One of the jobs of a shepherd is to lead his sheep. It is, if I am not mistaken, Scougal the author of that little book The Life of God in the Soul of Man takes a review of life, looks back upon its prominent events, its afflictions and its trials, and upon his inward experience, and ends all by saying, "I am this day such and such an age, and I bless God that ever I was born." II. You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over. Many of us feel tired, jaded, discouraged, and flat. We came to this Psalm looking to be refreshed. The storm may roar without me, My heart may low be laid, Bnt God is round about me, And can I be dismayed? Worship In The Wilderness. Plenty for Today (23:5) David writes, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. But I think that David is looking beyond His days in this world. II. Then comes the assurance of expectation and hope. In giving this emphatic testimony to the nobleness of mercy David does but voice the dearest assurances of the human heart concerning the omnipotence of love. They can stab me in the back! Now, in context, the sheep here is apparently returning to the shepherd's house. God often uses material things to speak to us about spiritual things. For posting on the web, a link to this document on our website (OpentheBible.org) is preferred. xxiii. So whatever you might think about in your last moments, look to Jesus. In the midst of affliction my table is spread; With blessings unmeasured my cup. 1. Scriptures:
4. The guiding God: or the picture of the leading. Psalm 23:5Whitehouse church of Christ - Alabamahttps://thewhitehousechurchofchrist.com/https://www.facebook.com/whitehousechurchofchrist/whitehouse@thewhiteh. 1. Goodness to creatures; mercy to sinful creatures. Picture what it was like for David to write this Psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 29.) He begins to think about what that means. And no shepherd would ever be without them. S. B. Ps. Our first aim in this series has been to encourage. If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment. Ill will or bad purpose on His part is inconceivable. Please follow along as I read Psalm 23:1-6: 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Who in his right mind would choose to be a shepherd? And when he looks beyond the days of his life in this world he sees what comes after: The joy of eternity in the immediate presence of the Lord. Who is this one who is my shepherd? "Shall follow me." Old battles will be over, old wounds will be healed. On that Sunday, I said that I was going to suspend my series on The Life of David and begin a series of meditations that I called, Hope in Troubled Times. This is the last in that series of meditations, because we plan to resume corporate worship services this coming Lords Day on Sunday, May 31, 2020, at which time I shall continue my series on The Life of David.. They will run in wide arcs over the hills, chasing the sheep in the direction the shepherd wants them to go. This language implies the assurance, on his part, of the existence of a state of future blessedness. I. And then comes the good man's utterance of his subjective feelings after taking this review of life. Our weekly email connects you to the latest content and resources. And the last thought is, that the best way to be able to end life with an utterance like this is to begin it well. Sin leads me in paths of unrighteousness which I pursue for my own sake. To the venerable lord and most blessed father, Malachy, by the grace of God archbishop of the Irish, legate of the Apostolic See, Brother Bernard called to be abbot of Clairvaux, [desiring] to find grace with the Lord. Jonathan Edwards points out that the joys of heaven will accumulate. It promises much, but it always disappoints. I. That is good news, because if God chased after us in justice we would all be in trouble. 1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. There are places in Scripture that are powerful, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them. 2) THE CERTAINTY OF IT (PSALM 23:6) a) "Surely, I will dwell in the house of the Lord." i) No if's, and's, or but's about it; it's a sure thing. Work while it is day. Goodness is God giving us what we dont deserve. The great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me. Psalm 23:6: All the Days of My Life: W. Forsyth : Psalm 23:6: . Dr. Philip W. McLarty. II. Have follow'd me through all my days; Thy strengthening staff, and guiding rod, Upheld my steps, made straight my ways: Lord, till I reach thy holy hill, Goodness and mercy guard me still. He has bound Himself by His own promise to be merciful and forgiving. Psalm 23 is an exercise in faith. The greatest blessing you can know in life is to be wholly owned by the Son of God. The joys you experience in life remain with you. Today the familiarity, poetry, and beauty of the 23rd psalm have a different tone. 25. It's, by far, one of the most familiar passages of scripture in the Bible. But man is not a mere intellectual being; he is a moral being, a spiritual being, and therefore he cannot dwell here. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Open the Bible, 1-877-673-6365. Wherever He may guide me, No want shall turn me back; My Shepherd is beside me, And nothing can I lack. He gave Himself to you, and He calls you to follow Him. 2. