PSALM 23 THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD2019 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Psalm 23 The Lord Is My Shepherd

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2019. Well, as we are here in Psalm chapter 23 this morning, I came up with an incredibly clever title for the message. You'll never guess what it is. It's, The Lord is My Shepherd, right? Yeah.

Very famous psalm. One that, you know, it's hard to find someone who doesn't know or hasn't heard. Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. All believers around the world know it. The Jewish people know it. You know, it's one of the beloved psalms in Hebrew as well as in English. And

Even those who are not aware of the things of God and not involved in reading through the scriptures are familiar with this idea of the Lord is my shepherd. And this psalm is a very famous and classic psalm. And I would suggest to you this morning as we look at it that it's for good reason. You know, sometimes as we're going through the scriptures, some of those famous passages, they're easy for us to kind of just ignore.

We're so familiar. We've heard them so many times that it's easy for us to not really dive into them too much. But this morning, as we come across this incredibly famous passage, I want to encourage you to refresh your memory on why this is such an important psalm, a classic psalm. It's for good reason, with incredible truths that are important for us as we seek to walk with God. This is a psalm of David.

And as you know, David in his younger years was a shepherd. When Samuel was to anoint the next king and he went to David's house, all of his brothers were there and

Samuel was praying, okay, is this the next king? Is this the next king? And none of those brothers were the next king. And Samuel said, well, do you have another son? To his father, Jesse. And Jesse said, well, you know, there is David. He's out watching the sheep. He was a shepherd from his young age, from a young age. And later on, he went to become king. He became king, as God had promised. But

but he started there watching the sheep and being a shepherd and taking care of the flock. And it's something that David is reflecting on as he writes this psalm. Now, we don't really know if David wrote this as a young boy, you know, while he was that shepherd out there in the field with the sheep.

Or if later on, as he was older, as king over Israel, he was reflecting back on his time there in the field and comparing that and using that as an illustration to God's work in his life. And either way, it's really powerful, the things he says, this illustration that he draws of a shepherd and what that means for us as his sheep. Now, as we look at this passage this morning, I want to encourage you to really take it personally.

This is what's interesting about David's writing here. In verse 1, he says, the Lord is my shepherd. And everything else in the psalm is based upon that statement and that perspective that it's not that the Lord is a shepherd. Right?

Or just, you know, the Lord is the shepherd of all people, generally speaking. Or the Lord is the shepherd of all his people. But although those things are true in many ways, David here is looking at this from the perspective that me, personally. The Lord is my shepherd, David's shepherd, Jerry's shepherd, your shepherd.

And because of that, well, there's some really incredible promises. There's some great comfort. There's some great reasons for us to trust God in the midst of whatever we face because the Lord is my shepherd and I am his sheep. That goes right along with that. It's the other side of it. And I want to encourage you to be faithful.

the Lord's sheep, to crawl up into his arms and to be there in the arms of Jesus in that way to submit yourself and surrender yourself to the Lord in that way that he would be your shepherd. And there's some great, great comfort and confidence that you can gain from putting yourself in the arms of Jesus in that way and allowing him to be your shepherd.

Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd in John chapter 10. In John chapter 10 verse 14, he says, I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep and am known by my own. As the father knows me, even so I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep. Here's how we can know that Jesus is the good shepherd. He's the one that we can crawl up into his arms and rest and allow him to be the shepherd for us because he's the one

Well, he is the good shepherd and he lays down his life for the sheep. And again, it's what we're going to be remembering and reflecting on as we consider the crucifixion of Jesus on Friday for Good Friday. Remembering the death of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday, the fact that Jesus loved us so much that he laid down his life on our behalf. He is the good shepherd because he sacrificed himself for

to provide for us all that we need. And so we can come to Jesus with great confidence and allow him to be our shepherd. And so this morning, I pray that you would walk away saying, the Lord is my shepherd. Make it personal. Be that sheep. Crawl into his arms and allow him to bring you the comfort and confidence that you need.

