And so we turn this evening in our Bibles to Psalm 23 in the Old Testament, page 862 in the Pew edition Bible. A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. 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 love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Congregation, this is the word of the Lord. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our Lord endures forever. Please keep your Bibles open as we look together at Psalm 23, unless you've committed it to memory, which perhaps many of you have done so. But we'll look together as we walk through this text tonight. Brothers and sisters, in our Lord Jesus Christ, I think one of the dangers of having a text like this from Psalm 23 is it's a text that's so familiar. It's so familiar that we often take it for granted. The language is familiar. It's what we know, what we've learned as children already, many of us at least. What is this poem? What is this song about? It's a statement of confidence. It's a confession of trust. It is David singing before the Lord of the Lord's care for him and the Lord's provision for him. And so tonight we're going to look at this psalm in terms of the two major images that are found in the psalm itself. The first is the imagery of the shepherd, verses one through four. That metaphor, God is my shepherd, the Lord is my shepherd, what does that mean? Why does David speak this way? And then the second imagery is the imagery of David as a guest. So the imagery transfers from David as a sheep of God's own flock to David who is a host in the presence of the Lord, seated at a table where God is serving him. Again, the question is, why that imagery? What's that meant to convey to us? How does this minister to us today? So let's look briefly at those two things this evening. Of course, when we're talking about poetry, we know that poetry relies heavily upon imagery, verbal imagery, meant to strike up a memory, convey an image to us, convey a message. And think of all the ways that God is described in the Psalms. I won't call upon you tonight by name, but I want you to think about your own recollection of the Psalms and how God is depicted. God is a rock. God is a fortress. God is the great bird who covers us with his wings. And those things are not to be taken literally, it's imagery. God is our guide. He's our protector. He's the organizer. He's the healer, the physician. He's also the one who disciplines. You heard that tonight, by the way, in Psalm 71, didn't you? Where the psalmist reflects upon God's provision throughout the psalmist's life, even in times of bitterness and hardship. God has brought him through these things. It's not as though God simply said, well, there's nothing I can do about this. But it's the idea that God, though he's not the author of sin, he brings us through times of difficulty and pain in order that we may see more clearly, that we may feel more personally the comfort of his grace. Isn't that true? This is about contentment, this psalm. And contentment here should not be understood as simply escaping difficult situations. It's comfort, it's rest, it's strength in the face of even the shadow of death. It's remarkable. Literally, that's what the word comfort means. Comforte, with strength. The Lord is here my shepherd. David, of course, knew all about the imagery of the shepherd, the life of the shepherd. He was the shepherd boy, you remember. The youngest of Jesse's sons, he was the one, remember, who his father said, well, certainly it can't be my boy out in the field, young David. Surely one of my older sons must be the one who's going to be appointed as king. They're more handsome. They're more well-known. They're older sons. You want my son, David? But David knew the life of a shepherd. The shepherd's life was bound up with the life of his sheep. He lived among the sheep. He often would sleep at night among his sheep. And in particular, there are two things that stand out with the imagery of shepherd. First, there is provision. and that's conveyed very clearly in our text, but there's also protection. A good shepherd is one who will feed his flock with good things. He'll make sure that they don't go thirsty, that they aren't starving, but he also protects them. He protects them from predators. He protects them from things that are dangerous, the cliff that they might fall over. And the Lord is that kind of shepherd. He provides, of course, with his material gifts, but I think David here is thinking the Lord providing with his grace. David could look back upon his life just as you and I can look back upon our lives and say the Lord has provided. It may not have been what I asked for or even what I desired at the time, but the Lord has been good. The Lord is good all the time. And therefore, he says, I shall not be in want. That's how the NIV puts it. I shall lack nothing. No good thing, elsewhere the psalmist says, no good thing does he withhold from those who put their trust in him. And that's the key, isn't it, to this psalm. David is calling the reader. He's calling the congregation here tonight, us as God's people, to express the same kind of confidence and trust in the Lord. And so really the question I have to ask you tonight as we read and as we sing this psalm is, can you honestly say to the world and to the Lord, can you say, Because God is my shepherd, my provider, my protector. Because he is that, I know that I shall never be in want. I shall never lack anything. Can you say that? I think we have to admit that oftentimes we complain, we groan inwardly. We resent the hardships that we are given, but David says, trust in the Lord. He is your shepherd. He cares for you. He loves you. How so? He makes me lie down in green pastures. By the way, many scholars believe that David writes this reflecting upon his own experience of having to flee from an enemy pursuing him. whether it was Saul or some other enemy. David experienced that. How many of us can say, I've experienced it where someone was out to kill me, literally, and I had to flee for my life. I didn't know how I was going to make it, but I trusted that God would provide for me. So when I'm traveling through the wilderness, David can say, God led me to the place where I could drink freely. and have green pastures. He leads beside quiet water. Some say this is maybe a reflection of David upon the experience of Israel in the wilderness on the way to the promised land. God protecting them during the day with a cloud and leading them with a fire at night. God bringing bread from heaven. God protecting his people from their