23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I love how the Amplified Bible breaks this down into 3 categories. The feeding of His people becomes a priority. Jesus Himself said for us to consider the Lilies (Luke 12:27) in combating fear or anxiety in regards to food, careers or in being taken care of.
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
So answer the question: Do you feel that your Heavenly Father really knows your needs and sees you are better than a bird? Birds and animals do not have immortal souls, but humans do. He cares for creation, but He died for you and me. He loves and has a particular plan for you!
Level two of any true father is Guidance. Do you do things on your own without asking the Holy Spirit’s Guidance? Similar is the question: Are you in the habit of talking to God after first getting into trouble? “Lord help me” is by nature a common prayer when carnal Christians ask for forgiveness more often than permission first. Let’s look at: James 1:5 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
I like asking God, before, during and after. Let’s read Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Once again Prov 16:3 Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]. So plainly we see, when we get God involved, we succeed.
Finally level three: Shielding, protection, covering to those that allow God to be their Shepherd. Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
The shield of faith is your trusting Jesus. Trusting in the Name of Jesus before opposition, turmoil or peril comes. Through intimacy and daily devotions we wear this shield like clothes to help protect us. We wear Gods Word in our hearts, on our lips and minds in advance to protect us against Satan and Sins temptations and situations.
23:1…I shall not want.
I remember when I was single, my mother used to say: “I’m praying that God send you the wife you need and not the woman you think you want” Ha. There’s a huge difference between our wants and needs. Our core needs to know that Jehovah-Jireh will provide, The expression used in Genesis 22:14 , “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen,” has been regarded as equivalent to the saying, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity”
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
We think we are so in control and in charge. Prosperity and goodness that lasts in peace, come from the Lord. Now our prosperity can be brown pastures. “Different strokes for different folks” so goes the saying. Folks with a poverty mentality think a shack is a palace. I assure you that God’s blessing and prosperity is all about Green Pastures.
A classic scripture is Prov 10:22 The blessing of the Lord brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].
We are not animals without a soul or robots. Because we have a free will, God lets us choose daily decisions, paths and our definition of green pastures. So many people settle for second best and think they are ahead or winning, when God has so much more.
2: He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
Can you get quiet? How much noise is in your world? Is drama the order of the day? Are you a drama addict, one of those who has to have some activity or commotion going on in the back ground. Or are you always dreaming about peace. You work hard to get ahead and things fall apart, over and over.
Here’s a barometer reading: can you lay your cell phone down for 2 hours without checking it? Do you keep your cell phone in your bedroom at nighttime?
Desire attracts us to rushing waters (action, excitement, drama). Our water’s are sensual and seldom Still or Quiet. We argue that God is boring or understands or doesn’t understand, whatever it takes to justify the low road in the name of excitement or having temporal fun.
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion).15 Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.
As you have just read, carnal Desire or decision without hearing from a place of still waters has led many astray. Desire has a strong magnetic pull. The Holy Spirit nudges, leads and convicts. Therein is the difference between paths of death, carnality versus life more abundantly.
3 He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
There are two dimensions here refreshing and restoring. A great scripture in the new Testament is: Acts 3:19-20 Amplified Bible 19 So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]; 20 and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you,
It’s amazing when we repent, and really mean business with God (maybe through communion (breaking of Bread) alone or at Church) how we become refreshed and restored. Fortunes lost, marriage lost, homes lost – have been restored when one’s soul is put in order first through Holy Spirit Refreshing. But refreshing can be short term. Dying to self daily, repentance, allowing restoration causes long term fruit in one’s life.
3: He leads me in the paths of righteousness
A lot of fundamentalist think that becoming Born Again is an end all, be all. There are paths of Righteousness. Now we know that there is one Jesus and one way to the Father. Once we become Born Again we become Righteous by His Atoning blood. There are deeper levels of Salvation after we go through the Gate of Jesus. Jesus is the door. Water Baptism, Baptism of the Holy Ghost, etc are all a part of the journey through Jesus. The Bible speaks of seven baptisms.
3 for His name’s sake.
Herein is a key. Even after you become Born Again, even after occasional refreshing in the Lord, it’s all about Him and not you. Little you, big Him. Many leaders keep people or themselves suppressed to feel important, or maintain a job or career. To feel needed or Justified they get caught up into organized religion, rather than the River or Flow of God. We are to grow like mighty oaks, rich and powerful in Spirit, Soul and Body. Humility will always promote Jesus ahead of self. When the disciples were seeking titles and promotion Jesus introduced His “towel ministry” and washed their feet. God knelled down and washed their feet. Promote the Namesake of God which is Jesus and you are on a solid path. Amen!
