The Lord's Protection in Psalm 23 -- Voddie Baucham

0:00 Aside from the shepherd's provision, we see in the next movement the shepherd's protection. The pronouns change here, and we go from he, third person, to you, second person. Look at the second part of the psalm. 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 you you you the pronouns have changed but the direction is the same we're still talking about the Lord we're talking about the shepherd and what the shepherd does. We've identified the shepherd and now we're speaking to the shepherd and speaking to the shepherd about his protection. You are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. So here in this valley of the shadow of death, there is the rod and the staff.

1:00 The rod and the staff refer to his means of fending off enemies and his means of guiding us even in the most difficult times and places. This idea of the valley of the shadow of death taken from the shepherding theme is an idea, some commentators say, and I believe it's the best explanation, that if you think about sheep being moved from one place to another, and basically you have to move sheep to find green pastures. And sometimes when you are moving to find green pastures, it's interesting, predatory animals know where their prey is coming from and where their prey is going to. And if there's no more green grass over here, but there's now green grass over there, they know that their prey has to come from there to there, and here is a good place to wait. The valley of the shadow of death is the hiding place for our adversary. It's the dangerous place that we have to go through to get to the next green pasture and the psalmist says even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i fear no evil why because you've made me strong enough to do it no You are with me.

2:25 Your rod, your staff, you prepare a table. You anoint my head. You, you, you. I don't fear. Why? Because of you. Not because of me. When we look toward difficult days, This doesn't mean that we never have moments of apprehension. it means that those moments of apprehension are ultimately overshadowed by the protection of the shepherd. I'll say more about that when I look at the second perspective. thirdly there's the shepherd's promise what's the promise surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever in other words surely you will cause goodness and mercy to follow me all the days of my life not i will achieve i will attain i will acquire i will earn but they will follow me as spurgeon says like two bodyguards walking behind you for the remainder of your days so here are the three movements. And the first perspective is to look at these three movements from the perspective of the shepherd. But if you flip it on its other end and look at these same three movements from the perspective of the sheep, you see something quite different. There are three I statements. I shall not want, I will fear no evil, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord.

4:16 first i will not want why the good shepherd will supply his sheep with all that they need i will not want why because the lord is my shepherd the lord will provide me with everything that i need well what happens when i come to a point in my life where i don't have something that i need you didn't need it Amen. Amen. Amen. You didn't need it. Yes, but I did need it. Listen, you might have wanted it. And in your mind, things might have worked out a lot more conveniently for you if you had it. But if God didn't give it to you, then you didn't need it. Think about the alternative. The alternative is that my theology says there was something I needed that God either was unable or unwilling to supply.

5:18 That's not God. the other question is you needed it for what I needed it in order to accomplish what I think would have been best in that circumstance good for you but life for the Christian is not about accomplishing what you think is best in any given circumstance. It is about trusting the shepherd to accomplish that which he knows is best in any given circumstance. If I had had X, that loved one wouldn't have died. so now I'm believing that people die because I don't have what I need to prevent death who do you think you are God is the giver of life.

6:25 this does not mean what the prosperity gospel says it means listen to the apostle paul i rejoice in the lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me you were indeed concerned for me but you had no opportunity not that i am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Talk about a misused passage.

7:21 This is an FCA favorite. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can win this battle. I can win this race. I can win this game. Because Christ strengthens me to win. Paul says, I've learned to be content in all circumstances. That's what this means. Why? Because what we need is Christ. Failure to grasp this will lead to frustration and confusion. Listen to Calvin's comment here. We ought to bear in mind that our happiness consists in this, that his hand is stretched forth to govern us, that we live under his shadow, and that his providence keeps watch and ward over our welfare. Although, therefore, we have abundance of all temporal good things, Yet, let us be assured that we cannot be truly happy unless God vouchsafed to reckon us among the number of his flock.

8:22 That's what you need. see part of the reason that we miss this is that we're misguided about the journey part of the reason that we miss this is that we miss the end of the song what i mean by that well i'm going along in my life and i remember that the lord is my shepherd i shall not want that he provides for me that there are these physical needs and these spiritual needs that God provides for me. And because I think that my life is all about going through my days with plenty and not in want, anytime that I feel a hunger pain or anytime I feel a physical discomfort, I look to God as though God somehow has forgotten or forsaken me. Because my perspective is right here. My entire existence is going from that green pasture to that green pasture.

9:22 Newsflash, the death rate is one per person. You're not only going to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you're going to die. coming to Christ doesn't mean that we live in ease and never faced hunger hurt want or death secondly i will fear no evil first one i will not want the second one i will fear no evil this one is amazing why because remember where this is in the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil the lord is my shepherd but even though the lord is my shepherd I sometimes walk through the valley of shadow of death and in fact I will someday die otherwise the end of the psalm makes no sense I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever we'll get there even when I walk through the valley of shadow of death there are dark days for those who belong to God.