Well, we're going to work our way through this psalm with four points. The first one is found in verse 1, and here's point number 1. My shepherd meets all my needs. As we start considering this picture of a shepherd, here's what we need to know first. My shepherd, the one that I've trusted in, the one that I'm walking with, my shepherd meets all of my needs. Verse 1 says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Now, in the way that we use the word want today, we picture something a little bit different than what David is actually saying. This is not saying that you won't have any wishes. You know, we can want lots of things. We can wish for lots of things. But what David is saying here, the Hebrew word that is used is,

describing this idea of lacking something that is needed, to be lacking something that is needful. It speaks of a failure of completion, not being complete, being incomplete or insufficient. And what David is declaring here is that the Lord is my shepherd, and as a result, I will never be incomplete. I will never be lacking what I truly need.

I may not have all the Ferraris and 911 Porsches that I want, but I will never be lacking the things that I actually need, the things that I truly need. The Lord will always meet my needs. Now, what's interesting to consider about this, as we think about this picture of a shepherd, David knew what he was talking about because David, well, he was a shepherd. He had lots of experience in the field with the sheep.

And as you think about the shepherd and the sheep, there's some important things to consider and factor in. If you want to go back in the history of sheep, I would encourage you to go back all the way to Cain and Abel. You remember Cain and Abel? The first two sons ever born on the earth, right? To Adam and Eve, they had these two sons, Cain and Abel. And you might remember that Abel was a shepherd. From the very beginning...

There has always been shepherds from Abel on. And I would suggest to you that's for good reason because the only reason why we have sheep today is because shepherds have existed for all history. Sheep don't live in the wild. They don't survive in the wild.

Now technically, there are over 200 species of sheep and eight of those species are wild. They're kind of more related to like wild goats. And so there are a few species of sheep that do exist in the wild. But the majority of sheep, they don't exist in the wild and they cannot survive in the wild. They don't have the defense mechanisms to be able to defend themselves against predators.

They don't have the sense to be able to find food for themselves or to find water for themselves. They don't have the capacity to be able to survive on their own individually or even as a flock. They do have the tendency to flock together, but they cannot exist and sustain themselves in that way. But they exist today because, well, there has always been from the beginning of time, shepherds.

to care for the sheep. That's very different. You think about different animals. There are a lot of animals that don't need that kind of care. Dogs, they exist in the wild. They survive. They don't need human. There are some that we've domesticated, sure, yes. But as a whole, dogs, they'll be fine. They'll learn to scavenge. They'll find ways to survive in the wild. Cats,

Birds, rabbits, gophers, you know, whatever you want to think about that sheep are different. They are different and they need a shepherd. They flock together. That is some sense of protection, but that's the only advantage they have. And sometimes that's to their detriment.

As little sheep, lambs, are growing up, you know what their moms teach them? Their moms teach them, look, if your friends jump off a cliff, you jump too. That's what the mom sheep tell them. It actually happens. There's many records of that. Sheep just following another sheep off the cliff, off the cliff, off the cliff, drowning in lakes and rivers because they just follow and they're not able to provide for themselves the direction and protection that they need.

And so if there had never been shepherds, if shepherds died out, the sheep would die out to you because it's the shepherd who takes care of all the needs of the sheep. And David, having the experience of being a shepherd and being the one to provide all that is needed for the sheep, he's reflecting on that and thinking about, God, this is the way that you have dealt with me. I wouldn't exist without you, God.

I wouldn't be able to survive without you. I wouldn't have my needs met. I wouldn't be able to find food. I wouldn't be able to protect myself. I wouldn't be able to know what direction to go. I would be completely lost and abandoned and hopeless without you. So he looks to the Lord and he says, the Lord is my shepherd. He's the one that I look to for providing all of those things. He's the one I look to, to meeting all of my needs.

The commentator F.B. Meyer puts it this way. He says, here we are taught to think less of our attitude toward him and more of his responsibility for us. The flock does not keep the shepherd, but the shepherd keeps the flock. Look away from yourself and trust him with all, in all, and for all. The sheep do not keep the shepherd. The sheep don't group together and think, hey, how can we make sure that the shepherd's needs are met? How can we protect the shepherd? No, no.

It's the shepherd's responsibility to take care of the sheep, to protect the flock, to feed the sheep. It's the shepherd who does this work. We need to, as we work our way through this, consider and remember the responsibility that God has taken upon himself to take care of us. It's not up to us to come up with our own direction in life.

