Few passages in the Bible have been reiterated, repeated, quoted, memorized, and spoken more often than Psalm 23. Its opening lines have perhaps even more familiarity than even the classic children's prayer, now I lay me down to sleep. Charles Spurgeon called it the pearl of the Psalms. Because of its poetic simplicity, picturesque imagery, and powerful truth, Psalm 23 stands out for its summary of God's care for his beloved. So despite our familiarity with this psalm, it is my hope and prayer that we are refreshed and given a new appreciation for God's word. With that in mind, follow along as I read, and we then explore the riches of this great psalm. Beloved saints, this is God's holy and inspired word written for you. Listen carefully. 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. Oh, so sorry. Right in the very first sentence of Psalm 23, the very first phrase, we are presented with two descriptions of God that set up the foundation of the entire Psalm. The first description is the first two words, the Lord. In our English translations, it's written in small caps. signifying the tetragrammaton YHWH, the covenant name for God. It's the great I am who I am that we see in Exodus 3. The Jews wanted to be so reverent of God that they actually used a stand-in, Adonai, so as to avoid any chance of blasphemy or taking the Lord's name irreverently or in vain. This is the great God who is timeless, in need of no one and no thing. He has been and is faithful to keep his covenant to his chosen people so that right out of the gate, this is not just God is my shepherd, but this is the Lord, the very covenant name of God. It's personal. His name demotes more than just a title, but the personal covenant relationship God has with his people, from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David and even on down to us. It is the Lord, Adonai, who is our shepherd. The second description is shepherd. This has personal significance to David because he was a shepherd himself. He understood the responsibilities and challenges of being a shepherd, and it is intentionally applied here to God. Before we can fully understand what it means that God is our shepherd, we have to make the inference of what that makes us. If God is the shepherd, we're what? Sheep. And unfortunately for us, one of the most well-known characteristics of sheep is that sheep are really dumb. Not just sort of not brilliant, but really, really stupid. Probably the most idiotic creatures in the animal kingdom. Sheep get themselves into dangerously stupid situations all the time, even from the simplest means. For example, even something as easy as enjoying some lush grass can be their downfall, because they can't tell the difference between good grass and poisonous vegetation. If they roll too far over in a nice patch of grass, which they actually do quite frequently, they can't get themselves back up. If the shepherd does not guide and care for them every step of the way, they will inevitably get themselves stuck, lost, or worse. I remember one time I saw a video of a shepherd digging a hole, which I found rather odd until I saw two little tiny hooves poking out from that hole. And after some more digging, a woolly protrusion emerged and eventually out popped the sheep itself. It had gotten stuck after it launched itself into that hole and dirt had caved in around it. But not five seconds after it had been freed from its awkward position, out of its sheer joy and exuberance, it started bouncing up and down and flung itself back into the exact same hole it had just spent moments ago. And if that's not an accurate description of the Christian life and humanity in general, I don't know what is. It's not without reason that Isaiah says, all we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us have turned to their own way. Left on their own, sheep are helpless and will be their own ruin. It's almost a matter of fact. They can't guide themselves from poisonous grass or rescue themselves from their own foolishness. They need a shepherd. The reality is, we are all like sheep. You and I, left to our own devices, cannot rescue ourselves from ourselves. And we certainly can't maintain any sense of right direction on the right path. We need a shepherd who leads and cares for us. Thankfully for us, we have such a shepherd. Think about this for a moment. God, the all-sufficient, all-powerful, timeless, eternal, unchanging, immutable God, has chosen, out of all the imagery he could use, the image of a shepherd to describe his care for us, and uses that image of lowliness, humility, and care, and constancy to show the depth of his love and care. Listen to Isaiah chapter 40, verse three. He, God, will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young. Psalm 103 uses this same imagery, emphasizing ownership and possession. Know that the Lord, he is God. It is he who has made us and we are his. