PSALM 23 – “A PSALM OF DAVID. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads 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; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
THEME OF THE DAY: HE IS NOT THE BUTCHER. Psalm 23 might be the most familiar and beloved of the one hundred and fifty Psalms. It has been called “The Shepherd’s Psalm” and throughout history has proved to be of the greatest comfort to brokenhearted and fearful Christians. But this Psalm goes beyond comfort. It is a Psalm to be used in spiritual warfare against the devil. You may be wondering, “Spiritual warfare? There is only one mention of enemies in Psalm 23, and it doesn’t really point to the devil.” You are right. The author of the Psalm, David, doesn’t mention Satan and his enemies were physical and seen. They were literal. So, how does this Psalm help us to fight against the evil one?
The chief objective of Satan is to get God’s people to doubt Him, not believe Him, question His love for us. He used this tactic against Eve in the Garden of Eden and continues to do so to this very day (Genesis 3:1-10). One area that he would have us doubt is our relationship with the Lord in a loving family. John Calvin said . . .
“To believers a persuasion of God’s Fatherly love is more delightful than all earthly enjoyments.”
Psalm 23 arms us with the proper picture of the Lord’s loving care, provision, protection and leadership. It is one of those great places where we find powerful simplicity of just how loving and amazing our God is to us in our relationship. The Good Shepherd picture is a vital piece of the armor we must wear against the accusations and lies of the devil who wants us to believe our God is a god of malice towards us especially when we sin. As we read the illustration that follows, remember the Lord is my shepherd, not the Lord is my butcher . . .
A group of Christians were touring the Holy Land. The guide told the group about resident shepherds and how they care for their sheep. He described how, in the Holy Land, shepherds always lead their sheep, always walking in the front to face dangers, always protecting the sheep by going ahead of them. He barely got the last word out when, sure enough, they rounded a corner and saw a man and his sheep on the hillside. As the crowd walked and observed the scene, something was amiss. The man with the sheep was behind the flock; not leading them like the guide had indicated was the custom. A puzzled member quizzed the guide, “You said shepherds here always lead their flock. Why is this one behind the flock and appears to be driving them instead of leading them?” The guide quickly responded, “What I told you is true, however, in this case the man behind the sheep is not their shepherd. He is the butcher driving them to slaughter.”
PRAYER: Father, words cannot express my thankfulness for You giving me Your Son as the Savior and my Shepherd.
REFLECTION: Where the Shepherd leads us, though a difficult path, is travelled under His safe and guiding hands.