Psalm 23 Verse 5

Verse 5: You Prepare A Table Before Me In The Presence Of My Enemies, You Anoint My Head With Oil, My Cup Overflows

You Prepare A Table Before Me

The antecedent of “You” is “Yahweh,” but it no longer seems to be Yahweh-Shepherd, since a shepherd does not prepare a table for his sheep. The image seems to have changed to that of a host. This implies that the Psalmist is Yahweh’s honored guest.

There is a series of two prepositional phrases used to indicate the “location” of the table’s preparation.

The first one is “before me” which indicates that the table prepared in the presence of the Psalmist.

The second prepositional phrase is “in the presence of my enemies.” Not only is the table prepared before him, but what is more amazing is that it is also prepared in the presence of the Psalmist’s enemies.

What is involved in a host’s preparing a table?

The Hebrew word for table is “shulhan.” It describes the physical table itself. More frequently it describes the table spread with food. Here the emphasis is on the meal rather than on the table itself. This is true of the table of shewbread also. From this the metaphorical use derives easily God’s provision for man’s needs. An important use of the word is to evoke the picture of the fellowship shared by those seated around the table.

Why do we invite friends over to our homes for dinner? Think about that for a moment. It is time to enjoy good food, but that is not the real reason. We invite people to our homes to fellowship with them. The meal provides the opportunity. If you have just met someone, what a way to get to know him or her. You go all out to prepare a feast and you and your guest enjoy to the opportunity to fellowship. It makes the guest feel special because you took the time and effort to have him or her over to your house for dinner.

The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 78:19 had this to say: “Then they spoke against God; they said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? This was written about the Israelites who roamed the wilderness for 40 years. Did God provide for them? Yes He did. I found out what the logistics would have been for provision for the wandering Israelites. It is amazing. If you would like a copy of it, send me an email requesting the Logistics of the Exodus.

Lastly, the word is used to describe the altar of sacrifice. To share in a god’s table was an act of worship. (Isaiah 65:11)(1 Corinthians 10:21)

What is signified by Yahweh’s preparing a table for the Psalmist?

Specifically, how is this accomplished?

In what sense is it true that Yahweh is Host and the Psalmist His honored guest?

What are the wider implications of this Host-Guest relationship?

In thinking about this statement it is well to bear in mind that the sheep are approaching the high mountain country of the summer ranges. These are known as alp lands or table lands.

The high plateau of the sheep ranges are always referred to as “mesa” the Spanish word for “tables”. It may be seen that David referred to as a table was actually the entire high summer range. Though this “mesa” may have been remote and hard to reach, the energetic and aggressive sheep owner takes the time and trouble to ready them for the arrival of his flocks.

Early in the season, even before all the snow has been melted by spring sunshine, he will go ahead and make preliminary survey trips into this rough, wild country. He will look over with great care, keeping ever in mind its best use for his flock during the coming season.

Then just before the sheep arrive he will make another expedition or two to prepare the tableland for them. He takes along a supply of salt and minerals to be distributed over the range at strategic spots for the benefit of the sheep during the summer. The intelligent, careful manager will also decide well ahead of time where his camps will be located so the sheep have the best bed grounds. He goes over the range carefully to determine how vigorous the grass and upland vegetation is. At this time he decides whether some glades and basins can be used only lightly where as other slopes and meadows may be grazed more heavily. He will check to see if there are poisonous weeds appearing, and if so, he will plan his grazing program to avoid them, or take drastic steps to eradicate them.

The parallel in the Christian life is clear. Like sheep, and especially lambs, we somehow feel that we have to try everything that comes our way. We have to taste this thing and that, sampling everything just to see what it’s like. We may very well know that some things are deadly. They can do us no good. They can be most destructive. Still somehow we give them a whirl anyway.

To forestall our getting into grief of this sort, we need to remember our Master has been there ahead of us coping with every situation, which would otherwise undo us. A classic example of this was the incident when Jesus warned Peter that Satan desired to tempt him and sift him like wheat. But Christ pointed out that He had prayed that Peter’s faith might not fail during the desperate difficulty he would encounter. And so it is even today. Our great Good Shepherd is going ahead of us in every situation, anticipating what danger we may encounter, and praying for us that in it we might not succumb.

Another task the attentive shepherd takes on in the summer is to keep an eye out for predators.
He will look for signs of wolves, coyotes, cougars and bears. If these raid or molest the sheep he will have to hunt them down or go to great pains to trap them so that his flock can rest in peace.
Often what actually happens is that these crafty ones are up on the rimrock watching every movement the sheep make, hoping for a chance to make a swift, sneaking attack that will stampede the sheep. Then one or other of the flock is bound to fall easy prey to the attacker’s fierce teeth and claws. Only the alertness of the sheepman who tends his flock on the tableland in full view of possible enemies can prevent them from falling prey to attack. It is only his preparations for such an eventuality that can possible save the sheep from being slaughtered and panicked by their predators.

I can’t remember when or on what TV channel I saw this, but when a herd of elephants is attacked by a lion or other animal, the first thing they do is to get the baby elephants huddled together in the middle of the adults and then form a circle around them to protect them from the attack.

Another time I was watching a large flock of Canadian geese with young ones. Even without young ones, I noticed that all around where the others were feeding, it like there were posted sentries watching. They were on the alert for a possible attack. A lot of other animals do this also.

We have a Shepherd who knows our enemy and is well aware of his attempts to get to us. If we will listen to Him, He will tell what the devil is up to and how to avoid his attacks. Since God knows everything, even what the devil is up to, it’s like have a spy in the middle of the enemy’s camp. If we will listen to the Holy Spirit, He will warn us so we can avoid the trap that is set for us.

Again we are given a sublime picture of our Savior who knows every wile, every trick, every treachery of our enemy Satan and his companions. Always we are in danger of attack. Scripture refers to him as “a roaring lion” who goes about seeking whom he may devour. (I Peter 5:8) It is interesting to watch a group of lions go after a herd of animals. They look for the stragglers, the young one and the sickly ones. These make easy prey. But they will attack a strong animal.

At all times we would be wise to walk a little closer to Christ. This is one sure place of safety.
It was always the distant sheep, the roamers, and the wanderers, which were picked off by the predators in an unsuspecting moment. Some sheep are utterly dumb with fear under attack; they will not even give a plaintive bleat before their blood is spilled.

The same is true of Christians. Many of us get into deep difficulty beyond ourselves; we are stricken dumb with apprehension, unable even to call or cry out for help; we just crumble under our adversary’s attack.

But Christ is too concerned about us to allow this to happen. Our Shepherd wants to forestall such a calamity. He wants our sojourn to be in peace. Our Lord wants our mountaintop times to be tranquil interludes. And they will be if we just have the common sense to stay near Him where He can protect us. Read His Word each day. Spend some time talking to Him. We should give Him opportunity to converse with us by His Spirit as we contemplate His life and work for us as our Shepherd.

There is another chore, which the sheepman takes care of on the tableland. He clears out the water holes, springs and drinking places for his flock. He has to clean out the accumulated debris of leaves, twigs, stones and soil that may have fallen into the water source during the autumn and winter. He may need to repair small earth dams he has made to hold water. He will open the springs that may have become overgrown with grass and brush and weeds. It is all his work, his preparation of the table for his own sheep in summer.

The parallel in the Christian life is that Christ, our great Good Shepherd has Himself already gone before us into every situation and every extremity that we might encounter. We are told emphatically that He was tempted in all points like as we are. (Hebrews 4:14-15) We know He entered full and completely and very intimately into life of men upon this earth. He has known our sufferings, experienced our sorrows, and endured our struggles in this life. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53) Because of this He “understands” us, He has totally “identified Himself with humanity. He has, therefore, a care and compassion for us beyond our ability to grasp.

No wonder He makes every possible provision to insure that when have to cope with Satan, sin, or self, the contest will not be one-sided. Rather, we can be sure He has been in that situation before; He is in it now again with us and because of this the prospects of our preservation are excellent. It is this attitude of rest in Him, of confidence in His care, of relaxation as we realize His presence in the picture that can make the Christian’s life one of calm and quiet confidence.
The Christian walk can thus become a mountaintop experience; a tableland trip, simply because we are in the care and control of Christ who has been over all this territory before us and prepared the “table” for us in plain view of our enemies who would demoralize and destroy us if they could.

It is encouraging to know that just as in any other aspect of life where there are lights and shadows, so in the Christian life there are valleys and mountaintops. Too many people assume that once one becomes a Christian, automatically life becomes a glorious garden of delight. We think that the Lord has promised us a rose garden. This is simply not the case. It may well become a garden of sorrow just as our Savior went through the garden of Gethsemane.

As was pointed out previously, you do not have mountains without valleys, and even on the mountaintop there can be some tough experiences. Just because the shepherd has gone ahead and made every possible provision for the safety and welfare of his sheep while they are on the summer range does not mean they will not have problems there.

Predators can still attack; poisonous weeds can still grow; storms and gales can still come swirling up over the peaks; and a dozen other hazards can haunt the high country. Yet, in His care and concern for us Christ still insures that we will have some gladness with our sadness; some delightful days as well as dark days; some sunshine as well as shadows. It is not always apparent to us what tremendous personal cost it has been for Christ to prepare the table for His own.

Just as the lonely, personal privation of the sheepman who prepares the summer range for his flock entails a sacrifice, so the lonely agony of Gethsemane, of Pilate’s hall, of Calvary, have cost my Master much.

When I come to the Lord’s Table and partake of the communion service, which is a feast of thanksgiving for His love and care, do I fully appreciate what it has cost Him to prepare this table for me?

Here we commemorate the greatest and deepest demonstration of “true love” the world has ever known.

For God looked down upon sorrow, struggling, sinning humanity and was moved with compassion for the contrary, sheep-like creatures He had made. In spite of the tremendous personal cost it would entail to Himself to deliver them from their dilemma, He chose deliberately to descend and live among them that He might deliver them. This meant laying aside His splendor, His position, and His prerogatives as the perfect and faultless One. He knew He would be exposed to terrible privation, to ridicule, to false accusations, to rumors, gossip and malicious charges that branded Him as a glutton, drunkard, friend of sinners and even an imposter.

It entailed losing His reputation.

It would involve physical suffering, mental anguish and spiritual agony.

In short, His coming to earth as the Christ, as Jesus of Nazareth, was a straightforward case of utter self-sacrifice that culminated in the cross of Calvary.

The laid-down life, the poured-out blood were the supreme symbols of total selflessness.

This was love.

This was God.

This was divinity in action, delivering men from their own utter selfishness, their own stupidity; their own suicidal instincts as lost sheep unable t help themselves. In all of this there is an amazing mystery. No man will ever be able fully to fathom its implications. It is bound up inexorably with the concept of God’s divine love of self-sacrifice, which is so foreign to most of us who are self-centered.

At best we can only grasp feebly the incredible concept of a perfect person, a sinless one being willing actually to be made sin that we who are so full of faults, selfish self assertion and suspicion might be set free form sin and self to live a new, free, fresh, abundant life of righteousness.

Jesus told us Himself, that He had come that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
Just as the sheepman is thrilled beyond words to see his sheep thriving on the high, rich summer range, so my Shepherd is immensely pleased then He sees me flourish on the tablelands of a noble, lofty life that He has made possible for me. Part of the mystery and wonder of Calvary, of Gods’ love to us in Christ, is bound up too with deep desire of His heart to have me live on a higher plane. He longs to see me living above the mundane level of common humanity.

He is so pleased when I walk in the ways of holiness, of selflessness, of serene contentment in His care, aware of His presence and enjoying the intimacy of His companionship.

To live thus is to live richly.

To walk here is to walk with quiet assurance.

To feed here is to be replete with good things.

To find this tableland is to have found something of my Shepherd’s love for me.

Several years ago I was sitting in church when the pastor came to the pulpit and said that he was going to preach a sermon that he had preached some time ago. When he started, I knew exactly what he was going to talk about, so I closed my Bible and notebook. After receiving this revelation I now keep my notebook open.

As he was preaching, I don’t remember what he said, but I began to receive revelation about the table in this psalm.

Here is what that was revealed to me.

Image a long table, and this table is covered with a purple tablecloth with gold fringe. At the end of the table are two large purple chairs with gold trim.

On this table are the following items each with its symbolic meaning:

The first item is a large menorah, holding seven candles that are lit. This represents Jesus as the Light of the World.

There is a big picture of milk representing the sincere milk of the Word in Hebrews

There is also a huge piece of meat representing the strong meat of the Word in Hebrews

The next item is a large loaf of bread, representing Jesus as the Bread of Life.

