WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.439 There is a reason Psalm twenty three is read when 2 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.440 people are dying. But David did not write it like 3 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.919 a funeral poem. He wrote it like a man who 4 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.599 had learned something in the dark that he could not 5 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:16.839 have learned in the palace. Now listen carefully, because Psalm 6 00:00:16.920 --> 00:00:20.280 twenty three begins in a field, but it does not 7 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:24.399 end there. It begins with sheep, but it ends in 8 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:29.800 the house of the Lord. It begins with need, hunger, thirst, 9 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.119 and direction, but it ends with permanent dwelling in the 10 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:36.719 presence of God. That means this psalm is not only 11 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:39.840 about comfort. It is about the whole journey of a 12 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:43.840 soul under the care of God. And if you want 13 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:47.320 more deep Bible lessons like this, join the Deep Bible 14 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:51.359 Stories Founder's membership through the link in the description, where 15 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:56.159 many Christians are growing spiritually through exclusive Bible lessons and ebooks. 16 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.240 Most people read Psalm twenty three as if it is 17 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:03.799 simply saying God will make you feel peaceful. But David 18 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:06.400 is saying much more than that. He is saying the 19 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:14.799 Lord feeds, leads, restores, corrects, protects, honors, annoints, pursues, and 20 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:18.760 finally brings his people home. The psalm is gentle, but 21 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:21.799 it is not weak. It is comforting, but it is 22 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:25.920 not shallow. There are green pastures in this psalm, yes, 23 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:30.239 but there is also death's shadow. There are still waters, 24 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.719 but there are also enemies. There is a table, but 25 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:37.519 the enemies are still watching. There is an overflowing cup, 26 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:41.200 but only after the valley has been crossed. That is 27 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:44.920 why Psalm twenty three lasts. It does not comfort by 28 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:48.439 pretending life is safe. It comforts by revealing that the 29 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:53.799 shepherd is faithful even when life is not safe. David begins, 30 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:59.200 the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want do 31 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:03.519 not rush past the first two words the Lord. In 32 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:07.239 many English Bibles, when Lord appears in capital letters, it 33 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:11.360 points to the covenant name of God Yahweh. This is 34 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.960 not a vague spiritual power. David is not saying the 35 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:18.919 univie the universe is guiding me. He is not saying 36 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.319 some force out there wants the best for me. He 37 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.240 is speaking about the God who revealed himself to Moses 38 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:28.240 at the burning Bush, the God who said I am 39 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:31.599 that I am, the God who made covenant with Abraham, 40 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:35.639 Isaac and Jacob, the God who heard Israel groaning in Egypt, 41 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:38.479 the God who brought his people through the Red Sea, 42 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.680 the God who fed them with manner in the wilderness, 43 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:45.479 and dwelt among them in the tabernacle. So the first 44 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:50.680 line is not generic inspiration. It is covenant language. David 45 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:54.000 is saying, the God who binds himself to his people 46 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:59.400 in covenant faithfulness is my shepherd. That word may is small, 47 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:03.240 but it carries the weight of the whole psalm. David 48 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:06.560 does not say the Lord is a shepherd. He does 49 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:10.840 not even say the Lord is israel shepherd, though that 50 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:16.879 is true. He says, the Lord is my shepherd. The 51 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:21.080 God of the nation is also the God of the soul. 52 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:26.120 The God who leads Israel through the wilderness also leads 53 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:30.240 David through his own wilderness. The God who feeds a 54 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:35.439 people with manner also feeds one frightened man hiding from Saul. 55 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.520 That is what makes biblical faith so powerful. It is 56 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.080 never less than personal, but it is never merely private. 