Message

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Happy Thanksgiving Day! On this Day of thanksgiving we want to study Psalm 23. This is a person’s thankful and happy song to his shepherd God. As you know, thankfulness and happiness cannot be separated. Without thankfulness, one cannot be happy. Have you ever seen a complaining happy person or a thankful unhappy one? Thankfulness and happiness go together, side by side. As we study this Psalm, a Psalm of David, may we learn what we should be thankful for and how to live in this world. First, “The LORD is my shepherd” (1-4). Look at verse 1. “The LORD is my shepherd. I shall not be in want.” These are the leading words of Psalm 23. Here we see a shepherd and sheep relationship between the LORD God and a man, one on one. This is the most dependent relationship, one-sidedly dependant, among all relationships. The sheep is totally dependent on the shepherd. Among all the animals the sheep is most helpless. The sheep is easily frightened not only by the attacks of wolves but also by any unusual sound. The sheep is very near-sighted and cannot see even a little bit ahead, and has no sense of direction, so easily go astray. The sheep has short legs and often falls down and cannot get up by themselves. The sheep needs absolute care of the shepherd. So the sheep’s happiness and future totally depends on the shepherd. David himself was a shepherd boy. So he knew about shepherd’s job. And he had seen various kinds of shepherds. Some shepherds did not care for the sheep. In that case the sheep suffered a lot, wounded and abandoned and gone astray. Once Jacob described how he did his shepherd job: “The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.” (Ge 31:40). As a shepherd, he cared for the sheep day and night. David said about his shepherding, “When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth” (1 Sa 17:34,35). He cared for the sheep sacrificially, even risking his life. So as for the sheep, who their shepherd is matters. It is indeed the matter of happiness and tragedy, and of life and death. In this Psalm David confessed, “The LORD is my shepherd.” David was marveled at who his shepherd is: The LORD is my shepherd. Who is the LORD? He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all things in them (Isa 44:24). He is the only true God (Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God”). All nations belong to him (Ps 86:9 – “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name). He is the sovereign Ruler of history, and the destiny of all is in his hand. Psalm 50:11 says, “I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.” Then how much more his sheep! His sheep is obviously his. And he knows his sheep’s name and all about his sheep, both strengths and weaknesses. He is all knowing and all powerful, and holy and loving and caring at all times. When David said, “The LORD is my shepherd,” this short sentence was the full expression of his joy and happiness in life. As we studied, sheep is not that great. No one can be proud of being a sheep. But because the LORD is his shepherd and so being his sheep makes David so great and proud. This identity is much greater than his being a valiant soldier or even being a king. He is declaring to the world, “The LORD is my shepherd”; I am his sheep. In this he was so proud and so fully satisfied that he said, “I shall not be in want.” He has no worry or anxiety in life, because he has full trust in his shepherd. He feels that he lacks nothing, for his shepherd knows all his needs and will provide him for everything he needs at the right time. While on earth, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” He is none other than the LORD shepherd. He came down to this world to shepherd mankind wandering and going astray. Before Jesus’ coming no one could be the good shepherd. Jesus said, “All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers…The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:8,10). Those who have Jesus as their shepherd, namely, those who are Jesus’ sheep, are most blessed people in the world, whoever they may be. There is no even a hint of doubt for this. Jesus says, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (Jn 10:14). He knows our names and every thing about us. He is bigger than the universe and greater than all. On this Thanksgiving Day we can be assured that the LORD is my shepherd and I am his sheep and be eternally thankful for this amazing blessing. Now the Psalmist describes what his shepherd God does. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul, he guides in paths of righteousness for his names’ sake.” As for the sheep, green pastures and quite waters are directly related to their life. The sheep, however, cannot go to the green pastures by themselves. It is easy for them to be exposed to wild and poisonous herbs or weeds. But the shepherd leads them to the green pastures and quite waters. In the pastures the sheep eats the fresh and abundant grass and are satisfied. After the full satisfaction he lies down in the green pastures and takes a rest at the watchful eyes of the shepherd. Afterwards the shepherd leads the sheep to quiet waters and he quenches his thirst. In this way the sheep has a full-course meal. So the description, “he makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters,” is the expression of the utmost happiness of God’s sheep. I thank God that