One of the most beloved chapters in the New Testament is John chapter 10. And the reason for that is because in that chapter, John presents Jesus as the good shepherd. He's the good shepherd who calls his sheep by name. He leads them. He cares for them. He protects them, even being willing to lay down his own life to protect them from predators. It is good, as we think about that chapter and as we think about that shepherd, to have that kind of shepherd, isn't it? To know that our God is not a God who is far removed from us, who just sets the world into motion and then lets it go, but a God who actually shepherds his people. who loves us so much that he sends his son to be that shepherd for us. It is good to have Christ as our good shepherd. And that image of God's people being led and being protected and being cared for and being shepherded by the Lord is an ancient one. It's one that you find time and again in the Old Testament. And perhaps chief among those places in the Old Testament where we see that image of that kind of God is Psalm 23. It's not just the most beloved of David's Psalms, it's not just the most beloved Psalm in the Psalter, in the entire Psalter, but it's probably, as James Montgomery Boyce calls it, the best loved chapter in the entire Bible. Even people who don't memorize scripture will memorize Psalm 23. Only in fear and trembling, when a new translation comes out, would any kind of translator or edition dare change a word in Psalm 23, because it is so beloved. Charles Haddon Spurgeon called it the pearl of the Psalms. In Psalm 23, the reader finds comfort, encouragement, and hope. And as we consider Psalm 23 this morning, notice that in it, God is represented in two ways. He's represented as our shepherd, and he's also represented as a host of a banquet. This is interesting, of course, because David had experience with both roles. In 1 Samuel 16, for example, after God has rejected Saul, he sends the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to find the person who is to be the new king. And he goes to the house of a man named Jesse. And after Jesse presents seven of his sons, the prophet realizes that none of these is the one who is to be the king. And so he asked Jesse if there is perhaps another son. And Jesse tells him that indeed there is another son, the youngest of his sons, but he's not there because he is tending sheep. So we learned there that David, who is to be the great king, was a shepherd. So when David is brought to Samuel then, Samuel recognizes him as the one who will be the Lord's anointed and so he indeed anoints him in that moment and the rest is history. Now, as king, of course, David had many opportunities to host many banquets, as you can imagine. His table was always full. There were all sorts of occasions to do that. One example of that that you may recall is from 2 Samuel 9, where David hosts Jonathan's son to eat at his table, Mephibosheth. You may recall that. David is a gracious host on that occasion. and has Mephibosheth at his table. Now, interestingly enough, in Psalm 23, it's not the speaker who is the shepherd or the host. God is. And that's where the power of this psalm lies. It's not a psalm that primarily encourages you to trust in your own ability. It doesn't invite you to rest in the security of your possessions. It doesn't embolden you to face your adversaries with renewed self-confidence. It's not a call to arms. That's not what it is, first and foremost. It is a call to the arms of your shepherd. Now, in terms of God being a shepherd in this psalm, we see that from the very beginning. In the first line of the psalm, we see that the Lord is my shepherd. In fact, the first line is a summary for the entire psalm. James Montgomery Boyce says this about the psalm. He says, the psalm is a masterpiece throughout. But if ever a psalm could stand almost on a single line, it is this one. And the line it can stand on is the first. In fact, it can stand on only part of the line. The part which says, the Lord is my shepherd. Notice that the word LORD is in all caps. That's an indication that in the Hebrew, it was the covenantal name of God that was used. Represented by the four consonants, the four letters, which often is read now as Yahweh. Y-H-W-H in our English alphabet. So those four letters, whenever you see those four letters show up in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is represented in our English Bible with the word LORD in capital letters. The point there is that it's the covenantal name of God that is used. It's the name that God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, and God tells him, tell the people of Israel that the Lord has sent you. It is the Lord that binds himself to deliver his people from their enemies. It's the covenantal name of God that is used here in Psalm 23. Now you might recall, what was Moses doing in Exodus 3 when God speaks to him from the burning bush? He was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. So this name is what's used here. The first word, in fact, of Psalm 23 in Hebrew is Yahweh. In fact, it says, Yahweh, my shepherd. Yahweh, my shepherd. Lord, my shepherd. Notice the intimacy that is conveyed by those words. Yahweh, the God who made a covenant with Israel. He is my shepherd. He's not just Israel's shepherd. He's not just my parents' shepherd. He's my shepherd. Dear Christian, do you know that Christ is your shepherd? Children, do you know that Christ is your shepherd? He's not just your parents' shepherd. He's your shepherd. Do you hear his voice, dear Christian, in his word as he shepherds you? Do you obey his word? Do you submit to it? Is your faith nurtured by the word of your shepherd as it is given to you in his word? And are you nurtured also in your faith at his table? Do you follow wherever he leads you? Do you trust him? Do you rest in him no matter what the circumstances of your life might present? Or