It's not up to us to come up with the resolution for the problems that we face. It's not up to us to come up with the things that we need to answer, the turmoil that's happening within us, or the issues that we face, or the struggles that are going on. As we have physical needs, practical needs, as we face spiritual needs, it's not up to us to meet all of those needs. The Lord has taken that responsibility.

And we can enjoy the Lord fulfilling that responsibility by being like David and coming to the Lord and saying, Lord, you are my shepherd. And as long as I'm in your hands, as long as I'm in your flock, I shall not want. I'm not going to lack anything that I really need. Jesus talked about this a little bit as well in Matthew chapter 6.

There he was talking about the subject of worry. I don't know if you've ever experienced this thing that we call worry, and maybe it's foreign to you, but probably it's familiar to you. You know what it's like to worry. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus was teaching us not to worry. In verse 31, he says,

Father knows you need all of these things. So Jesus says, look, you don't have to be worried and stressed out. How are we going to make ends meet? How are we going to pay those bills? How are we going to take care of those things? You can be caught up with and consumed by those things. But Jesus says, don't worry. The Father knows that you need those things. Recently, Harvey sat down with me and said, Jerry, I'm really disappointed in your teachings lately.

I haven't been quoting my favorite verse that much. So here it is, Harvey. Verse 33 of Matthew chapter 6. He didn't really say that. I was just making a joke. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Don't worry. The Father knows you need all of those things. You do have needs.

You do have wants that are separate from your needs, but you have needs, you have wants, you have wishes, you have those things. And listen, your heavenly father knows about all of those things. He knows about the needs that you don't even know about. Jesus says, you don't need to worry about those. You do have a responsibility and here's what you need to be focused on and concerned with. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

You focus on being the sheep. You crawl into the arms of Jesus and seek first the kingdom of God. You focus on following God, knowing God, walking with God, loving God. Seek first the kingdom of God. You place yourself as a sheep in the shepherd's arms and the shepherd will add all the other things that you need to you.

He will meet your needs. He will take care of what is needed. And sometimes we might have disagreements about, you know, what we may need with the Lord. And we think we need things that we don't need. And that's a, you know, further discussion that we could have. But boiling it down to the bottom line, whatever you need, whatever is good for you, God's promise is he will provide it for you. He is the shepherd. Be his sheep.

Seek first the kingdom of God. But it's also not just the physical needs, not just the practical needs that we face in this life. I was also thinking about what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1. There is, he's writing to the Corinthians and introducing, you know, the subject and himself in the letter. He says in chapter 1, verse 4, "'I thank my God always concerning you "'for the grace of God, "'which was given to you by Christ Jesus.'"

that you were enriched in everything by him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In writing to the church of Corinth, a specific church at a specific location, he says, hey, I'm thankful for you.

I'm thankful for the work that God has done in your life. You were enriched in everything by him. That is, God has given you everything. He's given you plenty. He's given you wealth, spiritually speaking. So that, he says in verse 7, you come short in no gift. And so we can think about our need, our want in the practical realm, you know, our bills, our finances, food and clothing. We can think about all that. And the shepherd provides for that.

But we can also think about our need, our want, as we gather together, as the Lord calls us to, as a church in a specific location. And here Paul says, look, God has enriched you. We as a church, we as a gathering of believers, we are enriched by God so that we come short in no gift.

There is nothing that we need as a church that the shepherd will not provide. And there is nothing that's good for us as a church that the shepherd will not provide. As we gather together as his sheep, he, our shepherd, will provide for us our spiritual needs. And sometimes he does that directly, but also many times he does that corporately. As we gather together and minister to one another, that the Lord uses us to meet each other's needs and

in a way that is supernatural and glorious. And so we can come to the shepherd and declare, my shepherd meets all my needs. He provides for me. Everything that is good for me, everything that is needful in my life, we can come and recognize the shepherd will provide that. Jesus will provide that for us. Well, moving on to verses two and three, we get point number two this morning, and that is my shepherd gives me rest.

He gives me rest. Verse 2 says, Here as David goes on to describe these different scenes, they are scenes of peace, rest, tranquility. He's picturing the sheep at rest.