On this table is also a large vial of oil, representing the Holy Spirit; the oil of joy, the oil of gladness, the oil of healing, the anointing.

There are nine large bowls overflowing with different kinds of fruit, each one representing the nine fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.

We will also find on this table a large pitcher of water, presenting the Word of God.

Next we find a gold cup of wine and a loaf of broken bread, representing the Lord’s Supper, our communion with Him.

The Lord is standing behind the large purple chair reserved for His guest, waiting to seat you at His table. He bids each one of us to come and partake of His table.

What do you need from Him today?

You can find what you need by just coming to His table.

In the Presence of My Enemies

Who are the Psalmist’s “enemies?”

Why should the Psalmist have enemies?

What is meant by Yahweh’s preparing a table for the Psalmist in the presence of his enemies?

Why does the Psalmist suggest that Yahweh would do such a thing?

I like what Webster’s Dictionary says about an enemy:

An enemy is person who hates, opposes, or fosters harmful designs against another.
An adversary, foe, or hater.
It can refer to an individual opponent or to a hostile force, either a nation or an army.

There are several Hebrew words are rendered “enemy” in the Old Testament:

“Tsar” means an “adversary, foe, oppressor, or enemy.” It comes from the verb “tsarar”, which means “to show hostility toward.”

An “’ohev” is “one who is hostile, an enemy or foe.”

The term “sane’” means, “one who hates.”

“Zur” is a “stranger, foreigner, or alien.”

One Greek term, “echthros”, is used for each of the Hebrew words in the New Testament. Its basic definition is simply “enemy.”

Enemy is also used to speak of one’s personal foes. This is especially true in the Psalms. David asked for help against his enemies on a number of occasions (Psalm 25:2; Psalm 25:19). Other poets in the Psalter often sought this same protection (Psalm 119:84; Psalm 119:86).

Satan is also called “the enemy” (1 Tim. 5:14-15). He has revealed himself as such throughout history by seeking to hurt men and women, leading them away from God.

The greatest and final enemy is death itself (1 Cor. 15:24). It is feared by all because of its finality and unknown nature. But the Bible teaches that Jesus has “abolished” death once for all (2 Tim. 1:10). Those who have trusted Christ for the salvation He freely gives need not fear death.

If you are a Christian, you have enemies. Satan hates you, opposes you, and fosters harmful designs against you. All the demons in hell hate you. The world system hates you.

People that hate you are just being used by Satan and his demons to express their hatred for you. Remember that in 2 Corinthians 10 that is says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. They truly don’t know what is going on. James says that to love this world is to become and enemy of God.

Yet in the midst of our enemies surrounding us, God prepares a table before us in their presence.

Can you imagine a table like one I described above being prepared, this huge spread, and you are seated with the Lord at the table, and all around you your enemies are standing off in the distance watching this?

I wonder what they would be thinking! It probably wouldn’t be nice.

You Anoint My Head With Oil

This seems to contain another action of Yahweh. Not only does Yahweh prepare a table, but He also has anointed the Psalmist’s head with oil.“ Prepares” is in the present tense, whereas “hast anointed” is in the present perfect.

What is meant by “anointed?”

It describes the procedure of rubbing or smearing a person or thing, usually with oil, for the purpose of healing, setting apart, or embalming.

A person can anoint himself, be anointed, or anoint another person or thing.

What is oil?

Generally, it is olive oil whether pure or prepared for various uses such as perfume or ointment.

Oil is one of the symbols for the Anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Oil was used in a variety of ways in biblical times in the Ancient Near East.

Most often oil was use in the preparation of food, taking the place of animal fat. Oil was used with meal in the preparation of cakes, with honey, flour, and wine. (Numbers 11:8)(1 Kings 17:12-16)(Ezekiel 16:13)(Leviticus 2:1-4)(Revelation 6:6)

Oil was used as fuel for lamps, both in homes and in the Tabernacle and Temple. ((Matthew 25:3)(Exodus 25:6)

Oil was extensively used in religious ceremonies. The morning and evening sacrifices required, in addition to the lambs, a tenth of measure of fine flour and fourth of a hin of beaten oil. This oil, called “beaten oil”, was lighter and considered the best oil. Other cereal offering also required oil.

Oil was used during the offerings of purification from leprosy.

In the New Testament, oil was used to anoint a body in preparation for burial. (Matthew 26:12)

Since olive trees were found in abundance in Palestine, olive oil was also used as a commodity of trade. (1 Kings 5:11)(Ezekiel 27:17)

Oil was regarded as a symbol of honor, while virtue was compared to perfumed oil. (Song of Solomon 1:3)(Ecclesiastes 7:1)

The abundance of oil was a demonstration of blessing and prosperity. (Job 29:6)(Joel 2:24)

However, as a symbol of affluence, oil was also associated with the arrogance of the rich.
(Hebrew: “valley of oil”; KJV: “fat valley,” Isaiah 28:1, 4)

Oil was a symbol of joy and gladness (Psalm 45:7), and in time of sorrow, anointing with oil was not practiced. (2Samuel 14:2)

Several persons in the Old Testament we anointed with oil:

Kings: (1 Samuel 10:1)(1 Samuel 16:13)

Priests: (Leviticus 8:30)

Prophets: (1 Kings 19:16)

Some objects were also anointed in dedication to God; the tabernacle, and all its furnishings (Exodus 40:9-11); the shields of soldiers (2 Samuel 1:21; Isaiah 21:5); altars (Leviticus 8:10-11), and pillars (Genesis 35:14)

As medicine, oil or ointment was used in the treatment of wounds (Isaiah 1:6)(Luke 10:34).

Oil was used cosmetically as protection against the scorching sun or the dryness of the desert. (Ruth 3:3)(Ecclesiastes 9:8)

Why does Yahweh “anoint?”

The Hebrew word “mashach (noun, messiah) and the Greek verb “chrio (noun, christos) are translated “to anoint.”

From ancient times the priests and kings were ceremonially anointed as a sign of God’s power upon them. The act was imbued with an element of awe. This was done by pouring a horned filled with oil over the person’s head. Psalm 133 gives a picture of this. This was not like we do today. We usually put a dab of oil on our finger and touch the person’s forehead. The whole horn of oil is literally poured out on the person's head.

Even today we talk about people being “anointed by God “ for ministry. God anoints every Christian for a specific purpose. The gifts of Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 require an anointing by the Lord.

Why does He “anoint the head with oil?

Literally the head is the upper most part of the body considered to be the seat of life, but not the intellect and figuratively for first, top, or chief.

There are various uses of the word “head” that we will not get into. Check it out for yourself.

Because the head was the seat of life, value was placed on it. Injury to it was a chief form of defeating an enemy. Defeated warriors were often beheaded.

Conversely, blessing comes upon the head and therefore hands are laid on it. (Genesis 48:17; 49:26)

Anointing the head with oil symbolized prosperity and joy. (Psalm 23:5; Hebrews 1:9)

In the service of ordination of priests and dedication of priestly service, the head of the high priest was anointed with oil. (Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 16:32)


It is difficult for those living in a temperate climate to appreciate, but it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration. When mixed with perfume, the oil imparted a delightfully refreshing an invigorating sensation. Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running a race. As the body, therefore, anointed with oil was refreshed, invigorated and better fitted for action, so the Lord would anoint His sheep with the Holy Spirit, Whom oil symbolizes, to fit them to engage more freely in His service and run in the way He directs, in heavenly fellowship with Him.

Here now the sheep are in a sublime setting on the high meadows; where there are clear running springs; where the forage is fresh and tender, where here is the intimate close contact with the shepherd; suddenly we find “a fly in the ointment,” so to speak. For in the terminology of the sheepman, “summertime is fly time.”

By this, reference is made to the hordes of insects that emerge with the advent of warm weather.

Only those people who have kept livestock or studied wildlife habits are aware of the serious problems for animal presented by insects in the summer.

To name a few parasites that trouble stock and make their lives a misery:

warble flies
bot flies
heel flies
nose (nasal) flies
deer flies
black flies
mosquitoes
gnats

Their attacks on animals can readily turn the golden summer months into a time of torture for sheep and drive them almost to distraction.

Sheep are especially troubled by the nose fly, or nasal fly. These flies buzz about the sheep’s head, attempting to deposit their eggs on the damp, mucous membranes of the sheep’s nose. It they are successful the eggs will hatch in a few days to form small, slender, worm-like larvae.
They work their way to the nasal passages into the sheep’s head; they burrow into the flesh and there set up an intense irritation accompanied by severe inflammation.

For relief from this agonizing annoyance sheep will deliberately beat their heads against trees, rocks, posts, or brush. They will rub them in the soil and thrash around against woody growth.
In extreme cases of intense infestation a sheep may even kill itself in a frenzied endeavor to gain relief from the aggravation. Often advanced stages of infection from these flies will lead to blindness.

Because of all this, when the nose flies hover around the flock, some of the sheep become frantic with fear and panic in their attempt to escape their tormentors. They will stamp their feet erratically and flee from place to place in the pasture trying desperately to elude the flies. Some may run so much they will drop from sheer exhaustion. Others may toss their heads up and down for hours. They will hide in any bush or woodland that offers shelter. On some occasions they may refuse to graze in the open at all.

All this excitement and distraction has a devastating effect on the entire flock. Ewes and lambs rapidly lose condition and begin to drop in weight. Ewes will go off milking and their lambs will stop growing gainfully. Some sheep will be injured in their headlong rushes of panic. Others may be blinded. Some may even be killed outright.

Only the strictest attention to the behavior of the sheep by the shepherd can forestall the difficulties of “fly time.” At the very first sign of flies among the flock he will apply an antidote to their heads.

What an incredible transformation this makes among the sheep. Once the oil had been applied to the sheep’s head there is an immediate change in behavior. Gone is the aggravation, gone the frenzy; gone the irritability and the restlessness. Instead the sheep will start to feed quietly again, and soon lie down in peaceful contentment.

This is the exact picture of irritations in our own lives. How easy it is for there to be a fly in the ointment of even our most lofty spiritual experience. So often it is the small, petty annoyances that ruin our repose. It is the nagging distractions that become burning issues that can well nigh drive us round the bend or up the wall. At times some tiny, tantalizing thing torments us to the point where we feel we are just beating our brains out.

Our behavior as a child of God degenerates to a most disgraceful sort of frustrated tirade.

I was in a grocery store one time at the check line and there was this child, I would say about two years standing with his mother just throwing a temper tantrum. He was yelling, crying, and demanding that this mother get him this particular thing he wanted. As I was watching this, the Lord spoke to me and said this is how some of my children act, including me. If you think about it for a moment, we do. We throw a fit with the Lord because He won’t give us what we want or we don’t get out own way. How do react when someone irritates us?

There was an individual I worked with several years that I could not stand to be around. It seemed like his purpose in life was to irritate me. He would do things, on purpose, that would irritate the sap out of me. I would go into the back of the shipping container where I was working and tell the Lord that I really felt like taking my fist and shoving it down his throat. It wasn’t until I read this section about the irriations of the sheep that he was my “nasal fly.” That’s what I started calling him to myself. Everytime I saw him, I would just start laughing to myself. Over a period of time, I noticed that no matter what he did, my irritation with him was decreasing. It got to the point where no matter what he did; it did not irritate me like it use to.


Just as with the sheep there must be continuous and renewed application of oil to forestall the “flies” in our lives, there must be a continuous anointing of God’s gracious Spirit to counteract the ever-present aggravations of personality conflicts. It is a process that has to be repeated.
There are those who contend that in the Christian life one need only have a single, initial anointing of God’s Spirit. Yet the frustrations of daily dilemmas demonstrate that one must have Him come continuously to the troubled mind and heart to counteract the attacks of one’s tormentors. It is both a logical and legitimate desire for us to have the daily anointing of God’s gracious Spirit upon our minds.

God alone can form in us the mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit alone can give to us the attitudes of Christ. He alone makes it possible for us to respond to aggravations and annoyances with quietness and calmness. When people or circumstances or events beyond our control tend to “bug” us, it is possible to be content and serene when these “outside” forces are counteracted by the presence of God’s Spirit. It is something that is not going to happen overnight. It takes a conscious awareness of what is going on and then making a conscious decision to respond and not react.

Several years ago I was driving on the interstate and somebody cut right in front of me and when he did I did not bless him. The Lord got on me about this and told me that I needed to change from reacting in anger to blessing people. My question was to Him, How do you do it? He gave me a passage of Scripture from Numbers 6:24-26 and I was to use that to bless others on the road. Well, the next time I got cut off, I spouted off the Scripture passage in anger, and I told the Lord that You know that I didn’t mean it. As I continued to pray this passage of Scripture, it eventually became my response instead of an angry reaction. I used this when working as a prayer counselor at CBN. People would curse at you and slam the phone down in your ear. So every time this happened I responded with this prayer of blessing regardless of whether they received it or not. Another prayer counselor beside me asked me what I was doing and I explained to her what the Lord told me to do, so she started doing it. Sometimes I slip up, but when I do, I make it a point to be extra aware of what is going on and pray this passage over people.