57 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.879 David's shepherd is the covenant God of Israel, and yet 58 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.960 David can speak to him with intimacy. Then David chooses 59 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.719 the word shepherd. He could have chosen other words. David 60 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.759 knew the Lord as fortress. He knew the Lord as deliverer, 61 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:02.840 he knew the Lord as roc, he knew the Lord 62 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:07.000 as shield, he knew the Lord as king. But here 63 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:11.039 he says, the Lord is my shepherd, and that choice 64 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:14.759 pulls us back to David's earliest life. Before David was king, 65 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:18.120 he was a shepherd. Before he sat on the throne. 66 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:22.240 He sat under the open sky before he was praised 67 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:26.319 by Israel. He was overlooked in his father's house. When 68 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:29.800 Samuel came to Jesse to anoint the next king, David 69 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.959 was not even brought into the room at first. His 70 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:37.920 brothers stood there, visible and impressive, while David was outside 71 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:42.079 with the sheep. The future king was hidden in a field. 72 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:47.240 That matters because David did not learn shepherd language from poetry. 73 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:51.000 He learned it from work. He knew the smell of sheep, 74 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:55.480 the danger of predators, the loneliness of night watches, the 75 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:58.879 need to find pasture, the difficulty of leading animals that 76 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:03.480 could not protect themselves. He knew sheep were not impressive creatures. 77 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:07.800 They were vulnerable. They could wander, they could panic, they 78 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:10.879 could follow one another into danger. They could be near 79 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.959 water and still not know how to drink. Safely. They 80 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:18.160 could fall and be unable to rise. They were not 81 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:22.519 built to survive by independence. So when David says the 82 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:27.720 Lord is my shepherd, he's admitting something humbling. He is saying, 83 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:31.160 I am the sheep. That is the first hidden shock 84 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.639 of Psalm twenty three. The king of Israel, the warrior 85 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:38.519 who killed Goliath, the man who commanded armies, the poet 86 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:43.959 whose songs would shape worship for generations, begins by confessing dependence. 87 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:47.160 He is not the hero of the psalm. He is 88 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.759 not the strong one. He is not the one who 89 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:54.279 knows the root. He is the one being led. Many 90 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.759 people want Psalm twenty three without that confession. They want 91 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:01.279 God's comfort, but not his rule. They want God's provision 92 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:04.879 but not his direction. They want God's table, but not 93 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:08.199 his path. They want the cup to overflow, but they 94 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.279 do not want to be sheep. But Psalm twenty three 95 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.399 does not begin with the gifts. It begins with surrender. 96 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:20.279 The Lord is my shepherd. A sheep under a shepherd 97 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:24.879 is not self owned. It belongs, it follows, it is led. 98 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:29.439 Its safety depends on the shepherd's wisdom, not its own. 99 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:34.319 This shepherd image runs through the Bible long before David. 100 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:39.519 Near the end of Genesis, Jacob blesses Joseph's sons and 101 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:42.839 speaks of the God who had shepherded him all his life. 102 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:47.800 Jacob's life was not clean and easy. He deceived and 103 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.879 was deceived. He fled his home, he worked under Laban, 104 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:57.800 he feared esore, he believed Joseph was dead. He faced famine. 105 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.600 Yet at the end of his life, when he looks 106 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:03.879 back over the tangled road, he sees the hand of 107 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:07.399 a shepherd. That is how shepherding often works. It may 108 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:10.879 not always feel like shepherding while it is happening. While 109 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:15.360 Jacob was running, God was shepherding. While Joseph was missing, 110 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:21.120 God was shepherding. While famine threatened, God was shepherding. Jacob 111 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:24.040 could not always interpret the road correctly in the middle, 112 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:27.480 but near the end he could say. God fed me, 113 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:32.399 led me, and kept me. Then in Exodus, God shepherd's 114 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:36.120 not just one man, but an entire nation. Israel is 115 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:39.800 trapped under Pharaoh, and Pharaoh is the opposite of a shepherd. 