I have noticed various styles of preaching over the years, a lot of men and women when preaching get excited and yell, some are preaching to a congregation, and yet some like Jim P just speak to his friends, his brothers and sisters in Christ, he doesn’t yell at them, jump up and down, but just calmly speaks to his friends, and that is the style I try to immolate.
My whole purpose in this is to share a message to my friends, to help them find their way and to touch the hearts and minds of the people I speak to.
In recent months, I have felt God moving me to speak of our travels, our journey upon the narrow path. It’s not an easy way we have chosen for ourselves, no that is the wide path that leads to destruction. We have chosen the narrow path to eternal life with the Great Creator of all things, the Most Holy God.
I have intentionally illustrated just how difficult it is, how much courage is required, , how we must accept the challenge, fight with all we have in us, and in my last lesson I thought I had wrapped up that series, pointing out that we can’t do it, there is no man strong enough.
It can only be done with the Lord Jesus Christ fighting the battles for us, judging us in the final analysis, and while judging us, also being our advocate, and our redeemer, standing in our place. He is truly our Shepherd.
As I said I thought the last lesson was the end… but as usual that was my thought, my earthly thought, from my weak mind, because God had one more lesson He wanted me to share.
I am going to be reading from two chapters out of the Psalms, and because it is so poetic, so beautiful, I will be reading them from the King James.
In chapter 22 of Psalms, visualize yourself on the path, and in 23 see our peace we can experience when we turn it all over to Christ Jesus. These two chapters are known as dual prophesies, both David and Christ Jesus. The words of David becoming the words of Jesus hundreds of years later.
I hope you can hear the desperation in the voice of Christ as He came and cleared the path for us.
But it is really more than that, He came, cleared the way, and then bore all our sorrows and grief, he carried all our sins upon Himself, and He cried out to the Father when at His most desperate time, the Father couldn’t look upon the sin, the sin of the world, the grief, the pain of the world, all placed upon that cross… that old wooden cross of Calvary…
Bear in mind, Christ had spent the previous night praying in the Garden, sweating drops of Blood from the stress and fear of the events that were to come, and then had faced the scourging, and now nailed to a cross…
Psalm 22 King James Version (KJV)
22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
So let’s take a look at Chapter 23
In the first four verses of Ps. 23, David takes the gentle picture of a shepherd with his sheep to describe the relationship God has with us and we with Him. Everything makes sense in our understanding of a shepherd leading his flock to green grass and calm waters.
Then we get to v. 4, and it doesn’t fit. The valley of the shadow of death conjures thoughts of a dangerous situation where a sheep’s life is in jeopardy unless the shepherd is alert and attentive.
Why does David switch from talking about God with ‘He’ to talking to God with ‘You,’ and why does it happen in v. 4? Why didn’t he just go on to say, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me; His rod and His staff, they comfort me’?”
May I suggest that the change “He” to the more intimate “You” happens in v. 4 precisely because it’s there he speaks of the valley he has walked.
He has felt the shadows closing in. Verse 4 describes the crisis points in his life. And in those times, something deep happened between him and God.
You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? We’re more prone to talk ABOUT God when we are in the green pastures and more prone to talk TO God when we’re in the dangerous ravine.
In the light, we are prone to wander off in pursuit of greener grass. But in the dark, we hug His knee.
I have noticed this in my life, when things are dark, and difficult is when I move closer to God, and every time it happens, and I again find myself in one of those dark times, and again I return to a closer relationship, but when it is daylight again, I stray less further away.
Each time this happens to each of us we start to realize it will be dark again, and we keep the Father in sight, and finally after so many dark times, even when the sun shines again, we stay, we no longer wonder off again, and our journey ends.
David changes from comments about God to communion with God because during his valley time, he stayed ever so close to the Shepherd, never taking his eyes off Him. He had experienced God in a way there that had ushered him toward intimacy with the Almighty Shepherd. Not temporary intimacy only to stray again into the darkness,
but permanent intimacy, where we can rest peacefully in the dark, as Christ did during the storm in the boat.
But why would a sheep be going through such a place? Not because he strayed off in sin; that is not the point here, because the shepherd is pictured as going with the sheep not snatching him back to the pasture he left behind. No, the reason the sheep is going through the valley is because the shepherd leads him there.
The connection between vs. 3 and 4 confirm this: The path through the valley is also one of the paths of righteousness in which God leads. “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me . . . ”
But why would a good shepherd who would lay down his life for his sheep lead a lamb into a valley filled with danger and death threats? There’s only one possible answer:
“To get to some better place!”
Philip Keller is an Australian shepherd whose wonderful little book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 includes this observation about these barren valleys:
“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 point 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. There could be rockslides, mud, or . . . a dozen other natural disasters that would destroy or injure his sheep. But in spite of such hazards he also knows that this is still the best way to take his flock to the high country. He spares himself no pains or trouble or time to keep an eye out for any danger that might develop.”
