Our Eternal Shepherd:
When we consider that the Lord Jesus Christ is our shepherd,
we should also remember that He is the eternal God who is without beginning and without end.
Here's Gene:
This principle actually comes
right from the very first line
of this psalm. What is the first line?
Most of us know it by memory. But here it is:
"The LORD is my shepherd."
Now, when David uses the word "shepherd," it's one of the lowliest
of tasks. And he's referring to the fact that the Lord is my shepherd.
And He cares for me just like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
And that involves so many aspects of care.
And in a sense, very uneventful kind of care.
Out there, in this case, in the desert. And David knew what that was all about
because he began his life as a shepherd.
Many lonely nights, I'm sure, watching those sheep.
But notice it says the "LORD"
is my shepherd. And when we see the word "LORD,"
particularly in the Life Essentials Study Bible and the Holman Christian study
translation. When you see it bolded like that,
basically, that is the name "Yahweh."
When you see the word "Yahweh,"
this is the personal name for God
that reveals the fact that He is the eternal God.
But as the eternal God, He cares about us.
In fact, this is basically the concept that was used on the back side of the desert
by another shepherd at that time. And that was Moses.
And you remember that experience where God
spoke to Moses from a burning bush. And in Exodus 3:13 to 14:
"Then Moses asked God" ...
After God told him He was going to send him
to the Israelites. Now he was ready, after 40 years,
to go back to Egypt. See Moses spent
40 years in Egypt. And some say,
learning to be somebody. And then he had to learn 40 years in the desert
to learn to be nobody. And then the next 40 years, God used him.
But this is the transition. And God says,
"Now I'm ready to use you to deliver
My people by My right hand. Not by your right hand Moses. You tried one time
and you really blew it, big time."
"Then Moses asked God, 'If I go
to the Israelites and say to them: The God of
your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me,
'What is His name?' what should I tell them?"
And notice the response.
"God replied to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' ...
"I AM WHO I AM." And in essence,
that is the basic word concept for "Yahweh."
... "This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
I AM has sent me to you."
God of the universe
was also the shepherd. You go on in the next verse, in Exodus 3:15:
"God also said to Moses,
'Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh," ...
You see it's spelled out there in terms of the great I AM.
"Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, [and] the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you. This is My name forever;
this is how I am to be remembered in every generation."
And the point that I see-- they want you to see here. In this
opening line of the 23rd Psalm, is
that we have a very significant concept. The Lord.
Yahweh. The God of the universe.
The God who cares. The God who sent Moses
back to Egypt. The God who enabled him to work all of those miracles.
That God, Yahweh, is my shepherd.
And again, you see, David is speaking prophetically.
Because, how did Jesus come? Well first of all, He came as
the God-child. The God-baby, as it were.
Where the angel appeared to Mary.
That little girl, as it were. A little nobody.
"Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son,
[and] you will call His name JESUS." Or Savior.
Jesus came as the God-child.
Notice what we read in Luke. And here, He's about 12 years old
when He was in the temple. And you remember that event where
His parents lost track of Him. And He was in the temple, interacting with the scribes
and with the Jews and with the Pharisees.
But notice, He went back. He was
subjected--He was submissive to His parents. But it says:
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and with people."
But He was the God-boy. He was both God
and boy. And then of course,
as He grew, He became the God-man.
And we read about this in Philippians.
Beautiful description. When He,
as Paul explains, before these verses.
That He existed in the form of God and yet He didn't cling to this.
"Instead He emptied Himself by assuming
the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point death on a cross."
And while He walked this earth,
He Himself said--and John records this in chapter 10, verse 11:
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
In the book of Hebrews, He's called the great Shepherd.
In 1 Peter chapter 5, He's called
the chief Shepherd who will someday return.
But He was still a shepherd. And David begins that psalm by saying,
"The Lord is my shepherd."
Yahweh, who is God, and his God,
became a man. First a baby. Then a boy.
And a man. But he was God
in the flesh. So here's the question
to think about, respond to:
When we read the rest of Psalm 23 with Jesus as our Shepherd in mind, ...
as David recorded here. And it's beautifully recorded.
... in what ways does David's view of the Lord as his shepherd
and what He will do for us take on even greater meaning?
And this is an incredible psalm.
Particularly if you can see it through the eyes
of a shepherd and how a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
And this is--these are wonderful promises,
prophetically, to who Jesus is
and what He's going to do as our shepherd. And notice.
Let me just read it with that in mind:
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name's sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff--they comfort me."
And I'll never forget the many times. I can't remember
all the specific times. But I remember there were many times,
over the years as a pastor, when I've been asked
to share this psalm at a funeral.
And to read through this psalm. And to share this psalm
in comfort. And it is a very comforting, comforting
psalm in relationship to the fact that, even
when we go through the darkest valley, the valley of death, He will not leave us
or forsake us.
It's a great, great psalm, especially for believers.
Well, David goes on to record this from a shepherd's point of view:
"The Lord is my shepherd." ...
"You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
[And} only goodness and faithful love
will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in house of the Lord as long as I live.
Or as some translations say, "forever."
In other words, there's not just a promise for life here,
and His shepherding love for us,
but for all eternity. So here's the principal
that comes, I believe, from this psalm. It's verified in other parts of Scripture.
When we consider that the Lord Jesus Christ
is our shepherd, we should also remember that He is the eternal God
who is without beginning and without end.