116 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:46.959 Pharaoh uses people, Pharaoh increases burdens. Pharaoh demands bricks. Pharaoh 117 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.519 does not feed the flock, he consumes it. He does 118 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:52.879 not give rest. He multiplies labor. He does not care 119 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:56.720 for weakness. He exploits it. The Lord breaks Pharaoh's power 120 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.360 and brings his people out. He leads them with cloud 121 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:04.120 and fire. He feeds them with manner. He gives water 122 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:07.079 from the rock. He guides them through a wilderness. They 123 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:13.160 do not understand that is shepherding on a national scale. 124 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:17.040 Israel learns what David later writes. The people of God 125 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:21.439 do not survive because they are strong. They survive because 126 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:26.199 the Lord leads them. Later, the prophets expose the failure 127 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:30.680 of Israel's human shepherds. Ezekiel thirty four is one of 128 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:35.679 the deepest backgrounds to Psalm twenty three. God condemns the 129 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:40.159 shepherds of Israel because they fed themselves and neglected the flock. 130 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:43.519 They did not strengthen the weak. They did not heal 131 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:47.000 the sick. They did not bind up the broken. They 132 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:49.840 did not bring back what was driven away. They did 133 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:54.440 not seek the lost. Then God says something astonishing. I 134 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:59.639 even I will both search my sheep and seek them out. 135 00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:03.360 That is the promise behind the promise. God says, if 136 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:08.320 the shepherds fail, I will come myself, and then Jesus 137 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:11.519 comes and says in John ten, I am the good Shepherd. 138 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:14.840 The good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. That 139 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.080 is not random imagery. Jesus is stepping into the promise 140 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:23.159 of Ezekiel. He is revealing that the Lord who shepherded Jacob, 141 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.559 the Lord who guided Israel, the Lord who rebuked false shepherds, 142 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:31.279 has come in flesh to seek and save the lost. 143 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:36.440 David says, the Lord is my shepherd. Jesus says, I 144 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:40.559 am the good Shepherd, and Revelation later shows the lamb 145 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:43.600 at the center of the throne shepherding his people to 146 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:48.159 living waters. The whole Bible keeps returning to this image 147 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:52.759 until we understand God's people are not abandoned animals in 148 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:56.559 a dangerous world. They are the flock of the Lord. 149 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:01.159 Then David adds, I shall not want. This line is 150 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:05.200 often misunderstood. It does not mean I will always have 151 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:12.000 everything I desire. David's life makes that impossible. David experienced hunger, 152 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:20.039 He fled into wilderness, He hid in caves. He knew danger, grief, betrayal, loss, 153 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:24.360 and the consequences of sin. He once ate holy bread 154 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:28.159 because he was in need. He wept over absalom, He 155 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.039 cried out under guilt. He was not a man whose 156 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:34.120 life was free from lack. So what does I shall 157 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:38.360 not want mean? It means, because the Lord is my shepherd, 158 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.159 I will not lack what the shepherd knows I truly need. 159 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:45.919 There is a difference between wanting and lacking. A sheep 160 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:49.320 may want to go somewhere dangerous. A sheep may want 161 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.480 to keep eating where the shepherd knows the ground is unsafe. 162 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:55.799 A sheep may want water that is not drinkable. A 163 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.399 sheep may resist the staff that is saving it the 164 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:04.679 shepherds the difference between appetite and need. David is saying, 165 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:08.279 my life is not governed by my cravings. It is 166 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:12.840 governed by the shepherd's care. That matters today because modern 167 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:17.159 life trains people to live in permanent want want more money, 168 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:22.799 more beauty, more attention, more approval, more comfort, more control, 169 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:28.279 more speed, more success, more proof that life is going somewhere. 