As a sheep, he says, he makes me to lie down in green pastures. This sheep is able to lie down because, well, it's not immediately threatened by predators. If there's predators around, well, the sheep is not going to be able to rest, not going to be able to lie down. It's going to be on its feet, ready to run away. But for a sheep to be able to lie down means that there is, well, some sense of peace, some sense of protection, some

tranquility within. Those who keep sheep also share that sheep are not able to lie down when they're hungry. They're going to be looking for food. They're going to be searching for food, trying to, you know, find food and not able to really rest while they're hungry. But here, David says, he makes me to lie down. He's meeting all of my needs and

giving me this sense of protection and peace so that I'm able to rest. And I like this picture of green pastures. You know, it sounds glorious, like in our heads and in our imaginations, you know, like the idea of like just going and laying in a big field, you know, like with this lush grass. Like when it happens in real life, I don't really care for it because then I got grass on me and I'm all itchy and I don't like that, right? But the picture, it's vivid. And for a sheep, it's not the same as, you know, for Jerry, but maybe you even like that. But

For a sheep to be able to just lie down in green pastures, you know, not hard rocks, not hard surfaces, but there's this softness, there's this care, there's this abundance, there's this provision that the shepherd gives in this picture of peace, serenity. He goes on in verse 2 to say, He leads me beside the still waters.

And the still waters, it's an important picture because, well, the idea is not stagnant waters. That wouldn't be good, right? And that's not something that a sheep would be excited about. Stagnant waters are not good for anybody. But it's also not raging waters, right? There's not going whitewater rafting, you know, on these waters. The idea is like there's this calm, still flow of fresh water. And so it's refreshing, quenches thirst, and there is the peaceful flow.

presence there in the midst of it. Have you ever been out fishing early on a lake? You know, that peacefulness of just the water that's still. Here David says, this is what the shepherd leads me to. That stillness, that rest, that comfort. He goes on in verse 3 to say, he restores my soul.

He restores my soul within. See, he's not talking so much about the external. He's not talking about, you know, no afflictions, no difficulties in life, no external issues or problems or conflict. But he's talking about internally, the soul. There is this peace. There is this rest. There is this stillness within. Does that describe your soul? The condition of your soul? Are you at a place of rest?

and peace, fully satisfied, not stressed, not worried, you know, not raging waters, but you have still waters within. This is what the shepherd provides for his sheep. It's important for us to consider because a lot of times we do take on the worry even though the Lord instructs us not to. And we try to like squirm out of the shepherd's arms to take care of things on our own. And we bring upon ourselves the

and difficulties and we have the internal struggle within by our own doing, by stepping out of the shepherd's arms and removing ourselves from the flock and pursuing after things that the shepherd is not leading us in or leading us towards. I think for us specifically in our society, in our culture, Southern California culture, it's different than other cultures even just a couple of states away. It's different.

And the way that we perceive things and our outlook and our perspective on things can be unhealthy many times. And we can be focused on things that are not good for us. There is a stress and a focus on productivity sometimes that we're seeking and trying so hard to be productive about.

That we're not able to rest. We're not able to have the quietness within. We're fighting so hard to get ahead or to get to a certain point or to achieve a certain status. And it leaves us with this state of unrest. But when we are sheep in the shepherd's arms, we can say, my shepherd gives me rest. The commentator H.A. Ironside says, you would think that people would have sense enough to lie down when tired.

But the trouble with a lot of people is that they keep running until they have a nervous breakdown. And it's a reality that we see. It's a reality that we face. I would say particularly, I don't think it's limited to us, but particularly in our culture, in our society, it is very common for us to be in a place of unrest because, well, there's so much happening, so much going on that we've forgotten how to be sheep in the shepherd's arms.

Here's what Jesus says about it in Matthew 11, verse 28. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus is concerned about the condition of your soul and not just, you know, the eternal salvation of it, but also the present condition of rest or lack of rest in it.

Are you laboring and heavy laden? Now you can think of this in a context of trying to approach God and trying to walk with God in the position of works instead of grace. And there are those who still try to draw near to God. We spent a lot of time on Wednesday nights working through Galatians, talking about that, legalism. And it's heavy laden to try to approach God on the basis of my performance.