It is this daily anointing of God’s gracious Spirit upon our minds which produces in our lives such personality traits as joy, contentment, love, patience, gentleness, and peace. What a contrast this is to the tempers, frustration, and irritableness, which mar the daily conduct of so many of God’s children. What I do in any given situation is to expose it to my Master, my Owner, Christ Jesus, and simply ask for His help.

Summertime for the sheep is more that just fly time. It is also “scab-time.” Scab is an irritating and highly contagious disease common among sheep the world over. Sheep love to rub heads in an affectionate and friendly manner. When two sheep rub together the infection spreads readily from one to another.

In the Christian life, most of our contamination by the world, by sin, by that which would defile and disease us spiritually comes through our minds. It is a case of mind meeting mind to transmit ideas, concepts and attitudes that may be damaging.

Often it is when we “get our heads together” with someone else who may not necessarily have the mind of Christ, that we come away imbued with concepts that are not Christian. Our thoughts, our ideas, our emotions, our choices, our impulses, drives and desires are all shaped and molded through the exposure of our minds to others people’s, minds. One cannot be exposed to such contacts without coming away contaminated. I have been come into contact with a few of these and have “butted heads” with them.

The only possible, practical path to attaining such a mind free of the world’s contamination is to be conscious daily, hourly of the purging presence of God’s Holy Spirit to our minds. There are those who seem unable to realize His control of their minds and thoughts. It is a simple matter of faith and acceptance.

Just as one asks Christ to come into the life initially to assure complete control of one’s conscious and subconscious mind to monitor one’s thought-life. After believing, accepting with thanks the anointing of His gracious Spirit upon our minds, we simply proceed to live and act and think as He directs us.

The difficulty is that some of us are not in dead earnest about it. Like stubborn sheep we will struggle, kick, and protest when the Master puts His hand upon us for this purpose. Even if it is for our own good, we still rebel and refuse to have Him help us when we need it so desperately.
In a sense we are a stiff-necked lot and were it not for Christ’s continuing compassion and concern for us, most of us would be beyond hope or help. Sometimes I am quite sure Christ comes to us and applies the oil of His own Spirit to our minds in spite of our own objections.
Were this not so, where would most of us be?

As summer moves into autumn, there are subtle changes in the flock.
This is the season or the rut, of mating, of great battles between the rams for possession of the ewes. They strut proudly across the pastures and fight furiously for the favor of the ewes.

The shepherd knows all about this. He knows that some of the sheep will can actually kill, injure and main each other in these deadly combats. At this season of the year he will catch his rams and smear their heads with grease. The lubricant will make them glance off each other.

Among God’s people there is a considerable amount of knocking each other. Somehow if we don’t see eye to eye with the other person, we persist in trying to assert ourselves and become “top sheep.” A good many become badly bruised and hurt this way. Much of the grief, the wounds, the hurts, the ill will, the unforgiving things in people’s lives can usually be traced back to old rivalries or jealousies or battles that had broken out between believers. Scores of skeptical souls will never enter a church simply because way back into their experience someone had battered them badly.

To forestall and prevent this sort of thing from happening among His people our Shepherd loves to apply the precious ointment of the presence of His gracious Spirit to our lives. It will be recalled that just before His crucifixion, our Lord in dealing with His twelve disciples, who, even then, were caught up in jealous bickering and rivalry for prestige, told of the coming of the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth.

He said, they would know peace. He went on to say that His people would be known everywhere for their love for one another.

But too often this simply is not true among God’s own people. They hammer and knock each other, stiff-necked with pride and self-assertion. They are intolerant, dogmatic and uncharitable with other Christians. Yet when the gracious Holy Spirit invades a man or woman, when He enters that life and is in control of the personality, the attributes of peace, joy, longsuffering and generosity become apparent.

It is then that suddenly one becomes aware of how ridiculous are all the petty jealousies, rivalries, and animosities which formerly motivated their absurd assertions. This is to come to a place of contentment in the Shepherd’s care. It is then the cup of contentment that becomes real in the life.

MY CUP OVERFLOWS

The cup was a drinking vessel made of pottery or various metals such as gold, silver, or bronze. During biblical times cups came in two different forms. Some resembled their modern counterparts. However, most ancient cups were shallow bowls which were produced in a multitude of sizes.

In addition, the term cup was used to designate the receptacles for holding lamps on the lampstand of the tabernacle.


In the Bible, the word “cup” frequently is used in a figurative sense. The contents of the cup are accentuated, since symbolically God serves the drink.

Thus the cup might represent blessings or prosperity for a righteous person. (Psalm 16:5; 23:5; 116:13)

Likewise, it portrayed the totality of divine judgment on the wicked. ((Psalm 16:5; 75:8)(Isaiah 51:17, 22)

Jesus voluntarily drank the cup of suffering. (Matthew 20:22)(Matthew 26:39, 42) For Jesus that cup was His death and everything that it involved.

The cup had a prominent place in the liturgy of the Jewish Passover meal, and so, subsequently, in the Lord’s Supper. In the Christian ordinance the cup is a symbolic reminder of the atoning death of Jesus. (Matthew 26:27-28)(Mark 14:23-24)

As the children of God, the sheep in the Divine Shepherd’s care, we should be known as the most contented people on earth.

A quiet, restful contentment should be the hallmark of those who call Christ their Master. If He is the One who has all the knowledge and wisdom and understanding of my affairs and management; If He is able to cope with every situation, good or bad, that I encounter, then surely I should be satisfied with His care.

In a wonderful way my cup, or my lot in life, is a happy one that overflows with benefits of all sorts. The trouble is most of us don’t see if this way. Especially when troubles or disappointments come along, we are apt to feel forgotten by our Shepherd. We act as though He had fallen down on the job.

Actually He is never asleep.

He is never lax or careless.

He is never indifferent to our well being.

Our Shepherd always has our best interests in mind. Because of this we are actually under obligation to be a thankful, grateful, appreciative people. The New Testament instructs us clearly to grasp the idea that the cup of our life is full and overflowing with good, with the life of Christ Himself and with the presence of His gracious Spirit.

Because of this we should be joyous, grateful, and serene.

This is the overcoming Christian life.

It is the life in which a Christian can be content with whatever comes his way, even trouble.
Most of us are glad when things go well.

How many of us can give thanks when things go wrong?

Several years ago I was on my way to another state where we going to do a short term missions trip. As my friend and I were driving down the interstate, we were just enjoying the ride. Eventually we stopped at a gas station and noticed that my luggage on back of the truck was missing. Somewhere the suitcase had slipped out of the ropes that tied to the material we were carrying. After few moments, and deciding not to backtrack to try and find it, we continued on our way. I turned to my friend and, “You know, in 1 Thessalonians 5 if says to give thanks in everything. So Lord I thank you.” When we arrived to where we were going I shared with the others there what had happened. When we took a break from the Vacation Bible School we were doing, one of the parents came up to me and ask me to tell him what happened. I explained to him that somewhere the suitcase slipped out of the ropes, and that I thanked the Lord. He went away shaking his head and said that if that had happened to him he would have been mad.

Looking again at the round of the year through which the sheep pass in the shepherd’s care, we see summer moving into autumn. The autumn days can be golden under Indian summer weather. The sheep have respite now from flies and insects and scab. No other season finds them so fit and well and strong.

No wonder David wrote, “My cup runneth over.”

There is another aspect of the meaning of a cup that overflows.

There is in every life a cup of suffering.

Jesus Christ referred to His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and at Calvary as His cup. Had it not overflowed with His life poured out for men, we would have perished.

What a picture of my Master, sharing the wine, the very life blood of His own suffering from His overflowing cup poured out at Calvary for me.

He is there with me in every storm.

My Shepherd is alert to every approaching disaster that threatens His people.

He has been through the storms of suffering before.

He bore our sorrows and was acquainted with our grief. (Isaiah 53)

No matter what storms I face, His very life and strength and vitality is poured into mine.

It overflows so the cup of my life runs over with His life, often with great blessing and benefit to others who see me stand up so well in the midst of trials and suffering.

What about you?

Psalm 23 Verse 4

Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley

It is at this point that we are half way through the Psalm. We have finished the “He” section which describes the way the Shepherd cares for His sheep.

He has done everything for us; we are not required to do anything but follow. He protects and provides for us as we stay close to Him. So we see that the theme for these first three verses implies relationship:

He is my Shepherd and Lord and I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

The second half of the Psalm is the “I” section. Because the Shepherd has done everything for me, I am now responsible to follow Him closely so He can provide for me and protect me.

What does this mean for me as His sheep?

I can walk through a valley of death

I will fear no evil.

I will have Him with me always.

I will be comforted by His rod and staff.

I will eat from a prepared table.

I will have my head anointed with oil.

I will have a cup that will overflow.

I will have goodness and mercy follow and overtake me the rest of my life.

I will live in His house for all eternity.

It is as though up to this point the sheep has been boasting to its unfortunate neighbor across the fence about the excellent care it received from its owner on the “home” ranch throughout the winter and spring. Have you ever worked for someone who was really a great person to work for, and then go home and tell your neighbor what a wonderful boss you have only to find out his boss is the worst person in the world to work for?

Now it turns to address the shepherd directly. The personal pronouns “I” and “Thou” enter the conversation. It becomes a most intimate discourse of deep affection. This is natural and normal.

Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow of Death

It is interesting to note that the intensive connective “yea” is used to begin the statement. This is the first connective utilized to relate clauses. The absence of expressed connectives at the beginning of preceding clauses make this stand out by contrast.

“Walk” describes incomplete action and may refer both to the present and future tense. This is true of some of the other verbs of verse 4.

A series of 3 prepositional phrase is used to describe “walk.”

The local adverbial phrase “through the valley,” indicating the direction or place of the walk.

The adjectival phrase, “of the shadow,” qualifies the term “valley.”

The adjectival phrase, “of death,” qualifies the term “shadow”

In the marginal reading of some translations, “the valley of the shadow of death” is rendered “the valley of deep darkness.”

During the time the flock is entirely alone with the shepherd during the long treks of the summer and fall, they are entirely alone with the shepherd. They are under his most personal attention day and night. That is why these last verses are couched in such intimate first person language.

It is well to remember that all of this is done against a dramatic background of wild mountains, rushing rivers, alpine meadows and high rangelands.

David, the psalmist, of course knew this type of terrain first hand. He knew from firsthand experience about the difficulties and dangers, as well as the delights of the treks into high country. He knew this wild but wonderful country like the palm of his hand. Never did he take his flock where he had not already been before. Always he had gone ahead to look over the country with care.

All the dangers of rampaging rivers in flood; avalanches; rock slides; poisonous plants; the ravages of predators that raid the flock or the awesome storms of sleet and hail and snow were familiar to him.

He had handled his sheep and managed them with care under all these adverse conditions.
Nothing took him by surprise. He was fully prepared to safeguard his flock and tend them with skill under every circumstance. All of this is brought out in the beautiful simplicity of the last verses. Here is grandeur, a quietness, and an assurance sets the soul at rest.

THOUGH I WALK THROUGH

Why is “through” used instead of another preposition, such as “in?”

There is the idea of coming out on the other end of what you are walking through. There is the idea in Luke 6 of Jesus walking through the crowd of angry people to come out and go on.

The word “in” means to indicate inclusion, within space, a place, or limits. The psalmist is not staying there but going to the other side.

We need to keep two things in mind:

ONE: HE IS LEADING.

Verse 3b says “He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

If He is leading, that means that He is out front. I can see where He is going, so I follow Him.
Some of the paths to righteousness will be through valleys. He is the one who knows the paths even though we don’t know where He is going. He knows where He is going.

TWO: HE IS LEADING US THROUGH.

Note the word “through.” If we are going through, that means we must be coming out on the other side. I have heard it put this way: we don’t take up residence there in the valley. Some us do. We stay in the valley and never come out to the other side. Some of the paths we take on our journey to righteousness go through valleys. The idea is of “passing through.” When traveling to a specific destination, we “pass through” towns and cities, but we don’t stop there. We keep on going until we reach our destination. We are “passing through.” I don’t know if you have ever considered this, that we are “passing through” in this life. Heaven is our final destination. When we go “through” things it is not permanent. The Shepherd has also said that He would be with us as we go “through.” Consider these passages of Scripture:

Job 10:21-22

Before I go-- and I shall not return--
To the land of darkness and deep shadow;
The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And which shines as the darkness." (NASB)

Psalm 84:6

Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring,
The early rain also covers it with blessings. (NASB)

Psalm 107:14

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their bands apart. (NASB)


Isaiah 43:2-3

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
"For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place. (NASB)

I want to give you an illustration that I hope will solidify what I am saying here.