170 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:32.480 The world manufactures hunger and then sells temporary food. Psalm 171 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:37.200 twenty three stands against that endless restlessness. It says, the 172 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:41.519 deepest answer to lack is not more possessions, more applause, 173 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:46.600 or more control. The deepest answer is the shepherd. Now. 174 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:50.120 The first verse raises a question, if the Lord is shepherd, 175 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:54.519 where does he lead David answers not with a theory, 176 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:58.879 but with scenery. He maketh me to lie down in 177 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:04.039 green pastures. Many people picture endless green meadows when they 178 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:09.080 hear this, but shepherding land in ancient Israel was often rugged, dry, rocky, 179 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:13.240 and seasonal. Green pasture was not automatic. It had to 180 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:17.320 be found. A shepherd needed knowledge of the land, memory 181 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:21.559 of the seasons, awareness of danger, and patience with the flock. 182 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.399 That means green pasture is not mainly an image of luxury. 183 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.879 It is an image of guided provision. The sheep do 184 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:34.399 not create the pasture. They do not discover it by intelligence. 185 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:38.759 They are brought there. The shepherd knows where nourishment is 186 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:42.240 and he leads them to it. But David does not 187 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:45.399 only say the Lord brings him to green pastures. He 188 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:50.159 says he maketh me to lie down. That is rest language. 189 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:57.360 A sheep does not easily lie down if it is afraid, hungry, irritated, threatened, 190 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:00.399 or unsettled. For sheep to lie down, the shepher must 191 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:04.720 have created conditions of safety and provision. So the verse 192 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:09.679 is not simply saying God gives good things. It says 193 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:14.279 God brings his people into rest under his care. The 194 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:19.679 deeper biblical threat begins in Creation. In Genesis, God creates, orders, 195 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:24.399 fills blesses, and rests on the seventh Day. God does 196 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:27.519 not rest because he is tired. His rest is the 197 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:31.960 rest of completion, peace and order. Creation is meant to 198 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:36.799 live under God's good rule, not chaos. Then Exodus shows 199 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:41.159 the opposite. Israel lives under Pharaoh, and Pharaoh's world has 200 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:46.519 no rest. Pharaoh demands bricks. When Israel asks to worship 201 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:51.759 the Lord, Pharaoh increases their burden. Egypt is restless slavery. 202 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:56.399 Pharaoh's kingdom says, produce or perish, work harder. Your worth 203 00:13:56.480 --> 00:14:00.519 is measured by output. The Lord brings Isae rail out 204 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:04.000 and gives Sabbath. Sabbath is not merely a religious ritual. 205 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:08.000 It is a declaration of freedom. Former slaves are told 206 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:11.240 to stop. Their lives are no longer held together by 207 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:15.679 Pharaoh's demands. They belong to the Lord. So when David 208 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.399 says he maketh me to lie down, the line carries 209 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:23.759 the sound of liberation. The true shepherd does not drive 210 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:27.919 his sheep like Pharaoh drove slaves. He makes them lie 211 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:32.120 down in pasture. This is not laziness. It is trust. 212 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:35.519 There is a kind of restless life that looks productive 213 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:40.440 but is really unbelief. It never lies down because it 214 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.320 does not believe the shepherd is enough. It must always 215 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:49.679 prove secure, fix, manage, and control. But the shepherd has 216 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:53.440 authority not only over the path, but also over the pace. 217 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:57.440 He knows when the sheep must move, and he knows 218 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:01.840 when the sheep must stop. Then Dave continues. He leadeth 219 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:06.360 me beside the still waters. Food and water belong together. 220 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:11.559 Green pastures feed, still waters refresh. But these waters are 221 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:16.799 not rushing, violent, dangerous waters. They are still waters, RESTful waters, 222 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:20.519 waters the sheep can drink from safely. A shepherd would 223 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:24.480 not carelessly bring the flock to a dangerous current. Sheep 224 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:28.879 could be frightened or swept away. The shepherd's care includes 225 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:32.039 not only giving water, but giving water in a way 226 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.679 the sheep can receive. That reveals a tender truth about 227 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:39.480 God's leadership. The Lord knows not only what his people need, 228 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:44.320 he knows what they can bear. In Exodus, God did 229 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:47.440 not take Israel by the shortest route after bringing them 230 