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Wallingford Presbyterian Church January 7, 2007 |
Rev. Ken Sunoo |
On this first Sunday of the new year, I wanted to take some time to preach on Psalm 23, which has been the theme of our Children’s Times this past fall. Next week, we’ll dive back into our sermon series on the Gospel of Mark, but this morning, I thought it appropriate that we start the year off with one of the most familiar and beloved chapters in the Bible because it’s such a source of encouragement.
Please open your Bibles to Psalm 23 and follow along as we take a closer look at the text.
First, it begins with the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep, spoken from the vantage point of a single sheep.
v. 1 The LORD is my shepherd - the sheep has a personal relationship with the shepherd; Notice the emphasis upon God's care of an individual sheep. It is also interesting to note that the Latin for shepherd is pastor - The LORD is my pastor.
I shall not want - not mean that I shall have everything I desire, but that I won’t have to go without anything the Shepherd knows I need.
v. 2 He makes me lie down in
green pastures; he leads me beside still waters-shepherd provides two key
necessities of life - food and water. Lying in green pastures is not referring
to taking a nap, nice as that sounds, but to having plenty to eat. Remember,
this is a sheep we’re talking about.
v. 3 at this point the psalm moves away from the analogy of the sheep and to the life and faith of David himself.
He restores my soul - sense of healing and forgiveness in David's life
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake - the psalm begins with the holy name of God (YHWH); because of God's loving character, God guides us, directs us along the right path.
The psalm then shifts gears. The first part dealt with the good times in the psalmist's life. Now the mood turns heavier and darker. Notice that in the first 3 verses, God is addressed in the third person; when David begins to speak of the dangerous experiences of life, he changes to the more intimate second person, 'you.'
v. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (literally deep shadow or death-shadow or shadow of heavy darkness), I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me -- David returns to the analogy of the sheep and shepherd, for the rod and the staff are two shepherding tools.
Phillip Keller, in his book A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23, describes these two instruments. The staff is used to guide the sheep. It's normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. The rod, on the other hand, is a small, short stick that has three primary uses: first, it's used as a throwing implement. It's the shepherd's main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep, used to drive off predators like coyotes, wolves, or cougars, and also used to discourage snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock. Incidentally, if you've ever watched Westerns, you know that the term 'rod' has been applied to hand-guns carried by cowboys. The connotation is exactly the same, except that instead of throwing the actual rod, it throws bullets at its target. So the rod is a symbol of the shepherd's authority.
Second, the rod is used to guide the sheep. If a sheep wanders or gets too close to danger, the rod would whistle through the air to send the wayward animal back to the flock.
Finally, the rod is used to examine and count the sheep, called passing 'under the rod' (Ezek. 20:37). Keller: Because of their long wool it's not always easy to detect disease, wounds, or defects in sheep. But a skilled shepherd will take his rod and part the sheep's wool to determine the condition of the skin, the cleanliness of the fleece and the shape of the body.
So the rod and the staff are symbols of care, guidance, and authority.
The last part of this psalm begins with a line that continues the idea of walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
v. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies - odd sentence, we’re not really sure what this means, but we do get a sense of danger and adversaries.
You anoint my head with oil - when we think of anointing, we usually picture the anointing of a king, such as when the prophet Samuel anointed Saul and David to be Kings of Israel. In fact, the Hebrew word 'messiah' means 'the anointed one,' one who we set apart and anoint as a sign of honor. But notice that in this instance, it's not the shepherd who is being anointed, it's the sheep.
Now, I'm no shepherd, but I learned in my reading on this passage that shepherds will protect the sheep from – get this – nasal flies by applying an ointment composed of elements such as linseed oil, sulphur, and tar over the sheep's nose and head. Nobody ever said that sheep herding is pleasant work! But this idea of a shepherd anointing the sheep's head with oil also has this connotation of the shepherd providing physical protection and healing.
The next line in the psalm returns us to the good times: my cup overflows.
v. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life - active love of the shepherd. The sheep are pursued by the goodness and mercy of the shepherd. Sense of sheer grace. Since this line follows the verses that talk about the valley of the shadow of death and being in the presence of enemies, we know that this is not a simple or glib assertion that life will always be perfect and we won't encounter trouble. This verse is not talking about goodness in general; rather, it's affirming that in good times and bad, God will follow after us.