But to approach God on the basis of his grace, we can find rest for our souls. To receive the goodness and the grace and the mercy of God, we find rest for our souls. But I would suggest that it extends beyond that. It's not just that approach to God, that spiritual walk with God, but, well, it's all aspects of our life. We are to take the yoke of the Lord upon us.

And notice what he says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me. This position of rest, this place of tranquility within, it doesn't come naturally to us. It's more normal, it's more natural for us to be unsettled and all stirred up and, you know, concerned and worried and stressed. And if we will come to the shepherd and learn from him, Jesus says, I will give you rest. You will find rest. It's what a shepherd does for his sheep.

Going on in verse 3, he goes on to say, he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The Lord leads me down the right path. He leads me in the ways that he wants me to go, in the ways that are good for me. But I really like the end of verse 3 where he says, for his name's sake. For his name's sake. All of this work of the shepherd in my life is not on the basis of my performance.

I don't have to earn this work in my life. I don't have to deserve it. He doesn't, you know, only do this when I have been walking in a way that's perfect or appropriate. But here he says it's for his own name's sake. He's attached his name to you. You have believed in Jesus Christ. You've become a follower of Jesus. You are a Christian. That's Christ, Christ, Christ.

You're Christ-like. You've taken on the name of Christ. And for his name's sake, you say, I'm the sheep of Jesus. He is my shepherd. For his name's sake, he will give you rest. He will meet your needs. This is what our shepherd promises to do. My shepherd gives me rest. Moving on to verse 4 and 5, we get point number 3 this morning, and that is, my shepherd protects me.

So my shepherd meets my needs, all of them, everyone, spiritual, practical, whatever they might be. My job isn't to work out the solution or figure out the, you know, the answer. My job is to draw near to Jesus, to crawl up into his arms, to be the sheep of Jesus. My shepherd gives me rest. My responsibility there is to learn from him, to receive from him, to hear from him.

And he will provide rest for my soul. But now we see my shepherd protects me. Verse 4 says, Yea, 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Here David goes on to picture now

scary situations. With the shepherd, he says, I will fear no evil. Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. David says, look, I'm picturing the worst scenario I can imagine. For us as human beings, one of the worst things that we can imagine is death. It's a big thing that's in front of us.

We don't know much about it. We don't know what it's like. We don't want to die. We don't want to think about death many times. We don't want to think about all of the things surrounding it. But that death is a reality to every one of us. I'm sure you've heard the statistics, right? 100% of all people die. 10 out of 10, 1 out of 1, 5 out of 5 people, we all die. It's something that we will face.

And David here in picturing this says, okay, look, the worst scenario possible. Here I am facing death. I'm in the valley of the shadow of death. David says, with this shepherd, I don't have to fear evil. I don't have to fear death or any similar valley that casts shadows and is scary or causes concern or brings, well, this darkness into my life. I don't have to fear evil.

Why? He says, because you are with me. As David pictures this, you know, lone sheep in the valley, he says, I don't have to fear because actually this sheep is not alone. The shepherd is there. To always make sure that the sheep is protected. This is something that we can rest in and trust in as well. The Lord promises, I will never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord promises, I will work all things together for good.

So even when things happen in the valley of the shadow of death, when we face things that are difficult, painful, hurtful, things that we would not label as good, at the same time, we can say, I will fear no evil. Because all of those things that we might even describe as evil, bad, harmful, hurtful, God has promised he's able to even take those things and work together good in our lives. He's the shepherd. He's with us.

And so we do not need to fear. Charles Spurgeon talking about this says, Observe that it is not walking in the valley, but through the valley. We go through the dark tunnel of death and emerge into the light of immortality. We do not die, we do but sleep to wake in glory. Death is not the house, but the porch. Not the goal, but the passage to it. Worst case scenario we can imagine.

Worst thing possible that we could experience in life. Whatever it is that we might dream up and perhaps it is actual physical death that we're considering, even in that case. We're not staying there. And death is not the end for the believer in Jesus, for the child of God. It's the porch through which we enter into the house. The reality of eternity and all that God has promised for us. There may be that dark tunnel somewhere.