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:49.919 out of Egypt. The way through the land of the 231 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:53.679 Philistines was nearer, but God said the people might see 232 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:57.399 war and turn back, so he led them another way. 233 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:00.960 That detail is easy to miss. Godd's route was longer 234 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.919 because he knew his people's condition. The shortest route was 235 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:08.240 not the safest rout, The direct path was not the 236 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:13.639 shepherded path. Sometimes God's leadership feels slow because he is 237 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:17.919 protecting the soul from what it is not ready to face. Still, 238 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:21.159 waters may look less dramatic than rushing rivers, but the 239 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:26.000 shepherd knows what kind of water his sheep need. Water 240 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:29.919 also runs through scripture as a sign of life. Eden 241 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:34.519 has rivers, the wilderness has water from the rock. Isiah 242 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:38.480 invites the thirsty to come to the waters. Ezekiel sees 243 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:42.559 a river flowing from the temple, bringing life wherever it goes. 244 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:47.200 Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that whoever drinks the water 245 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:51.840 he gives will never thirst. In John seven, he cries out, 246 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:56.279 if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, 247 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:00.720 and John says he was speaking of the spirit. Revelation 248 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:04.319 ends with the river of the water of life. Flowing 249 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:07.839 from the throne of God and of the Lamb. So 250 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:11.000 the still waters are not only a peaceful stream in 251 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:15.240 David's imagination, they belong to the Bible's entire story of 252 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:19.680 God giving life to the thirsty. But then David goes deeper. 253 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.680 Food is not enough, water is not enough, rest is 254 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:28.079 not enough. If the soul itself is damaged. He restoreth 255 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:31.279 my soul. This is one of the richest lines in 256 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:37.359 the Psalm. Restore means to bring back, return, revive, renew. 257 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:40.880 It can speak of a sheep brought back after wandering, 258 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:45.039 or a life revived after depletion. David is not saying 259 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:49.359 God improves my mood. He is saying God brings my 260 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:52.720 life back. In Hebrew thought, the soul is not merely 261 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:56.279 the emotional part of a person. It is the living self, 262 00:17:56.599 --> 00:18:01.200 the whole life, the deepest center of being. To restore 263 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.720 the soul means the shepherd reaches the place where life 264 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:10.160 has become bent, exhausted, lost, or broken. Shepherds knew this Physically. 265 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:14.039 A sheep could become cast down, turned over on its back, 266 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:17.599 unable to rise. It might look harmless from a distance, 267 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:21.680 but it was in danger. The shepherd had to find it, 268 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.000 lift it steady it, rub life back into its limbs, 269 00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:30.960 and return it to the flock. That is restoration, not 270 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:37.440 decoration rescue. David knew restoration from danger, but also from sin. 271 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:41.240 Psalm fifty one shows him after Nathan confronts him over 272 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.920 Bathsheba and Uriah. He does not ask God for shallow comfort. 273 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:48.839 He says, create in me a clean heart, O God, 274 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:52.240 and renew a right spirit within me. Then he says, 275 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:57.960 restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. David knew 276 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:01.119 the soul can be damaged by sin. He knew guilt 277 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:06.440 can crush the inner life. He knew restoration requires mercy, cleansing, truth, 278 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:10.799 and renewal. This opens into the whole Bible. Adam and 279 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:15.480 Eve's sin and are driven from Eden. Humanity loses nearness 280 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:21.319 to God, Israel wanders, and the prophets cry return. God 281 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:25.680 promises to gather the scattered, heal the backsliding, give a 282 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:30.240 new heart, and put his spirit within his people. Then 283 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:32.960 Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves the ninety nine 284 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:35.599 and goes after the one lost sheep until he finds 285 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:39.319 it that phrase matters. The shepherd does not wait for 286 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:42.640 the sheep to become wise. He seeks it while it 287 