Over the last few weeks, we have been exploring who the Lord our shepherd is in Psalm 23. Here it’s what we see as we study this psalm. The Lord is my shepherd who provides. The Lord is my shepherd who protects.
The Lord is my shepherd who prepares. The Lord is my shepherd who pursues and he passionately pursues. We’ll see that here in a week or so. Last week, we ended our look at the first three verses in this Psalm, which speaks to how the Lord my shepherd provides the fact that he’s our provider and how he does that. So let’s review what we learned there and what we found as we defined who a shepherd is. We found six characteristics that identify the Lord my shepherd. The first one is this. A shepherd is a keeper, one who possesses and has the care, the custody, and the authority to direct anything or anyone.
Number two, a shepherd is a provider, one who furnishes or supplies. One who procures what is wanted to make ready for future use, to take measures to counteract or escape from an evil, a means of defense. The third thing a shepherd is is one who pastures, or one who supplies. Pasture, a place of sustenance, a place of peace, a place to graze. It also means to pasture means to tend, to hold and take care of. As a child, like a shepherd will take the sheep at night, and they will hold them and rub their heads and anoint their heads with oil and make sure there are no bugs or fleas or ticks or anything they’re disturbing the sheep. It means to be attentive to them. It means to feed them, to supply and furnish with nourishment.
It also can mean spiritually to feed hope or expectation to someone. The fourth thing a shepherd is is a teacher, one who shows the way or one who leads the way. It can be a ruler, one who exercises supreme power over another. And so the Lord, my shepherd, is there to teach me, to guide me, to direct me. The fifth thing that a shepherd is is a pastor. P A S T O R a pastor. And a pastor is one who has the care of a flock, a flock to watch over, and so he is there to care for the sheep. And number six, a shepherd is there to be a friend of.
It means to associate with, to join in company with, to be a companion, to partner with, or a confederate, an intimate union. It means to unite in company, to keep company. It means those with congenial minds or similar mindsets alike. Mindset which are disposed to associate with one another. It means to unite in action, joined in purpose. A companion, then, is one frequently in company with another, implying intimacy and equality, fellowship. A special friend, one who is attached to another by affection. One who is highly esteemed and respected, one who seeks your happiest and your prosperity.
So a shepherd is there to seek your happiness and your prosperity. They want to see you thrive. They want to see you do well. This describes for us who the Lord Jehovah, my shepherd is. And so the Lord Jehovah, your shepherd. Are all these things for you? Wow. This is who Jesus is for us each and every day. Today I want us to begin to explore the Lord, my shepherd who protects.
Not only is he our provider, he is also our protector. If you’ve been around church like I have for any length of time, you’ve heard the story of David and Goliath and First Samuel, chapter 17. Now, I want us to review this story because I believe it gives us context for what the psalmist David wrote here in Psalm 23:4. And Psalm 23:4 says this. Yea, though I’ll 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. David was serving his father Jesse as the shepherd of their family and overseeing their family flock. The army of Israel was facing the Philistines, who had gathered their armies against Israel.
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And every day Goliath would come out and challenge Israel to choose a man to come down into the valley and fight with him. If the man of Israel overcame Goliath, then the Philistines would serve Israel. If Goliath overcame the man of Israel, then Israel would serve the Philistines. Then Goliath would defy the armies of Israel, making fun of them. And for 40 days, morning and evening, he did this. Now, David’s father, Jesse, had eight sons. His three oldest sons, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah, had gone to follow King Saul to the battle.
Then Jesse said to his youngest son, who was David, take this food to your brothers and the captain of their thousand. Go and see how your brothers fare and bring news back to me. So David arose early the next morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the food and went as his father had asked him. He arrived just as the army was preparing to go out and stand on the battle lines ready to fight. So David left his supplies with a supply keeper there for the army and ran to where his brothers were and greeted them. As he was talking with them, Goliath came out and challenged Israel once again. And as he spoke, all the men of Israel turned and fled from him, being dreadfully afraid. Then the men around his brothers turned to David and asked him, have you seen this man who has come up to defy Israel? Then they began to share with him how King Saul would enrich with great riches the man who kills him.