But there's the light on the other side. And the Lord is there with us, walking us through the things that we experience. Whether it be something physical that we're experiencing, whether it be something emotional or some family crisis or some work thing or financial thing, whatever the valley of the shadow of death, whatever is casting those shadows in our lives, we don't have to fear evil. I don't have to because my shepherd protects me.

He's promised to work out those things for good. And he is there with me in the midst of the things that I face. Here in verse 4, he also goes on to say, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. And here David pictures these tools of the shepherd, the rod and the staff. And these tools are similar, but used for different things. J. Vernon McGee describes it this way. A rod was for defense and a staff was for direction.

He gives us gentle reproof and severe rebuke. He has a rod for our defense, but he also has a staff for our direction. He has a staff for the little old sheep that are bound to stray. And he says, that comforts me. Thinking of himself, J. Vernon McGee says, I like sheep are prone to wander, but the Lord has that staff.

Now he has the rod, which, okay, that's for defending. That's for protecting. There's a predator. There's, you know, some dangerous situation, and the rod is there for that. But the staff, it's long. It's just used to kind of nudge in the right direction. No, no, no, no. Don't go that way, sheep. You know, come back with the flock. Come back to the path that we're on. Come back to the green pastures and the still waters. And we all...

the Bible talks about this, like sheep are prone to wander. We're prone to stray away from where we need to be and where is good for us. But the shepherd is always faithful to bring in and, you know, usually it's just a little bit of pressure. It's just a little bit of reminder. It's not a beating. That's not the rod. That's for the predators, right? But it

But also that shepherd's staff has the crook, you know, that end part. And so, okay, well, you're not getting the little suggestion, you know, well, let me get you around the neck and I'll bring you back in with a little bit more force then. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The Lord doesn't just protect me from those external dangers, but also the Lord protects me from myself. When I'm wandering, when I'm straying, when I'm not keeping to the path, when I've crawled out of his arms and I'm, you know, straying away from

My shepherd protects me and he brings me back into the flock. He gives me that opportunity to be there with him again. In verse five, he goes on to say, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. And this is interesting to consider, right? In the presence of your enemies, that's not typically where you would think about, well, let me stop and have a good meal. But this is the way the shepherd works in my life. If I'm facing, well, death, I'm not going to be able to do that.

if I'm facing some spiritual battle, if I'm facing some difficulty or some terrible thing that's casting a shadow, and my enemies are there and they're seeking to devour and they're wanting to devour, the Lord throws down a picnic blanket and says, hey, let's have a meal. In the midst of our greatest difficulties and crisis, our shepherd is able to provide for us a time of fellowship with him.

You might picture in your mind in this the idea of communion. Remember when Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples and he said, you know, man, I've really greatly desired to have this meal with you, right? He went straight out from there. He goes into the Garden of Gethsemane and he's like exceedingly sorrowful even to the point of death and crying out, Lord,

If there's any other way, he's facing this huge, great difficulty in his life. But you know what he really longed for? Was that meal with his disciples right before. He's facing the presence of the enemy is there. He's facing this great battle, but awesome sweet fellowship first. In a similar way, as we face difficulties and face battles, the Lord provides us protection so that we can, even in the midst of those difficulties that we face...

We can spend some time with him. We can hear from him. He can comfort our hearts. He can encourage us. We can sit down and have a meal together, spiritually speaking. He feeds us. He meets our needs. He ministers to us, even in the midst of the presence of our enemies. David goes on to say, you anoint my head with oil.

There's a couple different ways to think about this idea of being anointed with oil. One sense that was normal for them and their culture and their customs was they would anoint the guests who came to dinner, they would anoint them with oil. It was a thing of honor, as a way to honor someone. And so that could be what David is alluding to. But also shepherds would anoint sheep's head with oil.

as a manner of protection against the insects that would be annoying them and attacking them and seeking to bother them and it protected them in that way. But also sometimes when sheep were butting heads,

oil could be applied so that, you know, they would just slide off of each other. There wouldn't be permanent damage that would take place. And so you could think about it from a variety of perspectives. But the idea here is this blessing, this anointing that the shepherd provides for us. So much so that David says at the end, my cup runs over. Here I am at the table, blessed, refreshed, renewed. So much so that I'm overflowing.