When you’re walking through some unfamiliar valley and the shadows linger . . . When you have cancer and have to decide whether it will be chemotherapy or some other way . . . When you’re trying to decide as a matter of Godly stewardship whether to take your money out of the market or let it ride… When your finances are tight, and you are taking on yet another job to make ends meet, and for us here in this prison, we learn to keep our eyes focused upon the lord for we are surrounded by wolves.
remember this:
Your Shepherd has appointed even this hard time as one of His paths of righteousness.
He is leading you through this valley for reasons that probably won’t be apparent. But rest assured, He is taking you to the high country, where the sun is warm and the grass is lush.
Every valley is pathway to something better. As Psalm 84:11 says, “No good does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Or as Paul put it, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom . 8:28). The valley isn’t good, but the Shepherd is. He knows the way.
And, so are we, as Christians vulnerable to these wild dogs, Just a few weeks ago a vicious wolf entered a little sanctuary in Texas and slaughtered 26 of the Lords sheep, little babies, mommies, and old men alike, this cowardly animal proceeded to wound around 25 more, yet when confronted with a man willing to stand against him, A human livestock guardian, I would even suggest a living rod and staff, This wild dog dropped his weapon and ran.
But we are more often attacked spiritually
And as Satan attacks us, we as the flock of the Lord expect Him to stand up for us, against Satan, and Satan and all his demons will Trimble, beg, plead and like the Texas coward…run.
He restores my soul, my spirits are lifted for I know I have a shepherd, whose Rod and Staff protect me. He is my shepherd, this eludes to we being sheep. Sheep are full of fear and very nervous, and often will not lie down, out of this fear, for they have absolutely no defense system whatsoever. They can’t swim, and will not go near water that is not absolutely calm, and easy to access, and shallow, for if they fall in, they can’t get out, they will drown.
Do you see how vulnerable they are?
Their only protection is to stay together in a group. And as we walk through this world seeking God with all our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls, this is how vulnerable we are.
There are places in Scripture that are powerful, so deep, that to recite them is to experience them. Psalm 23 is one of those places. As one scholar said, “The psalm itself is green pasture; the psalm itself is still water; the psalm itself restores my soul.”
It is precious to us, a balm to our wounded souls. And what makes this a constant friend is that it covers all of life. With simple beauty, it speaks of green pastures and still waters as well as dark valleys and enemies and adversities.
But what comforts us and helps us is the psalm’s confidence. David really believes this about God. We realize as we linger over these words that what David writes is not poetic exaggeration or theoretical theology.
He has experienced God in these ways, heard His voice, followed His lead, felt His care. Beneath the beauty of his words there are solid convictions, formed in the trial of crisis.
And remember as we could plainly see that from verse 22, it may be David writing, but his experiences, his words are formed again hundreds of years later by the Messiah, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
But now let’s move to chapter 23,For this is where we live today,
But let me begin by telling you an old story about a priest who was celebrating his 50th Anniversary of Ordination. For this occasion he had invited his personal friend, Richard Burton, to come and recite his favorite Psalm 23. Richard Burton agreed to do this on the condition that the priest would also recite it after him.
At the appointed time, Richard Burton stood and proclaimed the popular psalm with such oratorical mastery the congregation immediately applauded.
And then this humble pastor stood up and began to recite, from heart, this beloved Psalm. After he had finished his not nearly so professional recitation, the congregation was in awe, and some moved to tears.
Someone in the front pew with Richard Burton leaned over and asked him, “Why did people loudly applaud you and yet were silently moved by the pastor?” Burton replied, “Because I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”
You see to truly understand this, it must be in the right heart, so with that in mind, with the hopes of putting our hearts in the right condition
I would like to share an experience I shared with Jody many years ago, about a man who knew the shepherd that has never left me, and never fails to move me, and I have told it here before.
When Jody and I were volunteer chaplains with Hospice of Texarkana, we would visit those who were dying, some a few weeks, some only a few hours.
We had one patient, whom we visited on a regular basis who had been a member of his choir all his long life. Now Jody always sang a song about heaven to these folks, but on our last visit to see Chet Wood, who was to die just a few days later, he wanted to sing to Jody, now understand Chet was dying of a lung disease, could barely breath, yet he sang to Jody, probably the very last song of his long life, and he barely gasped out I come to the Garden Alone.
We heard the angels sing that day.
Now as I read this beautiful psalm please let your minds drift back to that old priest, or to Chet Wood who gasped out his final song, a gift to Jody and I, and a statement of his position, and a tribute to the Savior he was soon to meet.
They Knew the Savior!
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, because of Him, I can face life, I can face today, and I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow….
Thank you for your time, and as you walk through this valley of the shadow of death, remember, you have a shepherd who loves you, and will protect you.