Then David asked them again, what shall be done for the man who takes away the reproach of Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? And they said to David again, so shall it be done for the man who kills him. Well, Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him talking to the other men. And Eliab got mad at his little brother. He said, david, why have you come down here? With whom did you lead those few sheep in the wilderness? You just came down here to watch us stumble around and run so you could go back and talk about us. And David said, what have I done now? Is there not a cause? David turned away from his brothers and ignored them and began talking with others around him. Then some reported to Saul what David was saying and what David was saying and asking. And Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, let no man’s heart fail because of him.
The giant, your servant, will go and fight with this Philistine. Saul said, you are not able to go against this Philistine. You are just a youth, and he is a man of war. From his youth. David replied, you, servant used to keep his father’s sheep. And when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth. And when the lion or bear rose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.
Moreover, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, go, and the Lord be with you. Then David took his staff in his hand, and he chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a shepherd’s bag he had around him, and his sling was in his hand. Then he drew near to the Philistine. So Goliath came and began to draw near to David. So let’s start reading here in 1st Samuel 1743, the remainder of this story. 1st Samuel 174352 so the Philistines said to David, am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? He was speaking of David’s staff. And the Philistine cursed David, by his gods.
And the Philistine said to David, come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. Then David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword and with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the lord’s, and he will give you into our hands. So it was when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Sherem, even as far as Gath and Ekron. Now I shared this with you so we could have a better context for Psalm 23:4. David wrote Psalm 23:4 from a place of personal experience.
Not just one experience, but many experiences. 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. Me. When David went out to face Goliath, he literally stepped into the valley of the shadow of death. He knew where he was going. He had been there before with the lion and the bear.
Even though we know where we’re headed and what we will face, he said, I will fear no evil. Why could he say that I will fear no evil? The next phrase tells us. He goes on to say, for you are with me. David knew God was with him. God was with him when he faced the lion. He was with him when he faced the bear. And he knew God would be with him against Goliath. Remember what he said to Saul.
Your servant has killed both lion and bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Moreover, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine and David’s heart. It was already done. The victory was his. He had already won. He was going forth to represent the living God. We see two things here.
The Lord, our shepherd, is our protector. And secondly, he is with us. He surrounds us with his presence. When we step into that valley of the shadow of death, when we step into those challenges, the things we’re facing, he is there to protect us, but he is there to be with us. We have nothing to fear in the valley because God is with us. God gives us his strength, his protection, and surrounds us with his presence. We can be confident that God is well equipped to protect and provide for us even in our most formidable situations. Isaiah 41:10 says this.
Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. God’s promise to us is his strength. He will strengthen us. Hallelujah.
And he will uphold us. That means support. He will support us with his righteous right hand. God promises to be there for us and with us. Second Thessalonians 3:3 says this. But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. The word established there in the Greek means to make stable, unshakable, to fit, fix firmly in your spirit, your mind and your body. Hallelujah.
Spirit, soul and physical. God is there to establish you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And in doing this, he establishes you and He Guards you from the evil 1. John 16:33 in the Amplified. I love the way through. This is translated in the Amplified.
I have told you these things so that in me you may have perfect peace and confidence. All right, whatever. The Lord has spoken a word that in him we can have perfect peace and confidence. And it goes on to say, in the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration. Ever been there? But be of good cheer. Take courage. Be confident, certain, undaunted. For I have overcome the world.
I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you. So think about what the Lord is saying there. Jesus is challenging us to stand in faith in the face of our giants, like David did before Goliath, knowing we’ve already got the victory, the Lord’s already conquered it for us. So we have the victory and we’re more than conquerors. I love what it says here. But be of good cheer. He talks about us being in a world where we have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration. But be of good cheer.
