ï» back to title page God s Two Sheepdogs Psalm 23: 6 September 13. 2009 Pastor Steve N. Wagers 1. HOW He WORKS for Us! A) The Personal Connection we Enjoy B) The Precious Care we Experience 1) Resources 2) Rest 3) Refreshment 4) Restoration 5) Road 6) Release 7) Refuge 8) Remedy 9) Rejoicing 2. WHEN He WATCHES over Us! A) Companions to Help Us Out B) Companions to Hunt Us Down 3. WHERE He WAITS beyond Us! A) Assurance of His Future Home B) Anticipation of His Father s Home I recently read the 2009 version of Psalm 23. The politician is my shepherd. I'm in want. He maketh me lie down on park benches. He leadeth me beside the still factories. He disturbeth my soul. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of depression
and recession, I anticipate no recovery, for he is with me. He prepareth a reduction in my salary in the presence of my enemies. He anointed my small income with great losses. My expenses runneth over. Surely unemployment and poverty shall Follow me all the days of my life And I shall dwell in a mortgaged house forever. Psalm 23 has been called The Pearl of Psalms. Psalm 23 consists of 118 words, but 116 are devoted to explaining the first two THE LORD. The Psalm is about more than green pastures, still waters, tables and cups running over. The Psalm is about the LORD that makes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters. It is about the ONE who prepares the table and fills our cups. The whole Psalm gives a description of the One who is our Shepherd: The LORD. Jehovah-Rohi v. 1 The LORD My Shepherd Jehovah-Jireh v. 1 The LORD Will Provider Jehovah-Shalom v. 2 The LORD My Peace Jehovah-Raphi v. 3 The LORD My Healer Jehovah-Tsidkenu v. 3 The LORD My Righteousness Jehovah-Shammah v. 4 The LORD Is There Jehovah-Nissi v. 5 The LORD Our Banner Jehovah-M Kaddesh v. 5 The LORD My Sanctifier Jehovah-El Elyon v. 6 The LORD Most High Psalm 23 describes the loving, living, and lasting relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. Of all the ways He could have chosen to describe us, He could have said, "My people are like bears, they are
strong!" He could have said, "My people are like lions, fearless and brave!" He could have said, "My people are like foxes, shrewd and wise." He could have even said, "My people are like doves, peaceful and meek." Instead, He refers to His people as sheep. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. (Isaiah 53: 6) Sheep do not have the reputation for being smart, shrewd or superior; they have the reputation for being stupid. They are dumb and they are defenseless! They require a shepherd to care for them, protect them, and to provide the basic necessities of life. Sheep remind me of the fellow who went to the shoe store to try on shoes. He tried on a pair and the salesman asked him how they felt. He said, They re too tight. The salesman said, Try them on with the tongue out. The man stuck out his tongue and said, Thar till too tight. Psalm 23: 6 describes 2 of our nearest and dearest friends. They are God s two sheepdogs who have worked for us in the past, are watching over in us in the present, and are waiting beyond us in the future. 1. HOW He WORKS for Us! Psalm 22: The GOOD Shepherd DYING for his Sheep Psalm 23: The GREAT Shepherd LIVING for His sheep Psalm 24: The GLORIOUS Shepherd COMING for His sheep Psalm 22: He is our SUBSTITUTE Psalm 23: He is our SHEPHERD Psalm 24: He is our SOVEREIGN
In order to appreciate Psalm 23: 6, we must understand all that they have done to work for us in the past and present. A) The PERSONAL CONNECTION we ENJOY [1] The LORD is my Shepherd. When this Psalm begins, David is writing in the first person. It seems as though he is talking to us about the Shepherd. He uses the possessive personal pronoun my to talk about his relationship to the Shepherd. He did not say the LORD is a Shepherd. He did not say the LORD is our Shepherd. He did not say the LORD is your Shepherd. Instead, David tells us that he has a personal relationship with the Shepherd. He says the LORD is my Shepherd! The relationship is between a shepherd and his sheep. The connection is between a Savior and His saints. It becomes very personal with the use of the pronouns: He and me [23: 2] HE maketh ME HE leadeth ME. [23: 3] HE restoreth (me) my soul HE leadeth ME. [23: 4] THOU (He) art with ME. [23: 5] THOU (He) preparest a table before ME. As a young playwright, Shakespeare was giving his rendition of Psalm 23. Before him had gone another man who had recited Psalm 23 so wonderfully that he received a standing ovation. Once Shakespeare had finished Psalm 23 there wasn t a dry eye in the building. The man asked Shakespeare about why they had been received so differently. Shakespeare replied, Sir, you know the Psalm, but I know the Shepherd.