Here I am in the presence of my enemies, but this relationship with God has provided for me a condition where I just can't contain it all. My cup is not just full. It's not just, well, you know, it's half full. I don't have to worry about is the glass half full or half empty. You know, I don't have to worry about that perspective because here in this relationship with my shepherd, my shepherd meets me in a way and provides for me in a way where I'm overflowing.

He gives me more than I need internally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. My shepherd meets my needs and then some while he's protecting me, while we sit at this table in the midst of the enemies. There's this incredible promise here of protection from the shepherd. He's meeting our needs. He's giving us rest. He's keeping at bay the forces and the strategies and the techniques of the enemy,

and giving us what we need as we meet with him. Again, our job, our focus is not to defeating the enemies, figuring out their weak spots and trying to, you know. No, no, our focus is being a sheep, making him my shepherd, crawling into his arms, learning from him, walking with him. And his responsibility, his promise is to work in this way, to meet my needs, to give me rest and to protect me from the enemies around.

Well, finishing it up in the final verse, verse 6, we get point number 4, and that is, my shepherd guarantees a good future for me. My shepherd guarantees a good future for me. No matter what I face, no matter what valleys I walk through, no matter what enemies line up around me or against me, no matter what opposition there is, I can rest in this guarantee of

He says in verse 6, He ends with this word, surely, certainly, absolutely, without question, without exception. Here is this guarantee. As a sheep with this shepherd, it's guaranteed. Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

He looks at this present life and he says, you know what? For the rest of my life, surely, certainly, absolutely, I'm going to experience the goodness of God and the mercy of God. As his sheep, I can rest in this. He will be good to me. Again, that's his promise. Romans chapter 8. God works all things together for good.

No matter what we face in this life. And we might not see how it's good. We might not understand how it's good. That's going to happen a lot of times. And yet at the same time, we can come back to this truth surely. Guaranteed, certainly. Even when I don't understand how this could work out for good. How God could use this in some good way in my life. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me. For sure. Absolutely. Without question. Absolutely.

My shepherd guarantees a good future for me. He will be with me in this way for the rest of my life, but not just in this life, in the life to come. He goes on to say, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He looks beyond this life into eternity. And he says, not only in this life is the Lord going to be with me and is the Lord going to be good to me and provide for me and meet my needs and satisfy me and protect. That's not just for this life.

But then heading into eternity, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I'm going to be with him and he is going to be with me. Jesus put it this way in John chapter 14. They're talking to his disciples. He said, 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself and

Here's what the Lord desires. Here's what your shepherd desires. He desires to be with you for all of eternity. He desires for you to be with him for all of eternity. He says that where I am, there you may be. I'm preparing a place for you, specifically for you, because I want you to be with me for all eternity.

This is the Lord's desire. Sometimes we may get the idea, the perspective that the Lord wants nothing to do with us. He's tired of us. He's fed up with us. He's tired of forgiving us. He's tired. You know, we can feel that way. We talked about our feelings a lot last week as we looked at Psalm 13, right? How we feel is not an indication of reality many times. Here's what we can know for certain about the Lord. He's not tired of us. He's not fed up with us.

He is wanting to spend time with us for the rest of eternity, so much so that he's prepared for us a place next to him, with him. It's not just for right now that he desires to be our shepherd. It's not just for right now that he desires to work in our lives, but for all of eternity, he guarantees a good future for his sheep, for his children, for those who walk with him. We face a lot of different things in this life.

But we can rest on this promise, rest on this guarantee. Pastor Warren Wiersbe puts it this way. He says, one day you will look back at your life and see that it was only goodness and mercy. And that includes the valley experiences. If life is difficult today, just keep following the shepherd. He will never lead you where he cannot care for you. Again, our focus, our responsibility is

not how to figure out how to defeat enemies, not to come up with strategies to solve all of our problems, not to come up with ideas for how we can fix everything. Our job, our responsibility is to draw near to the shepherd, to keep following the shepherd, to love God, to draw near to him, to seek to know him. Our job is to pursue after God. And as we walk with God, he will give us

answers, direction. He will help us work out those strategies. We don't have to generate them on our own. Some of those, he says, hey, just sit there. Don't do anything. I'm going to fight the battle for you. Sometimes he'll say, hey, put on this armor and go to battle. He'll handle different situations differently, but it's not up to us to come up with the solution, to come up with the idea. No, the Lord is my shepherd. And as long as I walk with him,

As I crawl into his arms and allow him to be my shepherd and I am his sheep. I have and I receive from him all of these incredible benefits. All my needs are met. As Jesus said, I don't have to worry and stress about all my practical needs. Because the Father knows that I need them. My focus is to seek first the kingdom of God. To draw near to the Lord.