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:46.759 is lost. So when David says he restoreth my soul, 288 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:51.160 we should hear the seeking heart of God. The Lord 289 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:55.720 does not discard sheep because they have fallen, wandered, or 290 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:59.920 grown weak. He restores them. But restoration is not the 291 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:04.920 final goal. A restored sheep must be led again. He 292 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:07.839 leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 293 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:13.079 This line prevents Psalm twenty three from becoming sentimental. The 294 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:18.200 shepherd restores the soul then leads the life, and he 295 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:21.400 does not lead in just any path. He leads in 296 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:27.000 paths of righteousness. In shepherding, terrain paths mattered. A wrong 297 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:32.240 path could lead to cliffs, predators, barren ground, or isolation. 298 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:36.519 Sheep did not need creativity as much as trust. They 299 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:40.279 needed to follow the one who knew the way. For Israel, 300 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:44.039 walking in the way of the Lord was covenant language. 301 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:49.279 Deuteronomy calls Israel to walk in God's commandments. Psalm ie 302 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:52.319 contrasts the way of the righteous and the way of 303 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:56.440 the ungodly. Proverbs warns about the path of fools and 304 00:20:56.559 --> 00:21:00.160 calls people into the way of wisdom. The Bible is 305 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.599 deeply concerned with paths. Not all roads are equal, not 306 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:07.960 all open doors are holy, not all successful paths are righteous. 307 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:11.920 This matter is because many people want God's guidance only 308 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:18.680 in practical terms. Which job, which city, which relationship, which opportunity, 309 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:24.720 which next move? Those questions matter, But biblical guidance begins 310 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:28.160 before that. The first question is not will this work? 311 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:32.920 The first question is is this righteous? The shepherd does 312 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:36.519 not lead his sheep into sin and call it favor. 313 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:40.559 He does not lead into pride and call it destiny. 314 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:44.799 He does not lead into bitterness and call it wisdom. 315 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:48.200 He does not lead into lust and call it love. 316 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:51.960 He does not lead into compromise and call it opportunity. 317 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:56.000 He leads in paths of righteousness. Then David gives the 318 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.920 reason for his name's sake. This lifts the psalm of 319 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.160 a private comfort. God leads his people for the sake 320 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:09.400 of his name, his character, covenant, faithfulness, holiness, mercy, and reputation. 321 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:14.160 In scripture, God's name represents who he is. When he 322 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:16.400 acts for his name's sake, he acts in a way 323 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:21.319 consistent with his revealed character. God delivered Israel from Egypt 324 00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:24.960 for his Name's sake. He preserved them in the wilderness 325 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:29.160 for his Name's sake. He restored them after rebellion for 326 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:33.960 his Name's sake. Ezekiel thirty six says God would cleanse 327 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:37.039 his people, give them a new heart, and put his 328 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.279 spirit within them, not because they had earned it, but 329 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:45.640 for his holy name. That means David's confidence does not 330 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:48.759 rest in the strength of the sheep. It rests in 331 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:52.519 the faithfulness of the shepherd. And just when the Psalm 332 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:59.319 seems settled pasture, waters, restoration, righteous paths, the atmosphere changes. Yeah, 333 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:02.319 so I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 334 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:07.200 I will fear no evil. This is the turn The 335 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:11.200 same shepherd who leads beside still waters now leads through 336 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:14.720 the valley of death shadow. That ruins a shallow reading 337 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:18.799 of Psalm twenty three. Some people think that if God 338 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:23.119 is leading, the path will always be bright, easy and safe. 339 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:27.359 But David says the righteous path can pass through a valley. 340 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:31.279 That is not an exception in scripture. It is everywhere. 