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Notice, the Lord is my shepherd. Not just the names for God, but how personal the statement is. The Lord is my shepherd. He's not just the shepherd, or a shepherd, or the shepherd of all God's people, though he is that. He is my shepherd and he cares for me. That is carried on throughout the rest of the psalm. It's all first person, me, my, I. And the point, I hope, is clear. Spurgeon said, if he is a shepherd to no one else, he is a shepherd to me. And how precious this truth is. Though God is caring for all his people, though he holds the stars in his hands and guides the planets in their motions, he also deigns to destoop to care for me, his lowly sheep, to care for you. No matter how far I wander or how stupid I am or how much we feel our hearts cry the old hymn, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love, our faithful shepherd constantly guides our wayward hearts and cares for our weary souls. Jesus reminds us of his care when he describes himself leaving the 99 and going after that one sheep. He does not care for us only as part of a whole, but he deigns to stoop in humility to guide and pursue his wandering sheep. One more note of grammar and then we'll move on. The words are in the present tense. It's not just that the Lord was my shepherd in the past, but he is my shepherd still right now. The same covenant-keeping God who was faithful in the past is the same shepherd who is faithful now. As 2 Timothy 2.13 says, even when we are faithless, he is faithful, for he cannot deny himself. The Lord is my shepherd now and always. So that was the long but important introduction that sets the foundation for the rest of the psalm as we move to the first point. Provision in the care of God. Provision in the care of God. Following the statement, the Lord is my shepherd, David then says, I shall not want. The inference of God being our shepherd is that we lack nothing. This is more than just God providing for all of our needs. This psalm consistently uses language that points to above and beyond what we need. The idea is not just that God gives us enough, but that he gives us more than enough, more than we need. Our shepherd gives us so much, we could not want anything else. And when God is our caring shepherd, who provides for every need, what could we possibly lack? Does your soul delight in God? Is God enough for you? We'll unpack this more in a bit, but the driving point of this psalm was more than just God gave me everything I asked for. God is not Santa Claus. He is not a genie. The emphasis of the psalm is not look at what God gave me, but look, God gives. Rather than a genie, God is the parent who cares for his helpless child. He is the shepherd who cares for his helpless sheep. The subject of almost every sentence in this psalm is God. This is what James 117 talks about when it says, every good and perfect gift is from above. God is the reason I shall not want, and God is the source of my lacking nothing. Not simply because he cares for my needs, and he does, but as the hymn says, he satisfies my heart, satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need. Because the Lord is our shepherd, you and I truly do not want. This is the point of the entire psalm. Because God is our shepherd, we lack nothing. Because God is our shepherd, we lack nothing. Provision in the care of God means that God cares for our physical needs and our spiritual needs. You see this when the psalmist writes, he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. What could be better for sheep than luscious, fresh, delectable green grass, pasture as far as the eye could see, still waters rippling by? This is five star resort land for a sheep. And next to these pastures is the still water, easy to drink from. In essence, God is providing his sheep with nothing but the best. This is not picked over, dead, already brown grass, but green pastures. Not a rushing waterfall you're trying to drink from without getting swept away, but still, easy water. This is what God does. He gave manna to Israel every single day and provides us with our daily bread so that we may see him as the rightful source of our provision. This theme is continued in the New Testament when Jesus talks about the subject of anxiety and worry in Luke 11. After he talks about not being anxious about anything because God cares for the birds and lilies and by implication so much more for you, he says, seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. God cares for the birds and lilies, he will most certainly care for his little sheep. It is our shepherd's pleasure to care for us, provide for us, and give us all that we need. And notice, God makes me lie down there. We have this image of staying a while, of rest. That's followed up with he leads me beside still waters, still or quiet waters. A light breeze rustles the grass, and the calm river slowly flows along its way. There's peace. The Hebrew is actually literally translated, he leads me beside waters of rest. A lot of times when we talk about physical needs, we refer to food and clothing and water, and we limit our needs to that, but often forget about the rest that our bodies need. God doesn't. God knows we need rest. He created us with that need and provides the rest that we need. He leads us to that rest. After all the chaos we've been through this year, who doesn't need rest? And that is exactly what Jesus says in Matthew 11, 28 through 30. Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. For most of us, this year has been anything but restful, anything but peaceful. And so this Psalms reminds us, are you tired? Are you weary? Loved ones, take a breath. God gives it. Our shepherd is the one who leads beside still waters, and he alone gives us the rest we so desperately need. So while David says that his body's physical needs are supplied with abundance, he also states that the great shepherd has not neglected the spiritual need of his soul. David boldly proclaims, he restores my soul. Another way to translate it would be that he renews our life. The same idea that has been in the previous statements is made more explicit here. When we are weak and weary, when we are exhausted almost to the point of death, our shepherd provides renewal and restoration for our lives. Oh, how sweet the refreshment God gives. The creator of souls restores souls. He gives them the strength they need and renews with new mercies every morning the life of souls. To drive home the point of God's provision even more, God reminds us through David that not only does he make us lie down in green pastures, not only does he lead us beside waters of rest, not only does he restore our souls, but he leads us in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. He leads in paths of righteousness literally means right paths. The immediate implication is that we are led on the right way to go, and God does not make mistakes. Spurgeon said, remember this, had any other situation been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. There is no wrong path we just end up on. Wherever your path has brought you, God has brought you here in wisdom and out of his divine love. He does not make mistakes. He does not get frustrated and just say, okay, pal, you know what? That Silas guy, that's the last time. He's blown it today. I've had it, D2 are for him. He's taken the long way to heaven, so there. It just doesn't happen, that's not our God. I'm so glad that is not the case. Adonai leads us on the right paths and he does it out of his great unending love for us. There is no bad outcome for a sheep in God's care. To be really practical for a moment, one of the ways I've found to live this out, I learned from a friend of mine in college. If you've ever heard the song, he's got the whole world in his hands. You know that it is a simple song. But however simple it may be, it reminds me of the profound truth that the entire world is in his hands. And the beauty is, I can sub in anything that I'm wrestling with in place of the whole world. I'll give you an example. While Val and I were in Washington for Christmas, it snowed about 18 inches. And if you know anything about winters in Washington, you know that there are two things. Tons of steep hills, and snowplows are basically a joke. Because if you see one, it's kind of like seeing a Sasquatch. Like, oh wow, that was a snowplow. That's exciting. Sometimes if they're out, they'll just be driving along with the plow up, and it's like, why are you out here now? So that in mind, on this particular Sunday, Val and I were trying to drive to church and make it there safely, and we don't have four-wheel drive, and we had to deal with two large hills on our track, and I was very clearly stressed and worried and not really silent about it either. And into the middle of my white knuckle grip on the steering wheel and not so silent worrying, Val starts singing, he's got the slippery roads in his hands. He's got the slippery roads in his hands. And for just a moment, it caught me off guard as I look at my wife singing a children's song to me. But it was funny and yet such a simple statement of faith. He's got it all. Even the simplicity of singing a repetitive song brings our cares to God and says, God, it doesn't feel like this is right, it doesn't feel like this is the way things should be going, and yet you have the world in your hands and you're ruling all things. What worries you? What grieves you? What is aching your heart right now? He's got that in his hands too. A second implication of right paths is that David is not just saying God is leading us in the correct path, but leading us in paths of rightness. He leads us in the right way, and that includes the right way to live. He enables us to live out his commands, and he leads us in the holiness in the paths of righteousness. And that phrase, he leads, is repeated twice, both in verse two and in verse three. He is a shepherd who walks with and leads his sheep. The point is that God is the one making this happen. God is the one directing his sheep into the waters of rest. God is the one who leads in paths of righteousness. The covenant of faithful care does not depend on us, but on God. And what good news that is, because on our own, we are wandering sheep. On our own, we are dumb lambs who return to that which will not satisfy, though our shepherd has given us all that we need and more. But under the watchful guidance of the shepherd, we walk in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. That's the testimony of every Christian, isn't it? When someone asks you, how does someone become a good Christian? What does it mean to live for God? You can answer with Psalm 23, three. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. It's all God. Any holiness in our lives, any righteousness we have was paid for and enabled by the blood of Jesus and is constant leading in our lives. God is the one caring, God is the one providing, God is the one sustaining, and God is the one who leads us in paths of righteousness. The question then is, why then does he lead us in paths of righteousness and care for us? Verse three tells us, for his name's sake, He does this all for the sake of his name. Or in other words, he's got a reputation to uphold. He promised to be a faithful, loving, caring shepherd, and he will be for the sake of his name. But even beyond that, I believe it's pointing to the guarantee of his name. This is Adonai, I am who I am. Just like when Moses asked who he should say sent him, the name of God was to be enough. I am who I am has sent you. The God of your fathers has sent you. In the same way, Adonai, I am who I am, will lead us and give a provision out of his care. How do we know? It's in the name. A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but a God by any other name will not be the same or enough. It is Adonai and only Adonai. I am who I am, it was promised, and the guarantee of that promise is his name. This is a check we can take to the bank every time with zero fear of it bouncing. Haven't we already found God to be faithful? He held true to his name in the past, he's holding true to his name now, and he will hold true to his name forever. As the hymn says, can we find a friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Why should we be worried, downcast, or afraid? I am who I am has promised. What more should we want or need? When we are weak and struggling, sorrowful and despairing, we can take it to the God who shares in our weakness, who knows our sorrows, and is a friend so faithful. He leads us in the right paths for his name's sake. So we have the provision in the care of God, and now we move to protection in the comfort of God. Protection in the comfort of God. As a reminder, the point the psalmist is making is that because God is our shepherd, we lack nothing. So up to this point, it's been God provides, God leads, God restores. And that's all great, until the brave kid in the back raises his hand and goes, so, um, How come it seems like God isn't providing? To that question, we meet verse four. Verses four and five sound like the antithesis to verse one. How can I not want when I am in the valley of the shadow of death? The very name of the valley connotes loss and lack of life. If this psalm didn't have verses four and five, though, we'd think it's some fairy tale, unrealistic dreamland of painless, magical happiness. But the Bible, and this psalm in particular, do not try to hide the reality of evil and death. Verses one to three tell us that God cares for us above and beyond our every need, and verse four is a continuation of verses one through three, that even in the extreme of the valley of the shadow of death, the shepherd still comforts and cares. The psalm blatantly speaks to the evil. Our Lord himself promised us suffering when he said, in this world you will have trouble. So though God leads us beside still waters, we still will walk through the valley of the shadow of death. If you have not entered the valley yet, I promise you, you will at some point. And if you have entered that valley, I pray that you will see the great hope we have in these next two verses. As we are led down into the path of the valley, I want you to just take a look back at where the path is coming from. The same path of righteousness. The path that meandered through green pastures and by still waters is the same path that traces its way through the valley of the shadow of death. They're the same path. God does not lead us on wrong paths, only right ones, and as John Bunyan put it, the only way to the celestial city is through the valley. But even with such a foreboding statement, as we make our footsteps through the pitch black of the valley, the psalmist says what seems to be absolutely strange words considering his location. In the middle of the deepest, darkest part of the valley of the shadow of death, he boldly says, I will fear no evil. Fear no evil? Even in the valley of the shadow of death, the valley of darkness and creeping shadows? Why does he fear no evil? David gives two reasons. Look at the next part. For you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The first reason we fear no evil is because of the presence of the shepherd. God is with us. Listen to Hebrews 13, five through six. For he, God, has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me? At first glance, it seems like a very ignorant statement to make. What can man do to me? I can think of all sorts of things man can do to me. Just walk the streets of Albany or New York City at night. Don't actually do that. But you can't help but be hyper-aware of what man can do. Some of you have horrifically experienced what man can do. So how are we supposed to take a blasé or indifferent attitude to the horrors of the pain we feel and see? Is that how we fear no evil, just apathy? First of all, we should never take an apathetic or indifferent attitude to the pain we see. Jesus wept at the grief he experienced, and we can and should weep as well. But the reason we do not fear even the greatest evils of suffering is not because we are numb to the pain or because we foolishly believe we will somehow avoid experiencing it, but because God is our helper who will never leave us nor forsake us. He is a very present help in times of trouble. It can be easy to fear evil when we forget the goodness of our God who is for us, who is with us, and who is working for our good even in the middle of the valley. Again, this doesn't make the valley easier or less awful to walk through. but it does make it possible because God is with us every step of the way. He's a good shepherd who does not leave us to survive on our own. It's not that there's no evil, and that's why I have no fear. It's that there is evil, but there is no evil I fear. It's not that