Psalms 23

Good morning brothers and sisters, I hope everything is going well for you today.  On Thursday, I received a call from Louie and sometime later a text from Pastor Lorenz requesting me to be the one to share today’s sermon in place of him.  As you may have already known from the news from the grapevine, Pastor is currently in the hospital undergoing tests and recuperating.  So, for today’s sermon, we will take a break from sermon series from Corinthians that Pastor prepared.

It was almost ten years ago that Pastor held a sermon writing workshop for the then Board of Trustees leaders and a few regular members of the church.  After the workshop, we were tasked with applying the knowledge that we gained in preparing a sermon from Psalm 23, and then presenting it to the church during a Family Camp. Today I will share with you Psalm 23.

When we hear of the word typology, what is it that comes to your mind?  Has anyone here ever heard of that word before especially in a church setting?

In the Lexham Bible Dictionary, typology is defined as “a literary hermeneutical device in which a person, event, or institution in the Old Testament is understood to correspond with a person, event, or institution in the New Testament.” What does that mean exactly?

In other words, it is a way of biblical interpretation in which we see a place, event, institution, office, object, or person in the Old Testament foreshadow one that is found in the New Testament.  Most of the typologies I have encountered so far points to Jesus Christ. An example of a typology is king David’s defeat of Goliath pointing to, or foreshadowing Jesus’ defeat of sin.  So, let us take a look…

David is a type and shadow of Jesus, Goliath is a type and shadow of sin and you can say the devil as well, and the Israelites are the type and shadow of us sinners who need a Saviour.

In Psalm 23, David paints a poetic description of a shepherd and literally associates a shepherd’s attributes to Yahweh. In the Old Testament, we can all see God’s actions towards His people as that of a shepherd.  He would always save them in times of peril and provide them with great joy when His people abide in Him.  When we include the New Testament in this picture, we can see clearly the full realization that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is the Good Shepherd David spoke and sang about hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

“How is Jesus like a shepherd?” one might ask.  To see this, let us all take this time again to read Psalm 23.

23 A Psalm of David.

¹    The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²        He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

³        He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness  for his name’s sake.

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.

⁵    You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

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.

David’s Good Shepherd

It is clear that in verse 1, David makes the claim that the Lord is his shepherd.  David designates himself as a sheep in which God makes him lie down in green pastures and He leads him besides still waters.  Shepherds in ancient Palestine would lead the flock from the fold very early in the morning, to the spot where they were to be pastured.  It is not as easy as just opening the doors of the sheep pen and letting the sheep find their own grass to eat.  The shepherd would be the one who will take the sheep to where the pasture is green and good for the sheep to feed.

Not only does the shepherd have to worry about finding green pastures for the sheep, he also has to ensure that the sheep receive adequate amount of water.

In ancient Palestine, sheep were required to be supplied regularly with water and the shepherd has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness with troughs.

In verses 2, David states that God “leads me beside quiet waters”.  Here, the quiet still water signifies a picture of rest, peace, and rejuvenation. When we are thirsty, the best way to quench our thirst is by drinking a cool glass of water.

Any other drink, be it Pepsi, hot delicious coffee, or diet Pepsi, will not provide as much satisfaction as water. These drinks, although they have water in them, have diuretic effects which can often lead to dehydration.

When you are really thirsty, have you ever tried to quench your thirst by drinking soft drinks or coffee?  As a coffee addict myself, I find that there is something about water that has that special quenching factor better than any other drink. The shepherd himself knows that sheep need water; he will strive to ensure that the sheep will always be satisfied by finding water for them.  In David’s case, it is metaphorically the same thing with God as He is the only one that can refresh and satisfy David’s yearnings.

In Psalm 84:2, David says, “My soul longs, yet, faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” For David, nothing can be more satisfying for the soul than being in the presence of God.  Like coffee and other types of diuretic drinks, everything that this world offers, will never provide the satisfaction we long for. We can see this in our own lives as I have mentioned it many times in my previous Christmas addresses.

Have you ever told yourself that once you bought an item from the store that item will make you satisfied for the rest of your life? That was what I told myself in the mid-2000s when I bought an Apple I-Pod. I said to myself that if I just had this I-Pod, I can put all of my songs in this small device and listen to them all day long, and also get rid of my CD player. Did that I-Pod stay with me for the rest of my life and give me the satisfaction that my soul longed for? No, it did not. In fact, I went and did the complete opposite of my plan, because just yesterday, I bought a music CD from a record store to play, on a portable CD player that I purchased a couple of weeks ago.  With material belongings, I will never be satisfied.