On my way to the library I passed through a small shopping center. I almost ran over a mother duck and her chicks. There were about 7 or 8 of them. What really caught my eye and made me stop to observe them for a little while was the fact that wherever the mother duck went, the chicks were closely behind her. When she stopped, they all came around to the front of her and huddled together. It was as though they were waiting for what she was going to do next. When she moved, they all moved right behind her. I didn’t see a chick stop and ask his mother where she was going nor did I see any of them wandering off from her. This went on for several minutes. The chicks stuck to her like glue. That’s the way we need to stick to the Lord when He is leading us. In the wilderness, whenever the cloud of the pillar of fire moved, the Israelites moved. When it stopped, they stopped. The Lord was leading them. I got the thinking about this later and it was amazing. Those little duck chicks were following their mother in a very dangerous place for them. Being in a shopping center, they could have easily all be run over by cars. It didn’t seem to matter to them, and I doubt very seriously if they were aware of it, but their only concern was following their mother wherever she went. Can we say that?

REVELATION:

If the Shepherd is leading, where is He?

He is up front, leading.

If I am a sheep, where am I?

I am behind the Shepherd following where He is leading me.

If He is leading me, and I am following Him, He will lead me to the green pastures and still waters and in the paths of righteousness that go through the valley of the shadow of death, or the valley of deep darkness.

He has not left me. He is still there. Somehow we get the impression that the Shepherd has taken off somewhere when we start walking through the valley. That is not true.

We get into trouble when we leave the Shepherd and decide to go our own way. We look around and wonder where the Shepherd went. He is exactly where you left Him. He hasn’t moved; you are the one who has moved.

I have to go through the valley of the shadow of death, or the valley of deep darkness. I walk through, not stop or stay there. I am passing through.

The Shepherd is never threatened by the deep darkness because He has been there and knows how to get through.

No matter how dark a place is, the Shepherd will lead His people through so that they fear no evil, because He is there to protect them, and they are comforted by his weapons.

Darkness represents the unknown and ignorance about something. I used to be ignorant about computers. I didn’t even know how to turn one on. Have you ever been “in the dark” about something? You don’t know why the adverse things that are happening to you are going on. We have all used the expression; “I’m in the dark.”

Light represents understanding and revelation. We have all used the expression, “I’ve seen the light” when we get an understanding of something. We have also seen in cartoons and in the comics a person with a light bulb over his head indicating the light being turned on about something. Now that I have some understanding about computers I am not in the dark about them. There are still some things about computers I don’t know, but as l learn more and more how to use a computer, my understanding increases.

Let’s look at this passage of Scripture:

Psalm 30:5

"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (NASB)

It says that “weeping may last for the night. It’s dark at night right. When circumstances are pressing in on us, things seem like “there is no light at the end of the tunnel,” or it’s our “darkest hour,” we cry out. There is an experience I have read about that has happened to other Christians called “the dark night of the soul.” From what I have read about it, it’s a time when the Lord seems far away for a period of time. The people report that they really don’t know what is going on and are totally confused as to what is happening.

“But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” When it is morning, there is light. We come to the light at the end of the tunnel. The people who experience the “dark night of the soul” report that it’s like the morning light has broken in their lives and they experience fresh and vibrant fellowship with the Lord. There is joy.

We have to trust the Shepherd who is leading us through the unknown.

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

What is a “valley?”

A valley is a depression between mountains, a broad plain or plateau, a narrow ravine, or a low terrain.

It used figuratively of an obstacle that must be overcome. (Isaiah 40:4)

It is used figuratively of a grave danger, which one might experience.

It is often used to symbolize and refer to the difficulties of life

Why is “valley” used in this connection?

The path to the higher ground, the path to the higher walk in God, goes through the valley.

In the Christian life we often speak of wanting “to move onto higher ground with God.”

How we long to live above the lowlands of life. We want to get beyond the common crowd, to enter into a more intimate walk with God. We speak of mountaintop experiences and we envy those who have ascended the heights and entered into this more sublime sort of life.

Often we get an erroneous idea about how this takes place. It is as though we imagined we could be “air lifted” onto higher ground. On the rough trail of the Christian life this is not so.

As with ordinary sheep management, so with God’s people, one only gains higher ground by climbing up through the valleys. Every mountain has its valleys which are scarred by deep ravines, gulches, and draws.

Why does the shepherd leads this sheep through the valleys:
The first reason is that the best route to the top is always along the valleys.
Any sheep man familiar with the high country knows this.

It should be notices that the verse states, ”Yea, though I “walk through” the valley of the shadow of death.” It does not say I die there, stop there, go around it, or go under it, but rather “I walk through.”

It is customary to use this verse as a consolation to those who are passing through the dark valley of death. But even here, for the child of God, death is not an end but merely the door into a higher and more exalted life of intimate contact with the Good Shepherd Himself. Death is but the dark valley opening out into an eternity of delight with God. It is not something to fear, but an experience through which one passes on the path to a more perfect life. Unless the lord returns soon and we are caught up in the air to meet Him, we all will go through this valley.

The Good Shepherd knows this, for He passed through this valley Himself. It is one reason why He has told us, “Lo, I am with you always,” even in the valley of death. What a comfort and what a cheer to know this.

For those of us who remain on earth, there is still a life to live here and now. There are still valleys to walk through during our remaining days. These need not be “dead end” streets.

The disappointments; the frustrations; the discouragements; the dilemmas; the difficult days, though they may be shadowed valleys, need not be disasters. They can be the roads to the higher ground in our walk with God. After all, when we pause to think about it a moment, we must realize that even our modern mountain highways follow the valleys to reach the summit of the passes they traverse.

Similarly, the ways of God lead upward through the valleys of our lives. To come to this conviction in the Christian life is to have entered into an attitude of quiet acceptance of every adversity to have moved onto the higher ground with God. Knowing Him in this view and intimate manner makes life more bearable than before.

The second reason the sheep are taken to the mountain tops by the way of the valleys is that this is the way of gentlest grades, but also it is the well watered route.

Here one finds refreshing water all along the way. There are rivers, streams, springs and quiet pools in the deep defiles. The sheep are glad for the frequent watering places along the valley route where

As Christians we will sooner or later discover that it is in the valleys of our lives that we find refreshment from the Good Shepherd Himself. It is not until we have walked with Him through some very deep troubles that we discover He can leads us to find our refreshment in Him there in the midst of our difficulty. For the man or woman who walks with the Shepherd through these valleys such real and actual refreshment is available. We are thrilled beyond words when there comes restoration to our soul and spirits from His own gracious Spirit.

Only those who have been through such dark valleys can console, comfort or encourage others in similar situations. Often we pray or sing hymns requesting to be made an inspiration to someone else. We want instinctively to be a channel of blessing to other lives. The simple fact is that just as water can only flow in a ditch or channel or valley, son in the Christian’s life, the life of God can only flow in blessing through the valleys that have been carved out and cut into our own lives by excruciating experiences. It is only then that you can understand the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.”

If you do a word study of the word “comfort” it is translated in the Greek “encouragement.”
Re-read this passage and every where the word “comfort” appears, substitute it with “encourage/encouragement.”

It is only the person who has experienced the valleys in their own lives that can truly comfort and encourage another person who is traveling the same valley.

Most of us do not want valleys in our lives. We shrink from them with a sense of fear and foreboding. Yet in spite or our worst misgivings the Shepherd can bring great benefit and lasting benediction to others through these valleys.

Let us not try to avoid the dark things, the distressing days. They may well prove to be the way of greatest refreshment to ourselves and those around us.

A third reason why the rancher chooses to take his flock into the high country by way of the valleys is that this is generally where the richest feed and best forage is to be found along the route.

A shepherd wants to be sure there will not only be water but also the best grazing available for the ewes and their lambs. Generally the choices meadows are in these valleys along the stream banks. Naturally these grassy glades are often on the floor of steep wall canyons and gulches.
There may be towering cliffs above them on either side.

The valley floor itself may be in dark shadow with the sun seldom reaching the bottom except for a few hours. The shepherd knows from past experience that predators like coyotes, bears, wolves or cougars can take cover in these broken cliffs and from their vantage points prey on his flock.

The shepherd knows from past experience that predators like coyotes, bears, wolves or cougars can take cover in these broken cliffs and from their vantage points prey on his flock. He knows these valleys can be subject to sudden storms and flash floods that send walls of water rampaging down the slopes.

Our Shepherd knows all of this when He leads us through the valleys with Himself. He knows where we can find strength, sustenance, and gentle grazing despite every threat of disaster about us. It is a most reassuring and re-enforcing experience to the child of God to discover that there is even in the dark valley a source of strength and courage to be found in God. It is when we he or she can look back over life and see how the Shepherd’s hand has guided and sustained him or her in the darkest hours that renewed faith is engendered. Nothing so stimulates faith in our Heavenly Father than to look back and reflect on His faithfulness in every crisis and every chilling circumstance of life. Over and over He has proved His care and concern for our welfare.

All of this multiples our confidence in Him. It is the spiritual as well as emotional and mental exposure to the storms and adversities of life that puts stamina into our very being. Because he has led us through without fear before, He can do it again and again. In this knowledge fear fades and tranquility of heart and mind takes its place.

Let come what may. Can you say that this very minute in the valley you may be experiencing right now?

Storms may break about me, predators may attack, and the rivers of reverses may threaten to inundate me. But because YAHWEH, the Lord my Shepherd, is in the situation with me right now, I shall not fear.

I SHALL NOT FEAR FOR YOU ARE WITH ME.

Because He is in the situation with me, I shall not fear.

17 times in the Bible the Lord says, “I am with you.” He has said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. I think He has made it quite clear to us. We just need to remember it.

To live this is to have taken some very long treks toward the high country of holy, calm, healthy living with God. Only the Christian who learns to live this way is able to encourage and inspire the weaker ones around him.

Too many of us are shaken up, frightened and panicked by the storms of life. Jesus had said to his disciples to get into a boat and we are going to the other side. After He got into the boat, He went to the back and went to sleep. About half way across the lake, a storm came and the panic-stricken disciples cried for Jesus to save them. Two things we need to remember about this story. One, Jesus had said we are going to the other side. We are “passing through” the lake. Jesus knew the storm was coming and you noticed He still took a nap. Second, the disciples had God Himself there in the boat with them. I don’t think that boat would have sunk with Jesus in it. They didn’t heed what He had said. This is a picture of some our lives. We are panic stricken in the middle of a dark valley, and we have the Shepherd living on the inside of us.

We claim to have confidence in Christ but when the first dark shadows sweep over us and the path we tread looks gloomy we go into a deep slump of despair. Sometimes we just feel like lying down and die. Does this sound like you sometimes? This is not as it should be.

The person with a powerful confidence in the Shepherd; the one who has prove by past experience that God is with him in adversity, the one who walks through life’s dark valley without fear with his head held high, is the one who in turn is a tower of strength and a source of inspiration to others.

There are going to be some valleys in life for all of us. No one is exempt. You can be assured that they are coming. You just don’t know when and where. The Good Shepherd Himself has assured us that:

“In this world we shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)

The basic question is not whether we have many or few valleys. It is not whether those valleys are dark or merely dim with shadows.

The question is do I react to the circumstances or respond to them? There is a difference. When are panicking, you are reacting. When you respond, you are not.

How do I go through them?

How do I cope with the calamities that come my way?

With Christ I face them calmly.

With His gracious Spirit to guide me I face them fearlessly.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is with me.

I know of a surety that only through them can I possibly travel on to higher ground with God.
In this way not only shall I be blessed but in turn I will become a benediction to others around me who may live in fear.

“Thy Rod and Thy Staff They Comfort Me”

Here is another good reason to not fear when I go through the valley of the shadow of death.

His rod and His staff comfort me.

His Word and His Spirit comfort me.

THE SHEPHERD’S ROD

When the shepherd is in the field with his flock in the high country, it is customary for him to carry a minimum of equipment.

This was especially true in olden times where the sheepman did not have the benefit of mechanized equipment to transport camp supplies across rough country.

During the hours that he is actually in the field the sheepman caries only a rifle slung over his shoulder and a long slender staff in his hand.

In the Middle East the shepherd carries only a rod and staff.

The rod is an extension of the owner’s own right arm

It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power; his authority in any serious situation.

