But that does not deal 00:29:56.059 --> 00:30:00.380 with the presence and reality of sin in our lives 00:30:00.380 --> 00:30:06.980 and in our world. David knew this very well. 00:30:07.299 --> 00:30:09.779 But he knew that no matter what came his way, 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:15.549 no matter what came at him, God, his great shepherd, 00:30:15.730 --> 00:30:20.410 would be with him. And he could find great comfort 00:30:20.410 --> 00:30:26.410 in that reality. So God acts like a shepherd 00:30:26.410 --> 00:30:34.170 toward his people. Now, we find that the imagery 00:30:34.170 --> 00:30:39.230 and the tone of the psalm changes now. When we 00:30:39.230 --> 00:30:42.250 get to verse 5, the pictures start to change. 00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:46.440 He's been playing off of this image of a shepherd 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:51.160 and sheep, and now we find in verse 5, you prepare 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:54.220 a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:30:55.079 --> 00:31:01.000 You have anointed my head with oil. My cup overflows. 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:05.980 This leads us to the third thing. We have to 00:31:05.980 --> 00:31:09.539 consider that the Lord, who is a shepherd to 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:17.319 his people, as a king who abundantly blesses 00:31:17.319 --> 00:31:21.880 his people as well. So there's still continuity 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:29.660 in the psalm between verses 1 -4 and 5 -6. But 00:31:29.660 --> 00:31:32.640 there's also some discontinuity in the text as 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:35.539 well. But we can't tear these two things apart, 00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:37.660 and I don't think David wants us to tear these 00:31:37.660 --> 00:31:41.789 two things apart. Shepherd? And king who's hosting 00:31:41.789 --> 00:31:46.490 his subjects for a banquet. So what do we find 00:31:46.490 --> 00:31:51.490 in Psalm 23? We don't just find a shepherd who 00:31:51.490 --> 00:31:54.769 cares for his people. But brothers and sisters, 00:31:54.809 --> 00:31:59.750 we find a sovereign. A king who blesses his people. 00:31:59.849 --> 00:32:02.490 So we have, when we bring those two things together, 00:32:02.690 --> 00:32:07.750 the shepherd king of Israel. The one who rules 00:32:07.750 --> 00:32:14.930 over his people. as a kind, loving, caring shepherd 00:32:14.930 --> 00:32:21.630 in their lives. As a shepherd king, God serves 00:32:21.630 --> 00:32:27.230 his people. We see this in verse 5. You prepare 00:32:27.230 --> 00:32:31.869 a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 00:32:32.029 --> 00:32:38.160 What's he doing? He's hosting his subjects. He's 00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:41.339 feasting with his subjects. He's welcoming them 00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:46.799 in to his home, to his palace maybe. He's welcoming 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:49.740 them to the table. And he's feeding them food. 00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:53.400 He's serving them. And he anoints their head 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:59.619 with oil. He shows favor and honor to them. And 00:32:59.619 --> 00:33:05.119 then David says, my cup overflows. Speaking about 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:10.240 the abundant. lavish nature of the king's blessing, 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:15.640 of the king's grace and his mercy that he's bestowed 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:23.019 upon him. Now this is amplified in a sense because 00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:27.500 