341 00:23:31.880 --> 00:23:36.039 God led Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness. 342 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:40.680 Joseph's Rode to the Palace passed through the pit slavery, 343 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:46.319 false accusation and prison. David was anointed, then hunted. Daniel 344 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:50.200 was faithful, then thrown into the lion's den. The apostles 345 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:54.200 obeyed Jesus and suffered. Jesus himself was led by the 346 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:58.319 spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. The valley does 347 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:02.240 not mean the shepherd has left. Sometimes the valley is 348 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:05.400 on the path. The phrase valley of the shadow of 349 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:10.759 death speaks of deepest darkness, mortal danger, deathlike gloom. In 350 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:16.640 real shepherding terrain, valleys could be narrow, shadowed, dangerous and 351 00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:21.400 difficult to see through. Predators could hide. The sheep's vision 352 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:26.240 was shortened. That is what valleys do. They reduce visibility. 353 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:31.799 In pasture, the sheep may look around. In the valley, 354 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:36.480 the sheep must stay close. Then the language of the 355 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:41.160 psalm shifts beautifully until now David has spoken about God. 356 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:45.640 He makes me lie down, He leads me, he restores 357 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:49.799 my soul, He leads me in paths of righteousness. But 358 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:54.720 in the valley, David stops saying he and begins saying thou, 359 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.400 for thou art with me. The darkest verse contains the 360 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:03.119 closest language the valley he turns. Explanation into prayer. David 361 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:06.839 does not say I will fear no evil because I 362 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:10.359 understand the valley. He does not say I will fear 363 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.200 no evil because the valley is not dangerous. He does 364 00:25:14.279 --> 00:25:17.559 not say I will fear no evil because nothing painful 365 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:21.240 can happen. He says, I will fear no evil for 366 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:24.640 thou art with me. The answer to fear is not 367 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:28.440 full explanation. It is presence. This is one of the 368 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:32.599 great promises of the Bible. When Moses feels inadequate, God says, 369 00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:37.000 I will be with THEE. When Joshua must lead after Moses, 370 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:40.799 God says, as I was with Moses, so I will 371 00:25:40.839 --> 00:25:44.799 be with THEE. Through Isaiah. God says, when thou passest 372 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:48.119 through the waters, I will be with THEE. When Jesus 373 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:51.880 sends his disciples into the nations, he says, lo, I 374 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:55.039 am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. 375 00:25:55.799 --> 00:25:59.000 God does not promise that his people will never enter darkness. 376 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:03.240 He promises they will not enter alone. And David says, 377 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:08.039 though I walk through, not stay forever, not collapse permanently, 378 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:14.000 not die abandoned through The valley has an exit even 379 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:17.519 when the sheep cannot see it. In Christ, this becomes 380 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:21.039 even more powerful. Death is real. The Bible does not 381 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:26.960 pretend otherwise. Paul calls death the last enemy. But Hebrews 382 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:30.880 says Jesus took on flesh and blood so that through 383 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:34.039 death he might destroy the one who had the power 384 00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:38.759 of death and deliver those held in fear. First Corinthians 385 00:26:38.759 --> 00:26:43.240 fifteen says death is swallowed up in victory. The shepherd 386 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:47.200 has entered death's valley and come out alive. That means 387 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:50.839 for those who belong to him, death remains an enemy, 388 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:55.799 but it is no longer the final master. Then, David says, 389 00:26:56.240 --> 00:26:59.599 thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. The rod 390 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:03.079 and staff are not decorations. They are tools of shepherding. 391 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:07.559 The rod could defend the sheep, strike predators, discipline and 392 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:12.440 count the flock. The staff could guide, pull back, rescue, lift, 393 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:17.279 and keep sheep near. One protects, one directs. Together they 394 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:21.279 show that the shepherd is not passive. David says, they 395 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:25.200 comfort him. That may sound strange to modern ears because 396 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:28.720 people often think comfort must always be soft. But in 397 00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:33.240 a valley, a weak shepherd is no comfort. A shepherd 398 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:37.079 without a rod cannot defend the sheep. A shepherd without 399 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:41.839 a staff cannot rescue the wandering. The rod comforts because 400 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:46.680 enemies are real. The staff comforts because wandering is real. 401 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:51.839