The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger. It was the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away.

There is an interesting sidelight on the word “rod,” which has crept into the colloquial language of the West. Here the slang term “rod” has been applied to handguns, such as pistols and revolvers that were carried by cowboys and other western rangemen.

The connotation is exactly the same as that used in this Psalm.
The sheep asserts that the owner’s rod, his weapon of power, authority and defense, is a continuous comfort to him. For with it the manager or shepherd is able to carry out effective control of his flick in every situation.

The rod speaks of the spoken Word, the expressed intent, the extended activity of God’s mind and will in dealing with men.

It implies the authority of divinity

It carries with it the convicting power and irrefutable impact of “Thus saith the Lord.”

Just as for the sheep of David’s day, there was comfort and consolation is seeing the rod in the shepherd’s skillful hands, so in our day there is great assurance in our own hearts as we contemplate the power, veracity, and potent authority vested in God’s Word. For in it, the Scriptures are His rod. They are the extension of His mind and will and intentions to mortal man.

Living as we do in an era when numerous confused voices and strange philosophies are presented to people, it is reassuring to the child of God to turn to the Word of God and know it to be His Shepherd’s hand of authority. What a comfort to have this authoritative, clear-cut, powerful instrument under which to conduct ourselves. By it we are kept from confusion amid chaos.

This in itself brings into our lives a great sense of quiet serenity, which is precisely what the psalmist meant when he said, “thy rod comforts me.”

There is a second dimension in which the rod is used by the shepherd for the welfare of the sheep-namely that of discipline.

If anything, the rod is used for this purpose perhaps more than any other.

It is the Word of God that comes swiftly to our hearts that comes with surprising suddenness to correct and reprove us when we go astray.

It is the Spirit of the living God, using the living Word that convicts our conscience of right conduct.

In this way we are kept under control by Christ, who wants us to walk in the ways of righteousness.

Another interesting use of the rod in the shepherd’s hand was to examine and count sheep.

In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing “under the rod.” (Ezekiel 20:37)

This meant not only coming under the owner’s control and authority, but also to be subject to his most careful, intimate and firsthand examination. A sheep that passed “under the rod” was one that had been counted and looked over with great care to make sure all was well with it.
In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep.

As each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate it is stopped by the shepherd’s outstretched rod.

He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the sheep with care to see that all is well. This is a most searching process entailing every intimate detail. It is, too, a comfort to the sheep for only in this way can its hidden problems be laid bare before the shepherd.

Psalm 139:23-24 reads, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see it there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

It we allow it, if we will submit to it, God by His Word will search us. There will be no “pulling the wool over His eyes.” He will get below the surface, behind the front of our old self-life and expose things that need to be made right.

This is a process from which we need not shrink. It is not something to avoid.
It is done in concern and compassion for our welfare. The Great Shepherd of our souls has our own best interests at heart when He so searches us. What a comfort this should be to the child of God, who can trust in God’s care

Wool in Scripture speaks of the self-life, self-will, and self-assertion, self-pride. God has to get below this and do a deep work in our wills to right the wrongs, which are often bothering us beneath the surface. So often we put on a fine front and brave, bold exterior when really deep down below there needs to be some remedy applied.

Finally the shepherd’s rod is an instrument of protection both for himself and his sheep when they are in danger.

It is used both as a defense and a deterrent against anything that would attack. The skilled shepherd uses his rod to drive off predators. Often it is used to beat the brush discouraging snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock.

It was the rod of God’s Word that Christ, our Good Shepherd, used in His own encounter with that serpent, Satan, during His desert temptation. It is the same Word of God that we can count on again and again to counter the assaults and attacks of Satan.

There is no substitute for the Scriptures in coping with the complexities of our social order. We live in an evermore involved and difficult milieu. We are part of a world of men and women whose code of conduct is contrary to all that Christ has advocated. To live with such people is to be ever exposed to enormous temptations of all sorts. Some people are very subtle, very smooth, very sophisticated. Others are capable of outright, violent, vituperative attacks against the children of God.

In every situation and under every circumstance there is comfort in the knowledge that God’s Word can meet and master the difficulty if well rely on it.

THE SHEPHERD’S STAFF

In a sense the staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment, identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries a shepherd’s staff.

It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management of sheep, and only sheep. It is used for their benefit.

The staff is essentially a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges. No other single word can better describe its function on behalf of the flock than that it is for their comfort.

Whereas the rod conveys the concept of “authority”, the power, of discipline, of defense against danger, the word “staff” speaks of all that is longsuffering and kind.

The shepherd’s staff is normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hood on one end. The owner selects it with care; it is shaped, smoothed, and cut to best suit his own personal use.

Just as the rod of God is emblematic of the Word of God, so the staff of God is symbolic of the Spirit of God.

In Christ’s dealings with us as individuals, there is the essence of the sweetness, the comfort and consolation, the gentle correction brought about by the work of His gracious Spirit.

There are three areas of sheep management in which the staff plays a most significant role.

The first of these lies in drawing sheep together into an intimate relationship.

The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become separated. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it.

Secondly, in precisely the same way, the staff is used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old, and draw them closer to him for intimate examination. The staff is very useful this way for the shy and timid sheep that normally tend to keep at a distance from the shepherd.

Similarly, in the Christian life we find the gracious Holy Spirit, “The Comforter,” drawing folks together into a warm, personal fellowship with one another. It is He who draws us to Christ.


Thirdly, the staff is also used for guiding sheep.

The shepherd uses his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He does not use it actually to beat the sheep. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal’s side and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants to go. Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path.

Sometimes a shepherd will actually hold his staff against the side of some sheep that is a special pet or favorite, simply so the they “are in touch.” They will walk along this way almost as though it were “hand-in-hand.” The sheep obviously enjoys this special attention from the shepherd and revels in the close, personal, intimate contact between them.

In our walk with God we are told explicitly by Christ Himself that it would be His Spirit who would be sent to guide us and to lead us into all truth. (John 16:13)

This same gracious Spirit takes the truth of God, the Word of God, and makes it plain to our hearts and minds and spiritual understanding. It is He who gently, tenderly, but persistently says to us, “This is the way, walk in it.” As we comply and cooperate with His gentle promptings, a sense of safety, comfort and well-being envelopes us.

It is He, too, who comes quietly but emphatically to make the life of Christ, my Shepherd, real and personal and intimate to me. Through Him I am “in touch” with Christ. There steals over me the keen awareness that I am His and He is mine. The gracious Spirit continually brings home to me the acute consciousness that I am God’s child and He is my Father.

In all of this there is enormous comfort and a sublime sense of “oneness,” of “belonging,” of “being in His care,” and hence the object of His special affection.

The Christian life is not just one of subscribing to certain doctrines or believing certain facts.
Essential as all of this confidence in the Scriptures may be, there is, as well, the actual reality of experiencing and knowing firsthand the feel of His touch, the sense of His Spirit upon my spirit.
There is for the true child of God that intimate, subtle, yet magnificent experience of sensing the Comforter at his side. This is not imagination, it s the genuine, bona-fide reality of everyday life.
There is a calm, quiet repose in the knowledge that He is there to direct even in the most minute details of daily living.

He can be relied on to assist us in every decision, and in this there lies tremendous comfort for the Christian.

“What would You do in this case?”

“You are here now. You know all the complexities; tell me precisely what it the best procedure at this point?”

He will actually convey the mind of Christ in the matter. The right decisions are made with confidence.

It is when I do not do this that I end up in difficulty. It is then that I find myself in a jam of some sort.

Here again the gracious Spirit comes to my rescue just as the shepherd rescues his sheep out of the situations into which their own stupidity leads them. Being stubborn creatures, sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. Many of our jams and impasses are of our own making. In stubborn, self-willed, self-assertion we keep pushing ourselves into a situation where we cannot extricate ourselves.

Then in tenderness, compassion and care our Shepherd comes to us. He draws near and in tenderness lifts us by His Spirit out of the difficulty a dilemma.

What patience God has with us!

What longsuffering and compassion!

What forgiveness!

Thy staff comforts me! Your Spirit, O Christ, Is my consolation!

Where are you right now? In the valley? Somewhere in the dark? Or are you coming to the light at the end of the tunnel?

This part of the teaching is a last minute inspiration from the Holy Spirit. I was really to publish this on the blog when I read the following which is taken from a devotional I read every morning.

The name of the devotional is “Breakfast With God” published by Honor Books Inc in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Heroic spiritual moments are nearly always grounded in advance preparation. Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s court, unknowingly being prepared for the day he would demand that Pharaoh let his people leave Egypt. Moses also spent 40 years in the wilderness.

Daniel was a man of prayer years before the king issued a decree banning prayer. The violation landed Daniel in a lion’s den, where his prayers of protection were answered.

David was part of Saul’s royal court and married to Saul’s daughter. This was part of his preparation for assuming the throne one day. The years, approximately 17, he spent in the wilderness prepared him spiritually to trust God, and God alone, to preserve him, protect him, and help him rule an empire.

Esther prepared herself for a year before she won the “contest” to be queen. She prepared herself again before boldly coming to the king to expose the enemy of her people.

You may not see clearly what God’s purpose is for your life, but you can trust in the fact He is preparing your life. He will not waste a moment of your life. So make every relationship and experience count today, knowing He is grooming you for greatness.

As I was reading this, what came to my mind was the fact that He will lead us into the valleys of the shadow of death, death to self. This is part of the preparation process. Every Christian will be lead through these valleys. You will not be the same person when you exit the valley. Something will have died. God is the one who determines which valley and how long. Go through it knowing that the Good Shepherd is what He said He will do in Philippians 1:6:


“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. “ (NASB)

Psalm 23 Verse 3

He Restores My Soul

The basic meaning of the Hebrew word for “restore” means to return, implying physical movement or motion, and to revive the person emotionally, passionately, the entire person.

What is the “soul?”

What is meant is life, which consists of emotions, passions, drive, and appetites. It speaks of the entire person. The soul is different from the spirit.

Why does the Psalmist use “soul” instead of another term, such as “body?”

When we talk about the soul, it refers to the mind, will, and the emotions. It is where we are hurt and harbor out hurts.

Why does the Shepherd restore the Psalmist soul?

There are two reasons.

The first one is that the Shepherd wants to restore our soul to its former position of being submitted to our spirit. Our spirit should rule us, not our soul.

When our soul rules, we walk according to the flesh, and to our emotions. When this happens, we are not walking according to the Spirit. The Shepherd leads us by His Spirit in our spirit.

When we are Spirit led, our soul is in its proper place and not ruling us.

Our spirit is what is born again, so our minds need to be renewed to the ways of God.

In what specific ways is such a restoration accomplished?

It is accomplished by reading and meditating on the Word; by confession, by prayer, and becoming saturated in the Spirit.

The second reason is that in studying this Psalm we must always remember that it is a sheep in the Good Shepherd’s care that is speaking. It is essentially a Christian’s claim of belonging in the family of God. As such he boasts of the benefits of such a relationship.

This being the case, one might well ask, “Why then this statement, He restores my soul?”

Surely it would be assumed that anyone in the Good Shepherd’s care could never become so distressed in soul as to need restoration?

This does happen.

Let’s look at Psalm 42:11:

“Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance, and my God.” (NASB)

Only those intimately acquainted with sheep and their habits understand the significance of a “cast” sheep or a “cast down” sheep.

This is an Old English shepherd’s tem for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself. A “cast” sheep is a pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically, struggling to stand up, but generally it lies there lashing about in frightened frustration.

It the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonable short time, the sheep will die.

It is not only the shepherd who keeps a sharp eye out for cast sheep, but predators are also watching. A cast sheep is easy prey and death is not far off.

When you are in this position, the devil pounces on you before you know it.

There was a time in my life several years ago that I experience a period of depression. It seemed like falling into a deep hole with not way out. Each day seemed like more weight had been added on my mind. But the Lord brought me out of it. Every person at sometime in their lives will feel like a “cast sheep.”

Matthew 18:11-12

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?”

Many people have the idea that when a child of God falls, when he is frustrated and helpless in a spiritual dilemma, God becomes disgusted, fed-up and even furious with him or her.

This simply is not so.

One of the great revelations of the heart of God given to us by Christ is that of Himself as our Shepherd.

He has the same identical sensations of anxiety, concern and compassion for cast men and women as a shepherd has for his sheep
.
That is precisely why He looked on people with such pathos and compassion. (Matthew 9:36)
It explains His magnanimous dealing with down and out individuals for whom even human society had no use.

It reveals why He wept over those who spurned His affections.

It discloses His depth of His understanding of undone people to whom He came eagerly and quickly, ready to help, to save, to restore.