it's juxtaposed and it's taking place in the 00:33:27.500 --> 00:33:32.960 presence of enemies. Think about that. David 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:37.019 is saying God favors me. God blesses me. God 00:33:37.019 --> 00:33:40.599 is with me. God anoints my head with oil. God 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:43.400 gives me blessing in the presence of enemies 00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:48.559 who hate me. It's amplifying the character and 00:33:48.559 --> 00:33:51.960 the nature of God's grace and his mercy and the 00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:55.680 life of his people. Because, he says, there's 00:33:55.680 --> 00:34:00.200 those around him who despise him, who oppose 00:34:00.200 --> 00:34:06.720 him, who are enemies to him. As a result of David 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:10.340 considering the Lord's faithful provision, his 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:14.739 leading, his guiding, his direction, his nourishment, 00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:21.519 his preservation, his protection, as a result 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:25.760 of these things, we find that David comes to 00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:30.559 this point of crescendo in verse 6, where he 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:35.090 says, Surely, Goodness and loving kindness will 00:34:35.090 --> 00:34:39.210 follow me all the days of my life. And I will 00:34:39.210 --> 00:34:42.750 dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What 00:34:42.750 --> 00:34:48.190 we find here is that David, as a result of contemplating 00:34:48.190 --> 00:34:52.849 and dwelling on the glorious character of God 00:34:52.849 --> 00:34:55.409 and how he relates to his people, the abundant 00:34:55.409 --> 00:35:00.510 blessing of God upon his people, of being a sheep, 00:35:01.449 --> 00:35:06.469 in his flock, what it does is it persuades him, 00:35:06.530 --> 00:35:11.389 it convinces him that God's loving kindness and 00:35:11.389 --> 00:35:15.230 his goodness will pursue him and will continue 00:35:15.230 --> 00:35:21.409 with him all his days. He's been so faithful 00:35:21.409 --> 00:35:25.070 to me in the past. He's been with me through 00:35:25.070 --> 00:35:29.150 the darkness. He was there when I fought the 00:35:29.150 --> 00:35:32.159 giant. He was present with me. He was there when 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:37.519 I was in the caves of Adullam. And the military 00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:40.300 warriors served me and brought me water because 00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:43.960 I was thirsty. And brothers and sisters, David 00:35:43.960 --> 00:35:47.739 is confident and he's persuaded that God was 00:35:47.739 --> 00:35:50.940 not just with him in the past, that God was not 00:35:50.940 --> 00:35:53.460 just with him in the dark days, but that God 00:35:53.460 --> 00:35:56.139 would be with him in the future. That God would 00:35:56.139 --> 00:35:59.570 be with him all the days of his life. He's convinced 00:35:59.570 --> 00:36:02.670 of it because he's been dwelling on these realities. 00:36:03.989 --> 00:36:10.309 He's persuaded of it. Now, there's a progression 00:36:10.309 --> 00:36:14.989 in this psalm, if you've noticed that. It starts 00:36:14.989 --> 00:36:18.730 out with him saying, I'm not lacking anything. 