DO YOU KNOW THE SHEPHERD? B) The PRECIOUS CARE we EXPERIENCE Because of our personal connection with the Shepherd we experience the precious care of the Shepherd. 1) RESOURCES [1] I shall not want. The Shepherd provides for every need. No lack is experience. The little boy said it best, The Lord is my shepherd, HE S ALL I WANT! 2) REST [2a] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. The sheep prefer the tender, green grasses. The Shepherd leads them to the places where He knows they will be fed. He makes them lie down because he knows that they cannot properly digest their food unless the lie down and they won t lie down unless they feel safe. With all this in mind, the Shepherd tenderly leads His sheep to the places of greatest safety and nutrition. 3) REFRESHMENT [2b] He leadeth me beside the still waters. Sheep will not drink from a running stream. Sheep are not designed for swimming with their heavy wool So, the Shepherd looks for a gentle, flowing stream for refreshment. 4) RESTORATION [3a] He restoreth my soul. Restoreth: To bring back
The Shepherd gives His sheep safety/sustenance/survival Hurt He HEALS them Down He HELPS Them Away He HEARS Them 5) ROAD [3b] He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Path: (lit.) To circle, or orbit Shepherd always leads his sheep in the same direction he is going. It is a good path, the right path. Our Shepherd will always lead us down the path that causes us to orbit Him. 6) RELEASE [4] 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. Rod: CORRAL/CORRECT Staff: COUNT/COMFORT Rod was never used on the sheep, only on the enemy. Staff is what Shepherd used for his sheep 7) REFUGE [5a] Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Shepherd never throws to the ground the food he gathers. Rather, the sheep eat out of the Shepherd s hand. C. H. Slemming: It is a prepared table, not a snack bar, or buffet, but a wonderfully prepared meal.
8) REMEDY [5b] Thou anointest my head with oil. Oil: PROTECTION/PREVENTION/PRESERVATION Vipers crawl out of holes and bit the nose of the sheep. Shepherd pours a circle of oil around every hole he can find. The sheep can eat in safety. Oil helps prevent sunstroke on the heads of the sheep. When a sheep is wounded, the Shepherd put oil on the wound to prevent infection. God surrounds us with the oil of the Holy Spirit to protect/prevent/ protect us 9) REJOICING [5c] My cup runneth over. The shepherd did not put to the mouth of his sheep a cup half-full. It was a cup filled to the brim. The shepherd would fill his cup to the brim and then the sheep would stick its nose down into the cup right up to his eyes causing the cup to run over. GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO US 2. WHEN He WATCHES over Us! As David looks behind him, he sees that there have been a couple of very special companions that have accompanied him all the days of his life. Throughout the Psalm he has portrayed the shepherd as always being in front of his flock. He has always been leading the sheep, never driving them, thus always in front. F.B. Meyer calls them heavenly escorts, and two bright-faced angels
who watch over every child of God. Charles Spurgeon said, These twin guardian angels will always be at my back and beck. A) Companions to HELP Us OUT Goodness: Better/Best in the widest sense of the word Mercy: chesed Loving-kindness, beauty, favor. It has been suggested that David had more to fear about the past than he did the future. Even though he was a man after God s own heart, he had not lived squeaky-clean. There were some dark and dirty stains on his past record. Think of his act of committing adultery. Think of his conspiracy to commit murder. Did the shepherd kick him out of the fold? Did the shepherd turn his back on him? No, goodness and mercy were always there to help him out. Robert L. Moyer: Think of what David saw when he looked back. Think of the bitter memory of adultery and murder. Any man with such a past might well be filled with fear. What about your past? I sometimes shudder when I think of my own sinful past and yet when I turn to look at that past, between the past and the present, stand Goodness and Mercy. All of us can look back and see failures, sins and mistakes in our past life. God would have been right and just to kick us out of His fold and turn His back on us. But, He has not failed us, He will not forsake us, and He cannot flee us. When we ve been bad, goodness has been there. When we ve been
miserable, mercy has been there. These have been constant companions to help us out. B) Companions to HUNT Us DOWN Follow: radaph To pursue, or hunt One translated the words, Goodness and mercy shall pursue us dogging our footsteps. It is not just that goodness and mercy are following us and will follow us, but also that they are pursuing us and hunting for the chance to work on our behalf. How long will goodness and mercy follow us? They will follow us ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES! F.B. Meyer writes, There will never come a day throughout all the future in which we shall not have the two guardian angels, heavenly escorts, and God-sent messengers, Goodness and Mercy; to attend the believer during all the days of his earthly pilgrimage. The day of our salvation, God s 2 sheepdogs, goodness and mercy, began their pursuit of us. They follow us, pursue us, and hunt us down every day of all the days of our lives. It s like God said, Goodness, mercy, go get em. Never let them out of your sight. Pursue them all the way to glory! When we down, Goodness comes along and gives us what we don t deserve; then, mercy walks by and holds back what we do deserve. Goodness HELPS us up Mercy HOLDS us up
Goodness FORGIVES us Mercy FORBEARS us Goodness RECEIVES us Mercy RESTORES us Goodness LOVES us Mercy LIFTS us Goodness BRINGS JESUS to us Mercy KEEPS JUDGMENT from us J.D. Jones speaks of these companions as The Rear Guard. Guy King likened Goodness and Mercy to sheepdogs. He wrote: He (The Lord) is in front, and the sheepdogs behind, and we His sheep are happily sandwiched in between." That s interesting to me, because we know of the armor of God that has been given to us. Of all the pieces of the armor, there is nothing for our back parts. Why? GOODNESS and MERCY are the REAR GUARD As we continue along life s pathway, we never have to look back, go back, or turn back, because goodness and mercy are coming up behind us, following us, pursuing us, and hunting us down. No matter what the future holds, the Lord will be in front of us, the armor of God will be on us, the Holy Spirit will be in us, and goodness and mercy will be behind us, nipping on our heels! 3. WHERE He WAITS beyond Us!
