Given on Sunday, April 13, 2008

This Psalm dedicated to April 13 is one of the most quoted and best loved passages in all the Bible ..... Psalm 23. This Psalm is beloved because it puts God in the form of a caring shepherd who watches over each sheep of His flock.
The Psalm was written over 600 years before Christ and was composed by David. It is considered to be a tribute to having a joyful trust in the Lord for the Lord's deliverance.
We don't often think of it, but this Psalm has three parts. The first part begins by telling what God has done for you, personally.....He is my shepherd....He makes me lie down in abundant places ..... He leads me, He restores me.
Then comes part two. It speaks directly to God, showing how near God is to us in our most needful times. It takes about having to face dark, overwhelming times and the Psalm says, "Even then, You, O God, are with me and I am not afriad." The part of the Psalm shows God the gratitude we have that he protects us, and cares for us even when enemies (which can mean so many things) threaten us.
Finally, the Psalm ends by reminding us that because of a life of faithfully following the Good Shepherd, the end of our lives are crowned with eternal rest with God in heaven - I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
There are some parts of this Pslam that need to be lifted up for our deeper understanding. God become personal to us in this Pslam, "The Lord is my shepherd".... not Our shepherd. And the Lord is seen as a gentle shepherd, kind, near, very present. God is now presented as a mighty king, as aloof, as distant. It talks about being led in the right paths. This is what a shepherd does for his sheep. He goes ahead of them and finds the best, safest path for them to travel, keeping them from danger. That is what God does in our lives too. The Psalm says that the shepherd has a rod and a staff. These are two different things. A rod is a weapon that a shepherd uses to club away predators. A staff is the hooked instrument a shepherd uses to rescue his sheep and to guide them back on the path. Together this means that God is able to both protect us and guide us.
To say that that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies means that even when stress and challenges surrounds us, God shields us by being around us. That he feeds us at such times - not so much in body but in our soul. Anointing one's head with oil was the most welcoming thing a host could do in Bible times. Placing fragrant oil on a guests forehead meant, "I am so happy you are here and that we are spending this time together." That is how happy God is that you are in a relationship of love with Him.
This brings us to verse 6, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the day of my life." I want to give a new understanding of what this might mean. It appears to be a passive statement about what God is doing for you in your life - making sure good things and merciful acts are in your life everyday. Howeve it may better be an active statement about what you are doing for God each day, in each place and each life you impact. What is "following you". By that I mean, "What are the things you are leaving behind in all the ways your life and actions touch situations and people?"
To illustrate, I recall my Great Uncle, Emmett. He delivered cookies to grocery stores. One of the benefits of this was that if there were packages with broken cookies, or packages that were tore, he could keep them. When he would come to visit his brother and sister-in-law, my granparents, he would bring several packages of said cookies. When my family would come to visit, I did not have to ask if Uncle Emmet had been there. All I had to do was look on the kitchen counter. If there was an assortment of cookie packages, I knew he had been there. In other words, my Great Uncle was known by what he left behind ..... by what "followed" him.
This is your Christian challenge too. If I were to paraphrase verse 6 of this Psalm, it might go like this, "May it surely be that good deeds and merciful acts - done to the glory of the Lord - be the things that I leave behind in each place, in each day of my life."
What are you leaving behind? What are the things that follow you....in the places you go and in the lives you connect with each day ..... in the action yuou do and the words you speak? The Lord calls you to let them be deeds of goodness and merciful acts.
May it surely be that goodness and mercy - done to the glory of the Lord - be the things you leave behind in each place, in each day of your life.
May the Lord be such a personal shepherd and may you be such a faith filled sheep of His pasture. Amen.