this year he led us to the green pastures of the words of Colossians, Revelation and Matthew’s gospel, and EBC and CSBC and Genesis Bible worship. We could enjoy the fresh grass on the pastures and our souls could have rest and satisfaction. Also, thank God that whenever we come to our Lord Jesus each morning, he leads us to the green pasture. We can come in and go out, and find pasture (Jn 10:9). People in the world are exposed to various kinds of obnoxious and poisonous weeds, such as evolution theory, enlightenment (reason), hedonism and post-modernism, Islam, communism (Marxism) and secularism and Buddhism (meditation). May God lead them to the green pastures through us. May we continue to have fresh and abundant grass through hearing the voice of our shepherd Jesus. Then, it says, “He restores my soul.” There is no restoration, the restoration of a soul, in the world. But in the LORD there is. The shepherd LORD himself restores. Not only he feeds and cares but also restores. He is the restorer. When the sheep David sinned against God, his soul groaned day and night. He cried and longed for the restoration of his soul. The LORD indeed did so and David could have joy and happiness again that came from the forgiveness of sin and right relationship with God. Our soul can be wounded and our spirit crushed because of our sins and failures in life. Thank God that he restores. Thank God for his restoration work in and among us. Look at verse 3. “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Now the shepherd treats his sheep differently. He wants the sheep to live on a higher level, after feeding and making him lie down and restoring him. Now the shepherd gives the sheep direction in life to walk in the paths of righteousness and live for his name’s sake in this godless world. It is to help the sheep not to live a selfish life but to live a life of mission to serve God’s purpose so that the life may be fruitful full of meaning. Second, “You are with me” (4-6). Look at verse 4. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (the darkest valley), I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Life is not easy to every one. Although he was a happy sheep under his shepherd God, David confronted many dangers in life even close to death. Our dark and dangerous life situations drive us into fear. But David said, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Here we see the sudden change of subject from “he” to “you”. Of course, “you” is closer than “he” in relationship. When he goes through unbearably difficult life-situations, he feels that the LORD shepherd is closer to him. His shepherd is right there. So he says, not “He is with me,” but “You are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” One of the most common but greatest messages in the Bible is “God is with us,” “You are with me.” According to Matthew’s gospel, the last words of the Risen Christ, our Good shepherd, is “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:2). He is with us not only in our favourable times but also hard times. This is the sure promise of our Good Shepherd who rose again from the dead. He is with us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of the Risen Christ. We must always recognize that he is with us and in us, especially at difficult times. Then we can sense that we have more intimate relationship with him. This year we really thank God that the Risen Christ was with M. David and helped him all the way until he could complete his Ph.D. study and became Dr. David Kim. He confessed that Jesus was indeed the resurrection and the life to him. We also thank God that he was with M. Moses and helped him to rise and stand up against his present failure. He realized that God was most important in his life and felt that God was closer to him at this time. The Good shepherd Jesus is surely with him all the way and to the end of his life on earth. Now the sheep becomes like a victorious general. Look at verse 5. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” What a table it is! No one can eat in front of the enemies. But here the enemies were all captured and became helpless. So this is a victorious table set by the LORD shepherd. We can celebrate victories in God, one victory after another. Our enemy devil will be unhappy and jealous of us, but we can please God, the LORD shepherd and glorify him. When the LORD shepherd is with us, we can also be victorious generals and more than conquerors. May the LORD continue to be with us in pioneering U of T through disciple-raising ministry. Look at verse 6. “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” The people of this world pursue goodness and good fortunes. But they cannot be sure of good things. The Psalmist did not pursue such good things in life but pursued and followed the shepherd God. Then he could have an assurance that surely goodness and love would follow him all the days of his life. The evidence was that the LORD was with him here and now. This assurance gave him the hope of dwelling in the house of the LORD, his eternal shepherd. Thank God that the LORD is my shepherd and he is with me, “You are with me.” On this Thanksgiving day we thank our shepherd God Jesus for leading us to green pastures and being with us. May we live our life in this world with the utmost blessedness of the LORD being my shepherd and being with me.

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