00:36:18.949 --> 00:36:21.909 And it ends with him almost in jubilation where 00:36:21.909 --> 00:36:25.269 he says, surely goodness and loving kindness 00:36:25.269 --> 00:36:28.380 will follow me all the days of my life. It's 00:36:28.380 --> 00:36:31.719 progressing. It's building. Why? Because he's 00:36:31.719 --> 00:36:36.900 considering the benefits and the blessings of 00:36:36.900 --> 00:36:40.880 being in a covenantal relationship with the living 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:47.960 God who is a covenant -keeping God. He's been 00:36:47.960 --> 00:36:52.900 considering who God is and how God treats him, 00:36:53.039 --> 00:36:58.610 just as a shepherd treats sheep. So consider 00:36:58.610 --> 00:37:04.309 with me, lastly, the presuppositions, the relevance 00:37:04.309 --> 00:37:07.449 and the applications of these things. Just a 00:37:07.449 --> 00:37:13.030 few things that are really important as we consider 00:37:13.030 --> 00:37:18.289 this psalm. There's a few necessary presuppositions 00:37:18.289 --> 00:37:21.429 that we have to grasp when we think about this 00:37:21.429 --> 00:37:28.559 text. The first is the psalm presupposes. A benevolent, 00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:33.239 covenantal relationship between God and his people. 00:37:33.900 --> 00:37:38.860 Think about a shepherd and sheep. The shepherd 00:37:38.860 --> 00:37:41.000 doesn't do what he does for the sheep because 00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:45.860 he hates the sheep. The shepherd doesn't do what 00:37:45.860 --> 00:37:47.739 he does for the sheep. He doesn't treat the sheep 00:37:47.739 --> 00:37:51.380 as he does because he dislikes the sheep. Because 00:37:51.380 --> 00:37:53.719 he doesn't care for the sheep. No, he does it 00:37:53.719 --> 00:37:56.429 because... There's benevolence in that relationship. 00:37:57.210 --> 00:38:02.889 He cares for them. He loves them. He has their 00:38:02.889 --> 00:38:08.250 best interest in mind. And the same is true of 00:38:08.250 --> 00:38:14.269 God and his people. God loves his people. God 00:38:14.269 --> 00:38:19.210 cares about his people. He has their best interest 00:38:19.210 --> 00:38:30.079 in mind. But you have to be in that benevolent 00:38:30.079 --> 00:38:34.559 covenant -keeping relationship if you are to 00:38:34.559 --> 00:38:38.679 be the benefactor of that relationship. Meaning, 00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:47.219 God's not benevolent toward all men, is he? God 00:38:47.219 --> 00:38:53.579 doesn't love all men with a saving love. Otherwise 00:38:53.579 --> 00:38:56.980 all men would be saved. Is that not correct, 00:38:57.159 --> 00:39:01.440 brothers and sisters? An effective saving love? 00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:05.800 A particular, benevolent, good, kind, merciful, 00:39:06.059 --> 00:39:09.860 saving, effectual love which delivers them from 00:39:09.860 --> 00:39:14.320 sin. God does not love all men like that, but 00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:17.460 he does love some men like that undeservedly. 00:39:21.199 --> 00:39:27.360 So this... begs the question, are you in a benevolent 00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:32.139 covenant relationship with God? Because Psalm 00:39:32.139 --> 00:39:36.960 23 is only for those in this benevolent relationship. 00:39:39.179 --> 00:39:42.639 Or are you one of the enemies spoken of in Psalm 00:39:42.639 --> 00:39:47.860 23? One of the threats and the dangers to the 00:39:47.860 --> 00:39:52.349 flock of the living God. You see, in John chapter 00:39:52.349 --> 00:39:56.469 10, Jesus is called the good shepherd that lays 00:39:56.469 --> 00:40:02.110 down his life for the sheep. And if you don't 00:40:02.110 --> 00:40:04.630 know the good shepherd by faith and repentance, 00:40:04.829 --> 00:40:07.590 and if the good shepherd has not laid his life 00:40:07.590 --> 00:40:12.550 down for you, if the good shepherd has not known 00:40:12.550 --> 00:40:14.670 your name, if he does not know your name and 00:40:14.670 --> 00:40:17.110 call you by name, and you hear his voice and 00:40:17.110 --> 00:40:20.559 respond and come to him, then you are not in 00:40:20.559 --> 00:40:23.860 a benevolent, loving relationship or a covenantal 00:40:23.860 --> 00:40:27.920 relationship in that sense with God. Everybody 00:40:27.920 --> 00:40:30.940 is in a covenantal relationship with the living 00:40:30.940 --> 00:40:36.380 God. Every single person. But not every single 00:40:36.380 --> 00:40:39.019 person is in a benevolent relationship with Him. 00:40:40.159 --> 00:40:46.820 God either relates to you in Adam with condemnation 00:40:46.820 --> 00:40:51.260 and wrath Or he relates to you through Christ. 