do you follow other shepherds? Because you see, there are lots of shepherds. Many would want to shepherd our lives, and they try. There's lots of voices that want to speak to us and want to guide us in all sorts of different ways. Do you follow those other shepherds, believing that they will take better care of you, perhaps? Do you listen to those other voices, believing that their wisdom and way are better than the wisdom and way of God? Is the Lord really your shepherd? Look at verses two and three. We read, 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. He makes me, he leads me, he restores me. The emphasis is on the sovereign and providential care of God. It is he who does all these things. And it's a caring thing that he does for us. Now, why does the psalmist affirm, I shall not want, which means I shall lack nothing. It's not because sheep are intelligent, independent, and self-sufficient creatures. No, sheep are dumb, vulnerable, and needy. Without the shepherds leading, the sheep will find no pastures to feed on. Middle Eastern studies professor Kenneth Bailey comments that sheep won't even drink water if it is running water because they're too afraid to get near it. It must be still water. The shepherd must lead the sheep to still water or they will not drink. Without the shepherd's care, sheep are very vulnerable, not only because it's hard for them to find food on their own and find water on their own that they would dare to drink, but also because they're very vulnerable to predators. Sheep are not particularly good at defending themselves. They don't run very fast, so they can't get away. Without the shepherd's guidance, sheep will wander off and get lost. In fact, where we read here, he restores my soul, it literally says he returns my soul or he returns my life. In other words, he returns me, he finds me. And perhaps that may recall images, bring images into our mind of Luke 15 in the parable of the lost sheep and how the shepherd leaves the 99 behind to go and find the lost sheep. That's the kind of shepherd that we have. And he does this because his reputation is on the line as a good shepherd. He doesn't lose a single sheep. He leaves me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. It is good for us to know that Christ, our Good Shepherd, puts his reputation on the line in his care for us. So when we are undergoing difficult things, trials, tribulations, we can know that we will not be lost because our Good Shepherd is the one that is protecting us. Listen, sheep, left to themselves, lack everything. But the psalmist affirms, I shall not want. I lack nothing because the Lord is his shepherd, and that Lord is the one who is in control of his nurture, of his care, and of his protection. Do you know that God cares for you in this way? Children, this is one of the reasons that God has placed you under the care of your parents. Your parents are to provide for you. to protect you, to care for you, and they're to disciple you, they're shepherding you. So whenever you practice family worship at home, I know that that is your favorite time of the day to do family worship. That's how my kids are, said no parent ever. It ought to be our favorite time because we are being conformed to the image of Christ. Your parents do this because they are being obedient to their shepherd. When they catechize you, when you study the catechism together, that's what we're doing. We're discipling you. We are shepherding you. When we do corporate worship together, that's what's going on, and not just you, but your parents. We are all being shepherded as we do this, as we come together. The good shepherd makes his sheep lie down and feed on green pastures, David tells us. Now, of course, that means that he provides food for them, just like God provides our food. That's why we have that petition in the Lord's Prayer, that the Lord would be the one who provides our daily bread. And he does that, and we're thankful for that. But it's not just physical food that he provides. The green pastures also represent spiritual food, spiritual nourishment. He gives us his word. Charles Spurgeon comments, what are these green pastures but the scriptures of truth, always fresh, always rich, and never exhausted? Are you feeding on the green pastures? Are you feeding on scripture? Is it your daily bread? It is by contemplating and digesting God's word, and by allowing God's spirit to quench our thirst with his grace, that our soul is nourished and refreshed, and as the Psalm says, restored. We are returned to life as we read this word, which is our life. What a blessing that this Psalm begins with a reminder that God provides us with rest and restoration, that he provides us with his word to nourish us. Now, are you availing yourselves of this provision from God? Are you submitting to His care? Is it your priority to always begin your week with worship and with rest, as you are doing now on the Lord's day? This is why not only do we worship on the Lord's day, but also we rest on the Lord's day. We have refreshment, we have fellowship. We need that. It is a way in which our shepherd cares for us. And so we ought to avail ourselves of such a good care. Look at verse four now. 