Psalm 23 – one of the best known passages of the Bible

Psalm gives two profound pictures of God, shepherd (v1-4) and host (v5-6)

Psychologists – draw distinction between I-it and I-you relationships

I-it relationship:

like a car, a mountain, a hydrogen molecule or a filofax
I can describe it, analyse it,
my knowledge of it is propositional (I can say things about it)
but the interaction is one-way
therefore the rational or scientific method is appropriate

I-you entities

another person, family, friend, boss, employee
to treat them as objects would be discourteous and hurtful to them
the difference is that the entity (a person) being known here is not under my control – they can act independently.
(Indeed the desire to control in a relationship invariably leads to strain, and sometimes to complete breakdown)
Although I can analyse another person scientifically, there’s no way I can capture who they are by that approach alone
I must relate to them, talk to them, let them talk to me, communicate!
And the deeper the communication the more precious the relationship becomes!

Incidentally, when the two are mixed up all sorts of confusions ensues

e.g. BBC programme ‘Child’s play’
Two children went into their classroom and discovered the plant talking to them
It was done with hidden camera, microphone & speaker.
They were incredulous!

When is comes to this Psalms we are discovering that God is not in the I-it category, but the I-you

He is not an detached, unfeeling, objective entity that is just there
He is a real, responsive, loving person with whom we enjoy a close, personal and warm relationship.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters

… intensely personal writing, right at the outset

We know that for many people God is an ‘it’ but in this Psalm the personal nature of our relationship coming out with touching intensity. We and God and in an ‘I-you’ relationship

Two pictures to illustrate this. Two pictures of what God is like that dominate this Psalm

1. a shepherd

Psalms 23:1. A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd,

David had himself been a shepherd earlier in his life so, rather than talking in the abstract here, he’s talking from long personal experience.

Most poems, most songs, most artistically creative ventures begin with a flash of inspiration. (Eddison “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”)

I can imagine the flash of insight that triggered off this psalm

David thinking about God – about how God related to him
“Well I’m blowed! God relates to me just like I used to relate to my sheep!”

We don’t have so many shepherds, and we live in a radically different society,

so some of the images a shepherd conjures up to David’s readers (or singers) are lost on us so we have to hunt for them a bit!

This is not the first or the only time that God is regarded as a shepherd (Gen 48:15).

Underneath this picture of God there are some deep and fundamental questions being addressed

what does God think of me?
What’s in his heart when he thinks of me?
and David uses the picture of a shepherd to answer questions like these

So what characteristics of a shepherd does God display in the way he relates to us?

a. my provider

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

All that I really need in life comes to me as a consequence of being a member of this shepherd’s flock.

with God there is security

In fact David goes on to identify what, in particular, the good shepherd gives me.

what is it about him that gives me such security in life?

b. my carer

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

The shepherd’s principle roles in the life of the sheep was to make sure they were secure and satisfied. Only when the sheep felt completely secure would they lie down to rest – and that’s what the shepherd provided.

Then he made sure they had sufficient supply of food and water.

So, David tells us, that’s what God looks like to me!

c. my restorer

3 he restores my soul.

It’s not a restoration of body (when I feel ill) or of fortunes (when things go wrong) that the Lord provides, it’s restoration of soul. The deepest part of my being gets touched, re-awakened and rejuvenated by my loving, caring shepherd

d. my guide

3 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

A guide is someone who knows a route that is unfamiliar to me.

Very likely he’s been that way before

E.g. Ian and Ros taking 23 teenagers up Snowdon. Our guide took us way off the established route – great fun climbing – but I was beginning to feel I didn’t know where on earth we were.

I (innocently) asked our guide if he’d done this route before

“If we reach the summit” he said, “it will be my 93rd ascent”
The first time for me, the 93rd for him!

That’s like God!

you may be facing a difficult few days or weeks – first time for you, 93rd for him!
you may be facing a tough situation – first time for you, 93rd for him!

‘Is there anything too hard for the Lord?’

‘For his name’s sake’ implies that in some way God’s good name or his reputation is at stake here – and it is!

Suppose I’m new to the city and I’m given directions to get somewhere

If I follow the directions of my guide through the labyrinthine back streets of Eastbourne – if I follow them to the letter – and still end up lost

that reflects, not on me, but on my guide.
it’s His reputation that is at stake

That’s a good illustration of God’s guidance through the labyrinth of life in the 21^st century

If I live by His precepts

if, as best I can, I order my life to be holy
if I keep in close touch with him
if I love him will all my heart, soul and mind
and still end up in confusion and despair
then it’s His reputation that is at stake, not mine!

And that’s what David is telling us v3

3 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake!

e. my companion

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

There is a world of difference between a guide and a companion

a guide could merely tell me which way to go, a companion comes with me

E.g. poem ‘Footprints’ >>>

David has one particular type of journey in mind

the trip through “the valley of the shadow of death”

It’s no accident that we use this scripture at funerals

it packs a powerful punch!
Not even death can frighten me! >>>

But the phrase could be rendered ‘the valley of darkness’

Therefore the valley referred to has a wider application than bereavement or facing my own death.

God is with me in any and every period of darkness, dispair or depression.
I may not be able to see him or be aware of him (because the darkness itself is so intense) but that does not mean he is absent!
Darkness does not mean distance!

f. my trainer

5 your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Rod and staff indicate methods of disciplining his sheep – bringing them under control

As a boy David would sometimes give members of his flock a healthy clip

and it would hurt
He’s saying “God does that to me too”

Why does a trainer push his athletes so hard?

is it because of some masochistic desire to inflict pain on them? Of course not!
He wants them to do better!

So it is with the Lord

Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

2. a host

The way we treat people when they come to our homes sends out powerful messages regarding their worth.

If God as my shepherd gives me security then God as my host gives me significance.

Significance is the sense of being valued by someone, wanted by someone

and of knowing that someone else’s life would be impoverished if I wasn’t around

So David sees the Lord as his host, showing how significant he (David) is to God

and he again uses some compelling pictures to do it …

a. I am the privileged guest

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

Just imagine it – a banquet!

and in the presence of those who have wanted your downfall.

It’s an almost bizarre picture!

God throwing a slap-up meal for you – with you on the top table, sitting next to him as the president, and you’re the honoured guest

But there’s more – there’s also an audience!

I consists of all the people who have tried to ruin what God is doing in your life!
sitting there being compelled to admit that God has done great things for you in the face of their opposition, or cynicism, or criticism, or downright vindictiveness!

This is not the weak, lets-be-nice-to-everyone type of god our culture wishes it could have. This is the God who parades you publicly as a trophy of his grace!

“well done, good and faithful servant!”

And with that public work of God’s grace in our lives comes an even more personal treasure:

b. I’m in a privileged relationship

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

God is not going to give up on us!
Why ‘follow’?because we often only see God’s work in retrospect.

We look back on the last week, month, year to see his fingerprints, even if we can’t feel them at the time. He is the divine stalker, tracking our every move with love and mercy.

c. I’m in a privileged place

6 … and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Adopted into the palace!

Billy Bray’s favourite way of describing himself “I am the child of the King”

>>>

Prayer

Feast your eyes on the God who helps