And as I walk with him, he will meet all my needs. Physical, practical, spiritual, whatever they might be. My shepherd gives me rest. I have this promise from him. I can learn from him and have peace within. The peace that passes all understanding, which is necessary because if I only have peace when I understand, there's going to be seldom, you know, that I have times of peace. Because there's a lot of things that we're not going to understand in this life.

A lot of trials that we face, we don't know why. We don't recognize. We don't get it. But the peace that passes all understanding is peace that doesn't depend on whether or not I understand what's going on, why, and why God's allowing this, and how all that's coming. We don't have to understand all of that. In the presence of the Lord, we can have peace. We can have rest, that tranquility within. We can lie down in the green pastures because our shepherd protects us. Even in the midst of difficult valleys,

painful situations, hard things that we go through. We're not alone. My shepherd is with me. He protects me. And I have this guarantee. He has a good future for me. For the rest of my life, I will experience his goodness and his mercy. And then on into eternity, I will experience great glory in the place that he's prepared for me. The Lord is my shepherd. This morning, I pray that you'd be able to say that.

Not just in general, the Lord is a shepherd, the Lord is the shepherd, you know, the Lord is a good shepherd, but you'd be able to claim that as your own. The Lord is my shepherd. I am the sheep of Jesus. I walk with him. I know him, and I receive from him all of these promises. You know, the great thing about the Lord is that he doesn't place huge fences around his flock.

To say, okay, you want to be one of my sheep? Here's what you got to do. Climb this 20-foot fence, you know, as a sheep. That'd be difficult to do. But he invites us. He says, come. You're weary, you're heavy laden, come. He invites us to himself. And we receive from him this role of him as our shepherd simply by receiving what he has done for us. Going back to the beginning, Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep.

And we can come to Jesus. We can come to the Father, believing in what Jesus has done for us and receiving that work and say, Lord, I'm not going to try to come by my own efforts. I'm not going to try to come and earn it or deserve it. But I just come to you as you called me to, as you instructed me to. I come to you believing that Jesus Christ died in my place. He paid the price for all of my sin.

So we don't have to worry about that. We don't have to make up for that. We can come to God on the basis of his promises and his goodness and mercy and walk with him as his sheep. No big hurdles, no run around, no go do these things and say these things 75 times or none of that. We just come by faith. Jesus, you died for me. I receive that. I want to know you and walk with you. Let's pray. Lord, I pray for each one of us that you would

Bring us to that place. And Lord, maybe you are using your staff this morning a little bit on us and kind of nudging us back. We've kind of wandered from the flock a bit. We've been fighting these battles and facing these things on our own. And Lord, you're calling us back into your arms that we would be your sheep and you would be our shepherd. I pray, God, that you would help us to respond as you call out to us. Lord, that we would receive from you your promises.

your work in our lives, your goodness towards us. Help us, Lord, to rest in that. Lord, we want to worry and we want to go and scramble and try to figure out these things, but it's such a burden on us. Lord, forgive us for chasing after these things on our own and trying to figure them out all by ourselves. Help us, Lord, to come back to this position, having you as our shepherd, where our main responsibility is to know you and walk with you. Lord, I pray that would be our priority. Help us.

to be reminded and refreshed and renewed in that priority every day. Lord, that we would seek you first, that we would know you, Lord, that we might rest and trust in you as our shepherd. And Lord, for whatever needs we might be experiencing right now, Lord, we look to you and your faithfulness and your promises, and we ask, according to your word, Lord, would you meet those needs? Lord, would you bring the protection that is necessary? Lord, for those who are experiencing that turmoil within, that unrest within,

Lord, would you bring those still waters with your presence, with your word, with your promises. Lord, would you give us rest. Thank you, Lord, for these guarantees. Help us to hold fast to them. In Jesus' name, amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.