there's no evil, and that's why I have no fear. It's that there is evil, but there is no evil I fear. God is with me and his rod and staff. They comfort me. In John 10, which we don't have time to read, but I would highly commend to you for reading later today, it's a beautiful description of Christ as our shepherd and his care for us. But Jesus describes just exactly what he, our great shepherd, does for us. He protects us, will not let the growling wolves devour us or the roaring lions sift us like wheat. He does not entrust his flock to a hired hand. The care of his child is a charge and responsibility he has laid on himself, and no one, not a single person or single thing or trial, can snatch this out of his hand. He will not slumber or sleep, and there is no sneaking up on God. He cannot be deceived, so there is no wolf-in-sheaves clothing rules that could fool him. He guards his beloved fiercely. How fiercely? Jesus tells us that the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Greater love has no one than this, that he what? Lay down his life for his friends. The cross is the power that dispels fear of evil. No greater evil happened than when Jesus was brutally murdered and abandoned on the cross. And yet, that great evil was redeemed for our great good. If God's purposes are our purposes and we want what he wants, then we fear no evil because no evil on this earth can thwart God's ultimate good. No wrong can thwart his righteous purposes and that was proven at the cross. That evil, where our shepherd willingly gave up his life for his lost sheep, brought us back into relationship with God, a relationship so close that he will never leave us nor forsake us. And even if hell should be on either side of us in the valley, and the devil roar like a lion, the lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered, and the lamb who was slain cannot ever be defeated. Christ said, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Our God is for us, so none dare stand against us. Even if we must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, our God is with us and his rod and staff will bring us safely through. Not even death will prevent his purpose, so we can say, though he slay me, I will hope in him. He is the God who redeems even the greatest evil his son endured and has promised to do the same for us. So yes, even in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you, our great God, are with me. Notice the change from third person, about God, to first person, to God. David at first is talking to us about God's care, but here, in the dark valley of death's shadows, he now talks directly to God, where we notice the most direct, personal, and intimate relationship with the shepherd happens in the most fear-inducing and fierce moments in the valley. Like David, we will often experience God's presence closest when the battle is thickest. But this is not because God has left us on our own when the beach chairs are out and the breeze is light and easy and joins us in the thick of the hurricane. But rather, the pain and fear of the valley drives us to be more aware of his presence. As one author wrote, it is not that Christ is closer in the valley, but that we realize in the valley how close he has always been. It is not that Christ is closer in the valley, but that we realize in the valley how close he has always been. So the first reason we find comfort is the presence of the shepherd, and the second is because of the possessions of the shepherd, namely his rod and staff. The image of the rod is like a club used to beat down beasts preying on the sheep. There is comfort in the shepherd's defense of the sheep. The point is clear. Not only is the rod and staff a comforting reminder of the shepherd's presence, but his rod reminds us that there is nothing in the valley that looms over us that our shepherd cannot handle. No matter how large the shadows loom or how loud the growls echo, our shepherd is with us and on guard. While the shepherd's rod is a comfort for fear of predators, the shepherd's staff is a comfort for fear of getting lost. A shepherd's staff is used to guide the sheep and lead them on the right path, prodding them along. The comfort is not only that God is with us in the valley, and he is, or that he is fending off the terrors of darkness, and he is, but just as wonderful, it is his steady hand that is guiding us through it all. We may not have chosen the valley, but God, the sovereign ruler and creator of all things, including this valley, will lead us through it. Just a quick note on the word through. When the psalmist says, even in the valley, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he is reminding himself and us that we are merely traveling through the valley, not setting up camp there. Most of us feel like we do not merely walk through the valley, but dwell in it, live there. Whether it is the death of a loved one, the sudden death of our own or our child's innocence, the death of a job, the death of a dream, our own health that nears death, our lives can become graveyards filled with the tombstones of our suffering. Because of the constant reminders of the evil and darkness we face, we feel as though the valley is the only part of the path we keep walking, and it never seems to end. We feel the constant, heavy shadow of the valley, of death. But remember, loved ones, we walk through it, not dwell in it. While it may feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, there is future glory ahead. And as C.S. Lewis said, the pages of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that this will not always be so. One day, God willing, we shall enter in. The psalm then moves from protection and presence in the valley to protection and presence in the face of our enemies. Most of us, in the presence of our enemies, would be preparing for attack. We'd be locking down the gates and manning the defenses, on edge, braced, and ready. So you'd expect to read, when we discover the presence of our enemies, that God is our shield, our defender, our strong tower. And he is referred to that elsewhere in the Psalms, but here David says, you prepare a table before me. David's enemies are banging their swords against their shields and bellowing war cries against him, and within sight of the glaring eyes of David's enemies, God is setting out placemats. They're pulling back their bows and stringing their arrows, and God is arranging centerpieces. It has to pause, make us pause and chuckle for a moment as we see, like, what is the battle strategy there? Distract them with the lilies? What are we doing? God is preparing a banquet for David. The oil is used in ancient times as a sign of welcoming and the cup overflowing again reiterates the lavish care and abundance of God. God is protecting his loved ones from his enemies to the point that he can make a banquet for them right in front of his enemies. This is similar to Psalm 48, where it says, in peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. God has the night watch, so we can sleep in peace. God is the one making the banquet, and we can enjoy each delicacy, even in the presence of our enemies. Our God brings comfort in the valleys and spreads banquets in the lairs of our enemies. Whether it's the hostility of circumstances or the hostility of our enemies, God protects and comforts us in every crisis. So we move from the protection and the comfort of God to the preservation and the faithfulness of God. For the people who need a C word to complete the alliteration, you could use the constant C of God. But the idea conveyed here is of God's covenant, steadfast faithfulness. That word mercy in the first phrase of verse six is the Hebrew word chesed. It means steadfast love or faithful kindness. It denotes God's faithfulness in keeping his promise of love like the covenant of love of a married couple. It is great, steadfast love and faithful kindness. It's not just mercy, though it is that, but the unconditional, devoted, and faithful love that God has for his people that no imagery, not even the imagery of man and wife, can fully encapsulate the depth, commitment, and level of God's love. Another note is that word follow, and follow me all the days of my life. A way to think of that would be pursue, like a cheetah pursuing a gazelle, or to continue the analogy, a wolf pursuing a sheep. But instead of a bad, life-threatening pursuit, this is a life-giving pursuit. It's being chased down by good things, like a man running after you to give you $100. And that hasn't happened to you recently? It doesn't happen all that often. But instead of money, we have a much greater blessing of being pursued by the goodness and steadfast love of our faithful God. As we are being led by God in right paths, God's goodness and love are following us right on our heels. What a joy should fill our hearts when we consider what is chasing after us every day of our lives. I know we've been talking a lot about ways to translate words, but I think it's important as it helps give us an idea of exactly what ways the words are being used. So if you'll bear with me, one more. Another way to translate the first word of that sentence, surely, could be only. So we could read the sentence as, only goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. But either way, whether it's surely or only goodness and chesed pursuing us, it might make us pause. And were it not for the fact that verses four and five have directly preceded this sentence, we might be tempted to think that David is some sheltered prince who has never tasted the reality of a life of suffering. Otherwise, how on any earth we live in could he say such a thing? In light of the valley and the enemies, how can only goodness and mercy follow him? The truth of this statement comes in a reminder of God's definition of goodness and steadfast love. For when we look at the world, we are reminded of the weakness, the pain, and the suffering we face. But when we look at scripture, we are reminded of God's purpose for our suffering. The goodness we face isn't in the suffering itself, which is either difficult, painful, wicked, or all three combined. but rather it's in what God is doing in that suffering. Johnny Erickson Tada, a woman who has seen more suffering perhaps than most of us will see in the entirety of our lives, put it this way. God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. What does God hate? Many things, but I think for sake of time, we could sum it up as God hates the opposite of his character. He hates injustice and evil. Psalm 5 and 11 say, the Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness. Evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes. You hate all evildoers. And then Isaiah 61.8 sums up this idea. For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrong. I will faithfully give them, my