Let’s take the example of Peter. Here is a man that denied Jesus three times and the Bible says that he wept bitterly after the rooster crowed and Jesus turned around and looked at him. Peter must have really felt bad, cast down, because of what he did. But you know, after the resurrection the Lord appeared to His disciples and was looking for Peter. We find Jesus restoring Peter in the 20th chapter of John’s Gospel.

So He comes quietly, gently, reassuringly to me no matter when or where or how I may be cast down.

Psalm 56:23: We are given an accurate commentary on this aspect of the Christian’s life in these words: “Thou has delivered my soul from death; wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”

We have to be realistic about the life of the child of God and face facts as they really are.

Most of us, though we belong to Christ and desire to be under His control and endeavor to allow ourselves to be led by Him, do on occasion find ourselves cast down.

We discover that often when we are most sure of ourselves we stumble and fall. (I Cor 10:12)

Sometimes when we appear to be flourishing in our faith we find ourselves in a situation of utter frustration and futility.

Admittedly this may appear as one other paradoxes and enigmas of our spiritual lives.

When we examine it carefully, however, we will not find it too difficult to understand.

As with sheep, so with Christians, some basic principles and parallels apply which will help us grasp the way in which a man or woman can be “cast”:

FIRST: There is the idea of looking for a soft spot.

The sheep that choose the comfortable, soft, rounded hollows in the ground in which to lie down very often become cast.

In such a situation it so easy to roll over on their backs.

In the Christian life there is great danger in always looking for the easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon self-discipline.

The time when we think “we have it made’” so to speak, is actually when we are in mortal danger.

There is such a thing as the discipline of poverty and privation, which can be self-imposed to do us a world of good.

Sometimes if through self indulgence, I am unwilling to forfeit or forego the soft life, the easy way, the cozy corner, then the good Shepherd may well move me to a pasture where things aren’t quite so comfortable, not only for my own good but also His benefit as well.

SECOND: There is the aspect of a sheep having too much wool.

¨ Often when the fleece becomes very long and heavily matted with mud, manure, burrs, and other debris, it is much easier for a sheep to become cast, literally weighted down with its own wool.

Wool in Scripture depicts the old self-life in the Christian.

It is an outward expression of an inner attitude, the assertion of my own desire and hopes and aspirations.

It is the area of my life in which and through which I am continually in contact with the world around me.

Here is where I find the clinging accumulations of things, possessions of worldly ideas beginning to weigh me down; drag me down, hold me down.

It is significant that no high priest was ever allowed to wear wool when he entered the Holy of Holies.

This spoke of self, of pride, of personal preference and God could not tolerate it.

If I wish to go on walking with God and not be forever cast down, this is an aspect of my life in which He must deal with drastically.

In dealing with our old self life, there will come a day when the Master must take us in hand and apply the keen cutting edge of His Word to our lives. (Hebrews 4:12)

It may be an unpleasant business for a time.


No doubt we’ll struggle and kick about it.

We may get a few cuts and wounds.

But what a relief when it is over.

The pleasure of being set free from ourselves.

THIRD: There is the aspect of cast sheep simply being too fat.

Over fat sheep are neither the healthiest nor the most productive.

It is the fattest that most often are cast.

Their weight simply makes it that much harder for them to be agile and nimble on their feet.

Once a shepherd even suspects that his sheep are becoming cast for this reason, he will take long range steps to correct the problem.

Turning to the Christian life we are confronted with the same sort of problem.

There is the man or woman, who because they may have done well in business or their careers or their homes, feel that they are flourishing and have “arrived.”

They may have a sense of well being and self-assurance, which in itself is dangerous.

Often when we re most sure of ourselves we are the most prone to fall flat.

In the warning to the church in Revelation 3:17, God points out that though some considered themselves rich and affluent, they were actually in desperate danger.

The same point was made by Jesus in His account of the wealthy farmer who intended to build more and bigger barns, but who, in fact, faced utter ruin.

Material success is no measure of spiritual health.

Nor is apparent affluence any criteria of real godliness.

And it is well for us that the Shepherd of our souls sees through this exterior and takes steps to set things right.

He may well impose on us dome sort of “diet” or “discipline” which we may find a bit rough and unpalatable at first.

But again we need to reassure ourselves that it is for our own good, because He is fond of us and for His own reputation as the Good Shepherd.

In Hebrews 12, we read how God chooses to discipline those He loves.

At the time it may prove a tough routine.

But the deeper truth is that afterward it produces a life of repose and tranquility free from the fret and frustration of being cast down live a helpless sheep.

The toughness it takes to face life and the formidable reverses, which it brings to us, can come only through the discipline of endurance and hardship.

In His mercy and love our Master makes this a part of our program.

It is part of the price of belonging to Him.

We may rest assured that He will never expect us or ask us to face more that we can stand. (I Corinthians 10:13)

But what He does expose us to will strengthen and fortify our faith and confidence in His control.

If He is the Good Shepherd, we can rest assured that He knows what He is doing.

This is and of itself should be sufficient to continually refresh and restore my soul.

I know of nothing that so quiets and enlivens my own spiritual life as the knowledge that “GOD KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING WITH ME.”

He restores my soul.

He Leads Me In The Paths Of Righteousness For His Names Sake

The Hebrew word for guides (leads) denotes an orderly conducting of an animal (or a group of people) to an intended destination either by forcible driving or by leading.

“Guides” is qualified by three prepositional phrases. The first two “in the paths of righteousness” indicates the direction of the guidance. The third, “for His names’ sake,” denotes the reason for the guidance.

“Paths” is plural rather than singular. The paths in which the Psalmist is guided are described as “paths” of righteousness.

Why is the term “paths” used in this connection both literally and figuratively?
There are two contrasting paths that are a common image rival ways of life in Hebrew wisdom and literature.

There is the path of the wicked (Proverbs 4:14) who forget God and their paths are crooked. (Proverbs 2:15)(Job 8:13)

The alternate path is called the path of God and of light. Compare Psalm 17:5; Psalm 25:4, and Job 24:13. This path entails living by the commands or instructions of the Lord. ((Psalm 119:35. 105)(Proverbs 10:17)

The reward of following this path is life, are found in Proverbs 2:19; Proverbs 5:6; Proverbs 10:17; and Psalm 16:11.

Go back to the leading of the Israelites out of Egypt and through the forty years in the wilderness. The Lord didn’t come up behind them with a bullwhip or cattle prod to move the people. The fire was by night and the cloud was by day leading them where He wanted to go. When it stopped, they stopped. When it moved, they moved.

A guide in a city or, wherever they may be, is always out in front leading the tourists to the right places. He knows where he is going. He knows where everything is. He knows where to stay away from.

Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves they will follow the same trails until they become ruts; graze the same hills until they turn to desert wastes; pollute their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites.

A commonly held but serous misconception about sheep is that they can just “get along anywhere”.

The truth is quite the reverse.

No other class of livestock require more careful handling; more detailed direction, than do sheep.
If the flock was to flourish and the owner’s reputation was to be held in high esteem as a good manager, the sheep had to be constantly under his meticulous control and guidance.

Instead of being managed and handled with intelligent care, being left to struggle for themselves; left to the whims of their own destructive bits, the land can become “sheeped to death.”

Because of the behavior of sheep and their preference for certain favored spots, these well-worn areas become quickly infested with parasites of all kinds. In short time a whole flock can become infested.

The final upshot is that both land and owner are ruined while the sheep become thin, wasted, and sickly.

The intelligent shepherd is aware of all this.

Not only just for the welfare of this sheep and for the health of his land, but also for this own sake and reputation as a rancher, he must take the necessary precautions to safeguard against these adverse animal traits. Such habits, in themselves, comprise very serious hazards.

The greatest single safeguard in which a shepherd has in handling his flock is to keep them on the move. They dare not be left on the same ground too long. They must be shifted from pasture to pasture periodically.

Why?

It prevents overgrazing of the forage.
It avoids the rutting of trails and erosion of land from over use.
It forestalls the infestation of the sheep with internal parasites or disease, since the sheep move off the infested ground before these organisms complete their life cycles.
¨
In a word:

There must be a predetermined plan of action.
There must be a planned rotation from one grazing ground to another in live with right and proper principles of sound management.

This is precisely the sort of action and the idea David had in mind when he spoke of being led in paths or righteousness.

In this following of a precise plan of operation lies the secret for healthy flocks and healthy land.

Here is the key to successful sheep husbandry.

The owner’s entire name and reputation depends on how effectively and efficiently he keeps his charges moving onto wholesome, fresh forage.

THE ONE WHO DIRECTS HIS FLOCK ALONG THIS COURSE IS SURE OF SUCCESS.

The success enjoyed in sheep ranching must be attributed to this care in managing the flock.
Coupled with this entire concept of management, there is of course the owner’s intimate knowledge of his pastures:

He has been all over this ground again and again.
He knows its every advantage and every drawback.
He knows where his flock will thrive and he is aware of where the feed is poor.
So he acts accordingly.
A point worthy of mention is that whenever the shepherd opens a gate into a fresh pasture, the sheep are filled with excitement.
How they enjoy being led onto new ground.

As we turn to the human aspect of this theme we will be astonished at some of the parallels.

It is no mere whim on God’s part to call us sheep.

Our behavior patterns and life habits are so much like that of sheep it is nigh embarrassing.

First of all Scripture points out that most of us are a stiff-necked and stubborn lot.

We prefer to follow our own fancies and turn to our own way.

Isaiah 53: “All we are like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.”
And this we do deliberately, repeatedly, even to our own disadvantage.

There is something almost terrifying about the destructive habits and self-determination of a human being. It is inexorably interlocked with personal pride and self-assertion. We insist

We insist we know what is best for us even though the disastrous results may be self-evident.

Just as sheep will blindly, habitually, stupidly, follow one another along the same little trails, until they become ruts that erode into gigantic gullies, so we humans cling to the same habits that we have see ruin other lives.

Turning to “my own way” simply means doing what I want. It implies that I feel free to assert my own wished and carry out my own ideas.

Proverbs 14:2; 16:25: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

In contrast to which Christ the Good Shepherd comes gently and says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

(John 10:10) “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

The difficult point is that most of us don’t want to come.

Why?

We don’t want to follow.
We don’t want to be led in the paths of righteousness.
Somehow it goes against our grain.
We actually prefer to turn to our own way even though it may take us straight into trouble.

The stubborn, self-willed, proud, self-sufficient sheep that persists in pursuing its old paths, and grazing on its old polluted ground will end up a bag of bones on ruined land. The world we live in is full of such people.

Broken homes, broken hearts, derelict lives and twisted personalities remind us everywhere of men and women who have gone their own way.

We have a sick society struggling to survive on beleaguered land.

The greed and selfishness of mankind leaves behind a legacy of ruin and remorse.

Amid all this chaos and confusion Christ the Good Shepherd comes and says: “If any man will follow me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

But most of us, even as Christians, simply don’t want to do this:

We don’t want to deny ourselves.
We don’t want to give up our right to make our own decisions.
We don’t want to follow.
We don’t want to be led.

Most of us, if confronted with this charge, would deny it. We would assert vehemently that we are “led of the Lord.” We would insist that we would follow wherever He leads.

We sing songs to this effect and given mental assent to the idea.
But as far as being led in paths of righteousness is concerned, precious few of us follow that path.

Actually this the pivot point on which a Christian either “goes on” with God, or at which point he “goes back” from following on.

There are many willful, wayward indifferent, self-interested Christians who cannot really be classified as followers of Christ.

There are relatively few diligent disciples who forsake all to follow the Master.

Jesus never made light of the cost involved in following Him:

He made it painfully clear that it was a rugged life of rigid self-denial.
It entailed a whole new set of attitudes.
It was not the natural, normal way a person would ordinarily live and this is what made the price so prohibitive to most people.

In brief there are 7 fresh attitudes that have to be acquired.

They are the equivalent of progressive toward movement onto new ground with God.

If one follows them, they will discover fresh pasturage, new abundant life; and increased health, wholesomeness and holiness, in their walk with God.

Nothing will please Him more and most certainly no other activity on our part will or can result in as great benefit to other lives around us.

The 7 Attitudes are:

ATTITUDE NUMBER ONE: INSTEAD OF LOVING MYSELF MOST I AM WILLING TO LOVE CHRIST BEST AND OTHERS MORE THAN MYSELF

Love is deliberate act of my will.

It means that I am willing to lay down my life, lay myself out, and put myself out on behalf of others. (I John 3:16)

The moment I deliberately do something definite, either for God or others that costs me something, I am expressing love.

Love is:

Selflessness
Self-sacrifice
In contradiction to selfishness
Most of us know little of living like this or being “led” in this right way.