I once owned a two-door Honda Civic, which was a very reliable car. At the time that I bought the car, I convinced myself that the probability of girls liking me would increase when I drive this sporty looking car which will make me be satisfied forever. Well several years later, I replaced that car with a newer 4-door Honda Accord which I still drive today.  There was nothing mechanically wrong with the Civic, it was still running fine even under severe weather conditions. But I convinced myself (again) that I needed a new car because I got tired of carpooling people with a two-door car.  Also, the probability of a girl liking me would increase even more because it was newer at that time. And since it was a 4-door car, I can give a ride to her and all her other friends as well.  That would definitely raise my “Pogi” points higher.

Instead of that car providing me with satisfaction, it only raised my delusion. In truth, that car will never provide me the satisfaction I craved for because in the future that car will be destined to the junkyard and will rust away into nothingness. Only God can bring satisfaction and only He can quench our thirsty soul.

            In verse 3 David states that God “restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”.

A responsible shepherd carefully watches over the sheep to make sure that none of the sheep strayed, and if one did ever wander away, he would diligently seek for the sheep until he has found it and brought it back to the flock.  He would risk his life and limb for the well-being of the sheep.

What does it mean to be responsible?  I bet the dictionaries will say something like, “to take responsibility”. To be responsible is to take ownership of the task at hand even when it does not provide any gain for you. The shepherd takes ownership for the life of the sheep.

In verse 3, the original Hebrew word (yĕšôbēb) for restore means to turn back or return.  David proclaims that like a shepherd, God leads him back from the strayed sinful path and into the path of righteousness. When David committed the sins of adultery and murder, God did not leave him to stay in his sin. Through the prophet Nathan, God called out David’s sin and David repented.  This is seen in David’s writing in Psalm 51.  Through David’s repentance of his sins, God restored David into the path of righteousness.

            In verse 4, David states that “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.”  To protect himself and the flock in his care, the shepherd would carry a rod or staff, which serves as a club for defense and protection of the sheep.  In this passage David compares the care which God has for him to a shepherd’s staff, declaring that even when he is exposed to any danger, he will have sufficient defense and protection in being under the care of God.

            The scene shifts in verses 5 and 6 from a shepherd and sheep scenario to a celebratory banquet where even in the presence of David’s enemies, God is still not deterred in honoring His guest – by anointing him with oil.

John Calvin, was a very well-known figure of the Reformation and you may have heard about or seen the acronym TULIP. It is the five points of Calvinism. I do not have time to share now what this is, but maybe some other opportune time, we can see what Calvinism is all about.  Anyway, John Calvin stated in his Commentary on the Book of Psalms, “What he subjoins concerning oil, has a reference to a custom which then prevailed. We know that in old time, ointments were used at the more magnificent feasts, and no man thought he had honorably received his guests if he had not perfumed them therewith”. In ancient times, when a feast is held by a very important person such as a king, he would apply oil on his guests which is a sign that the king honors them in his presence. David then ends the Psalm declaring God’s blessing towards him and his eternal presence with God.

Although the figure of shepherd and sheep swings to that of the host and guest, the ideas are the same, though in different forms. Both the sheep and the guest are satisfied with the shepherd and the host, respectively. Both ideas point out to the nature of God’s grace and goodness towards His flock (or guests). David’s inspiration to write Psalm 23 attests his experience of God’s goodness and grace towards him was real and personal.

We, as believers in this present time, how does Psalm 23 inspire and apply to us as much as did for David? We can see this clearly when we see how the Bible reveals to us that Jesus is our good shepherd. From this point forward, I will be using a lot of references from different parts of the Bible, so for everyone who is using a physical copy of the Bible, you can consider this as practice for one of our Bible drill competitions.

Our Good Shepherd

In John 10:11-15, it states; ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus directly claims that He is the good shepherd. He makes a distinction between a shepherd and a hired hand. In verse 11 Jesus says that “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”. This involves the shepherd willing to cast aside his own life for the safety and welfare of the sheep.

It was well understood in ancient times that a shepherd’s job was very difficult; he might not return alive from his sheep-tending. This is in contrast with the hireling as the hireling only cares for the wage he receives and cares nothing for the sheep. Because the sheep is not his own, when faced with danger, he would save himself first before saving the sheep.

