14. The Separation from Fear: "I will fear no evil" (23:4c)

Psalm 23:4c

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

    I like what Oswald Chambers said, “When you fear God, you fear nothing else. When you don’t fear God, you fear everything else.”

    The name I go by literally means fear, “timos,” the Greek word from which we get words such as timidity or intimidation. But my full name, Timothy, means fear of God, with the latter part coming from the word “theos.” Without God, I am simply afraid. Just like my full name, today’s and tomorrow’s devotional are intrinsically related--fear and the presence of God.

    The basis for our ability to not be afraid is the presence of God, and yet in the first instance of fear, the reaction was to hide from God. “I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Gen. 3:10). Adam was afraid not because he was naked but because he realized he was naked. And his solution was to hide from God, obviously out of shame because of his sin.

    Standing without pretense, or “naked”, before God is the only solution to our fear. Yes, we have sinned, and yes that leaves us exposed, but we should run toward God’s presence in those times, not from Him.

    Franklin Roosevelt said fear itself is the only thing we have to fear, but I disagree. The Bible calls us not to be afraid of sudden fear (Prov. 3:25). The quote from Corrie Ten Boom in the picture today reminds us to trust the engineer, the shepherd, when things get fearful. She also said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”

    Are you looking too much at our world? Are you looking too much within yourself? We cannot help looking a little bit at “fightings and fears, within and without,” but we cannot look to God too much. And the closer we draw to Him, the smaller our fears become.

    The song, “Just as I Am” is known by many, but few know that it was originally published in “The Invalid’s Hymnbook.” Written by Charlotte Elliott, who for most of her life was in such poor health physically that she felt utterly useless to the world and to God’s work. She saw others doing great things for God but she had been physically confined to a sofa in her living room at for much of her 45 years in Brighton, England. Distressed and depressed, she penned her heart out to God, writing these words to express her limitations…and the sufficiency of a Shepherd who became a Lamb of God.  

Just as I am - without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,

- O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,

Just as I am - though toss’d about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fears within, without, 

Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,

Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

Because Thy promise I believe,

Just as I am - Thy love unknown

Has broken every barrier down;

Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

Just as I am - of that free love

The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,

Here for a season, then above,

- O Lamb of God, I come!

13. The Shadowy Rendezvous with Death "Of The Shadow of Death" (23:4b)

Psalm 23:4b

In Israel there is an actual valley called the shadow of death. Pastor Adrian Rogers description continues, "Even in high noon, it’s always full of shadows.  And there are caves there, and shadowy places there. And in Bible times there were bears there, and hyenas there, and leopards there, and there were robbers, and there were steep places where sheep might fall and it was a frightening place with grotesque shadows on the canyon walls.  And the shepherds had named it the valley of the shadow of death."

Death. There is a singular word for what we use four words to say “the shadow of death.” It is used elsewhere than besides the 23^rd Psalm (Job 24:17; Ps. 44:19, 107:10, 14; Jer. 2:6, and a dozen other places) and we all must go through the “death-Shadow.” Ever since the fall in the garden of Eden, humanity has had a rendezvous with death.

Something about death seems unnatural. We grieve at death and avoid thinking of death, even though 100 percent of all people will die. Adam was told that he would die on the day that he ate the forbidden fruit, and in a spiritual sense we all were born spiritually dead. One reason death is so hard to accept may be because we are made in the image of the immortal God and even the Bible says that God placed eternity on our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). 

Missionary and Writer of the late 20th Century Elisabeth Elliot went through the deaths of two husbands. Also she experienced the sudden deaths of dear friends when her first husband was martyred in Ecuador. Her first husband's death was sudden, unexpected and caused by men. The second husband’s death was slow, anticipated and caused by cancer. Yet both were almost unbearable. She spoke how Psalm 23 comforted her and asked if we all must go through this dark valley, would you rather go through it alone, or with a shepherd who knows every nook and cranny of the shadow of death? She chose to walk through it with the Shepherd.

Shadow.  Shadows require light. Jesus is the light of the world and while one day He will dispel the shadow completely in eternity, until then we can live in the comfort that the shadow of death implies that His light is simply obscured and not obliterated.

Shadows have no substance. Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse said that after his wife died, he was looking for words to comfort his four children on the way home from the funeral. Suddenly a truck passed by and they were covered by the shadow of the truck. “Children, would you rather be run over by a truck or by its shadow?” They replied the shadow, of course. He explained that 2,000 years ago, the truck of death ran over the Lord Jesus in order that only its shadow might run over us. 