Once a person discovers the delight of doing something for others, he has started through the gate being led into one of God’s green pastures.

ATTITUDE NUMBER TWO: INSTEAD OF BEING ONE OF THE CROWD, I AM WILLING TO BE SINGLED OUT, SET APART FROM THE GANG.

Most of us, like sheep, are pretty gregarious. we want to belong.

We don’t want to be different in a deep, distinctive way, though we may wish to be different in minor details that appeal to our selfish egos.

Christ pointed out that only a few would find His way acceptable.

To be marked as one of His would mean a certain amount of criticism and sarcasm from a cynical society. Many of us don't want this.

Just as He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, so we may be.

Instead of adding to the sorrow and sadness of society, we may be called on to help bear some of the burdens of others, to enter into the suffering of others.

Are we ready to do this?

ATTITUDE NUMBER THREE: INSTEAD OF INSISTING ON MY RIGHTS, I AM WILLING TO FOREGO THEM IN FAVOR OF OTHERS.

This is what the Master meant by denying one’s self. It's not easy, nor normal, nor natural to do this.

Even in the loving atmosphere of the home, self-assertion is pretty evident and the powerful exercise of individual rights is always apparent.

The person who is willing to pocket his pride, to take a back seat; to play second fiddle without a feeling of being abused or put upon, has gone a long way onto new ground with God.

There is a tremendous emancipation from “self” in this attitude. One is set free from the shackles of personal pride. It's prettyhard to hurt such a person.

He who has so sense of self-importance cannot be offended or deflated.

Somehow such people enjoy a wholesome outlook of carefree abandon that makes their Christian lives contagious with contentment and gaiety.

ATITUDE NUMBER FOUR: INSTEAD OF BEING ‘BOSS’ I AM WILLING TO BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP.

To use sheep terminology, instead of being “TOP RAM” I am will be to be a “TAILENDER”.

When the desire for self-assertion, self-aggrandizement, self-pleasing give way to the desire for simply pleasing God and others, much of the fret and strain is drained away from daily living.

A hallmark of the serene should be the absence of “drive”, at least “drive” for self-determination.
The person who is prepared to put his personal life and personal affairs in the Master’s hands for His management and direction has found the place of rest and in fresh fields each day.

These are the ones who find time and energy to please others.

ATTITUDE NUMBER FIVE: INSTEAD OF FINDING FAULT WITH LIFE AND ALWAYS ASKING ‘WHY’, I AM WILLING TO ACCEPT EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE OF LIFE IN AN ATITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

Human beings, being what they are, somehow feel entitled to question the reason for everything that happens to them. In many instances life itself becomes a continuous criticism and dissection of one's circumstances and acquaitances.

We look for someone or something on which to pin the blame for our misfortunes.

We are quick to forget our blessings, and slow to forget our misfortunes.

If one really believes his affairs are in God’s hands, every event, no matter whether joyous or tragic, will be taken as part of God’s plan.

To know beyond doubt that He does all for our welfare is to be led into a wide area of peace and quietness and strength for every situation.

ATTITUDE NUMBER SIX: INSTEAD OF EXERCISING AND ASSERTING MY WILL, I LEARN TO COOPERATE WITH HIS WISHES AND COMPLY WITH HIS WILL.

It must be noted that all the steps outlined here involve ” the will.”

When a man or woman allows his or her will to be crossed out, canceling the “I” in their decisions, then instead the Cross has been applied in that life.

This is the meaning of taking up one’s cross daily, to go to one’s death, no longer my will in this matter, but His will be done.

ATTITUDE NUMBER SEVEN: INSTEAD OF CHOOSING MY OWN WAY, I AM WILLING TO CHOOSE TO FOLLOW CHRIST’S WAY, SIMPLY TO DO WHAT HE ASKS ME TO DO.

This basically is simple, straightforward obedience. It means I just do what He asks me to do.

I go where He invites me to go.

I say what He instructs me to say.

I act and react in the manner He maintains is in my own best interest as well as for His reputation, if I am His follower.

Most of us possess a formidable amount of factual information on what the Master expects of us.

The person who decides to do what God asks him has moved onto fresh ground, which will do both him and others a world of good.

Besides, it will please the Good Shepherd no end.

God wants us to walk with Him.

He wants us to move on with Him.

He wants it not only for our welfare, but for the benefit of others as well as His own dear reputation.

Perhaps there are those who think He expects too much of us.

Maybe they feel the demands are too drastic.

It would be if we had to depend on self-determination or self-discipline to succeed.

But if we are in earnest about wanting to do His will and to be led, He makes this possible by His own gracious Spirit who is given to those who obey.

For it is He who works in us both to “will and “to do” of His good pleasure.

For His Name’s Sake

Why does He do this for His Name’s sake?

Because of His nature.

God’s love and care are wholly in keeping with His character.

His name, “YAHWEH ROHI” denotes His “pastoral” character.

He will not lead me somewhere that is contrary to His “pastoral” character.

This illustration is taken from Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest”:

In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26.

Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding or reason, a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.

The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray; yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend too keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one mountain top experience after another, like soaring on eagle’s wings, but it is a life of day in and day out consistency, a life of walking without fainting. (Isaiah 40:31) It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which come much further down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith, a faith, tested and true, built on the true God.

Abraham knew God as his YAHWEH ROHI. He allowed himself to be led not knowing where he was going.

PSALM 23 VERSE 2

In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we have discovered that the Lord (YAHWEH) is our shepherd if we have a personal relationship with Him. When we have this personal relationship, we find that He is quite capable of meeting and providing all of our needs both spiritually and materially.

Consider this:

Psalm 105:37-45

“He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. [38] Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. [39] He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night. [40] The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. [41] He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. [42] For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant. [43] And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness: [44] And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; [45] That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the Lord.” (KJV)

Also consider Psalm 78, Psalm 104 in light of God meeting the needs of His people.

We will continue our study of David’s psalm by focusing on verse 2.

The first part says, “He makes me lie down in green pasture.”

Notice that the subject is in the third person.
Also observe the strong personal tone of the Psalm:

a. “He” ”me”
b. “I” “my”

It does not say that the shepherd makes us to lie down in green pastures and the shepherd leads us beside the quiet water. He makes me, Dan, lie down in green pastures and He leads Dan beside quiet waters. You can add your name there to make it personal to you.

The word “makes” seems to imply the element of coercion. Does the verb involve coercion? NO

What is the sense of the verb?

The Hebrew word means, “to cause to be.” The shepherd causes his sheep to lie down, not forcing them to lie down.

“Makes” is qualified by “lie down” and “in green pastures,” indicating the “what” and the “where” of the action of the verb.

These terms are figurative of the shepherd with whom the Psalm begins.
What is the connection of the expression “to lie down,” especially in the figurative sense?
The idea is of rest, the shepherd settling down the sheep after feeding. The idea is resting after a long walk, or from our cares. I don’t know about you, but after feasting on dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m ready for a nap.

Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) As we sit at His feet, we receive His rest. What are we heavy laden with? With the cares of this world. I have learned over the years that when you come to Him and cast all of your cares over on Him, that He is quite capable of dealing with them better than I can do, and I can rest in Him.
Did you know that despite all the circumstances that go on in your life, with your family, finances, ministry, all that is happening in the world, you can live a carefree life. That’s when you enter into the rest, knowing that you are in good hands. No stress, no worry, and I can focus on Him.

I think of Mary in Luke 15 sitting at the feet of Jesus. She was resting, while her sister Martha was in a panic to get dinner on the table. I don’t think Jesus really cared at that point in time about dinner. He had someone who was interested in hearing from Him.

Why does Yahweh, like a shepherd make His sheep “to lie down?”

To rest. To revive us from our exhaustive labors, both physically and spiritually.

It is only as we are resting from our exertions that we can quiet our minds to hear Him speak to us. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

What are the “green pastures”

Where are they?

What is really behind these metaphors?

The Lord has His sheep lie down in green pastures and enjoy an ideal resting place, an oasis.
Metaphorically, the growth of this tender grass is compared with the rule of a just king.
It is a place to rest and be fed.

The verbs suggest gently persuasion, a shepherd patiently, persistently encouraging His sheep to the place where their hungers and thirsts will be less severe and milder.

In David’s day “green pastures” were oases, places in the desert toward which shepherds led their thirsty flocks.

Left to themselves sheep would wonder off into the wilderness and die.

The picture here is not of sheep grazing and drinking, but a rest, lying down, stretched out to use David’s words.

Picture this in your mind. Rolling hills with lush, green grass, plenty of shade, and a flowing river. You have just finished your picnic lunch and now you are stretched out under a shade tree taking a nap. Relaxed, your belly full, you just enjoy the peace and quiet.

Exodus 15:13

"In Thy lovingkindness Thou hast led the people whom Thou hast redeemed;
In Thy strength Thou hast guided them to Thy holy habitation.” (NASB)

I don’t know if this has crossed you mind, but how did the sheep get to the green pastures?
The scene is one of tranquility, satisfaction, and rest.

What are those “green pastures” and “quiet waters?”

Where are they?

What is the reality behind these metaphors?

God Himself is our true pasture.

In the Exodus, God is leading Israel to “green pastures,” the land of Canaan.
In the story of Martha and Mary, Mary is at rest in the “green pastures,” at the feet of Jesus.
He is our pool of quiet water. He is our true nourishment and living water. If we do not take Him in, we will starve.

There is a hunger in the human heart that nothing but God can satisfy.

There is a thirst that no one but He can quench.

How do we “graze” on Him and “drink” Him in?

Once more we’re confronted with symbolism.

What do the metaphors mean?

The process begins, as all relationships do, with a meeting.

Psalm 42:1,2

“As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for Thee, O God.
[2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God? “ (NASB)

Where can I go and meet with God?

Are we willing to prepare ourselves to meet Him?

He responds to the slightest approach, but we’re only as close as we want to be.

Deuteronomy 4:29

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” (NASB)

He calls us, but then He waits for our answer.

Our progress toward Him is determined by our desire to engage Him in a personal way, to know Him.

Do we want God or not?

If we do, we must be willing to make the effort to respond to Him.

Conditions for sheep to lay down.

It is almost impossible for sheep to lie down unless 4 requirements are met:

1. They are free from fear.

A flock that is restless discontented, always agitated and disturbed, never do well.

The same is true of people.

In the Christian life, there is no substitute for the keen awareness that the Shepherd is nearby.

There is nothing like Christ’s presence to dispel the fear, the panic and the terror of the unknown.

It is the “unknown”, the “unexpected” that produce the greatest panic.

In the midst of our misfortunes there suddenly come the awareness that He, the Christ, the Good Shepherd is there.

It makes all the difference.

Rest returns and I can relax.

It is the knowledge that my Master, my Friend, my Owner has things under control even when they may appear calamitous.

This gives me great consolation, repose, and rest.

2. Free from friction with others.

The second source of fear from which the shepherd delivers His sheep is that of tension, rivalry, and cruel competition with the flock itself.

In every animal society there is established an order of dominance or status within the group.

A vivid and accurate picture of the process is given to us in Ezekiel 34:15-16 and 20-22.

Because of this rivalry, tension, and competition for status and self-assertion, there is friction in a flock.

The sheep cannot lie down and defend their rights and contest the challenge of the intrusion.

The shepherd’s presence makes all the difference in the flock’s behavior.

The struggle for self-assertion and self-recognition goes on.

Most of us fight to be “top sheep.”

We butt and quarrel and compete to “get ahead” and in the process people get hurt.

The picture in the Psalm shows us God’s people lying down in quiet contentment.

On of the outstanding marks of a Christian should be a serene sense of gentle contentment

Philippians 4:11:

“Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

It is the Shepherd’s presence that puts an end to all rivalry.

In our human relationships, when we become acutely aware of being in the presence of Christ, our foolish, selfish snobbery and rivalry will end.

It is the humble heart walking quietly and contently in the close and intimate companionship of Christ that is at rest, that can relax, simply glad to lie down and let the world go by.

When my eyes are on my Master, they are not on those around me.

This is my place of peace.

To be thus, close to Him, conscious of his abiding presence made real in my mind, emotions, and will by the indwelling gracious Spirit, is to be set free from fear of my fellow man and whatever he might think of me.

3. The freedom of fear from the torment of parasites and insects is essential to the contentment of the sheep.

The shepherd must be among his charges daily, keeping a close watch on their behavior.

As soon as there is the least evidence that they are being disturbed, he must take steps to provide them with relief.

Always uppermost on his mind is the aim of keeping his flock quiet, contented, and at peace.

When my eyes are on my Master, they are not n those around me, This is the place of peace.

