the song of the shepherd (3)

The big idea in today’s sentence from Psalm 23 focuses on one of the most important truths in the Bible - the theme of righteousness. “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (verse 3). Before we walk out onto the mountain trails, it would be helpful to spend some time in the shepherd’s hut pondering this great Bible truth. 

Paul urged Timothy to “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Paul says that there are certain qualities that we ought to aim for in the Christian life and pursue relentlessly. And one of them is righteousness. 

If we scan the Bible’s teaching on this subject we learn at least two key truths:

➡️ Firstly, righteousness is a work of God that takes place in our hearts.

And so Paul writes,

“God made him who knew no sin also be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Paul is speaking of a right relationship with God. He declares us righteous through faith in Jesus and his death on the cross for our sins.

However, this is only the beginning of the Lord’s work in our lives. Paul will later write: “But you, man of God, flees all this and pursue righteousness…” (1 Timothy 6:11). Here he speaks of the purity of our character and conduct which pleases God. The pursuit of righteousness becomes a guiding light in our lives.

We are made right with God to live right before him.

➡️ Secondly, we should recognise that biblical righteousness is more than a private and personal matter. Jesus said so in his famous “Sermon on the Mount”:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

These words build on the law and prophets of the Old Testament with the emphasis on liberation from oppression, the promotion of civil rights, justice in the law courts, integrity in business dealings and honour in the home and family. Christians ought to hunger for righteousness in these areas as something which pleases a righteous God. 

As we leave the shepherd’s hut with this underpinning of biblical truth we are more equipped to walk the path of righteousness guided by the Lord.

Jesus spoke of two roads or paths that we can walk through life. There is the broad road and the narrow road. The broad road leads to destruction, but the narrow path leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). As God’s people, led by our great Shepherd, we walk the narrow way of righteousness. Please understand that this is not the path of the narrow-minded. Rather we travel on the narrow road because we walk within the parameters of God’s will. We rely on the strength which he gives to his people.

“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” 

We honour our great Shepherd if we seek to live godly lives, walking on the narrow way of righteousness. And if we are led and guided by him we will know something of his care in our lives. 

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).

(picture - Neist Point, Isle of Skye)

the song of the shepherd (2)

There is a moment in the life and ministry of Jesus when he is confronted head on with the mass of humanity. His reaction is found in Matthew 9:36:

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” 

This was Jesus’ vision of the people of his day. And what he saw in the tiny nation of Israel 2000 years ago is really a microcosm of the world at large. It’s a picture of a vast, restless sea of humanity who lack help and direction in the most basic and fundamental matters of life. 

Into a situation like this Jesus’ words have enormous appeal:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus’ invitation Matthew 11 finds echo in the opening sentences of Psalm 23.

Last week we reflected on:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (verse 1). 

This week we continue to focus on the Lord’s role in our lives with the following words: 

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul” (Verse 2-3a).

I would suggest that this sentence teaches that the Christian life has two sides - the contemplative and the active, and both, as this verse indicates, are fully provided for by the Lord.

➡️ First, the contemplative. “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

What are these “green pastures”? As I referenced in a previous blog, they are especially the Scriptures, God’s Word - always fresh, plentiful, and never exhausted. There is no fear of biting hard ground when the grass is long enough for the flock to lie down in. The teaching of God’s Word is rich and full; it is the food of our souls. 

In Joshua chapter 1 we find the Lord preparing Joshua for the great task of leading God’s people across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. He encourages Joshua - “I will never leave you nor forsake you…Be strong and courageous” (verses 5&6). And he challenges Joshua - “Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; mediate on it day and night, so that you may careful to do every thing written in it” (verse 8).

The Lord commands Joshua to constantly ponder, reflect and meditate on God’s Word.

Just as food on a daily basis leads to the health and sustenance of our bodies, so the daily intake of God’s Word leads to the health and nourishment of our souls.

The 119th Psalm contains the following words:

“Oh how I love your law! I mediate on it all day long.”

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to  my mouth” 

David recognised that the Lord was his shepherd who enabled him to lie down in green pastures and for that to apply to us I take it to mean the verdant pastures of Scripture.

When by faith we are enabled to find rest in the promises of God, we are like sheep who lie down in fertile pasturelands, finding refreshment, rest and fulfilment. 

➡️ The other side of our Christian lives focuses on activity. We not only think but we act. We not only lie down to feed, but we also journey on in our walk with, and service to, God. And so David writes, “He leads me beside quiet waters.” 

What are these “quiet waters”? They may well be the influence and graces of the Holy Spirit as he guides us forward on the path of discipleship. Isaiah the prophet puts it this way, “Whether you turn to the left or to the right, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isa. 30:21).

Having reflected on the contemplative and active sides in a believer’s life, David concludes with a wonderful promise:

“He restores my soul.” 

When our soul is sorrowful, he revives it; 

when it’s sinful, he sanctifies it; 

when its weak, he strengthens it. 

This is the developing picture of the Lord that we find in Psalm 23. Like an eastern shepherd who ably guides his sheep, going before them, David says, 

“He make me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul” 

(Picture - near Machir Bay on Islay)

the song of the shepherd (pt 1)

 

I recall an experience many years ago of leaving our home in Campbeltown and heading up the Kintyre peninsula. A few miles into the journey Liz noticed a lamb at the side of the road. We stopped the car, reversed back and she lifted it up and placed it back in the field with the rest of the flock. The lamb could only have been days old but there it was cold, frightened and vulnerable; badly in need of the support, care and sustenance of its mother.

