- [Narrator] A valley is a low place between mountains,
it's often a place of vulnerability and risk,
things that seek to derail or harm you in some way
can be lurking in the shadows,
yet David assures us in this song that even in the valley
that cast shadows of death,
Jehovah Rohi provides comfort through his presence,
his rod and his staff.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in the green pastures.
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the path of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Yea, though, I walk through the valley
and the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for thou art with me,
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies,
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 23:1-6.
In this passage,
God's name is translated Lord as Jehovah
which means the self-revealing one,
the Hebrew word Rohi or Raah
which means to tend, pasture, shepherd.
The Psalm was probably written by King David,
as he reflected on his years as a shepherd.
David was a young man who had been put in charge
of his father's sheep long before he became king.
David may have reflected on his life,
remembered what it was like to tend sheep
and seen parallels to how God had cared for him
through the years.
As a result, David used his old job
to express his connection with God,
giving us Psalm 23,
one of the most beautiful and practical pieces of poetry
in the Bible.
You're not going to see many sheep if you live
in a suburban region
and it's unlikely that you've ever worked as a shepherd,
however, everyone understands that a shepherd's role
is to look after the sheep.
People nowadays look to a variety of things
to care for them,
some people are preoccupied about their finances,
others are drawn to their strength,
others are interested in interpersonal relationships,
others to successful,
worst of all far too many people expect themselves
to look after their own well-being.
David though is an exception,
"the Lord is my shepherd," David declared,
David entrusted his life and well-being to Jehovah.
In this song, David employs the present tense,
"the Lord is my shepherd," he declares.
He makes no mention of the Lord as his shepherd,
David accepts that God is still responsible for him
by referring to God as his shepherd in the present tense.
Also notice that David uses the personal pronoun my.
To put it in another way,
he's telling us that God is his personal shepherd.
Got is concerned, not only with the flock as a whole,
but also with the individual sheep.
We frequently scan over those five words
without completely comprehending what they mean.
When you look at them more closely however,
you'll see what a powerful statement
the opening of Psalm 23 is.
The Lord is a personal shepherd,
a God who cares about you right now.
David goes on to describe how a shepherd looks
after his sheep and how God looks after him
throughout the rest of the song.
I shall not want.
David as the words "I shall not want"
to the next section of the verse.
In other words, the Lord his shepherd
has provided for all of his needs,
this is true for a good shepherd
who looks after his sheep's requirements,
and it is also true from our Lord
who looks after each of our requirements.
He's got us covered in every way,
he is the faithful shepherd.
John 10:14,
"I am the good shepherd
and know my sheep and am known of mine."
God pledges to provide competent shepherds for his people
in Jeremiah 23:4,
"and as a result, they shall fear no more,
nor be dismayed, nor be be lacking."
Jeremiah 23:4
"'And I will set up shepherds over them
which shall feed them,
and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,
neither shall they be lacking,' saith the Lord."
God specifies what a shepherd is expected to do
in Ezekiel 34:2-4,
feed the flock, strengthen the weak,
treat the ill, bind up the broken,
bring back the stray and seek the lost.
That is what it means to God to be a shepherd,
there's even more.
"The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,"
John 10:11.
Ezekiel 34:2-4,
"Son of man prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
prophesy and say unto them,
thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds,
'woe be to the shepherds of Israel
that do feed themselves,
should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool,
ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the flock.
The disease have ye not strengthened,
neither have ye healed that which was sick,
neither have ye bound up that which was broken.
Neither have ye brought again that which was driven away.
Neither have you sought that which was lost,
but with force and with cruelty,
have ye ruled them them.'"
The best shepherd is the one who is willing
to make the ultimate sacrifice for his sheep,
putting his own life on the line.
So while choosing a shepherd for your own life,
consider whether he is willing to lay down his life for you
and you can attest to the fact that Jesus Christ
is such a shepherd since he has given his life for you.
However, you must first recognize yourself as a sheep,
in order for him to be your shepherd.
Shepherds don't look after wolves or dogs,
they look after sheep.
You won't be able to experience everything
your shepherd has in store for you
if you don't conceive of yourself as a sheep.
