The Lord the Shepherd of His People

1/2/2022 Sunday Night Bible Study

Psalm 23

The Lord the Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads 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 You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs 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

Forever.

We have all heard this Psalm recited a lot over our lifetime. But let’s take a minute to break down each verse to better understand what God wants us to know in the coming year.

· 1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23 is a psalm of Trust. David had complete trust in God. He knew that the Lord was his shepherd and with God he would not have to fear or be concerned. But just like God is our shepherd and we should trust in Him, David was also the shepherd of Israel. We have to trust in God and if He puts us in a position of Shepherd, we must not fear, rather we should trust God to provide the resources for us to be a good ruler/leader.

· 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

The visual that David gives us of green pastures and still waters is a vison of security and calmness. God gives us comfort and peace like nothing or no one else can.

· 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

By restoring us with His quiet voice and gentle touch, God creates a personal relationship with Him. God’s loving nature leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The sheep/believers know the Shepherd and are known by Him.

· 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Through all the valleys God is with us. The past few years have felt like the valley of the shadow of death for so many. But God leads us through these times. He does not forsake or leave us; He is right there with you and me. God stands guard over us and guides us in the paths that we should take for our benefit and the benefit of the Kingdom. During the past 2 years we have experienced some much doubt and fear yet God never left us; even though out of doubt and fear we stopped having Trust and Faith in Him. And today, He is still right here with us.

· 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. God is so good that He would prepare us a table in the presence of our enemies. All the non-believers, the naysayers, the people of little faith or no faith in God who speak or act out in disgrace to the believers; the table has already been prepared before us. God’s provision is sufficient. He anoints us as if we are His honored guests and His provision is in such great abundance that our cup runs over. God will continue to bless through the trials, valleys and storms. And we will come out on the other end with great abundance of joy, love, reward and grace from our Lord and Savior.

· 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

If we dwell in the House of the Lord, His mercy and goodness; overflowing abundance, will follow us. What does it mean to dwell in the House of the Lord?

To dwell means to live in or at a specified place. Synonyms would be: reside, live, be settled, be housed, lodge, stay. So, to abide under the protection of the Almighty, we must dwell in the secret place. God wants us to dwell in the House of the Lord; reside, live, stay; under His protection.

God wants us to Trust and have Faith; dwell in His Word, His Faithfulness, His Grace, His Mercy, His Forgiveness but most of all; dwell in His love.

I encourage you to go into this new year with complete Trust and Faith in what God is saying to you. If He tells you something, Believe and stand firm. If He asks you to do something, do it with complete faith and trust; without resistance. He will provide all that is needed for the assignment. God Bless you all!