The Good Shepherd has delivered us from death. John 10:11 says, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

For believers, death is actually a release from sin’s curse. While we may pass in and out of the shadow of death in this life, one day, we will eventually face our own death. Hebrews 9:27 says “And as it is appointed to all humanity once to die, and after this comes the judgment.” The inevitability of our physical death and the following judgment should lead us to make plans for our spiritual life.

Jesus defined eternal life as knowing Him and His heavenly Father (John 17:3). Simply put, “No Jesus, no life. Know Jesus, know life.”

“Thank you Lord for giving your life for me so that I could experience eternal life. I know I can go through Death’s Shadow, because I know You. Thank you for being with me. Amen.

12. Sadness through the Valley: "Yea, though I walk through the Valley" (23:4a)

Psalm 23:4a 

                Continuing from yesterday, Adrian Rogers said of the literal valley located in Israel called "The Valley of the Shadow of Death"


“...But over the centuries (a river) has cut a ravine, a chasm, if you will, a little Grand Canyon, in those Judean hills.  It starts up there and it flows down, down, down, down, down 1300 feet below sea level to the Dead Sea.  This ravine, this canyon, is called the valley of the shadow of death because it is so narrow that at the bottom in some places it’s only about 12 feet wide. …”

A shadow can be threatening, even scary, but in all reality
a shadow has no substance. In fact, the very presence of
a shadow means that somewhere, there is a light.

     There is a little word at the beginning of this verse, in the King James is “yea” and no it is not a cheer like “yea, team!” (I believe that would be “Yay, team, anyway.”) The word in Hebrew is equally short, GAM, and is also translated as “moreover” or “even still.”

     So, after my Shepherd has made me, led me, restored me and led me again, even still I will walk through the valley. In other words, this part of the journey is not unexpected to my Shepherd. Yes, He could lead me away from this valley, but just as he was in charge of the other leading, I must trust Him in this dark portion of my journey.

    The word “though” implies that we will ALL walk through dark valleys. Some translations put it as “even though,” signifying that it’s not a matter of if, but when. We could read the first two words as “Even still and even though.” Without the Shepherd I would not make it through. With the Shepherd, I cannot do otherwise than walk through this valley. He will not leave me alone.

     I will not run through this valley, and neither will I stop and give up. I shall walk through this part of my journey. It is a process, a vital part of my growth. All of my paths thus far have led me to trust Him and now my path is a point of what Henry Blackaby would call a “crisis of belief.” Do I really trust my Shepherd?

     I will not run through nor run from this valley. I will not stop, delay nor avoid this valley. I will walk, without pensive or frantic urgency nor complacent denial. I will walk but not alone. I know this valley is not the end of my journey, it is a passage. “This too shall pass.”

     As a sheep on this journey for now 54 years and about 45 years with the Shepherd, I have found my growth and confidence in my Shepherd does not grow in the pastures, nor on the mountains but in the valleys. Growth occurs in the valley, not on the mountaintops.

"Gracious Shepherd, I glorify You because I know that your leading will never take me beyond your grace will keep me. I will walk through any valley as long as I know You are with me." 

Part 3 -- Lessons from the Valley (Psalm 23:4-5)

Psalm 23:4

      There really is an actual valley called “the shadow of death.”  Adrian Rogers said, “There is a valley called the valley of the shadow of death.  If you were to go there you could seek it out.  It starts up between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, up about 2,700 feet above sea level.  And there is a little spring that comes out of the hillside there.  And it starts a little rivulet.  And sometimes it’s full of water and the water cascades down.  Sometimes there’s only a trickle that goes through it.” 

A valley occurs because water cuts through it,

leaving the fertile remnants of the river’s journey to feed the soil.

23 LESSONS FROM THE 23RD PSALM

PART 3

Yea, 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.

     We have reached the halfway point of the psalm and it takes a turn for the dark. There are words of shadows and death, of evil and fear. Darkness is just as much a part of God’s creation as light. He can use the evil for His glory just as He can the good.

     As we look at part three of the 23^rd psalm, we will see six parts in a single verse, the sheep’s walk, death’s shadow, the sheep’s fearlessness, the Shepherd’s presence, and the soothing and solace of the Shepherd’s protection and correction.

