Psalm 23 is easily one of, if not the best known and loved psalms the ages across the world, even by people who would not call themselves Christians or even God-fearers.
Today we seek inspiration from God through the words of the Psalmist who was also known as Israel’s greatest king.
Not much is known about David before that momentous day when the prophet Samuel arrived at his father’s house looking to anoint one of his, Jesse’s sons, to be Israel’s next king. At that time, David, who was Jesse’s youngest and most handsome son, was in the field far away tending to the sheep. Thereafter, the story tells us that David’s life would take many dramatic twists and turns before he finally acceded to the throne of Israel.
This beloved psalm was written when David was already king. He had spent some of his most perilous times as king and now the psalm is written in reflection on God’s providential care over the course of his life. Most of us may not even stop to think what a tumultuous life David had, ever since the mantle of leadership was placed on him with that anointing by Samuel at such a youthful age. He was highly likely in his mid-teens at the time he was anointed. David had to bear with the jealous rage of King Saul who sought many times to kill him then later become an exiled fugitive, then a king whose reign was threatened by his own son Absalom. Through all of these things, David acknowledged and praised God for his mercy and care and his blessings.
The word providence which I have used in the title of this sermon is not used specifically in the psalm nor in the Bible generally, but it is understood to reflect the Christian view that God is in charge of every aspect of our lives whether it be good or bad. Therefore, nothing happens to us that is outside of God’s knowledge or control or direction. Whether it is the worst times of our lives or the best times, God has an ultimate purpose for everything in life and all things work to achieve that purpose. Of course, when things are horribly devastating, we as frail humans cannot align the will of a good God with those things, but we must also note that when things are turning out splendidly, we often don’t see God’s hand in them either. We tend to believe then that it is our own effort or our own doing that gives us the success and the accomplishments in life that we can be proud of. It is in those times of natural disaster or personal calamity and distress that we realise how much of life’s events are beyond our control and the extent to which we need God’s sustaining presence to keep us from going under.
In Psalm 23, David is reflecting on all these things in his life, and each verse gives a hint at some of the experiences he has had and how he must have felt in each situation. The psalm begins with him reflecting on his days as a young shepherd boy and seeing God similarly as his shepherd when he was often the defenceless sheep needing care and protection. There were times when he felt that he was passing through the darkest valley. Some other versions including the King James and the New American Standard Bible version says, “the valley of the shadow of death”. I am sure there were many times that David felt that he would not survive. The shepherd was one of the most recognisable characters of both the Old and New Testament and the metaphor of God as shepherd was a bedrock of the people’s relationship with God. The shepherd provided care, protection and assurance of a constant presence to the sheep that was critical in a land where the defenseless sheep were quite vulnerable to wild animals. No wonder the prophets of old, namely Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah all likened God to a shepherd and his people to the sheep that needed God’s constant care and protection. In the New Testament, Jesus said in St. John chapter ten, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (See St. John 10:11 NIV). There were simply few other relationships that best exemplified who God was to his people in the Biblical texts and also to us today who believe and trust in him.
In the psalm, David uses the image of the shepherd and sheep relationship beautifully to outline his own relationship with God. Having been a shepherd himself, he knew better than most what the experience was like between them and so could relate this to his relationship with God. In verse 1 He says “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” This basically sums up the entire relationship but there are the other verses which give more details on God’s nurture and care such as “he leads me beside still waters” reflecting peace and tranquility and “he restores my soul” suggesting the nourishing and restoring that comes though rest and God’s loving hand. In the end, the Psalmist exudes confidence that no matter what happens he would always be filled with God’s goodness as reflected in verse five where he says, “you prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” and “my cup overflows” As Israel’s most successful king, David could certainly point to God’s blessing despite a life of trial and perplexity.
All of this pointed to the fact that David genuinely believed that in every aspect of his life God’s hand was present and this was what kept him through the lowest of times and also gave him the great successes he had as king. This was why his praise to God was unrestrained throughout his life and he was determined to remain in relationship with God forever. The psalm indeed ends with a note of confident declaration when the Psalmist says, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It highlights above all that this is a permanent relationship. In a world dominated by so many fickle and seasonal relationships, it must be reassuring to know that the one thing we can always cling to which is sure and eternal is our relationship with God. We can always count on God’s loving care and protection through this life and into eternity.
We cannot relate to David’s precise experiences, but we all know what it is to undergo the highs and lows of this life. The most demanding thing for most of us is to understand God’s hand or God’s presence especially in the worst of experiences whether personally or generally. Many will say where was God when my husband or wife or child was terminally ill? Many will ask where was God when my young child was taken from me by a drunk driver or a gunman? Some will ask where God was when my business failed or the flood waters swept through my house. All these questions are very natural, and human and God is not angry at us when we do ask them whether aloud or in the quietness of our hearts.
Perhaps one of the unfortunate things about our lives is that most of us grew up from a tender age being taught about how good and wonderful God is. Some of us may even have been taught that terrible things happen because of the devil or Satan which made many people become confused and even disillusioned about God’s real power and control over the events of our lives. Because it was difficult to harmonise the concept of terrible things happening with a good God who is in control of all things, we can become disillusioned and even lose faith in God when the terribly awful things happen to us. Yet the Psalmist affirms that the good and the bad are all in God’s greater plan for humanity. That greater plan is to bring human beings back into relationship with him for eternity. God is really in control of both the awful things and the amazingly wonderful things that happen in our lives and in the world.
In chapter eight of the letter to the Romans, Paul outlines the best example I believe of what it means to live under God’s providential care when he wrote the following; “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (See Romans 8:28 NIV) And later he climaxed his message to the Romans in the well-known and well-loved inspirational writing which says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword…No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (See Romans 8:35 and 37 NIV) In the end both Paul and David recognised that God sustains us so that we may have an eternal relationship with Him. It is our unbreakable bond with God that ensures God’s sustaining providence over our lives.
The issue then that we should reflect on is whether or not we can see God as our shepherd? Perhaps you might not be able to easily relate to this imagery since most of us likely don’t have much to do with sheep. Perhaps the animal and owner imagery doesn’t relate well to your experience. Maybe seeing God as your parent and you as his child which was also an image from the Old Testament especially in the writing of the prophet Hosea, is more relevant and meaningful for us today. (See Hosea 11:1-4 NIV)
If the parent-child relationship is more relevant to you than the shepherd and sheep imagery, we can still see in it, God’s tender care and protective presence. Either way, the question is how is God your sustainer? How have you committed to staying in relationship with God and how confident are you today that you will indeed dwell in the house of the Lord forever? The psalmist presents his relationship with God in three important ways. God provides. God guides. God protects. These are essentially the same core responsibilities of parents. Altogether they describe God’s providence over us. In such an unstable and unpredictable and turbulent world, we are encouraged to look to God who alone holds our lives and all our affairs in His hands. There is a song I remember singing when I was younger which says, “He’s got the whole world in his hands. He’s got the whole world in his hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands.” Let us go from here believing it and living as a people who know that our provident God is sustaining us in each and every aspect of this life. We know that if we stay faithful to him, we, like the Psalmist David, can be confident that we will dwell in God’s presence forever. Amen.