enemies so long as They put their trust in him. Remember, on the occasion of the people of Israel making the golden calf, the Lord's anger, it says, was kindled. He became so angry, he told Moses, I would just as soon depart from these people, these wicked people. And Moses pleads with him, do not leave us, for if you leave us, we perish. This is the Lord who leads graciously, powerfully, wisely. Notice verse three, he restores my soul. The imagery there or the language is meant to convey, he gives me inward strength. You can think of that as building up that person, David, in terms of his own faith, but you can also think about it as contentment, peace, Elsewhere, the psalmist can talk about being able to lie down at night and sleep. Do you know how often the Bible speaks of that, particularly the Psalms, of the godly man being able to sleep peaceably at night because he has pushed away the anxiety, the worries that trouble his mind. He puts his cares into the hands of the Lord. Many of us, myself included, often find that hard to do. We regurgitate the troubles of the day or the troubles that we think we're going to face in the days ahead, don't we? But David says, when you learn to trust in God as your shepherd, as your leader, You can rest in peace. You can lie down and sleep the sleep of the righteous. But he also goes on to say, he guides me in paths of righteousness. It's language that's picked up, not only in the Psalms, but in Proverbs, that God leads us in the right way. That's, I think, the idea here is that God knows what he's doing. God knows where he is leading you. It may not seem to you at that moment that it's the path that's best for you. It's the path, perhaps, that you don't want to go on. But the Lord leads you through that, through those right paths, trusting in Him, listening to His Word, being submissive to His will, And the promise time and time again in the scriptures, in Proverbs in particular, is that those who put their trust in the Lord's leading in that regard, who are not defiant, who do not ridicule or scoff his will, but who trust. Again, there's the idea of being humble enough to trust his leading, that if you do that, he will take you where you need to go. Is that so? Is that really so? Well, David says, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. We often think of valleys as beautiful things, don't we, if we travel? You see all sorts of beautiful things in the valley, and yet valleys in the biblical times, in David's day, often can be a place of treachery. It can be a place where great harm can take place, where a person can even die. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I suppose a person could read that or hear that, meditate upon that for a moment and think, oh, this is David the tough guy. David the man's man, Mr. Bravado, right? I will fear no evil because I'm a tough guy, I'm a warrior. No, sure, he's a poet. He was the shepherd boy, but he's a man of war as well. Isn't that what he's saying now? This is not David, as it were, beating his chest saying, well, I'm going to get through it one way or another because I am determined. He says, I will fear no evil, even in the shadow of death, because it is the Lord who leads me. There are many things that people are afraid of. One of the most common is the fear of death. Will I suffer greatly? in the days leading up to my death? Will it be sudden? Will I be able to say goodbye to my family? Will I leave my family with enough for them to continue? That's often a worry for some. What lies beyond this life? What does a person experience upon the moment of death? What takes place? David says, I will fear no evil. Why? For you are with me. For you are with me. It reminds me, if I may share this from my own pastoral experience, it reminds me of my first pastorate at Oak Glen in Lansing. One of my parishioners, a lady in her 70s, a lady who had been a widow for a number of years already, and had worked well beyond 65 because she was concerned, will she have enough for the remainder of her life to survive on, she passed away very suddenly, unexpectedly. And her children did not discover that she had passed away until at least a day, maybe more, after she died. And you can well imagine, if you have any sensibility for your obligation to your parents, you can imagine how a child might feel in that case. There are feelings of guilt, of regret. Why couldn't I have been there with mom when she passed away? Why did she have to die alone? And I sensed among the children that there was a great sense of anxiety about that, guilt about that. And then my pastor said something to me I thought was very insightful. He said, remind them at the funeral, remind them that when Gertie passed away, she was not alone. The Lord was with her. And that's actually how I began the funeral service. I said, you may have thought, and you may feel remorse over the fact that You were not there when your mom passed away and that she had died, as it were, seemingly all alone. But the Lord was with her and the Lord took her from there to himself. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The rod was that cudgel that a shepherd would carry along his waist to beat off adversaries, predators. It was protection. Elsewhere, the Bible speaks, the Psalms in particular speak of the Lord surrounding his people, protecting his people, giving his angels watch over you. Jesus talked about God numbering the hairs of your head and not a hair of your head falling to the ground apart from his will. Is that not a comforting thought? That in every moment of life, God is there. God is there not as the angry supervisor, like big brother watching you with the camera all the time, but he is the shepherd, the father, the one who loves you and tenderly watches over you. so that nothing will happen outside of his will. He speaks also of the staff. Remember that staff was meant to be a walking guide for the shepherd, but also that which pulled the sheep back when they went astray. You think of Luke 15, and you think of the shepherd who leaves behind the 99 sheep to find that one sheep that had gone astray. That's love. That's tenderness. So again, I asked the question and for some of you, perhaps it is a more pertinent question, but then again, we don't always know when the Lord will call us home. Can you say with confidence tonight, should the Lord, should the Lord bring to an end your earthly existence tonight? Can you say with David, I shall not fear? Or facing impending surgery or medical care, or simply growing older. And as we grow older, I know I'm not, I'm surely not the only one who experiences this. Your body does not work like it used to. You don't have the strength and the stamina that you used to. and you start thinking about those things, what will happen when that is taken away from me completely? Can you say, I will not fear. Not because of some bravado, but because you have put your trust in the Lord. That's the first imagery. The second image is that of David now as a guest. in the Lord's house. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Let that sink in for just a moment, okay? Let that sink in for just a moment. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Now, the Bible, of course, teaches that sharing a table is a sign not only of hospitality, but of friendship, of intimacy, So God is not only protector and provider, he is the friend. He is the host. He is the one who loves us deeply. He sets a table before us. He says, come, join the feast. And of course, we see that very clearly in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is the Lord's way of inviting us to a table of his friendship, of his love. You eat, you drink, you live. You see his goodness. But here is a table set before David in the presence of his enemies. It conveys the idea of celebration in the face of victory over the enemy, of crushing the enemy, destroying the enemy. Again, the Lord's Supper makes that very clear as well. What are we celebrating? Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death and hell. David says, I can rejoice in the Lord. I can put my trust in the Lord because he has given victory over my enemies. And we know that, of course, most clearly. most significantly, most gloriously in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is what we celebrate each Lord's Day. You anoint my head with oil, again, a sign of hospitality and friendship. If you've been walking in the desert sun, the heat of the day, What is going to soothe dried, cracked skin? What oil that is poured over the head? And my cup overflows. The Lord is not stingy in giving his grace. It overflows with abundance. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. Let me draw your attention there in verse 6 to those two words, goodness and love. The word love there is the word in Hebrew, chesed. Chesed, which means covenant faithfulness. Older versions of the Bible use the word loving kindness. sure that the Lord's goodness, his disposition to do what is good towards us, and his covenant faithfulness, he says, will follow me. When actually in the Hebrew it says, they will not merely follow, as though they're simply tagging along. I think the original Hebrew conveys something much stronger. It is Surely goodness and loving kindness, covenant faithfulness, shall pursue me. That's the word that's used. These things shall pursue me. They shall pursue you all the days of your life. It's a staggering thought, isn't it, that God's commitment to do what is good for you, to you, in you. His commitment to keep his covenant promise is going to pursue you relentlessly to the very end. All the days of my life. And then he ends with, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We find this theme or this idea in other Psalms as well. Think of Psalm 27, one thing I have requested that I may behold the beauty of the Lord in his tabernacle. The idea here is that David recognizes that Life does not reach its ultimate purpose. It does not find its ultimate meaning. One cannot find ultimate satisfaction until one lives in the presence of God. The great church father, St. Augustine, Put it this way, in his confessions, he says, our hearts are restless, always trying to find satisfaction in things other than God. We try to find satisfaction in our work, in our families, in our possessions, in the pleasures of life, in recreation, all sorts of pursuits, which may be good in themselves, but they are never a substitute to that which gives ultimate satisfaction. He said, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. So when you read Psalm 23, brothers and sisters, when we sing Psalm 23 together, I'd like you to think about those things, and I'd like them to be, as it were, a litmus test of your own heart, your own life, your own commitment to trust in the Lord. Because we know that God not only reveals that he is the good shepherd, the faithful shepherd, but he has made that known to us most clearly, how? In Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who in John chapter 10 says, all the other shepherds who were before me were hirelings. At the moment that any trouble arose, they fled. They were profiteers. They were scandalous. They abandoned the sheep. They did not love the sheep. But then you hear those wonderful words, I am the good shepherd. And why is he the good shepherd? Because the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. So that David in the Old Testament And you and I today can say, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, even though it may loom large, I will fear no evil for you are with me. May God's presence, his loving, protective, providing presence His presence as friend, as his host, as the Lord of our lives, may it comfort and bless you as you journey on the pathway of life. Let us pray. Father, we thank you. that you have not left us to our own devices in this world. With all of its hardships and trials, with all of its disappointments, with all of its uncertainties, we are not left on our own to fend for ourselves. But rather you have shown us the way now in Psalm 23, how we may find satisfaction and contentment by putting our trust in you. Oh, Father, increase our faith by the work of your spirit, so that we may be both humble in your presence, but also emboldened, that we may go out tomorrow and face the world with the assurance that nothing will separate us from your love in Jesus Christ. Father, I pray tonight for those in this congregation who may be coming very near to the end of their journey in this life, who have experienced many years and have seen your hand at work in their lives. May that journey not end with a sigh of exasperation, but with the confidence that comes in knowing that you are with us. And as the apostle Paul says, of those who fall asleep in Jesus Christ, and so we shall forever be with the Lord. Hear our prayer, we ask for Jesus' sake, amen. Let's turn to another rendition of Psalm 23 tonight in response to the word of God, number 40. Very beautiful musical rendition of this Psalm. The Lord, my shepherd holds me within his tender care. We'll stand to sing the three stanzas of number 40.