     One of the greatest aspects of being a Christian is how God uses bad, even evil, and turns it around for Gods good and glory. Most clearly in the Old Testament, we see it in the life of Joseph, whose brothers sold him into slavery, and yet God used it for good for deliverance.

     In the New Testament, we see God redeeming the worst event in all of history, the death of the only begotten Son of God, and turning it around for the best event in all of humanity—the resurrection of the one and only Son of Man.

     This truth, and this fourth verse of the 23^rd Psalm, can best be summarized in the often quoted but never fully explored depth of the verse found in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

     As we approach the season of the celebration of the resurrection of the Son of God, let us pledge anew to learn the lessons from the lengthening days of Lent and the shortening hours of darkness. Among those lessons are that light dispels darkness and evil can never extinguish good. While Satan and his power is great, God is greater still.

     And while the last and final enemy is death, “Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” And He will reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.  One day, this corruptible body and world will be clothed with incorruption; someday, this mortal will be fully dress with immortality. Therefore we ask, confidently knowing the answer, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” ¹  

     And the answer is found in the empty tomb.

“Father, as I enter into this week  of looking at verse 4 of the Shepherd’s Psalm, let me pray as Jesus taught me to pray, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”

¹ See 1 Cor. 15:20-55

11. The Sake of His Reputation: "for His name's sake" (23:3c)

Psalm 23:3c

Why do parents get so much pride and joy out of their children and now I am finding out of our grandchildren? True I raised them, but they are the ones who are studying, working, succeeding and yes sometimes stumbling (of course that’s when they become Melissa’s kids!). And yet I enjoy their joys and am sad at their sorrows. It’s in the fine print or even the unwritten part of the contract, I suppose, of being a parent (wait! There’s a contract?!).  

So it is and so much more in being a child of God. What I do as a sheep of my Shepherd reflects on His name and His reputation. True, He is holy and nothing I do adds to or takes away from His holiness. But how I obey is just as related to His name’s sake just in the same way that when our children do well, I feel honored and when they are not doing well, I feel burdened. 

That’s why the Shepherd leads me on righteousness paths: For HIS name’s sake. For me, obedience restores my soul, but it is for His glory. “For… Your name’s sake lead me, and guide me” (Psalms 31:3). You see, God seeks a relationship and not a religion, but that relationship means that my actions relate to Him. Jesus used a sheep falling into a pit to show our relationship is more important than obeying God out of legalism.  

Matt. 12:11-12 says, “¹¹Then He said to them, ‘What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ ” 

Religious works doesn’t save us. It is for His name’s sake that He saved us. His forgiveness is His mark on His sheep, signifying we are His. “For Your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity for it is great.” (Psalm 25:11 and Psalm 79:9). John wrote his first epistle to tell his friends that we are forgiven for the sake of His great name.  “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven, for His name’s sake.” (1 John 2:12).  

If our salvation is for His name’s sake, what is the purpose of our good works? Also for His name’s sake! “For My name’s sake you have labored and not fainted.” (Revelation 2:3). In fact, just about everything God does, from answering our prayers (2 Chronicles 6:32) to even not forsaking us (1 Samuel 12:22), is for His glory, His reputation.

But watch this: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Do you see what He did there? We are called by His name. We are joint heirs with Christ. When Christ died, He included us in His last will and testament. That’s why we call it the New Testament. His Great Name is our inheritance.

Lord Jesus, lead me so that I may glorify You for Your name’s sake. In the NAME of JESUS CHRIST I pray. Amen

10. The Steps of Righteousness: "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness" (23:3b)

Psalm 23:3b

¹ The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Baptist pastor and professor F.B. Meyer referred to Psalm 23 as the psalm of psalms, and that “This psalm speaks in language that the universal heart of man can comprehend. It exercises a spell that can charm away the griefs that bid a bold defiance to philosophy and mirth… It is an oasis in the desert…it is one of the most holy places in the temple of Scripture.” 

The Shepherd leads beside the still waters for my soul’s restoration and by the paths of righteousness are for His Name’s sake.

I am born in sin, walking in paths of unrighteousness. Like sheep, I am prone to wander by my very nature. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 

I am born again to walk in paths of righteousness. The Lord who is my shepherd searched for me and when He found me, He bore me on His shoulders and carried me home. Luke 15:6 says, “And when the shepherd came home, he called together his friends and neighbors, and said them, ‘Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.’” 