To be thus, close to Him, conscious of His abiding Presence, made real by the indwelling, gracious Holy Spirit is to be set free from fear of my fellow man and whatever he might think of me.

I would much rather have the affection of the good Shepherd than occupy a place of prominence in society.

In Scripture, the Holy Spirit is often symbolized by oil, by that which brings healing and comfort and relief from the harsh and abrasive aspects of life.

The gracious Holy Spirit makes real in me the very presence of Christ.

He brings quietness, serenity, strength, and calmness in the face of frustrations and futility.

He applies His healing, soothing, effective antidote of His own Person and presence to my particular problem.

There immediately comes into my consciousness the awareness of His dealing with the difficulty in a way I had not anticipated.

When I turn to Him and expose the problem to Him, allowing Him to see that I have a dilemma, a difficulty, a disagreeable experience beyond my control, He comes in to assist.

Often a helpful approach is simply to say aloud, “O Master, this is beyond me, I can’t cope with it, it’s bugging me, I can’t rest, please take over.”

4. To produce the condition necessary for sheep to lie down there must be freedom from the fear of hunger.

Green pasture did not just happen by chance.

Green pastures were the product of tremendous labor, time and skill in land use.

Green pastures were the result of :

Clearing rough, rocky land.

Deep plowing and careful soil preparation.

Seeding and planting special grains and legumes.

Irrigating with water and husbandry with care the crops of forage that would feed the flocks.

All of this represented tremendous toil, skill, and time for the careful shepherd.

If his sheep were to enjoy green pastures amid the brown and barren hills, it meant he had a tremendous job to do.

Green pastures are essential to success with sheep.

A hungry, ill-fed sheep is ever on its feet, on the move, searching for another scanty mouthful of forage to try to satisfy its gnawing hunger.

Such sheep are not contented, they do not thrive, and they are no use to themselves or to their owners.

They languish and lack vigor and vitality.

How He works to clear the life of rocks of stony unbelief:

How He tries to tear out the roots of bitterness.

He attempts to break up the hard, proud human heart that is set like sun-dried clay.

He then sows the seed of His own precious Word, which, if given half a chance to grow will produce rich crops of contentment and peace.

He waters this with the dews and rain of His own presence by the Holy Spirit.

He tends and cares and cultivates the life, longing to see it become rich and green and productive.

It is indicative of his unrelenting energy and industry of an owner who wishes to see His sheep satisfied and well fed.

It all denotes my Shepherd’s desire to see my best interests served.

His concern for my care is beyond my comprehension.

At best all I can do is to enjoy and revel in what He has brought into effect.

This life of quiet overcoming; of happy repose; of rest in His presence, of confidence in His management is something few Christians ever fully enjoy.

Because of our own perverseness we often prefer to feed on the barren ground of the world around us.

But the Good Shepherd has supplied green pastures for those who care to move in onto them and there find peace and plenty.

He Leads Me Beside the Quiet Waters

The Hebrew word for “lead is “nahal.”

Its meaning includes:

Leading someone by the hand
To lead someone who is helpless
To lead someone who needs to be guided aright

The root of the word specifically is connected with what a shepherd does in leading a pregnant ewe. He is very gentle and caring and makes sure she doesn’t trip over a rock.

How to do you lead a blind person? How do you lead a child? How do you lead a pregnant woman? You take them by the hand and guide them in the right direction.

The verb “leads” seems to suggest a contrast to the idea of being driven.

What is involved in the Shepherd’s leading the Psalmist?

a. Leading the psalmist in a specific direction.
b. The shepherd knows where he is going and takes the sheep there.
c. Showing them the direction to go in.
d. The Spirit saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

Why does the Shepherd “lead” instead of “drive?”

a. Nobody likes to be forced to go somewhere they don’t want to go.
b. When you lead someone, you gently take him or her to the place you want him or her to go.

A couple of years my church went to a ranch here in the city of Chesapeake for a weekend retreat. We broke up into groups and each group had a guide. He showed us where we were going for various events. He knew where to go. We didn’t. So in order for us to get where we needed to be, we had to follow him. He didn’t get behind us with a cattle prod and drive us to the event area, but he went out in front and told us to follow him. We eventually got to where we were supposed to be.

Do we sometimes think that Jesus doesn’t know where He is going? We are the ones who have no clue where we are going in this life. We think we do. Jesus is not going to come up behind you with a cattle prod and drive you in the direction He wants you to go. No, but He will say to you, “follow Me.” We are the ones who have the choice on which way to go. I will say this, the path that He chooses for you to follow may not be the one you want to walk in, but since He knows the way and knows what He is doing, it would be to our advantage to just follow Him.

The path to the green pastures and still waters may take you through the valley of the shadow of death. But He is still leading the way. It may take you through a wilderness for a period of time. I have heard it said that that from Eqypt to the Promised Land was an 11 day journey. Because of the stubbornness of the people it took them 40 years. They traveled in circles for 40 years. Can you imaging what they might have thought at seeing the same scenery over and over again.

I don’t the time frame for each circle around the desert, but passing the same old cactus plant year after year would have caught my attention after about the second or third time.

The Israelites had no clue how to get to the Promised Land. But God did. They probably would have gotten lost trying to go back to Egypt.

“Beside the still waters” indicates where the Psalmist is led.

Note that “beside” is used instead of “to.”

The marginal reading for “still waters” is “waters of rest?”
Is the word translated “still” is a description of the quality of the waters, the effect of the waters, or both? It is the effect of the waters. It is the opposite of turbulent, storm tossed waters.

Why should the Shepherd lead His sheep “beside still waters?”

Still waters, or calm waters, have a soothing, or peaceful effect. Have you ever gone to a lake, or river, or any body of water that looks like glass because it is so calm? It does have a peaceful effect.

Turbulent waters do not have a soothing effect. When we have a storm around here, the Chesapeake Bay has high waves crashing on the beach. Water crashing against the rocks makes a lot of noise. It’s violent and sometimes scary.

Sheep won’t stay around turbulent waters, it spooks them.

Thus far the Psalmist seems to have suggested that the Divine Shepherd meets the basic needs of sheep: pasture, rest, and water. (Matthew 6)

Exodus 15:13

"In Thy lovingkindness Thou hast led the people whom Thou hast redeemed;
In Thy strength Thou hast guided them to Thy holy habitation.” (NASB)

I don’t know whether you have thought about this, but when you are leading someone you are always out in front of them. If you are driving them, you are behind them.

I want you to take a minute and picture this in your mind. You are standing on top of a mountain looking down at the ground below. You see a strange sight. Out in front of a large group of people traveling through the wilderness you see this cloud moving forward. Behind the cloud you see a single man, and behind the single man you see a multitude of people. The cloud is leading the people, not behind them pushing them. The man is following the cloud, and the people are following the man.

Wherever that cloud goes, the people go. God is leading them.

Psalm 77:20

“Thou didst lead Thy people like a flock,
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Psalm 80:1

“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
Thou who dost lead Joseph like a flock;
Thou who art enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!”

The key or the clue to where water can be obtained lies with the shepherd. It is He who knows where the best drinking places are. In fact, very often He is the one with much effort and industry has provided the watering places. And it is to these spots that He leads the flock.

An animal is made aware of water by thirst. You and I know that. Thirst indicates the need of the body to have it water supply replenished from a source outside itself.

Just as the physical body has a capacity and need for water, so Scripture points out to us clearly that the human personality, the human soul has a capacity and need for the water of the Spirit of the eternal God.

When sheep are thirsty they become restless and set out in search of water to satisfy their thirst.

If not led to the good water supplies of clear, pure water, they will often end up drinking from the polluted potholes where they pick up internal parasites.

In precisely the same manner, Christ, our Good Shepherd, made it clear that thirsty souls of men and women can only be fully satisfied when their capacity and thirst for spiritual life is fully quenched by drawing on Himself.

Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (NASB)

John 7:37-39

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. [38] "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.' " [39] But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (NASB)

“To drink” in spiritual terminology, simply means “take in” or “to accept” or “to believe.”
That is to say, it implies that a person accepts and assimilates the very life of God in Christ to the point where it becomes a part of him.

The difficulty in all of this is that men and women who are “thirsty” for God (who do have a deep inner sense of searching and seeking, who are in quest of that which will completely satisfy) often are unsure of where to look or really what they are looking for.

Their inner capacity for God and divine life is desiccated and in their dilemma they will drink from any dirty pool to try and satisfy their thirst for fulfillment.

“He, the Good Shepherd”, leads me beside the quiet waters.

In other words, He alone knows where the still, quiet, clean, pure water is to be found that alone can satisfy His sheep and keep them fit and strong.

Water for the sheep came from three main sources:

Dew on the ground
Deep wells
Springs and streams

Sheep by habit rise just before dawn and start to feed.

In the Christian life it is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident and able to cope with life’s complexities, are those who rise up early each day to feed on God’ Word.

It is in the quiet, early hours of the morning that they are led beside the quiet, still waters where they imbibe the very life of Christ for the day.

This is much more than a figure of speech; it is a reality.

One comes away from these hours of meditation; reflection and communion with Christ refreshed in mind and spirit.

The thirst is slaked and the heart is quietly satisfied.

He loves to see me contented, quiet, at rest and relaxed.

He delights to know my soul and sprit have been refreshed and satisfied.

The irony of life, and tragic truth for most Christians is that this is not so.

It is often the case that they try, instead, to satisfy their thirst by pursuing almost every other sort of substitute.

For their mind and intellect, they will pursue knowledge, science, academic careers, vociferous reading or offbeat companions.

But somehow, their are always left panting and dissatisfied.

To appease the craving of their souls and emotions, men and women will turn to the arts, to culture, to music, to literary forms, trying to find fulfillment.

So often there are amongst the most jaded and dejected people.

They have tried drinking deeply from the wells of the world only to turn away unsatisfied, unquenched, in their soul’s thirst.

These are those who to quench this thirst in their parched lives, have attempted to find refreshment in all sorts of physical pursuits and activities.

Jeremiah 2:13

It is an accurate portrayal of broken lives; of shattered hopes, of barren souls that are dried up and parched and full of the dust of despair.

Among young people, the recourse to drugs, alcohol, and sex in a mad desire to assuage their thirst is classic proof that such sordid indulgences are no substitute for the Spirit of the living God.

These poor people are broken cisterns.

Amid of this chaos of a confused, sick society, Christ comes quietly as of old and invites us:

To come to Him
To follow Him
To put our confidence in Him

For He is who best knows how we can be satisfied.

He knows the human heart, the human personality, the human soul with its amazing capacity for God, can never be satisfied with a substitute.

Only the Spirit of life of Christ Himself will satisfy the thirsty soul.

Strange as it may appear on the surface, the deep wells of God from which we may drink are not always necessarily the delightful experiences we may imagine them to be.

Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep, dangerous and somewhat disagreeable.

But it simply must be remembered that He is there with us in it. He is very much at work in the situation.

It is the energy, effort and strength expended on my behalf that even in the deep, dark place is bound to produce a benefit for me. It is there that I discover He only can satisfy me. It is He who makes sense and purpose and meaning come out of situations which otherwise would be but a mockery to me.

Suddenly, life starts to have significance. I discover I am the object of His special care and attention. Dignity and direction come in the events of my life and I see them sorting themselves out into a definite pattern of usefulness.

All of this is refreshing, stimulating, invigorating.

My thirst for reality in life is assuaged and I discover that I have found that satisfaction in my Master.

There are always a percentage of perverse people who will refuse to allow God to lead them. They insist on running their own lives and following the dictates of their own wills. They insist they can be masters of their own destinies even if ultimately such destinies are destructive.

They don’t want to be directed by the Holy Spirit of God. They don’t want to be led by Him. They want to walk in their own ways and drink from any old source that they fancy might satisfy their whims. These people often try this pursuit or that with the casual comment, “So what? I can’t see that it’s going to do any harm!”

Proverbs 14:12 tells us that there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Little do they appreciate that often there is a delayed reaction and that considerable time may elapse before the full impact of their misjudgment strikes home. Then suddenly they are in deep trouble and wonder why.

To offset these dangers and guard against them, God invites us to allow ourselves to be led and guided by His own gracious Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to us to lead us into truth. He would come as a guide and counselor. Always He would lead us into the things of Christ.

He would make us see that the life in Christ is the only truly satisfying life. We would discover the delight of having our souls satisfied with His presence. It would be He who would become to us the very meat and drink that as His resurrection overcoming life was imparted to us by His Spirit each day. I would be refreshed and satisfied.

Are you dissatisfied with the way you are living your life today?

That can change the minute you let the Good Shepherd to take control of your life and lead you into all that He has for you.