10:39 Listen, there are dark days for all of us, but what's the difference? The difference is when you and I, as followers of Christ, walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil because his rod and his staff, they comfort us. there are things in here that can devour me it's a good thing I'm not depending on me amen there are things in here that are stronger and more powerful than I am it's a good thing I'm not relying on my power amen that's the picture of the shepherd This means that we have to have an eternal perspective. Again, listen to Spurgeon. Yea, though I walk, as if the believer did not quicken his pace when he came to die, but still calmly walked with God.

11:34 To walk indicates the steady advance of a soul which knows its road, knows its end, resolves to follow with the path, feels quite safe, and is therefore perfectly calm and composed. The dying saint is not in a flurry. He does not run as though he were alarmed nor stands still as though he would go no further. He is not confounded nor ashamed and therefore keeps to his old pace. I love that. I pray for that. that the Lord would cause heaven to grow so much in my esteem, that the Lord would cause Christ to grow so much in my esteem, that when I come to the end of my life, I am no longer holding on to this world as tightly as I do today.

12:30 But I keep my pace, even walking through the valley and the shadow of death. toward the end to which we all come. The final one. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is the last movement. Now he has prepared a table before me. We have moved beyond just this shepherding thing. We've come to something else. Because you don't prepare a table for sheep. this idea is that he's prepared a feast before us there is the oil that pours over our head there are some that press the shepherding theme and talk about the use of oils with sheep i don't think it's appropriate to press the shepherding theme here the oil that's spoken of here is not the kind of oil that's used for medicinal purposes the oil that's used here is the oil that's used for celebration. These are fragrant oils at a feast. You come to a feast and there are fragrant oils poured on you. Your cup overflows. This is joyful feasting. We are at a table, but listen, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

13:45 just because the Lord is my shepherd doesn't mean that I don't have enemies it means that he prepares a feast for me right there in the presence of my enemies oftentimes believers because we misunderstand this psalm when we have enemies and when enemies are encamped around us we say God where are you how could you let these enemies encompass all around me. I thought you were my shepherd. Why would my shepherd lead me here where enemies are encompassed all around me? And God looks at us and says, sit down and eat. right there in the presence of your enemies. What does this look like? we don't even have to guess. I was thinking, how do you illustrate this?

14:38 You don't even have to guess. You don't even have to find something out there somewhere. This looks like, son, go slaughter the lamb and put his blood over the doorpost. Yes, sir. Did you do it? I did. Come inside and close the door. and sit down in front of this table with this unleavened bread and these bitter herbs because tonight the death angel is going to pass through all of the land of Egypt and there's going to be death all around us in every house but because the blood of the lamb is on our door it will not touch us Instead, we will feast at this table.

15:33 That's what it looks like. you know what it looks like it looks like Jesus on the night that he was betrayed at the same table eating the same feast while there are those who were hunting him down to nail him to a cross you know what it looks like it looks like you and me in just a few minutes in the midst of a world that does not understand us that does not know or love our god and that oftentimes hates and despises us because of the one whom we worship and as they are encamped around us everywhere in a few moments. He will prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. That's what it looks like.

16:33 The 23rd Psalm is not a picture of a life that is filled with only good all the time. Quite the contrary. The 23rd Psalm is a picture of a life camped around by enemies. It's a picture of a life with peril and danger all over. It's a picture of a life that is ultimately moving toward death. but it's a picture of a life that says in the midst of it all I will not want because the shepherd will provide me with everything that I need I will not fear because the shepherd will protect me from everything that comes between me and that which he has in store for me and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever so even when I come to die I will still be shepherded even into the life that is truly life.

17:46 That's what the 23rd Psalm is all about. It is about the one who died in Psalm 22 so that we might live in Psalm 23 and enjoy the goodness and mercy that will follow us all the days of our life until we dwell in the house of the Lord where he has gone to prepare a place for us. that's the shepherd's soul that's the comfort for the shepherd's people let's pray Father, we bow before you as humble weak fearful sinful,

18:45 useless sheep. confessing to you that the only good in us is the good that is found in being made in your image and being remade in the image of Christ. We bow before you rejoicing at the privilege of being led by the Good Shepherd. we bow before you acknowledging that we get scared in the valley of the shadow of death but we're grateful for the reminder that we don't need to be and we bow before you,

19:47 humbled by the privilege that is ours to sit before the table you prepare for us in the presence of our enemies. we rejoice in the good shepherd grant by your grace that those here under the sound of my voice who have not yet come into his fold will do so by turning from their sin and turning to christ grant by your grace that those who are here trusting and depending on anything other than the good shepherd to see them through this life would abandon all other hopes and hope only in Christ Grant by your grace that any other thing in which we trust would be forsaken.

20:51 that we might trust only in Christ, our good shepherd, in whose name we pray.