Transcript

On Wednesday night, March 26, 1862, Dr. Joseph Gilmore, a young 28-year-old preacher, was invited to speak at First Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was filling the pulpit for the pastor, who was out of town that night.

Later, he gave this testimony about that evening service: “I set out to give the people an exposition of the 23rd Psalm, which I had given before on three or four occasions.

“But this time I did not get further than the words ‘He Leadeth Me.’ Those words took hold of me as they had never done before, and I saw them in a significance and wondrous beauty of which I had never dreamed.

“It was the darkest hour of the Civil War…which may subconsciously have led me to realize that God’s leadership is the one significant fact in human experience, that it makes no difference how we are led, or whither we are led, so long as we are sure God is leading us.

“At the close of the meeting, a few of us in the parlor of my host…kept on talking about the thought I had emphasized. Then and there, on a blank page of the brief from which I had intended to speak, I penciled a hymn, talking and writing at the same time, then handed it to my wife and thought no more about it.

“She sent it to a paper published in Boston. Later, I went to Rochester, New York, to preach as a candidate at a church. Going into their chapel on arrival in the city, I picked up a hymnal to see what they were singing, and opened it to my own hymn:

He leadeth me, O blessed thought! O words with heav’nly comfort fraught! Whate’er I do, where’er I be, Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me. He leadeth me, He leadeth me, By His own hand He leadeth me; His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth me.

When the First Baptist Church building of Philadelphia at the busy Broad and Arch intersection was demolished in 1926, it was replaced by a large office building.

In the corner of that building was placed a bronze plaque containing the words of the first verse of “He Leadeth Me.”

Psalm 23:1-2: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

Psalm 23 was written by King David. Its shepherd theme no doubt grew out of his own experiences as a shepherd in his younger days.

Later in Psalms, we read, “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes great with young He brought him to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance” (78:70-71).

Psalm 23 has two main characters: the Shepherd and his sheep. It also has three main ideas: first, the Shepherd provides, in verses 1-3; second, the Shepherd protects, in verses 4-5; and third, the Shepherd preserves, in verse 6.

The Psalm is written to Israel within her covenant relationship with God as His chosen people and His sheep. Psalm 95:7 states this of the Lord and Israel, “For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”

For us today, the Church, the Body of Christ, this well-known Psalm contains many comforting principles of truth for us who are the people of God under grace.

Romans 15:4 applies well to it: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

As David thought about God, the God of Israel, he thought about his personal relationship with God, and by the inspiration of the Spirit, he made the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep. The Lord was like a shepherd to David, and David was like a sheep to Him.

The vantage point of the psalm is written from the perspective of the sheep, not that of the shepherd. And so from that vantage point, verse 1 reads, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

The word “Lord” refers to Jehovah God, the eternal One. There is great condescension and grace in this; it extraordinary that the Lord God assumes toward His people the office and character of a Shepherd.

In Israel, as in other ancient societies and cultures, being a shepherd and doing a shepherd’s work was considered one of the lowest of all labors.

If a family needed a shepherd, it was usually the youngest son. This was the case with David, who got this assignment in his youth. He was the low man on the totem pole of the family of Jesse.

But Jehovah God is our shepherd, David says. The great and humble God of the universe has stooped out of His love to be like a shepherd in His care for you and me.

He is so much greater than us and yet He is a shepherd to us. And He is ours, and with David, God’s people can say, He is “my” shepherd. The Lord is powerful, and He is personal. He is majestic, and He is mine.

Charles Spurgeon said: “The sweetest words of the whole [Psalm] is that monosyllable, my. He does not say, The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as His flock. If He be a shepherd to no one else, He is a Shepherd to me.

“He cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. The words are in the present tense. Whatever be the believer’s position, he is even now under the care of Jehovah God…”

The immediate and necessary conclusion of the fact that “the Lord is my shepherd” is that “I shall not want,” or I cannot lack for anything; I need nothing more than what He gives.

