Psalms 23:1-5 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

I want to take some time and talk about this psalm. It is the shepherd’s song. This psalm was written by King David as an inspiration from God, and he wrote it in the profession that he was accustomed to. The first time we see or hear from David we see him attending the sheep. 

But this psalm has so much significance to us in how God has designed us. This specific psalm gives us an indication of how life is really supposed to be. So many people have come to me in search of stability in this economic time we are living in and as I began to study this psalm God began to break it apart and feed it to me.

The first thing we see in this psalm is David speaking of the Lord being his shepherd.  He simply makes it plain that there is only one shepherd. Now in only having one true shepherd everyone else is an under shepherd. That means our bishop is an under shepherd and our pastor is an under shepherd. They are all sheep themselves but there is only one true shepherd and David makes it plain who this true shepherd is. He is not just any old sheep herder that is running around the country side. This shepherd is the true shepherd. He is the Lord and he is the Master. 

With the Lord himself being our shepherd, we are guaranteed to not live in a state of want. It doesn’t mean that we won’t want but it does mean that all our needs will be supplied. But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19). We may have some specific desires but if we seek him first we shall not want.

One thing that David wants us to know is the nature of sheep. He makes me lie down in green pastures. (Psalms 23:2) The green pastures mean that there is tranquility and abundance of food. Now the shepherd has to keep the sheep in motion because if he doesn’t keep the sheep going from pasture to pasture, the sheep don’t know when to stop eating. And if you leave them in one pasture too long they will continuously eat there until they eat the grass down into the root, and it will cause the grass not to grow because they have been in that one pasture to long. 

See we as sheep will die if we stay in one place to long not realizing that God is a progressive God. He is a moving God. Hallelujah!!  The chief Shepherd will continue to move us his sheep from one green pasture to another grazing pasture to keep us balanced.

Then he will lead us by the still waters in verse 2. The still waters represent peace. Just as Jesus said, My peace I give you. (John 14:27), he will lead us into all peace. Now sometimes sheep are skittish. They will not drink when the waters are troubled. So the shepherd has to make sure in order for the sheep to grow, to lead the sheep to specific waters that are still and will allow them to quench their thirst in tranquility.

And then it says he restores my soul in verse 3. Now, can I just park here for a moment? It is interesting to me that the writer speaks of restoring our soul and not our spirit. As I began to read this part the Lord began to break it down to me. It was specific that he restores my soul. 

The soul is often the area that we don’t want to deal with in our Christian walk.  We want to be spiritual beings and we should be because we have to walk in the spirit, (Galatians 5:16) but the spirit is connected to the soul. Now the soul and the spirit are two separate entities, never to be confused as being the same. Our spirit gives us God consciousness and our soul gives us self consciousness.

Our soul is the seed of our emotions. Now it is quit possible to have your spirit in tact and have your soul jacked up. You can have your prayer life together, be fasting, speaking in tongues moving in spiritual gifts, and your soul still messed up. 

It’s easy to come into a place of corporate worship and feel his presence and the lifting of burdens and then leave that place and go back into depression, go back into brokenness, and go back into the same cycle again because although we preach to the spirit man we need to deal with the soul. We need to deal with that emotional side that’s topsy turvey. 

That broken side that somebody else broke. Somebody broke your will, somebody broke your heart, and somebody broke your desire to live. Somebody told you that you would never amount to anything. You weren’t smart enough, you didn’t have enough and that is your soul. But then the shepherd restores your soul. He heals your soul. We have to be restored so we are not just spiritually in tune but limping. We have to be whole. The chief shepherd deals with the whole man.  The body, the sprit and he restores the soul. He gets you well fed and then he takes you and makes sure that your thirst is quenched and he heals your soul. 

Then he says this, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake.” (Psalm 23:3) Stop right there. The path of righteousness. When we hear that term righteousness it makes us anxious to walk it. We are determined to walk that path with God. Some of us are so determined that even if it cost us our lives we will walk the path of righteousness. But the path of righteousness leads us to a specific place and that is the place I want to talk about. 