A New Path. I am born again to walk on new paths. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6). I am born again by faith to walk by faith, based on God’s word. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.” (Colossians 2:6 with 1 Peter 1:23). Being born again is not just about a new life, it is also about a new way of life; it is a walk on a new path. It is called “the washing of regeneration” and “the renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).  

As a result of my restored soul, my paths have changed. True sheep put their faith in the Shepherd, placing their trust so deeply that their actions naturally follow what they truly believe. That’s why Jesus said unbelief shown by not following is a sign of not being His sheep. “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” (John 10:26).  

A new produce. True sheep follow in the path of the Shepherd. A shepherd who has a wandering sheep may have to break its leg so that it will stay close to the shepherd and to the flock. Adversities bring me closer to the shepherd and also to the right paths. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). 

Using a different analogy in John 15, Jesus said “I am the true vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away (lifts up); and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” A branch on the ground will not bear fruit and must be taken or lifted up. Even fruit bearing branches must be pruned so to bring forth fruits of righteousness, a new produce. 

A new people. True sheep hear his voice with a tender heart. We are now His people and I am a new person, no longer with a hardened heart but a hearing heart.  “For he is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart…” (Psalm 95:7-8)

“Dear Lord, make a walk on new paths of righteousness. I’ve been down the other road and I don’t like where it leads. Bear new fruit in me and help me live my new life hearing your voice ringing in my ears. Amen.”

9. The Soul's Restoration: "He restoreth my soul" (23:3a)

Psalm 23:3a

Phillip Keller, a shepherd and author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, says, "It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance. Yet despite these adverse characteristics, Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own and delights in caring for us."

What is the “soul” and why would it need to be restored? The soul is a part of the “human trinity” of my body, soul, and spirit. 1 Thess. 5:23 says that all three need to be sanctified and preserved completely. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Good Shepherd does not restore the souls of those who do not belong to Him. He only returns what was once at a better place, close to the Shepherd’s heart. A person who is not saved cannot have a restoration of soul, unless he first is saved. 

    I spoke with a brother in Christ today who was clearly and admittedly agitated and irritated. What's worse, I was the cause for his irritation. What was even worse than that, I saw myself and my easily troubled and unrestored emotions of irritations in him. In fact, if truth be told, the worst of all is, I have acted far worse than he did and I told him so. My soul, even though saved, needs to be restored from time to time. But God cannot restore something that has never been stored in the first place.

My soul can be redeemed or reclaimed by God from danger, either physical or spiritual harm (see Ps. 49:15, 34:22, 55:18, 69:18, Ps 71:23). It can be instructed (Ps. 13:2, 19:7, 139:14) and is the seat of my appetites, desires, emotions, and personality. Therefore my soul can be “cast down” (Ps. 42:5-6, 11) or sad (Ps. 35:12) or happy (see Ps 35:9, 86:4) or vain (Ps 24:4, Ps 34:2) or patient (Ps 33:20).

A shepherd counts and looks for his sheep not only because they wander off, but because they can often become physically cast down and unable to get back up. Without the help of a shepherd, they might never upright themselves and die within hours.

Shepherds are not the only ones who look for cast down sheep. Predators do as well. Jesus said to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.” Paul also spoke of wolves entering into the church. Acts 20:29 “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”

A restored soul will journey beside restful waters on a righteous way and that is why the soul’s restoration is placed between two commands to follow the leading shepherd. Let God and God alone lead your mind, will, and emotions.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You Lord for saving my soul,

Thank You Lord for making me whole

Thank You Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free

Amen.*

All this month we are looking at the most beloved psalm and the most quoted chapter in all of the Bible, the 23rd Psalm. If you would like to subscribe daily, put your email in the upper right box.              

*Words by Bill and Gloria Gaither

Part 2: The Soul’s Submission to His Leading (verse 3)

Part 2: Restoring the Soul

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul. 
He leads me in the paths of righteousness 
for His name’s sake.

23 LESSONS FROM THE 23RD PSALM

PART 2: LESSONS 9-11

W.A. Criswell said, “ ‘He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ First the man is accepted. He is restored, “He restoreth my soul.” That’s first, then the works that God we pray will bless. It is so in the tabernacle and in the temple. First is the altar, the sacrifice, the atonement for sins and then the door into the house of God, into the sanctuary of the Lord. First the man is atoned for. First he is accepted. Then he approaches God.”