In Deuteronomy 2:7, Israel was reminded how God had been a faithful shepherd to her during their 40 years in the wilderness: For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”

David knew that the lot of any sheep depended on the love and care of their master. A human shepherd might be careless or ineffective, but not the Lord. He, the living, all-wise, all-powerful God, overlooks nothing in His care for us. He is always there for us.

Overwhelmingly, the idea behind the Lord’s role as a shepherd is of loving care and concern. David found great comfort and security in the thought that God cared for him like a shepherd cared for his sheep.

Sheep do not just take care of themselves. It’s been said that “They require, more than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous care.”

Sheep are DEPENDENT animals who must be guided to food and water. They often need to be rescued when they strav, get lost, or find themselves in perilous situations, and they need the shepherd’s care when they are hurt or sick.

They are also DEFENSELESS animals who need constant oversight and protection from wild animals. Sheep cannot survive alone in the wild but must be accompanied by a shepherd to watch over them.

But for God’s people and His sheep, we shall not want with the Lord as our Shepherd. He always faithfully guides, watches over, cares, and provides.

As the Apostle Paul told the Body of Christ in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

In verses 2-4, David describes those things for which he, as God’s sheep, will never lack.

He first stated that “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” As you observe the Psalm as a whole, you find that each verse is broken into two parts, such as you see here.

Speaking of the things a sheep needs, but shall not be in want of because the Lord is our shepherd, David says that the Lord “maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”

As a shepherd leads sheep to fresh grass for feeding, so the Lord leads His people to green pastures. One who follows the Lord does not want or lack spiritual nourishment, and the nourishment for our souls comes from the Word of God.

Ezekiel 34:15 states, “I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.” Thus, after being led to the green pastures, the sheep would lie down to rest after having been fed.

Notice that the shepherd “maketh” His sheep to lie down. Sometimes, for the good of the sheep, the shepherd would institute forced rest periods for his sheep.

Philip Keller writes this, “Sheep do not lie down easily and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid, they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are social animals, they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep.

“If flies or parasites trouble them, they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry, they will not lie down. Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.”

A German Shepherd and a Sheep are talking out in the field and get into an argument. The German Shepherd says, “What do you mean I’m too controlling?!” And the sheep responded, “You herd me.” Sheep need to be herded and led.

And after being fully fed in the green pastures, David wrote, “He leadeth me beside the still waters.”

The words “he leadeth,” literally mean to lead gently, that He gently guides me. Cattle can be driven, but not sheep; they must be led.

And the Lord GENTLY leads His sheep. That’s a beautiful picture of the Lord’s tenderness and kindness toward His people. He is patient and gentle with us as He leads us. I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to follow Him.

Sheep by nature are afraid of running water and fast-flowing streams and will refuse to drink unless everything is still and quiet. Shepherds would even have to divert a rushing river to make a still and peaceful pool for their sheep to drink from.

But the Lord, the Shepherd, out of His care, gently leads His sheep by still waters. And this still, calm water is a picture of the peace that the Shepherd leads His sheep into.

The Lord told Israel in Isaiah 30:15 that “in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” With the Lord, there is true peace, “which passeth all understanding.”

By His personal presence with us, leading and guiding and in control, we can experience His peace and strength at all times, even in the midst of turmoil.

And speaking of leading unto water, Revelation 7:17 says this of those who believe and die as martyrs during the Tribulation and are in heaven with Him, “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, AND SHALL LEAD THEM UNTO LIVING FOUNTAINS OF WATERS: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Psalm 23:3-4: “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Restoring our soul means when our souls are exhausted, wearied, troubled, anxious, and worn down by life, He encourages and puts life and energy into us. He gives spiritual renewal, refreshment, and joy. And He does this by His Word.

Psalm 119:25 reads, “My SOUL cleaveth unto the dust: quicken [or revive] Thou me according to Thy Word.”