Be happy about that. Why? Because we can take courage and confidence and be certain and undaunted. Because we know he is there with us. And he’s already overcome the world, as it says here. He’s deprived it of power to harm you. He’s conquered it for us. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. He has conquered the world for us. There are two things I want to talk about here, and we’ve talked about one, he is our protector. The second one is this.
His presence is always with us. These verses help us to remember he is for us and he is with us. Matthew 28:20 says, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. He is with us always and forever, as another verse says. In fact, it’s Hebrews 13:5. He says, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. And then in Isaiah 43:2, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. Hallelujah. No matter what we’re facing, he is there for us. He is there with us. His presence surrounds us and is always here to bring peace, courage and reassurance. No matter what we’re facing no matter what the enemy is trying to bring against us. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, Be strong and of good courage.
Do not fear, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, he is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Hallelujah. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Psalm 23:4 you rod and your staff, they comfort me. So let’s look at what the rod means. The staff means what this word comfort means.
A part of the qualities of being a protector is being present there with his presence. He surrounds you. It’s giving guidance and direction. A shepherd’s rod and staff are tools used by the shepherd to protect and guide and direct the sheep. However, they also represent other benefits. The shepherd’s rod also represents his authority. It shows his place and position. In Psalm 23, the rod symbolizes God’s strength and authority, reminding us that he is always there to defend us and to guide us.
Then in John 10:27, Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. He is present with us. That rod of authority is there to defend us and guide us. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Psalm 32:8 he gave us his promise, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. So he’s going to guide us and direct us with his rod. I will give you my I will guide you with my eye.
Let me read that again. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye. One translation says, I will counsel you with my eye upon you. He’s watching over you. He’s caring for you. He’s looking out for you. The second thing he has here, his rod and his staff comfort us.
The staff, often with a hook or a crook at the end, is used for guidance and support. Shepherds use the staff to lead sheep, to rescue them from danger and to gently guide them back onto the right path. In Psalm 23, the staff symbolizes God’s loving care and support for us. It indicates support of every kind, not just some, but every kind of support. It indicates figuratively that it could be political support. In this context, the King is with you, and for you. God is always with you and for you. This is reminding us that he is always there to support and help us find our way.
The shepherd is there to console us, to show us compassion, and to bring us to a place of rest and ease. And so the rod and staff comfort us well. That phrase they comfort me highlights the peace and reassurance that comes from knowing our God is both our protector and our God, and He is present with us. Psalm 46:1 says, this God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He is always present. He is always with us. We don’t have to wait for him to get there. We don’t have to wait until.
Well, he said he’d be here tomorrow. No, he is always present. First Peter 5, 7 says, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. There is no question, no matter what you’re facing. God cares for you. He is there for you. You can cast it all on him, surrender it to Him. Proverbs 3, 5, 6.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. One translation says, in all your ways, know, recognize and acknowledge Him. He shall direct your paths. This verse reassures us all. These verses, in fact, reassure us as believers that even in life’s darkest moments, whether facing challenges, suffering, death, that we are not alone. God is always present, protecting and guiding us because he cares. And because of all this, there is no need to walk in fear.
It is a profound declaration of faith and trust in God’s unwavering, unwavering presence. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear your rod and your staff. They comfort me. The Lord, my shepherd, my protector, he is for me. He is with me. He comforts and cares for me. There is no need to walk in fear. Simply trust him, follow him, and know that he is with you and for you.
Hallelujah. Let’s bow our heads in prayer. Father, we thank you for this promise from your word that you never leave us or forsake us, no matter what we’re facing, what valley of challenge we may be facing and walking in. You are always there with us. You never leave the surface. Take us. I say it again and again and again. You’re there to protect us, to keep us, to guide us, to direct us.
You’re there with us and for us at all times. At all times. Thank you, Lord, for being with us and being our our protector. Hallelujah. Pastor Kanye’s coming now with a closing word and a prayer. God bless you and go and have a great week knowing that God is with you. Praise God.