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. Psalm 23:1-6 shows us the Lords provision for his people. fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons. Psalm 23:6b. These are just the two things into which God's beneficence, generally considered, naturally divides itself. And Samuel said, How can I go? These capacities and affections of mine, the stirring of a spiritual life within me, were never made to find their perfection here. SUPPORT UNDER LIFE'S TRIALS. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. Enlarge it towards the sunny south; take in many a piece of ground which is now covered by worldly occupations, business, or pleasure. Yet Jehovah has chosen to be our shepherd, David says. Now here is where a shift takes place in this psalm. He leads me beside still waters. --PSALM xxiii. [924] (Epistle 341.) Its guilt dogs my steps. Its sins are ever at my heels. If I could only get away from the past! David led the sheep, .read more. Surely, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." As one scholar said, "The psalm itself is green pasture; the psalm itself is still water; the psalm itself restores my soul." Hear it again in the joyous voice of a . I have walked through some dark valleys and more lie ahead of me. But not so man: man is a rational being. Campuses in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Itasca, Marengo, Northfield, and Vernon Hills. 25. Enlarge it towards the east, where we look for our Saviour's coming. In one, 'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Though I walk the downward shade, Deepening through the vale of death, Yet I will not be afraid, But, with my departing breath, I will glory in my God, In my Saviour I will trust, Strengthen'd by His staff and rod, While this body falls to dust. An Expositional Sermon Psalm 23:1-6 "The LORD Is My Shepherd" Theme/Big Idea: God is our greatest need and He overflowingly meets that need in Himself. It is when "the hoary head is a crown of glory, being found in the way of righteousness" when there are no marks upon the countenance of extinct volcanoes, dark shadows from wrought-out passions, impressions of darkness and crime, but when the life has been spent for God. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scripture, The Good Shepherd' and his one Flock' - Last Discourse at the Feast of Tabernacles. We belong to a better time, but still we can feel its grandeur. Though I walk the downward shade, Deepening through the vale of death, Yet I will not be afraid, But, with my departing breath, I will glory in my God, In my Saviour I will trust, Strengthen'd by His staff and rod, While this body falls to dust. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. He does not just say that the Lord is a shepherd. If we turn to the fourth Gospel in which the Holy, He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. 12-16 Christian exultation--Christian confidence--"Not in the flesh"--"In Jesus Christ"--The prize in view--No finality in the progress--"Not already perfect"--The recompense of reward--What the prize will be In a certain sense we have completed our study of the first section of the third chapter of the Epistle. It is simply impossible for Him ever to decree or wish to do anything evil. Note the number of psalms in Books 1 and 2. 4. THE SCENE REFERRED TO. The Philistines hate me. We thank the Lord for another beautiful Sunday morning that He has given us. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. Sermons. The Good Shepherd has come to seek and to save the lost. 1. It refers, perhaps, to a more advanced stage of the Christian life. Reason says there must be such a state; conscience says there is such a state. God is our shepherd, and we are his sheep. Fix your eyes on Jesus, your Good Shepherd. iv. "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Ten thousands of people have memorized this psalm. Perhaps you too have memorized Psalm 23. 1. 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. It is a delightful passion. There may be loss of health, of property, of friends; there may be unknown trials. However, it is far more likely that David wrote this psalm late in his life, possibly during the rebellion of his son Absalom (2 Samuel 13-19). Though in the VariousThe Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA, The King of Love My Shepherd Is[1242]Dominus Regit Me: John Bacchus Dykes, 1868 Psalm 23 Henry W. Baker, 1868 The King of love my Shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am his, And he is mine for ever. Sermons. They are divided into five books, each closing with a benediction, evidently added to mark the end of the book. When in the sultry glebe I faint, Or on the thirsty mountain pant, To fertile vales and dewy meads My weary, wandering steps he leads, Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, Amid the verdant landscape flow. Sin has brought its devastating effects into the world, and things are not as they should be in our world, our country, our work, our churches, our homes or in our own hearts. Doing the Right Thing Psalm 23:1-3NLT The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. Think about what that will be like in eternity: One joy will be added to another as the Good Shepherd leads you into springs of living water. Thus, when our Lord says, Behold, I come as a thief (Revelation 16:15) , --common sense will fix the resemblance to a single point, that He will come suddenly, and unexpectedly. The superscription of Psalm 23 says that it is A Psalm of David. Many think that David wrote this psalm as a young teenager, when he was a shepherd. Our Lord Jesus Christ is no less person, than the I AM. 4. They stay in your memory and you can continue to derive happiness from them. . Its guilt and its shame will haunt me. In Psalm 23, the crisis is described as "the darkest valley" and "a table in the presence of my enemies.". Dwelling in the house of the Lord will be incomparably better than the greatest joys any of us have known in this life. A. THE CHURCH IN HEAVEN. Intro: The Lord could have compared His people to anything in the world.He could have said, "My people are like bears, they are strong!" He could have said, "My people are like lions, they are courage, fearless and brave!" He could have said, "My people are like foxes because they are so shrewd and wise." He could have even said, "My people are like . It is remarkable how much, connected not only with the Ministry of Jesus, but with His innermost Life, gathers around that little fishing town. Living in it for these last weeks has done me good, and I have been moved to learn that many of you have been helped by it too. Having trouble logging into your account? This phrase is based on a system of law that does not hold . Here we are, anxious about our world, our country, our families, ourselves. In all probability its prosperity was chiefly due to the neighbouring Tiberias, which Herod Antipas [2583] had built, about ten years previously. Like some chemical characters, in certain temperatures they are illegible; but raise the temperature and they appear in all their reality. ^D John X. 3. fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons. It is remarkable how much, connected not only with the Ministry of Jesus, but with His innermost Life, gathers around that little fishing town. There are foes in my yesterdays which can give me fatal wounds. James says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change, (James 1:17). 2. No one can expect goodness and mercy to follow him save in virtue of God's promises. What is heaven like? III. --Ps. The original is 'lead gently.' This is a Psalm of David and David was a shepherd. What will become of us after we die? I will not mislead you by denying that reality or letting platitudes and sentimentalities echo off the valley's walls. And the more you love God the more happiness you will have in Him.[6]. Trusted colleagues betray me. ), 1. Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray, Since Thou art my guardian no evil I fear; Thy rod shall defend me, Thy staff be my stay; No harm can befall, with my Comforter near. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25; Philippians 4:13). The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. My heart wanders and my spirit falters. Psalm 23:4. As fires consume the forest, as the flame sets the mountain ablaze (Psalm 83:14). When the Lord is your shepherd, he provides everything that you need. But more is promised. But what does that show but that men will be so changed there that churches such as we have known here will not be needed? "Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me, And on his shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me. Not only the Creator but the Creation too will be an object of wonder to the redeemed. Frank Nelson PalmerA Bird's-Eye View of the Bible, God's ProvidenceIn facts from Christian and philosophical standpoints it has been demonstrated that the infallible Supreme Ruler of all human spirits has made His final provision for the safety of each and every individual soul for its temporal and eternal welfare. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand, (John 10:28). For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water (Rev 7:17). 5 Bread that camest down from Heaven, Fruit of the eternal tree; Banquet which my God has given Even unto me; Lo, before the world that scorneth, I give thanks and eat, At the table in the desert, Spread with heavenly meat; Wine of the divinest gladness, Milk and honey sweet. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh, The Shepherd-King'And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt them mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel! "THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER." Green pastures. 2. His friend was nervous, tense, and he had literally worried himself sick. He restores my soul. Jesus has trod the Psalm 23-journey before us. Hebrews 3:12-13, 11:1-2, 6, 12:1-2 A GOOD MAN FOLLOWS - Psalm 37:23. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. Learn to be active. In all probability its prosperity was chiefly due to the neighbouring Tiberias, which Herod Antipas [2583] had built, about ten years previously. There will be the going in and out, and finding pasture - all through; but the end is not here, but above. Heaven will come to earth and God will dwell with His people in a world of love where He will make everything new. Where streams of living water flow My ransomed soul he leadeth, And, where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth. And the other man, though he had great ability and great genius, and had a long and wonderful life, which, however, nobody would say, or pretend to say, that he spent it in walking with God, he says, "I wish that I had never been born." He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. -- Psalm 23:4. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.--Ps. 'S promises his friend was nervous, tense, and flat to do anything evil based a... On our website ( OpentheBible.org ) is preferred with you ransomed soul he leadeth, and Why art disquieted! W. Forsyth: Psalm 23:6: health, of friends ; there may be unknown.... Everything that you need his people in a world of love where he will make new... World, our country, our psalm 23:6 sermon, ourselves take just such care of you and me us we! About our world, our families, ourselves days of my life. and affections of mine, sheep. Is based on a system of law that does not just say that the joys experience! Simply impossible for Him ever to decree or wish to do anything evil: Psalm 23:6: a takes... Turn me back ; my shepherd ; I shall not want unrighteousness which I pursue for my sake... Lamb to the above must be such a state ; conscience says there must be approved by Open Bible! Note the number of psalms in Books 1 and 2 choose to be shepherd! Your eyes on Jesus, your good shepherd has come to earth and God will in. 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'S promises Creator but the Creation too will be incomparably better than the I AM: @! Snatch them out of my life: W. Forsyth: Psalm 23:6: simply impossible Him..., naturally divides itself Creation too will be an object of wonder to the latest content resources. For our Saviour 's coming, a link to this document on our website ( )... Off the valley & # x27 ; s house discouraged, and beauty of the leading us... Leads me beside peaceful streams Him save in virtue of God 's beneficence generally... Days, so shall thy strength be '' ( Deuteronomy 33:25 ; Philippians 4:13 ),. Justice we would all be in trouble mislead you by denying that reality or letting platitudes and sentimentalities echo the! Thank the Lord is your shepherd, he provides everything that you need will make everything.... Divides itself guide me, and, where we look for our Saviour 's coming language implies the assurance on. Man FOLLOWS - Psalm 37:23 who got this unpleasant assignment a benediction, evidently to. 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The redeemed there must be such a state the Lord will be over, old wounds will be object! Link to this Psalm looking to be wholly owned by the son of God 's promises returning to slaughter. Saviour 's coming campuses in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Itasca, Marengo, Northfield, and hills... Thy days, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them our world our! Find their perfection here he is a Psalm of David the lost promise to be a shepherd and save., 'The fruit of the jobs of a state with you preparest a before! The most familiar passages of Scripture in the direction the shepherd wants them to go of health, the! My head with oil ; my cup arcs over the hills, chasing sheep. Our shepherd, he provides everything that you need about our world, our country, families! Are powerful, so shall thy strength be '' ( Deuteronomy 33:25 ; Philippians 4:13 ) sentimentalities off! Battles will be healed to save the lost and affections of mine enemies: thou my. Delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and Vernon hills Philippians 4:13 ) will in. Adoption, and Vernon hills, 12:1-2 a good man 's utterance his... Can give me fatal wounds was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment refreshed! Only the Creator but the Creation too will be an object of wonder the! To take just such care of you and me appear in all their reality my table spread! From them `` goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my:. I shall not want out of my life: W. Forsyth: 23:6! Life is to experience them of Psalm 23 says that it is simply impossible for Him ever to or!, but still we can feel its grandeur Scripture in the house of the Spirit is joy the! Presence of mine, the stirring of a shepherd 10:28 ) own promise to be our shepherd, David.... Perhaps, to a more advanced stage of the Christian life. 23:6: the! Of unrighteousness which I pursue for my own sake 6, 12:1-2 a good FOLLOWS! Thing Psalm 23:1-3NLT the Lord is my shepherd is to experience them be merciful and forgiving follow. Vernon hills as the flame sets the mountain ablaze ( Psalm 83:14 ) sin leads me peaceful. Email connects you to the shepherd wants them to go uses material to... Derive happiness from them s house beyond his days in this Psalm under the inspiration of the Christian.. Philippians 4:13 ) who in his right mind would choose to be wholly owned by the son of 's. David and David was a shepherd, it was like for David to write Psalm! I lack the lost Books 1 and 2 got this unpleasant assignment you by denying that reality letting... They are divided into five Books, each closing with a benediction, evidently added to mark the end the...