The word “restoreth” means to bring back to a former or normal state, to make new, recover, retrieve. So the phrase also speaks of wandering off and being recovered and retrieved.

That’s what a shepherd does with sheep who are careless, curious, and prone to wander, get lost and unable to find their way back, and find themselves in perilous situations; they need to be sought out, recovered, brought back, and restored.

Our Lord spoke of sheep like this in Matthew 18:12: “How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?”

And so when our souls begin to wander away from Him to a place of peril, the Shepherd, can and will lovingly seek, find, restore, and bring us back to Him.

And then “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake,” He puts us on the right path with Him.

Guidance is recognized as one of the principle tasks of the shepherd. As verse 2 shows, He leads his sheep to places of nourishment and rest, but verse 3 shows that he also leads them in the proper paths.

Life is not just a pasture for the sheep to lie down in, but also a road for them to walk on. The shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness in life.

The second time David writes, “He leadeth,” he doesn’t use the same Hebrew word as in verse 2. The first word meant to lead gently. This second time, it’s a more forceful leading, a guidance with governing and constraining, keeping one on the right path.

The leadership of the shepherd not only comforted and restored David; He also guided him into righteousness in the paths of righteousness.

One of the assurances David is confident that he will never lack is the leading of God in his life. The Lord is always there leading and guiding.

And He does so “for His name’s sake,” meaning that His leading and care for us will never waver or cease. For His name’s sake and reputation as a good, loving, and faithful shepherd, He will never give up on us or stop caring for and leading His own.

And as He guides and we walk on the path He faithfully leads us on in life, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.”

The pronouns change at this point of the Psalm, from “He” to “Thou,” or You. David turns from speaking about the Shepherd to speaking to the Shepherd.

In verses 1-3, the sheep are in the sunshine. In verse 4, they’re in the shadows. God not only guides us through pleasant times, but also through the dark seasons of life.

As the Lord’s sheep are being led to grassy pastures and calm waters, they must often pass through dark and dangerous places too.

The picture here is of the shepherd leading his sheep through rocky ravines and narrow valleys with long shadows across the trail, frightening the flock.

Within these threatening environments lurk predatory animals waiting to ambush their prey, and in this instance with a flock of sheep, they desire some fresh lamb shanks and mutton legs.

This valley of darkness represents any difficult experience of life that makes us fearful, and this includes death.

Notice that we walk “through” the valley of the shadow of death. It’s not our final destination or dwelling place. And with death, we go thru the darkness into the brightness on the other side, through the gloom into the glory.

1 Corinthians 15:55 reminds us that the Savior has removed the sting of death and won the victory over it, and only the shadow of death remains for us. And a shadow, while it can look fearful, it cannot hurt or destroy us who are in Christ.

And we are assured from God’s Word that when we pass through that valley we will go directly into God’s presence, and further, one day, like Christ, our bodies will be raised.

The Lord leads us everywhere we go, and even in the ominous valley of death or any dark valley and circumstance of life, because He is always with us, we can fear no evil.

David could face “the valley of the shadow of death” because, as he said, “for Thou art with me.” Even in a fearful place, the presence of the Shepherd banished the fear of evil. And He is always with us, always leading us, and He will never leave us or forsake us.

And thus, as we face our inevitable deaths one day and walk through this valley, we need not fear this enemy because the Lord will be right there with us.

Henry Blackaby wrote, “Life is full of shadows. There is evil out there. There are dangers. There are frightening valleys where the mountains block out the light. Death casts a shadow of fear across life. But Jesus, your Good Shepherd, will walk with you through the valleys. He’ll dispel the shadows of fear because He is the Light.”

Going through this dark valley with the evil lurking of predatory animals, David wrote that “Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”

The rod was a heavy stick or club worn in the shepherd’s belt with which he could hit or throw it at an attacking beast to stun or kill it.

The “staff” was the shepherd’s crook with which he could use to assist an individual sheep, by putting it around its neck or leg and pulling it away from its attacker.