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. Notice the pronoun change that takes place here in verse four. We go from he, he is my shepherd, to you. During summer and fall in Israel, the weather is very, very hot. And the shepherd has to lead his flock to find pastors to eat because the scorching heat of the sun will make all the grass die. And so this is why this can entail going into dark valleys, where the shadows protect the grass there from the heat of the sun. And really what they tend to feed on is just weeds. But the ravines in the valleys also allow the grass to grow, whereas in the areas that are exposed, the grass would not grow. But valleys are places, of course, where predators and thieves can easily hide because both of the rugged terrain and because of the darkness. Wickedness loves darkness. Danger loves darkness. Doing things in secret. Even though we are children of the light, sometimes we have to deal with darkness, don't we? And we can be sure that in those dark places, our Lord is with us. Now flash floods also occur frequently in the Middle East and valleys are particularly dangerous places when that happens because without warning they'll come and they will flood the valleys. And so it's a dangerous place. So the psalmist indicates therefore that not only are green pastures and still waters part of God's provision and plan, but so are dark valleys. It's important for us to hear that. It's not just that when things are good, we can say, oh, God is shepherding me. He is caring for me. Even in the dark valleys, he goes before us. He leads us into those dark valleys and he does not let go. Somehow, because he is so great, he uses those dark valleys to conform us more to him, to make our prayer life better, to remind us that he is the one who provides all our security and all of our comfort and all of our care. Puritan Thomas Boston writes, everyone knows what is most pleasant to him, but God alone knows what is most profitable. It is during these dark and dangerous times that he, as our shepherd, is closer than ever. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, the psalmist says. He doesn't say, for he is with me, He says, no, you are with me. He's talking to his shepherd. How good is that to know that he is with us? Your rod and your staff, they come for me, says the psalmist. The rod and the staff were the tools of the trade for the shepherd. The rod was used to fend off predators. The staff was a walking stick to guide the sheep and even with the hook at the end to bring the sheep back into the fold whenever it would wander away. Even in the valley of our life, we must draw comfort in the fact that God, as our shepherd, is our guide and our protector. It's even comforting to know that death itself is now a mere shadow, because our shepherd has led the way through death. Look at what the author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15. He writes, Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Our shepherd has walked this dark path before. and he has conquered it. He has swallowed it up. He has removed its sting. Only its shadow remains. And if there's a shadow, you can be sure that there is light beyond it. Christ himself is our light. It is in the hope of his light that we now walk. Now, what about this image of God as host? In verse five, that's where the metaphor changes in this psalm. He goes from shepherd to host. Look at verse five. We read, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Now, In the heat of the ancient Near East, it was customary that when you were hosting a banquet, whenever you would receive guests, you would anoint their head with oil. And the reason you would do this is because it would provide refreshment to their skin, and also it would be oil mixed with perfume, and so it would provide a pleasing aroma for the guests and for all the other guests who were there. And the overflowing cup that we see here is a symbol of the gracious and abundant provision at the table of this magnificent host. So he's a host that takes care of his guests in every way. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes that we as Christians have received the greatest gift of all and that this gift has been given to us who are mere jars of clay. But these jars of clay are overflowing with this gift. Our cup overflows. The gospel rightly received cannot be contained. Our cup overflows so that others might taste and see that the Lord, this great host of the banquet, is good. William Secker, the Puritan, writes, why does the Lord make your cup run over, but that other men's lips might taste the liquor? The showers that fall upon the highest mountains should glide into the lowest valleys. This is why we are to evangelize. This is why we are to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. This is why we are to invite people to come to our gatherings on Sunday morning to worship this great host and even during the week. so that they can learn more as we study the Bible together, but not just study the Bible together, as we demonstrate the love of God, the forgiveness of God, the mercy of God, the graciousness of God to one another. That's how God shows his love for people, as we, as his body, do the very things that God calls us to do. The fact that the table is prepared in the presence of the psalmist's enemies is a picture of total victory. The host has conquered all of his and all of our enemies. It was customary, of course, in antiquity, whenever a general would triumph, to actually prepare a feast. And he would have the ones who were captured, the captives of the enemies, at the feast, not eating, but watching the victorious army enjoy the spoils of their victory. So there's a sense in which that's going on, but that's not all that's going on, perhaps even more important than that. It's a picture of the host's steadfast love and loyalty. He throws a banquet for the psalmist in the presence of the psalmist's enemies. The host is not ashamed of his guest. The host is willing to publicly align himself with the psalmist, no matter the cost. Now, we might be ashamed of ourselves when we sin. It's a grievous thing. We say, how can we be sinning again when we have such a gracious host, such a good God, such a pure Savior? And there we are again, sinning. And so we feel shame from that. And Satan, of course, reminds us of our sin constantly. How good it is to know that our host is not ashamed of us. He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. He aligns himself with us. He says, he is mine and I am his. Remember that. It's not that our sin is not significant. It's not that we