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long - again, the psalm moves away from the analogy of the sheep and shepherd to the idea of humans in the house of the LORD, which to the Hebrews meant the temple. It's significant that for the psalmist, our response to God's grace, protection, healing, and authority is to be in worship and fellowship with God.
That's our text for this morning. This psalm tells us what God is like - a shepherd who cares intimately for his sheep, offering them protection, guidance, and healing. Secondly, it's a psalm about David and his personal experience with God's presence and guidance, in both green pastures and the valley of the shadow of death. Finally, it's a psalm about the way of righteousness, a song about God's will for the life of his sheep - God leads us in the paths of righteousness and desires that we dwell in his house.
I'd like to explore why so many of us resonate with this psalm. Why is this psalm so well loved, so often memorized, so treasured? Well, for one thing, it deals with important issues in a beautifully simple, concise, and direct way. (KISS - keep it simple, stupid) Everything in the psalm, is easily understandable. The analogy of sheep and shepherd is universally understood, even by folk like us, most of whom have not raised sheep, and therefore it has a universal appeal.
A deeper reason for the popularity of this psalm is that it is a psalm of encouragement, of sheer grace, of durable love. One commentator calls this psalm a psalm of endorsement, because it says that God endorses us free of charge. There's no catch - the sheep does not have to do anything to earn the shepherd's care and protection.
What makes this psalm so profound is that we are taken seriously by God at every stage of our lives. Notice the psalm begins with the good times (the sheep is led by the shepherd to green pastures and still waters). The shepherd wants the sheep to enjoy these good things. As long as we don't become gluttons, as long as we remain sensitive to other people's sufferings and work to relieve that suffering, we are allowed to enjoy the goodness of God's blessings in our lives.
As the psalm moves and becomes more complex, it continues to endorse us. God stays with us when we need restoration and healing and forgiveness ('he restores my soul.') And then, the psalm moves to a terrifying stage – the darkest valley, or the valley of the shadow of death. It's been said that people would not treasure this psalm as much if this line was not in it, and I agree. Can you think of a more profound portrayal of despair, depression, or death itself? This psalm is realistic about life, it deals with the tough times in our lives. But the good news is that it also affirms God's presence with us in the darkest valley and in the face of adversaries. God is with us carrying his rod and his staff. In other words, even in the midst of darkness, God will continue to direct and protect me.
There is a bit of a surprise in this psalm--and that is the note of discipline included in it. The shepherd leads with his staff and disciplines with his rod. There's a salty/sharp, demanding note in this psalm because God leads us in paths of righteousness. It's still a psalm full of grace, but with grace comes responsibility. We usually don't think discipline is good, or that we like discipline, but when we think about it, human beings appreciate discipline. We see it in our children, who yearn for boundaries and guidelines. And we see it in ourselves. For example, no one wants to be taught by someone who doesn't care whether you learn or not. My third grade teacher forever ruined art for me, because she didn't like my drawings but did not care enough to teach me how to draw.
Finally, for Christians, this psalm has become profoundly messianic. We believe the way of righteousness is fulfilled in Jesus Christ our King, who called himself the Good Shepherd and who laid down his very life for his sheep. In Christ, God our Shepherd became incarnate. Our deepest yearning is to dwell in the house of the Lord, to be in relationship with God.
There is one problematic feature of Psalm 23, which is that we are being compared to sheep. Most of us probably think of sheep as being very dumb animals. However, Barbara Brown Taylor discovered after talking with a sheep farmer that sheep are not dumb at all. She says, “It is the cattle ranchers who are responsible for spreading that ugly rumor, and all because sheep do not behave like cows. According to my friend, cows are herded from the rear by hooting cowboys with cracking whips, but that will not work with sheep at all. Stand behind them making loud noises and all they will do is run around behind you, because they prefer to be led. You push cows, my friend said, but you lead sheep, and they will not go anywhere that someone else does not go first – namely, their shepherd – who goes ahead of them to show them that everything is all right.” (BBT, The Preaching Life, 140-141)
The good news is that we have a Good Shepherd who leads us. Are you in a good place in your life, in green pastures and beside still water? Thank the Lord, for he has led you there. Are you faced with tough times, walking through the darkest valley? Take comfort from the Lord, for he is present to protect and guide us with his rod and his staff. Are you panicking from life's many irritations? The Lord is there to calm your spirit and anoint your head with oil. This psalm assures us that with God as our Good Shepherd, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.