The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 2

Before reading this post, please first read the previous post:

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 1

In a moment I'll share with you more from the closing half of Psalm 23, but this morning I was also reading from another passage, and would like to share this with you first. Flowing on beautifully from Psalm 23, Psalm 25:4-5 says:

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long."

This is the cry of the sheep to the Shepherd: "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach my your paths." There are paths that God has set for us to walk; there are ways he wants to guide us in. And whether those ways are through green pastures or beside still waters or even if they run down the middle of a valley of the shadow of death, we must follow the Shepherd, because "you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long."

Psalm 25:8-10 goes on to say:

"Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant."

This passage reveals the key to walking in the ways of God. Verse 9 says: "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way" (see also James 4:6). And there is nothing better to strengthen humility in a Christian's life than to experience the valley of the shadow of death!

Psalm 25:6-7,11 focus on David's awareness of his own iniquity and just how easy it is to wander off the path of righteousness if you are not following the Shepherd. And then David declares, in Psalm 25:12:

"Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him."

The fear of the Lord (Deuteronomy 10:12; Job 28:28; Psalm 33:18; Psalm 103:17; Psalm 111:10), and the humility associated with it, are the key to learning to walk on the path of righteousness, wherever that path may lead you.

OK, now armed with this understanding of what it means to walk in the paths of righteousness, let's flip back to Psalm 23. I was singing this psalm this morning, not just one version, but many different melodies that have been created for this psalm, including a traditional Chinese one I learned in Hong Kong. And with each of them, when you come to verse 5, there is a natural increase in volume and change in mood to the tune. So let's take a closer look at this verse:

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

At this point, the psalmist abandons the picture of the Shepherd and his sheep, but although the metaphor changes, but the theme does not. David was obviously going through a time when he was surrounded by enemies (like lions or wolves hungering for his blood), and this was probably the "valley of the shadow of death" that he was experiencing at the time. But look at what Psalm 25:5 actually says:

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..."

Notice that it is right in the presence of the enemies - in other words, right in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death - that God prepares a feast table for us! In other words, the experience of the valley of the shadow of death is far from a bleak one, devoid of the blessing of God. In fact, there is a unique and special blessing that can only be experienced when you are on the path of righteousness in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death.

This feast experience is described many times in Scripture, and I particularly love Psalm 36:7-9:

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light."

According to Psalm 25:5, this feasting experience involved three elements:

• The prepared food
• The cup of blessing
• The anointing of the head

Each element is described as being an "abundant" experience (note John 10:10, which is also in the context of the shepherd-sheep relationship). The food we eat is described as "the abundance of your house", the cup we drink from is described as "overflowing", and the picture of the anointing of the head with oil is described in Psalm 133:2 as "like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes."

And so, far from being a negative experience, our journey through the valley of the shadow of death is a positive one "for you are with me" (Psalm 23:4). It is an experience of the overflow of God's grace (note Romans 15:13).

The positive nature of the "valley of the shadow of death" experience is emphasised again in Psalm 23:6, which says:

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life..."

Notice two things about this passage. First, it says that "goodness and love" will follow me, which means that they are part and parcel of being on the path of righteousness! It is not just in the green pastures or beside the still waters that goodness and love follow me; it is in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death that goodness and love also follow me! As long as I keep to the path of righteousness, wherever I may be, my experience will be "goodness and love" as part of the overflow experience that comes from following the Shepherd!

Second, this verse tells us that tells me that "goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life". This is both a daily experience and a forever experience, which is re-worded in the last part of Psalm 23:6, the climax of the psalm:

"...and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

I'm not waiting until I die to "dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (this psalm is often read at funerals). No, I'm dwelling there right now! (see Psalm 27:4). This is because the nature of my relationship with the Lord is that I no longer need to go to a physical location in order to experience the presence of the Lord. He is with me as I follow him along the path of righteousness!

And so, today, where is the path of righteousness that I am to walk? I have no idea what specific experiences are ahead of me. There may be a few surprises along the way. But one thing I know: The Shepherd is with me, because I am following him. And his rod and staff will keep me on the path, where the true blessings overflow.

In closing, let me share with you an mp3 file that I received from an Online Bible College student, Ann Wolf. In it, she sings Psalm 23:

http://www.online-bible-college.com/audio/Psalm23.mp3