There was one time someone told me that they “got my back”, “I’m here for you”.  I didn’t know at that time they really meant that when they got my back, they would push me toward danger in order to save themselves. I find it to be such an annoying experience to be betrayed by friends but, I also wonder and think about those other people I have also “pushed” in order to save my own skin.  How about the rest of us, have we selfishly backstabbed other people in order to save ourselves? Jesus however, personifies the good shepherd by laying down His life for us as it states in Romans 5:8, “but God shows his love for us in that when we were still sinners, He died for us”. Our sinful nature which caused us to stray away from Him made us lost and destined to eternal death.

In Isaiah 53:6 it says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-everyone-his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Jesus gave His life for sheep who did not just get lost, but have rebelliously turned away from Him. We are not just some mindless sheep getting lost, but also who have intentionally made it clear (because of our sinful nature), rejected a shepherd even when it is obvious that we need one.

Jesus the good shepherd is also proclaimed as the perfect lamb.  In John 1:29 it states,

 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”, and also 1 Peter 1:19 states, “but with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot.”Jesus, our good shepherd, humbled himself and became like His flock so that He would be the one and only perfect sacrifice to reconcile us with God. Jesus became the Lamb of God who was slain.

Revelation 5:11-12 states, “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’”

Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection provides the typology that Jesus is the good shepherd that David wrote in Psalm 23. For believers, Jesus has provided us with eternal life that despite any shortcomings we will have in this side of life, our hope in being with Him forever supersedes our longings for the temporary possessions we can get in this world.

In John 10:9 it says, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Please, take note that Jesus stated that He is the door and not a door. Therefore, just like the shepherd leading his sheep down onto green pastures for their sustenance, Jesus is the one true source for our knowledge of God and the only one who can provide us with spiritual sustenance. Without faith in Jesus, the Gospel will not be any sweeter to the mouth of a person who knows they need the Saviour. Without faith in Jesus, the Bible will not reveal to us more of Christ and our assurance with Him. Without faith in Jesus, the Bible will just be like some self-help book that a person can buy in Chapters or Amazon.

            In Revelation 7:17 it states, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes”. Just like David being led beside still waters, Jesus the good shepherd ensures our wellbeing that even in the face of adversity, He is the one who sustains us by guiding us to springs of living water. Only Jesus can satisfy us like water and give us peace. The love He has shown me on that cross on Calvary gives my weary soul the rest it needs. I am able to stand in the midst of chaos and find peace, knowing that Jesus has paved a way for me to be forgiven of the sin I deserved to be punished for. I am provided in hope that one day, instead of God saying, “I never knew you; depart from me,” God may tell me one day, “Well done, good and faithful servant,”

Jesus restores our soul and leads us to righteousness by reconciling us back to God and imputing His righteousness to us as it states in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” To paraphrase John MacArthur, he basically summed up this verse by stating, “God the Father treated the sinless Jesus as if he lived my life, a sinner. God punished Jesus for my sin and then turns right around and treated me as if I live Jesus’ sinless life.”

In John 15:20 Jesus says, “Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”  Jesus makes a point that it is inevitable that we believers will be persecuted just as He was persecuted.  However, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death as David has stated in Psalm 23, God is still with us.  In Romans 8:35, Paul proclaims, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

Paul asks this rhetorical question which leads the reader to answer that nothing can separate us from Christ. The endgame in our lives as believers is that we will get to be with Christ. The apostles hold on to this fact as they were persecuted, beaten, and murdered. The early first century Christians held on to this fact as they too faced humiliation and death for their faith. We hold on to this fact as we also face persecution in our time. Danger, death and everything else in this world are but temporary things and cannot match against an eternal God (an eternal Shepherd).

Therefore, like a shepherd caring for his sheep, in Christ we are comforted in any hardships we go through as apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12:10. “For the sake of Christ, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Several hundred years before Jesus’ first advent, God inspired King David to write Psalm 23 for the Messiah who will eventually come to save him and the world.  The psalm reveals to us that through Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, His role as the Good Shepherd has significant value to us believers just as it was for King David.

In light of our current circumstances, our church is facing our own walk through the valley of shadow of death. Without going into any further details, this is one of those occasions in our church where our faith in the Lord will be tested. With this in mind, I humbly ask you to pray especially for our Pastor – that God will heal his ailment and that he will fully recover.  I would also ask you to pray for the Board of Elders and Board of Deacons as we will be tasked in filling the void left while Pastor is absent and recovering.

Regardless of the challenges ahead, I am reminded of our discussion time in the Men’s Fellowship last month.  There was a Bible verse that I felt to be fitting in view of the current situation. It is from Psalm 46:10 which says, “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth”.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us be still and know that the Good Shepherd is here with us.

Let us pray

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