Psalm 23 Part 2

Psalm 23 Part 2
This psalm gives us three pictures.
– Verses 1 to 3, a picture of the sheep and the shepherd.
– Verse 4 a picture of the traveller and the companion and
– Verse 5 and 6 a picture of the guest and the host.
In my previous message we focused our attention on the picture of the sheep and shepherd.
This morning, we are going to focus our attention on verses 4 to 6. The shepherding imagery hasn’t been left behind. However, we are going to focus on the idea of our Shepherd as our Companion because the psalmist wants us to move our attention to this aspect of the shepherd’s care. Finally, we will look at how the LORD takes the role of our forever Host who is also a most gracious Host.
The LORD’s protection Ps 23:4
We have a valley marked by darkness, danger, and the imminent possibility of sudden death from a hidden source of danger.
The sheep being led in the paths of righteousness finds itself in the valley of the shadow of death. Sometimes, it is in the valley of death that the Shepherd’s paths of righteousness are sometimes located. If I find myself in the valley of death, it is because He has led me there.
The psalmist who had been talking about the LORD as his shepherd in verses 1-3 is now talking to the LORD his Shepherd directly. It is not that the LORD our shepherd gets closer to us in the valley, but it is when we are in the valley that we realise how close He has always been.
Our Shepherd Himself has walked through the deepest darkness on His way to His sacrificial death on the cross. He knows there is a way through it and out of it because He has been there, ahead of you and me.
But for all the frightfulness of the valley of the shadow of death, David says, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Let us remember that Jesus our Shepherd is a warrior. No one can snatch His sheep out of His hand.
The LORD’s sustenance Ps 23:5
Now David pictures God as the Host and himself as a guest in God’s house and at a time when his enemies were present.
David could have been thinking of the time he arrived at Mahanaim, when he was fleeing from Absalom (2 Sam 17:27-29). Another example of hospitality in the presence of enemies is Gen 19 when Lot tried to provide for the guests who come “under the protection of his roof.”
In Psalm 23:5, we see the abundance of our Host’s provisions, which indicate that He is prosperous, powerful, and generous. To enjoy the hospitality of such a Host is to be secure indeed!
When guests visited in a home, they were often anointed with oil to show them how much they meant to their host.
The cup was likewise a gesture of generosity. It was not half-filled but running over.
The LORD’s goodness and mercy Ps 23:6
David didn’t say maybe goodness and mercy shall follow me. He believed in a sure God who makes sure promises. Our moods may shift, but God’s doesn’t. We can state confidently: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
The word “follow” can be better translated as “pursue”. Dear church, God’s goodness and mercy will chase down the believer. Right from the time you wake up in the morning all the way to the moment you lay your head on your pillow at night, God’s goodness and mercy are chasing you. I want you to notice that “goodness and mercy” were following David even when he was in the “valley of deepest darkness.” Whenever you pass through a deep, dark valley or whenever you are facing “the shadow of death,” remember that God is good and God is merciful.
As David meditated on all the provisions of the LORD for his spiritual and physical well-being, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to be in the best place to avail himself of these divine provisions. That place was ‘the house of the LORD.’
For New Testament believers, the house of the LORD is the church. Heb 3:6 reads But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house . . ., We are the house of the LORD. So, we should ask the Lord to give us the desire to spend time with the brethren—to give us the longing to be present for the Sunday worship, the prayer meeting, and other times when the church gathers.
The house of God also has a future element to it.
Last Sunday, Pastor Ian preached a sermon that he entitled The House Not Made With Hands from Chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians. We saw (and I am now quoting from Ian’s sermon notes) that this new building not made with hands is heaven itself, and our happy accommodation there. The point seems to be that for the believer we will never be found homeless or naked but will move immediately into the glorious new home immediately upon death.
How blessed we are that we along with David and millions of other saints since David can say and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.