     The Soul’s Restoration. “He restores my soul” (v. 3a). My soul can be restored! How? What does that mean? Notice what bookends this part of the psalm--Before: “He leads beside the still waters.” After: “He leads me in paths of righteousness.”

     In the middle of the two acts of His beckoning call to follow Him is the very act of God’s restoration within my soul. Twice I am told to follow His leadership because He will be leading me to restore the very essence of my being! 

     The Shepherd’s Leading. Before we get to Lesson 9, let us look at a real-life story about what it means to be led by Christ. 

“He Leadeth Me, He Leadeth Me.” 

     On March 26th, 1862, in the midst of the heaviest fighting of the Civil War, a young man fresh out of theological school, was supply preaching at the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. At the mid-week service, Joseph Gilmore taught on the 23^rd Psalm.

     He later wrote, “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.”

     Gilmore spoke of how God’s leadership and our submission is the one significant fact in human experience, that it makes no difference how we are led, or where we are led to, as long as we are sure that God is leading us. After the meeting, Pastor Gilmore penciled the following words

He leadeth me, O blessed thought! /
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!

Whatever I do, wherever I be /
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom, /
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,

By waters still, over troubled sea, /
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done, / 

When by Thy grace the victory’s won,

Even death’s cold wave I will not flee, /
Since God through Jordan 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.

     Unknown to him, his wife took the words he wrote, sent it to a Boston paper and William B. Bradbury set it to music. About three years later, Gilmore went to Rochester, New York, to preach as a candidate before the Second Baptist Church. Going into their chapel, Gilmore casually wondered what the church would be singing. He opened the hymnal and was shocked to see his own words there, written quickly yet identically to how it was printed on the pages before him.

     Is your soul in need of restoration, of healing? Perhaps when you submit to His leading, healing will occur. Tomorrow we will discuss more of the soul's restoration.

Lord, I will place my hand in Thine,
and never murmur nor repine;

I will be content, whatever lot I see, 

Since it is You, my God, Who leadeth me.

Amen.

All this month we are looking at the most beloved psalm and the most quoted chapter in all of the Bible, the 23rd Psalm. If you would like to subscribe daily, put your email in the upper right box.

8. The Serenity of His Rest: “beside the still waters” (23:2d)

Psalm 23:2d

Our Pastor, Dr. Randy Wallace, used the 23rd Psalm to talk with the preschoolers last Sunday night and it reminded me how versatile this psalm is...children memorize it and yet it is one of the most used verses at the funerals. It is perhaps why Phillip Keller, a shepherd and author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, says, “It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance. Yet despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own and delights in caring for us.” Today we look at the still waters.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

     Restful waters. The waters are not just still, they are what I call “resting waters.” In nearly every other location in the Old Testament, the word used for “still” is translated “rest.” (see blueletterbible.org). 

     Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). If I am uptight about things of this world, I need to remember that is not God's will for me. 

     This is not just a “New Testament” revelation. God has always wanted me to be at rest. One day a week He calls me to “rest”. After all, He created Adam and Even in a garden! The same word for “still” waters is also used in Isa. 32:17 “the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” Our dwelling place is to be at rest; our habitation is to be peaceful. 

     Isaiah 28:12 says, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshing...”  but then the verse ends with “yet they would not hear.” O stubborn sheep, hear this today! O foolish lamb, listen to My Shepherd and follow His leading to those restful waters. 

     Relaxing Waters. Sheep will not go to rapidly running water. Even if their short legs could help them in swimming, their wooly coats would soon weigh them down. The phrase, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you” is seen in the fact that a good shepherd will gently lead his sheep alongside calm waters. 

     Refreshing Waters. Neither will my Shepherd allow me to drink from stagnant, putrid waters. Without a strong sense of smell, a sheep will not care from what waters he drinks. Keller writes, “When sheep are thirsty, they become restless and set out in search of water to satisfy their thirst. If not led to the good water supplies of clean, pure water, they will often end up drinking from the polluted pot holes.” 

    Do you have a spiritual sheep nose? When thirsty do you go to just any water? Let the Shepherd lead you to resting, relaxing, refreshing waters.

“Shepherd, I am Thine, Thou dost befriend me,
be the guardian of my way;
Keep Thy flock from sin, defend me;
seek me when I go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear O hear me when I pray. Amen.” 

All this month we are looking at the most beloved psalm and the most quoted chapter in all of the Bible, the 23rd Psalm. If you would like to subscribe daily, put your email in the upper right box.