A little boy named Jonathan had been promised a new puppy for his tenth sixth birthday. He was taken to the local pound and there were so many dogs and puppies that he had a hard time choosing which one he wanted. Finally he picked one of the shaggiest pups in the lot that was standing there wagging his tail furiously. His mom asked, Why that one? He replied, I want the one with the happy ending. You talk about a happy ending! David s closing thoughts takes him beyond all the days of his life here on earth. His closing thoughts are on another world. He not only thinks about all the days of this life, but also of the days of the life that is to come. His words reveal that David is not a stranger who is away from home or a vagabond who has no home; but, he is a pilgrim who is headed home. A) ASSURANCE of His FUTURE Home I WILL dwell. David isn t speaking of a place he hopes to go. He doesn t say I may dwell, I might dwell, I could dwell, rather, I WILL DWELL. In John Bunyan s Pilgrim s Progress, he describes Christian and Hopeful as they came in view of the heavenly city. He writes: Drawing near to the city, they had yet a more perfect view thereof. It was built of pearls and precious stones, also the streets thereof were paved with gold; so that, by reason of the natural glory of the city, and the reflection of the sunbeams upon it, Christian with desire fell sick; Hopeful also had a fit or two of the same disease. I believe that as David thought about the day when he would dwell in the house of Lord, he had a fit or two of the same disease. I occasionally have a fit about it myself! When I think of how one day we
will trade this world for a new one; trade this life for a far greater one, how can we not fall sick with desire and occasionally have a fit or two of the same disease? Our future home is a promise. Our future home is a place. But, most of all, our future home is a PERSON. It s not a hope-so, maybe-so; it is a KNOW-SO. On the authority of the Word of God, everyone who has been saved can have the full assurance of faith and say, I WILL DWELL. B) ANTICIPATION of the FATHER S Home I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. William Avery Rogers described how each year in the Holy land there came a time when the weather conditions hindered the shepherd and sheep from staying out on the open range and in the temporary fold. When this time came, the shepherd turned his sheep toward his own home where he had made for them a more permanent place. The conditions of this life do not suit the child of God. This world is not our home. There is coming a day when the Chief Shepherd will escort us out of the open range of this life to take us to HIS home where He has prepared a more permanent place for us to dwell. Many believe that, from a temporary standpoint, David was referring to his earthly father s home. David knew that at Jesse s home everything was safe. No matter how long he had been away, he knew that he always had a place in the father s house. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3]And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14: 2-3)
As a poor and unknown young man, Matthew Henry, the renowned Bible scholar wished to marry a girl whose father did not approve of the marriage. The father argued that, although he was a good scholar, and an excellent preacher, "they did not even know where he came from." The daughter had a ready answer. She said, "Daddy, I may not know where he came from, but I know where he is going; and, I want to go with him." With David, I too can say, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and, when this life is over, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I know where I m going, and I want every one of you to go with me. She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said, How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?" The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it." Sally cried out, "Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? He was such a caring boy. Even to my disapproval, he wanted to donate his body for study so that he could maybe help someone else. Where were you, God, when my son needed you?" She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally. Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty
house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep. It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter that read: "Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say "I Love You". I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus introduced to the Father, the Spirit, Michael, Gabriel, the seraphim and cherubim! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him?' "God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children. Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that? Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me. Blessed be the holy name of God, we have no worries because He has our back with His 2 sheepdogs of goodness and mercy. And when our life s work is ended and it s time to go home, we ll trade the old cross for a crown, lay these old burdens down, and go dwell in the house of the Lord forever without a frown. You may know the Psalm; but, if you want to go with me, you have to know the Shepherd. Do you know him?