4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death,
My Nephew just died, he was a teenager. My wife was blood to him. We had him on our ranch many times, taught him hunting, animal care, horseback riding etc. He died before his time, or so it seems. This valley can be sunless if we are Sonless. Thank goodness for the Son of God. The key word here is walk. Don’t stop, don’t pitch a tent of pity or allow your emotions to cause you to do something you will regret latter. Keep walking, moving, doing the things you know to do when your mind is going crazy trying to understand the injustices of life.
4 Therefore “I fear no evil, for You are with me;”. Fear has no place when a Christian is walking. When we walk through a tragedy and allow a new level of dying to self, it’s like the crushing of the rose petals that brings the greatest fragrance! The choice is to allow your mind to run wild with fear. If you play in that playground, Satan will eat your lunch.
Martin Luther said: “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair”
4 Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
Some people use the rod of drugs or alcohol. To others, food becomes their rod. A girlfriend, boyfriend, or sex can be a rod, something to lean on – a crutch if you will.
I assure you, in the valley of the shadow of death, in this kind of valley, the valley can be over whelming and you will need guidance in advance. We all have a spiritual bank account. During the good times, we should be depositing spiritual Gold and Silver. This is gold that cannot be purchased with money, but with time spent in His presense. So when the “Valley off Shadow” comes ” when fear tries to come” you can make a quick withdrawal of Joy unspeakable and Peace for the soul by not turning to a false rod to prop you up in the short term of life. In John 14 & 16, Jesus gave us His Power of Attorney which is “His Name” to be used. In that place of intimacy, we can say In The Name of Jesus!
The rod mentioned in Psalm 23 is a symbol of the Lord’s strength and protection. The rod was a sturdy wooden stick used as a weapon to fight off wild animals who might have hoped to make an easy meal out of an otherwise defenseless flock of sheep. The shepherd also used the rod to help him keep count of the sheep within the flock (as alluded to in Leviticus 27:32). Young David recounted an incident to King Saul in which he probably used his shepherd’s rod: “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it” (1 Samuel 17:34–35).
The staff mentioned in Psalm 23 is a symbol of the Lord’s guidance and loving kindness. The staff was a long, slender stick, often hooked at the tip, used primarily to direct the flock. Sheep are notorious wanderers, and once away from the shepherd’s watchful eye, they get into all sorts of trouble (Matthew 18:12–14). The shepherd used his staff to keep his sheep out of danger and close to himself. If a sheep became trapped in a precarious position, the shepherd would loop the curved end of the staff around the neck of the sheep and retrieve it back to safety. Isn’t this a beautiful picture of what the Lord does with us sometimes, if we would only yield to his direction and not make a mad dash towards what we think is the best path.
- Moses, on the hill with his arms raised with the rod of God above his head, flanked on either side by 2 men –– represents Jesus crucified between two men
- The rod in Scripture represents power — so God was the source of Moses’ power
Just as Moses on the hill with his arms lifted up allowed Israel to prevail against Amalek, so the crucified Christ allows us to prevail against our fleshly enemy of sin and death.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
I wrote a song once ” I like it like that”. Bob Weiner, an Evangelist, was sharing a wild testimony of a bar owner that got saved and shut the bar down. Well I like it when enemies from without or within (which can sometimes be family or friends) become powerless or their words spoken over me become obsolete. God always elevates and justifies me when I keep my mouth shut during a difficult season and seek His face instead. All of a sudden a table is set before me. Suddenly a break-though comes. Are you ready for a suddenly to turn a situation around in your life? Are you ready for a break-through?
5 You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil;
In ancient times it was customary in hot climates for a host to provide his guest with olive oil to put on his head. The Lord blesses and anoints His believers with the Holy Spirit, of which oil is symbolic, to prepare them for His service.
At the cross, 2000 years ago, Jesus did it all. He paid all the prices for all kinds of sin. Every Born Again Believer has been Anointed and Appointed to walk over, around, though any sin or temptation in the power and Will of the Holy Ghost, if we yield to and run to the Holy Spirit in prayer and stand on the Word of God with that shield of Faith.
5 My cup overflows. By definition a overflowing cup speaks of abundance, prosperity, and is like the scripture Deut 15:6 and 28:12 When the Lord your God blesses you as He has promised you, then you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
Last Sunday, my Pastor was sharing how the Law (10 commandments” was contained in a box or Ark of the Covenant). It was the Mercy Seat or the lid that covered the box. God is all about Mercy, Love and Goodness. He lets us fail in life by our own decisions and yet when we repent and ask for guidance and help, Mercy comes running. Check out the Phillips, Craig and Deans song.
6: And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.
This is a choice. If we choose to connect to a local New Testament Church that preaches and teaches the Word. If we make ourselves accountable to leadership, then Gods Liberty, Freedom and Protection will cause us to dwell in peace and safety. It’s through accountability and daily devotions, studying Gods Word, meditating in prayer on His Word, that intimacy causes a cocoon of protection.
Then you can dwell in peace, no matter what valley, difficulty or problems confronts your life. Remember keep walking!