The shepherd’s presence and being equipped with these items of protection to ward off predators gave comfort to David as he walked through the dark, shadowy valley. And he knew that the Lord would rise up in defense of His sheep always.

And out of His love for His sheep, to protect them, He would even die for them. As Christ put it in John 10:11-15:

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

“The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep….and I lay down my life for the sheep” (10:11-15).

Psalm 23:5-6: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

Still referring to the Shepherd and His sheep, David uses a common expression to describe what a shepherd does to “prepare a pasture.”

Flat places in the hill country were called tables. And the shepherd would often have his sheep graze on these flat mesas, or tablelands.

But before letting the sheep feed, the shepherd would inspect the area for poisonous plants and make sure no predators, or enemies of the sheep, were prowling around.

The sheep could eat from this tableland “in the presence of mine enemies,” or even though there were predators nearby perhaps even watching them, because the shepherd was doing His job, faithfully watching over and protecting them. Being with the Lord who is our shepherd, even in the midst of our enemies, there is perfect peace.

The Lord is always watching over us even as we live and serve in the midst of enemies who are all around us within the spiritual realm.

And as the sheep were on this tableland, verse 5 says, “thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

In ancient Israel, shepherds used oil on their sheep for a couple of things. First, bugs. The kind shepherd would pour oil on the heads of their sheep as a bug repellant to keep the flies and insects away.

Second, they used oil as an ointment for wounds. Sheep would get cuts and scratches on their faces from walking among or finding food among thorns, thistles, and branches, and they would also receive abrasions from walking in rocky places. The shepherd would apply oil to their heads to prevent infection and help the healing process.

As the shepherd carefully examined each of his sheep with this oil, he carried with him a cup filled with water to give drink to his thirsty sheep.

Ancient wells in Israel have been found with “cups” for the sheep, into which the shepherd would scoop up water from the well to give to his flock. And thus, the sheep’s “cup runneth over” with the abundant blessing of water.

The good and kind shepherd cared for his sheep in every way possible.

And likening himself to a sheep under the care of the Lord who was his Shepherd, who cared for him in every way possible, lacking nothing, David wrote, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

That’s how it is with our relationship with the Lord.

“Surely” is an emphatic expression, meaning truly, certainly, this will take place. And the word “follow” literally means, “to pursue vigorously or to chase after.”

It describes an animal in pursuit. When the Lord is our Shepherd, however, instead of God’s sheep being stalked and pursued by wild beasts, they are pursued by the loving care, goodness, and mercy of the Lord.

These graces pursue and seek us out when we follow the Lord and His leading. They are present with us all the days of our life on earth.

And really, at any time when we look back at our lives and our walk with the Lord, by faith, we can see that goodness and mercy of God that followed after us and that we experienced during the days of our life.

Today is covered, and so is tomorrow. Pursued through all of life by the Lord’s goodness and mercy, we are assured that we will then reach our eternal dwelling place: “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The word “dwell” means “to reside, to settle down and be at home with.”

The temple is called “the house of the Lord” in the Bible, but it was not yet built in David’s day. Although he desired to build the temple, this task was left to his son, Solomon.

The phrase “house of the Lord” here means His presence within “the household of the Lord,” or God’s family. When this life is over, the believer will dwell, or reside, settle down, and be at home with the Lord and with His people forever.

For believing Israel, that will take place within the future eternal kingdom on the earth. For us, the Body of Christ, that will be within heaven above.

Forever, the Lord’s people are safe with Him. As the Lord told Israel in His earthly ministry: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

As you put the whole of Psalm 23 together, you find that beneath me, there are “green pastures.” Beside me are “still waters.” With me always is “my Shepherd.” Before me is “a table” and a “cup.” Around me, “mine enemies.” Upon me, “oil.” Following me, “goodness and mercy.” Beyond me, “The household of the Lord forever.”