people, their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Our souls ache when we experience the harsh shadow of death. Our hearts cry when injustice, when the defenseless are attacked. When the orphan and the widow are not cared for by the saints who should know better. When his church is bruised by wolves on the outside and battered by its under shepherds within. When the cruel world we live in mocks and maligns the least of these, when the agonies of the hurting seem to go unanswered, we weep because of it all. But we're not alone. God hates that. He hates the suffering we face. He hates the sin that runs rampant through this world. He does not feel indifferent to your pleas for mercy, your cries for help, or your prayers for justice. He weeps with those who weep. He holds your tears in his bottle, and he hates the suffering you're enduring. He hates it as much as he hated the evil that his son endured. And yet, God allowed that suffering, that great injustice of agony, to accomplish a greater purpose, the redemption of his people. No one who has ever walked this earth endured greater injustices or greater pain or greater suffering than our Lord Jesus, and yet he gave himself up to it all willingly. He entrusted himself to his heavenly Father, who promised to accomplish greater purposes in it. God allows what he absolutely detests to accomplish what he absolutely cherishes. He allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves. God is working all things, including this great evil, for your good. This suffering you are facing is preparing for you an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Though your outer self is wasting away, your inner self is being renewed day by day, as you look not to the very real things are seen, but to the realities that are unseen, which are kept in heaven for you, purchased and sealed by the blood of the Lamb. So yes, nothing, not even this great evil, is preventing the goodness and chesed of Adonai from falling. chasing after you all of the days of your life, for your God is a faithful covenant-keeping God and a shepherd who will not let you be snatched out of his hand. The psalm ends with a promise that the guest at the table in verse five is now a resident. The right path has reached its end, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. While the path earlier went by green pastures and waters of rest and then descended into the valley and the presence of enemies, it now returns home to the house of the Lord. For all true believers, God's sheep, we will all eventually dwell in God's house. We may not be home yet, but our permanent street address is heaven. we shall return to the house of the Lord and dwell there forever. What a joy to look forward to. Revelation 7, 17 tells us the end of the story. 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. The sacrificial lamb is the loving shepherd who has promised to bring us to ultimate waters of rest. He will remove all trace of the tears we cried in the valley of the shadow of death when we arrive in the glorious light of our heavenly home. And the best part? It's all the days of our life. Forever. We will be home forever. So good. I can hardly wait. Can you? So we're reminded of provision in the care of God, protection in the comfort of God, and preservation in the faithfulness of God. Because Adonai is our shepherd, we lack nothing. I close with this. One of the hymn writers, Fanny Crosby, penned the words, All the Way My Savior Leads Me, and I think it sums up our passage well. We can substitute shepherd for savior to help us think about this psalm. Listen to these marvelous words. All the way my shepherd leads me, what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, hereby faith in him to dwell. For I know what e'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well. For I know what e'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well. All the way my shepherd leads me, cheers each winding path I tread, gives me grace for every trial, feeds me with the living bread. Though my weary steps may falter, and my soul a thirst may be, gushing from the rock before me, lo, a spring of joy I see. All the way my shepherd leads me. Oh, the fullness of his love. Perfect rest to me is promised in my father's house above. When my spirit, clothed immortal, wings its flight to realms of day, this my song through endless ages, Jesus led me all the way. This my song through endless ages, Jesus led me all the way. Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word and for Psalm 23 today. Thank you that you care for us, that you strengthen us, that you equip us for everything we need, that your presence is with us even in the depth of the darkness of the valley, and that ultimately we will return home to be with you in glory, and not even the valley can keep us from that. Thank you, Lord, for your great grace. Help us to trust you, to delight in you, to be satisfied by you every step of the way, filled with gratefulness and praise for your sufficient care for us. You are our shepherd and we truly lack nothing. Thank you for all these things, Lord. Keep us looking for that day when you come on the clouds to take us home. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Loved ones, I just want to close out our time by encouraging you with a blessing from the Lord, taken from the end of Hebrews. Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You are dismissed.