00:40:51.739 --> 00:40:56.360 In Christ. With Christ as your head. With love. 00:40:56.699 --> 00:41:03.300 And mercy. And grace. And benevolence. Psalm 00:41:03.300 --> 00:41:11.380 23 is for those in Christ. Psalm 23 benefits 00:41:11.380 --> 00:41:14.300 and blesses and edifies and strengthens those 00:41:14.300 --> 00:41:21.510 in Christ. Those who are a sheep, and he is their 00:41:21.510 --> 00:41:27.090 shepherd, they can say, he is my shepherd. And 00:41:27.090 --> 00:41:32.250 he can say that they are my sheep. But this psalm 00:41:32.250 --> 00:41:39.789 doesn't just presume or presuppose a benevolent 00:41:39.789 --> 00:41:44.210 relationship. It also, if we are to benefit from 00:41:44.210 --> 00:41:48.260 it, as believers, it presupposes That we as the 00:41:48.260 --> 00:41:53.199 people of God are what? Where do we fall at in 00:41:53.199 --> 00:41:59.000 the metaphor? We are the sheep. Now some of you 00:41:59.000 --> 00:42:01.659 hear that and you think and you say, I don't 00:42:01.659 --> 00:42:05.139 want to be a sheep. I would much rather be a 00:42:05.139 --> 00:42:09.940 bear. A big, strong, mighty bear. Some of you 00:42:09.940 --> 00:42:12.079 hear that and you say, no, I want to be a roaring, 00:42:12.280 --> 00:42:18.889 powerful, bold lion. But, And the analogy that 00:42:18.889 --> 00:42:26.289 David uses here, you are a sheep. And you have 00:42:26.289 --> 00:42:30.849 to be a sheep. And you must see yourself as a 00:42:30.849 --> 00:42:34.050 sheep if you are to be blessed and to benefit 00:42:34.050 --> 00:42:38.530 from this psalm. Why? What good does this psalm 00:42:38.530 --> 00:42:43.369 do you if you're the shepherd in your own store? 00:42:47.440 --> 00:42:51.460 What good does this do you if you're the one 00:42:51.460 --> 00:42:58.039 in charge of your own life? What good does this 00:42:58.039 --> 00:43:03.039 psalm do, brothers and sisters, for you if you're 00:43:03.039 --> 00:43:08.199 not wayward like a sheep? What good does this 00:43:08.199 --> 00:43:11.840 psalm do you if you are not weak and frightful 00:43:11.840 --> 00:43:16.539 and fearful like a sheep? What good does this 00:43:16.539 --> 00:43:19.239 psalm do you, brothers and sisters, if you are 00:43:19.239 --> 00:43:22.920 not weak and helpless and needy in need of God 00:43:22.920 --> 00:43:27.539 who is your shepherd? You have to think about 00:43:27.539 --> 00:43:31.460 yourself rightly if you are to be benefited and 00:43:31.460 --> 00:43:34.059 blessed and strengthened and edified and encouraged 00:43:34.059 --> 00:43:39.519 and comforted by this psalm. Listen. Recognize 00:43:39.519 --> 00:43:44.480 your weakness and give yourself to it. Look at 00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:48.159 your inadequacies and say, Lord, I am not in 00:43:48.159 --> 00:43:52.380 control of my life. I am not the captain of my 00:43:52.380 --> 00:43:55.320 own ship. I don't know what's going to come tomorrow. 