shouldn't turn away from it. We should, of course, but know that our Lord knows everything about us and he loves us nonetheless. While we were his enemies, Christ died for us and he has adopted us. We have that kind of gracious host. The host is willing to publicly align with the psalmist no matter what the cost is, and the host treats the psalmist in the presence of those who hate him as his honored guest, anointing his head with oil and having his servants always at the beck and call of the guest, making sure that his cup never runs out, that it always overflows. Imagine if we treated our host with that kind of loyalty. He's not ashamed of us, but are we ashamed of him? Would we honor him in the presence of his enemies, those who would speak against him, no matter what the cost might be to us? You know, a time might be coming when we'll be called to do that very thing. There's a sense in which we are called to do that now, of course, but when the cost will be very significant, will we be embarrassed of our host? He's not embarrassed of us, even though he might have reason to. We have no reason to be embarrassed of him. May we not be embarrassed of him when the time comes. So again, this message is that those under his sovereign and providential care will lack nothing. They shall not want. The two images in Psalm 23, that of shepherd and of host, both bear witness to this fact. Remember, according to scripture, the testimony of two witnesses is trustworthy. And here we have two witnesses, that of a shepherd and that of a host, saying, you are mine. The scriptures are two witnesses in one sense. The Old Testament bears witness to the Messiah that would one day come. The New Testament bears witness to that same Messiah that has already come. Two witnesses are worthy of trust. And we have here two witnesses to God, the shepherd and the host. This is grace upon grace. It's a picture of the fulfillment of God's promises, which of course lead us to verse 6. Look at what verse 6 says. We read, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In the end, under God's care, the predators that seek to devour us will fail. The shepherd with his rod and his staff goes before us, and goodness and mercy, that is goodness and steadfast love, like two dogs that are caring for the shepherd's flock, are at our rear guard. The Hebrew for verse six actually reads, and I will return to the house of the Lord for the length of my days, which is a picture of fulfillment of God's promise to sustain us, to persevere us, to preserve us. When we belong to the Good Shepherd, we don't walk alone, and we don't lack a home. In John 10, Jesus says, I am the door of the sheep. If Jesus is your shepherd, that door never closes. In John 6.37, Jesus says, all that the Father gives me will come to me. And whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. John Bunyan, the Puritan pastor and author of the Pilgrim's Progress, commenting on this verse writes, he imagines this sinner before the shepherd, before Jesus Christ, having this conversation. The sinner saying, but I am a great sinner, sayest thou? I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. But I am an old sinner, sayest thou? I will in no wise cast out. says Christ. But I am a hard-hearted sinner, sayest thou. I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. But I am a backsliding sinner, sayest thou. I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. But I have served Satan all my days, sayest thou. I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. But I have sinned against light, sayest thou. I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. But I have sinned against mercy, sayest thou. I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. But I have done no good thing to bring with me, sayest thou. I will in no wise cast out, says Christ. The grace and mercy and compassion and steadfast love of Christ our shepherd is so great, so limitless for his flock, that we can rightly say, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Of course, we know all of this is true, not because of David, but because of David's son and David's Lord and David's shepherd. Jesus fulfills this promise, all of these promises. After Herod Antipas beheads John the Baptist, the fame of Jesus grows. His miracles and teaching are attracting many, many followers, so many that this crowd gathers around him and they want to crown him as king. Now you can be sure that Herod's court was closely following Jesus, trying to determine whether or not he was to lead an insurrection. In Mark 6, Jesus saw a great crowd that was following him, looking to him in hope. And we read that Jesus has compassion on this crowd that was following him because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So you know what Jesus does? Jesus gathers them and he sits them down in green pastures and besides the waters of the Sea of Galilee. And he tends to their spiritual needs by teaching them. And then he miraculously, with just five loaves of bread and two fish, prepares a meal before them, even in the presence of Pharisees and of Herod's spies. And they eat until they are satisfied. All 5,000 of them, their cup overflows. In John 10, Jesus tells us that he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. In Hebrews 13.20, Jesus is called the great shepherd of the sheep. In 1 Peter 5.4, Jesus is called the chief shepherd. In Revelation 19, we read of the wedding supper of the Lamb, where Christ will be the lavish host, and where guests will lack nothing. But I leave you with the words of Revelation 7, verses 15 to 17, which present for us a picture of Psalm 23 fulfilled. The Lamb of God, who is also the shepherd of the sheep and the great host of God's temple, whose inhabitants lack nothing. Look at what we read there. Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Beloved, Christ is the good shepherd. Is he your shepherd? Let's pray.