Where does that path of righteousness lead us? The next verse says: “Yea though I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death.”  Come on and take a walk with me. But it’s dark God. I can’t see you God. I can’t feel you God. That’s called the path of righteousness. He leads us down in the valley. I know we don’t want to talk about that but sometimes all we talk about are the victories, but in order for us to be made as pure gold (Job 23:10), we got to go thru. So he leads us off of the mountain into the valley but he says do not fear.

I can’t feel you God, I know, but don’t fear. I can’t see you God, I know, but don’t fear. There’s death all around me God, I know, but don’t fear. My business is going under God, I know, but don’t fear. I’m loosing my home and there’s not enough money God, I know, but don’t fear. Trust me in the valley; trust me in your trials. Trust me in the face of death. And though you walk thru the valley know this, your not stopping. You’re walking through. Know that even when you can’t feel me I am right here with you. 

You ever get to a point of total desperation and then he just shows up. Some of you might be at that point of desperation and you can’t see God but just hold on. Tell that Devil back up, back up cause God is about to step in. Somebody needs to tell poverty to back up, sickness to back up, cancer to back up cause God is about to step in and walk you through the valley of the shadow of death these are serious situations. Life threatening situations. Your faith has to be tried so we are placed in situations but we are walking through to the other side. It's crucifying the flesh.

My dear grandmother used to say, “in order for others to be delivered someone’s got to go through.” But I’ve got good news. Yes, in the valley there are life threatening situation but that is why the shepherd carries a rod and staff. It makes the sheep feel comforted to know that the shepherd is there to protect, especially in the valley. 

The sheep understand that in the valley my life is on the line and I don’t have the resources myself to take care of the type of things I’m going to run into, but the shepherd stands ready. The rod is for the wolves that wait in the darkness to pounce on the unexpected sheep. When the wolf sees he has an opening and causes the sheep to become afraid the shepherd stands with the rod ready to scatter the wolves. “Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered.”

(Psalms 68:1) Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. But the rod is not the only thing this scripture talks about. The staff comforts us as well. When we as the sheep get out of order God brings discipline in our life. Now, the staff is and elongated pole with a hook on the end and its to go around the neck of the sheep. So if the flock is moving one way and the sheep’s attention is diverted another way the shepherd throws his staff out and grabs the sheep around the neck and pulls them back in. Aren’t you glad we have a shepherd who loves us enough to discipline us!!!!

But all of a sudden you see in the darkness, you hear the laughter, you hear the mocking of people, and they don’t like you. They have been waiting for you to get down that low so they can have a field day at your expense.  People who said you would never make it. People who laughed at you and said it won’t be long before you loose it all. They stand around in the valley and you hear them mocking and cheering but then you see the shepherd do something very unique.

 “He sets up a table in the presence of your enemies.” (Psalms 23:5) He gets the fine linen while your enemies laugh. He gets the fine linen and he lays it across the banquet table. He gets the fine china and he puts it out. He gets the fine gold ware not the silver but the gold ware and he sets that out on the table. You wonder, what in the world is he doing? 

My enemies are over here trying to kill me and he’s making a feast. My enemies are laughing at me and he’s making a whole banquet. Since he’s finished he pulls out a chair and says sit down. Why? Well because your enemies need to see that God is on your side. “If God be for me, who can be against me.” (Romans 8:31) God will make a table before you in the presence of your enemies. 

You may laugh at me now but he’s making me a table. You may disqualify me now but he’s making me a table. Then he makes you eat while they watch. See you can’t eat what I’m eating because you didn’t go thru what I went thru. 

Our life was designed to go through the valley because it’s in the valley that you are blessed.  God has your blessing in that valley that you find yourself in.  There’s no better blessing than the blessing that comes when you’re in your valley and you think you’re done.  God shows up, walks you through your valley and blesses you in the midst of it all. 

My brother and my sister, I don’t know where your at today in your life or what valley’s you have found yourself in but rest assured that God is fighting your battle, (II Chronicles 20:15), and he is for you and not against you. I leave you with this scripture:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)