THE PROVISION OF THE SHEPHERD

Psalm 23:1-6 “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. 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. 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.”

This is probably the most loved of all the Psalms. I believe it has been memorized by more people than any other passage of Scripture. It has been a comfort to many people as they have faced the loss of a loved one in death. I myself have quoted it beside the sick bed of a dear saint of God. I have preached from it time to time. I love this Psalm.

There are many truths we expound on in this precious portion of Scripture. D.L. Moody wrote “ No Lion or Bear can ever surprise our ever-watchful guardian or overcome our Almighty Deliverer.”

We read in Matthew Henry’s commentary, “’The Lord is my shepherd.’ In these words, the believer is taught to express his satisfaction in the care of the great Pastor of the universe, the Redeemer and Preserver of men.”

Dr. Warren Wiersbe penned “Psalm 23 depicts Jesus Christ as the Great Shepherd living for His sheep.” I like that! We have just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and I’m glad that I know that He is alive and living to make intercession for His sheep.

There are so many things we could emphasize about the Shepherd but we’ll just deal with one of those subject matter – His Provision – “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Notice:

1. He Provides Health – Isa 53:5 “. . . with his stripes we are healed.”

2. He Provides Prosperity – Phil 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

3. He Provides Security – II Tim 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

4. He Provides Power – Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

5. He Provides Peace – Isa 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

6. He Provides Joy – Neh 8:10 “. . . for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”


7. He Provides Ability – Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

8. He Provides Blessings – Eph 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

These are only a few of the mighty, abundant provisions we are given by our Good Shepherd. Isn’t it great to have the assurance that we are “the sheep of his pasture?”

Two thoughts with which I want to close:

I. HE PROVIDES THROUGH THE DAY

The older I get the more I understand that we live our days one at a time. I used to think of life in increments of years; now I look at it as one day at a time. Of course we read in Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” James puts it this way in 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

God didn’t design our lives to live two or three days at a time. He built the universe to run in 1 day increments – day and night. There’s a time to work and a time to rest. When we try to live our time two or three at a time without that rest time, our bodies wear out. God designed that we live one day at a time and He provides for that day.

As we get up every morning we can face that day with total confidence. Notice what we read in John 10:4 “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” The Good Shepherd goes before us and where He leads He provides.

The picture here in John 10 is that the shepherd is walking, with staff in hand, in front of the sheep. A good shepherd leads the sheep. He doesn’t drive them; he leads them. There are some pastors who should understand this principle.

Our Shepherd is a tender , loving one. Each day He takes us to green pastures, by still waters and then leads us safely back to the fold each and every night and then sits across the opening as the door. He provides through the day.

II. HE PROVIDES THROUGH THE DURATION

Psalm 23 is actually a summary of the life of the believer. David wrote this Psalm to depict childhood (vs 1-2) through those mature years (vs 6). Notice that sixth verse “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

David is showing the child of God that will be guided, protected and provided for his/her entire life. He will be there when the child needs protection. I love what we read in in Isaiah 40:11 “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” He will be there when he/she goes through those rocky teen years. He will give wisdom and confidence when the young parents realize the responsibility they have as children come along. God will be there when the senior citizen goes through hospital stays and has to get by on a small pension.

As we sometime say He’s there “for the duration.” His “goodness and mercy” will follow the believer all through his life. And finally, God’s sheep will “dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

I don’t know about you, but that gives me confidence that God is going to provide what I need today, tomorrow and for the duration of the journey. (Lord, help us to trust you and walk by faith.)

That’s my view; how about you?