Sheeps are vulnerable,
for the enemy, they're easy prey.
When a wolf, coyote, hyena
or other predator approaches the sheep,
the sheep is already defeated
because it lacks the ability to defend itself.
This is also true for a large number of us,
we believe we are strong until our adversary, the devil
attacks us and we swiftly disintegrate.
Sheeps are also filthy and unable to clean themselves.
Direction, defense, cleanliness
and dependability are only a few of their needs.
Green pastures, quiet waters and a restored soul.
The majority of us have had a flat tire,
did you realize you can have a flat soul as well?
This is the point at which your spiritual zeal has worn off,
some folks have just lost their passion for life.
If they attended to church at all
they drag themselves there,
perhaps you're one of these individuals,
maybe God seems far away right now,
like if he's gone on vacation
and you're not sure where to look for him.
You may feel as if your life is slowly deflating,
yet despite the lack, you still have an ache inside
that reminds you that you want it back.
You want to be restored,
but you're not sure how to achieve it.
God, your Jehovah Rohi restores your soul
according to David.
He makes you lie down in green meadows first,
keep in mind that the scripture does not indicate
that God commands or recommends that you lie down.
Keep in mind that we're talking about sheep,
you are forced to lie down by God.
You are forced to lie down by God.
He puts you in a position where you have no choice,
but to entirely rely on him, you can easily visualize this
if you've ever had a child in your house,
what is the common reaction when you say
darling it's time for your sleep?
They are often rebellious,
always wanting to stay up late.
Have you considered the possibility
that God hasn't improved your condition
because he's waiting for you to surrender your resistance,
let go of your self-sufficiency and lie down.
He'll hold you just where you are
until you've learned to rest in him
and declare your complete confidence and reliance on him.
When God tells you to lie down, you'll see what David saw,
he chooses the greenest of pastures for your rest.
He makes the softest beds and fluffiest pillows for you
because he wants you to rest and heal,
just like you want your kid to rest and heal.
Following that, David claims that Jehovah Rohi
takes him beside peaceful waters,
they're referred to as still waters in other revisions.
To put it another way,
he isn't led near rushing water,
this is due to the fact
that sheep will not drink from rushing water,
sheep aren't particularly sure-footed,
and if they get into running water,
they'll spend more time and energy
attempting to stay upright than drinking.
Many sheep will lose their footing and tumble
they'll be drawn under swiftly
as their thick wool soaks up the water.
Sheep requires still water to drink,
if a shepherd can't find still water for his sheep
he can carve down a small channel
so that some of the running water
can flow into a still water pond,
his sheep can drink there while retaining their balance.
When we put our trust in the Lord, our shepherd
he leads us into safe places,
he restores our spiritual health
by providing verdant grass and quiet water.
We can become spiritually exhausted by life's hardships
just like a cordless phone
that has been off the hook for too long
and needs a soul recharge to function as God intended,
but you won't find the blessing of rest and peaceful waters
if you remain self-sufficient,
if you believe you can solve your difficulties on your own,
if you continue on your own road.
God frequently places us in situations
that strip us of our self-sufficiency,
so that we might learn to rely on him,
he wants us to that until he restores our soul,
it will not be repaired.
We will not be empowered unless he empowers us,
he wants to bring you and me to the point
where we can only see him when we look up.
Some of us on the other hand stall, fight
or rebel for a long time
before finally laying down and resting in him.
As a result, God continues to arrange events
that force us to relax, let go, and trust in his care.
And just as David predicted, when we let go,
we will realize that God restore our soul.
The procedure takes time,
but the end effect is well worth the effort.
He restores our feeling of hope, purpose, and life
as we rest in him.
Many of us are apprehensive about lying down and resting,
we're not sure how we'll make it
if we let go of the reins of power,
our shepherd on the other hand
is advising us that we must first lie down and rest.
We must realize that when we rely on him,
we will find security and fresh pastures.
Our ability isn't what keeps us going,
it's his loving arms,
knowing and implementing this reality
to our thoughts and decisions
will do more to restore our spirit
than almost anything else.