00:43:55.440 --> 00:44:01.559 But Lord, your rod and your staff. Give in to 00:44:01.559 --> 00:44:05.179 the weakness and let it drive you and compel 00:44:05.179 --> 00:44:10.119 you to him and his mighty strength. Him and his 00:44:10.119 --> 00:44:15.409 mighty power. to sustain you and strengthen you 00:44:15.409 --> 00:44:21.849 and preserve you. You must see yourself as a 00:44:21.849 --> 00:44:27.889 weak, needy, frightened, wayward sheep with all 00:44:27.889 --> 00:44:33.590 those tendencies that you might recognize and 00:44:33.590 --> 00:44:37.929 see him rightly as the one with the rod and the 00:44:37.929 --> 00:44:41.010 staff and the one who leads and guides, the one 00:44:41.010 --> 00:44:46.960 who nourishes. Now, understanding these presuppositions, 00:44:46.960 --> 00:44:54.559 we can see how relevant this text is. Because 00:44:54.559 --> 00:45:00.820 of the universality of pain, suffering, hardship, 00:45:01.039 --> 00:45:05.539 trial, and need in the life of every believer. 00:45:06.960 --> 00:45:13.380 Every single one. Do you know why a person Is 00:45:13.380 --> 00:45:19.920 saved. Do you know why salvation is by grace. 00:45:21.880 --> 00:45:25.920 And not by works of the law. Do you know why 00:45:25.920 --> 00:45:28.099 God saves you according to his loving kindness. 00:45:28.280 --> 00:45:30.900 And his mercy. And not according to your deeds 00:45:30.900 --> 00:45:35.300 and your works. It's because you are incapable 00:45:35.300 --> 00:45:43.750 of saving yourself. It must be by grace. It must 00:45:43.750 --> 00:45:47.130 be according to his works. The works of Christ 00:45:47.130 --> 00:45:51.789 and his righteousness. It must be according to 00:45:51.789 --> 00:45:58.690 him. Every single believer can benefit from Psalm 00:45:58.690 --> 00:46:06.070 23. Every single one. Because every single believer 00:46:06.070 --> 00:46:11.949 will go through times of darkness. And every 00:46:11.949 --> 00:46:15.190 single believer will walk through green pastures. 00:46:16.150 --> 00:46:20.690 All of them. Now I think that younger believers 00:46:20.690 --> 00:46:28.250 will struggle more with Psalm 23. Why? Because 00:46:28.250 --> 00:46:34.389 many times younger people haven't walked through 00:46:34.389 --> 00:46:38.070 the valley of the shadow of death as those who 00:46:38.070 --> 00:46:42.320 have more experience have. They won't necessarily 00:46:42.320 --> 00:46:47.719 see the beauty and the grandeur of Psalm 23, 00:46:47.920 --> 00:46:54.079 but you will need it, young person. The day will 00:46:54.079 --> 00:47:00.099 come when hardship will come upon you. The day 00:47:00.099 --> 00:47:05.039 will come when trial is your time. The day will 00:47:05.039 --> 00:47:10.739 come when testing is in your life. And you'll 00:47:10.739 --> 00:47:14.960 look to Psalm 23 for hope and strength. Now, 00:47:14.980 --> 00:47:17.900 there's two simple, straightforward applications 00:47:17.900 --> 00:47:22.900 of this text. The first is that the knowledge 00:47:22.900 --> 00:47:29.340 of God as our shepherd king keeps us from waywardness 00:47:29.340 --> 00:47:33.139 in our life. It keeps us from excesses in our 00:47:33.139 --> 00:47:36.599 life. It keeps us from presumptuousness in our 00:47:36.599 --> 00:47:42.849 lives. It reminds us where our help comes from. 00:47:43.309 --> 00:47:46.550 It reminds us where our comfort comes from. Not 00:47:46.550 --> 00:47:51.570 in here. And it keeps us from presumptuousness 00:47:51.570 --> 00:47:55.429 in that we provide for ourselves. We care for 00:47:55.429 --> 00:47:58.289 ourselves. We take care of ourselves. No, brothers 00:47:58.289 --> 00:47:59.929 and sisters, that's the job of the shepherd. 00:48:01.650 --> 00:48:05.889 That's the job of our great shepherd king. But 00:48:05.889 --> 00:48:10.170 it also, if we... Take this knowledge from Psalm 00:48:10.170 --> 00:48:13.989 23. When we meditate on it and we dwell upon 00:48:13.989 --> 00:48:15.969 it, when the Spirit of God applies it to our 00:48:15.969 --> 00:48:19.510 hearts, just as the psalm has a progression, 00:48:19.730 --> 00:48:27.650 this truth can bring us to great comfort, strength, 00:48:27.949 --> 00:48:34.949 security, peace, joy, and courage in our lives 00:48:34.949 --> 00:48:35.869 as believers.