That memory of helping a lost sheep contains many echoes of biblical truth. A good number of us will look back with fondness to the story in our childhood about the 100 sheep and the one that was separated from the flock and ended up lost (Luke 15:3-7). We shared in the joy of the shepherd as he found that one lost sheep and carried it home on his shoulders. 

The image of a lost sheep is the classic illustration of our lost spiritual condition outside of Christ. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of his own (Isaiah 53:6).

The most vivid and beautiful description of these truths is found in David’s cherished 23rd Psalm. 

Depth and strength underline the simplicity of the psalm. The peace we find here is not escape; its contentment is not complacency. There is a willingness to walk a difficult and dark path because it will ultimately lead to the Lord himself.

I’d like to reflect on this ancient psalm, beginning with its wonderful opening sentence: 

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (verse 1).

We can all too easily miss the impact of these words because of their familiarity. We ought to hold in our hearts and minds as David certainly did, that we belong to the Lord. There is a striking tone of confidence about this sentence. We don’t find “if” or “but” or even “I hope so” here. David says, “The Lord IS my shepherd.” He encourages us to cultivate a spirit of assurance and dependency on the Lord. 

The picture of God as shepherd contains the idea of authority and care. We live our lives under his authority and rely on his content care. 

The fuller revelation of Scripture ultimately brings us to the Lord Jesus who said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11).

Good means genuine and true. This is the Lord we follow.

And this good shepherd willingly laid down his life to save us, so that we could become his loved, chosen and purchased flock. Such love!

Of all the truths in John 10 regarding Jesus, our good shepherd, I settle on this one to close:

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

Christ’s sheep will never perish. We may wander from him and lose our joy and comfort. But if we are really his, his honour is pledged to seek us and bring us back to himself. 

As we ponder the authority and care of the Lord our shepherd and his hold on our lives, we can understand why David is then able to say, “I shall not want.”

(picture - near Auchinleck)

discovering pastures new

The call to worship at last Sunday’s service came from the justly famous lines of Psalm 100. Part of the psalm contains the following appeal:

“Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

As our minister read those stirring sentiments two words jumped out at me - ‘HIS pasture.’ And then before he prayed he read the words of Psalm 95 which contains similar thoughts and the same little phrase:

“For he is our God, and we are the people of HIS PASTURE, and the sheep of his hand.”

We, as believers, are the Lord’s flock; the sheep of his pasture. 

A memory from the past and recent observations from our locality came almost immediately to mind as I pondered those words.

A number of years ago I climbed a mountain in the Crainlarich region with two friends. As we came off the hill, and passed a field of sheep, one of my friends appeared to say out of nowhere, ‘Sheep must have well developed jaw muscles to be able to chew grass on a consistent basis!’ I have to say it’s not a thought that had ever entered my mind but it was a decent observation.

More recently I’ve been struck by how lush our local fields appear. The combination of much rain coupled with the recent warm weather has done much to bring these grasslands to vibrant life.

Consistent feeding in these verdant pasturelands is a natural part of life for sheep. 

→ How might all of this apply to our lives as God’s people?

It centres on how God feeds and nourishes our souls…in HIS PASTURE.

The beloved words of the hymn, “The King of love my Shepherd is” has the following lines as its second verse:

“Where streams of living water flow,

my ransomed soul he leadeth;

and where the verdant pastures grow

with food celestial feedeth.”

The Lord has graciously provided his people with access to a balanced diet to enable us grow and develop into mature and healthy believers. 

We find this sustenance from four key sources. Firstly, through:

➡️ God’s Written Word

Jesus taught us that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

As food is vital for our physical development, so the daily intake of God’s Word is key to our spiritual maturing. 

As young believers we begin on the milk of God’s Word (see 1 Peter 2:2; also Hebrews 5:12) before progressing onto the solid food of God’s truth (see Hebrews 5:14-6:3). 

As we read God’s Word we should do so with a similar aspiration to that of Job who said, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12). 

The prophet Jeremiah echoes this thought when he wrote, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).

The Lord’s greatest provision comes, secondly through:

➡️ His Living Word

In John chapter 6 Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (verse 35)

Jesus, the living Word of God, satisfies the spiritual hunger of those who believe in him.

Thirdly, we are nourished through:

➡️ His Spoken Word

Weekly participation in good and godly preaching is part of God’s plan to enrich the lives of his people. We ought to pray for those who are gifted by God in this area. And we in turn should come to Sunday worship with prayerful and expectant hearts.

Keith and Kirstyn Getty’s “Pastor’s Hymn” is great prayer with which to come to church:

“Speak, O Lord, as we come to you

To receive the the food of your holy Word

Take your truth, plant it deep in us

Shape and fashion us in your likeness.”

And finally, the Lord feeds us through his:

➡️ His Visible Word  

God speaks to his people through his Word both as its read and expounded from Scripture and as its dramatised in the two gospel sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. What builds the church up more than anything else is the ministry of God's Word as it comes to us through Scripture and sacrament, audibly and visibly; in declaration and in drama.

The Anglican “Book of Common Prayer” issues this call during Communion:

“Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart with thanksgiving.”

Here are the four key sources of food with which the Lord feeds the souls of his people. They are found in his Written, Living, Spoken and Visible Word. Well might we say with David in light of this, “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2).

(The North West , near Lochinver)