All we like sheep

From last week's cell sharing (19 Sept 2008), here's somemore interesting insights into Psalms 23 :)

Source: http://smilingattomorrow.blogspot.com/2008/08/jehovah-raah-lord-is-my-shepherd.html

"(Most of this information came from Kay Arthur’s book, Lord I Want to Know You. Page numbers refer to this book.)

What are sheep like? They are timid, helpless, dumb, feeble, weak, and require constant supervision and care. “The welfare of sheep depends solely upon the care they get from their shepherd.” (p 141) The shepherd’s chief end is to care for his sheep so completely that they are not in want.

Consider Psalm 23:1-6
1 The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

In order for sheep to thrive, there are four needs that must be met. The sheep must be free from hunger, free from fear, free from friction, and free from pests.

Free from hunger (v 2) I’ve always been confused as to why a sheep would lie down in a green pasture. Shouldn’t they be up eating? Wouldn’t you have to force them to lie down in such a place? In the Hebrew, the word “makes” does not imply force. Instead, it implies that the shepherd lets the sheep lie down, or made the circumstance such that the sheep can lie down. The sheep are so full and satisfied that they can lie down in the middle of a smorgasbord! As Christians, how can we be free from hunger, to the point of, in human terms, lying down at an all-you- can-eat buffet on Sunday after church? Feast on the Word of God! It is pure milk (1 Pet 2:2), solid food (Heb 5:13-14), the basis for growth (2 Tim 3:16-17), and bread (Deut 8:3; Jn 6:35).

Free from fear (v 4) The rod and staff of a Shepherd are a comfort to His flock, not a burden. They are used to direct the sheep, to keep them safe, to defend them, and to save them from danger if needed. Also, sheep are not driven from behind, like cattle. Instead, they are led from the front and they follow their shepherd.The boundaries set by scripture function as our rod and staff. They are there for our benefit, to keep us safe and out of trouble (Ecc 12:13; Ps 119:105), and to provide direction (Is 30:21). Jesus will lead us, but He will not force us. In the same way that He called His disciples, He calls us: “Come, follow me” (Matt 4:19). Because we are following a Good Shepherd, we do not have to be afraid (1 Jn 4:16,18; 2 Tim 1:7; Ps 56:3-4).

Free from friction (v 2-3) Did you know that sheep will not drink from fast-moving water? It scares them. When sheep are afraid, they are paralyzed by that fear. Shepherds sometimes dam up the stream so that the sheep can drink from “quieted” water. Bear in mind though that the shepherd will not lead them to stagnant water for that would be bad for their health. Instead, he lovingly accommodates his sheep. And whenever there is a ruckus in the flock, all of the sheep are up and moving. Not one of them continues to rest. The shepherd must step in to quiet the flock.God intends for His church to be unified (Jn 17:11) and functioning as one body (1 Cor 12; Col 3:15). He does not intend for us to be causing a ruckus among the believers (1 Thes 4:11-12). So then, how are we unified? So many scriptures apply here (Matt 6:12,14-15; Matt 5:23-24; Matt 5:44-45,48; Phil 2:3-8) with the most obvious one being “love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal 5:14-15).

Free from pests (v 5) Sheep have one pest that drives them crazy: the nose fly.“Sheep can suffer greatly because of the nose fly. This is a fly that seeks to deposit its eggs on the mucus membrane of the sheep’s nose. There the eggs hatch into small wormlike larvae that eventually work their way up the nose into the sheep’s head. As these larvae burrow into the sheep’s flesh, they cause a tremendous irritation, which in turn causes the sheep to thrash and beat its head against anything it can find. A sheep can become so driven to distraction by the irritation that it will actually kill itself in a desperate attempt to get rid of the source of aggravation…Just as there is an oil the shepherd can prepare to protect the sheep from nose flies and their destructive work, so our Shepherd has a way to keep His sheep from such torment.” (p 150)People are no different! We have an enemy, one who seeks to destroy us physically, mentally, and spiritually (Jn 10:10a; 1 Pet 5:8). As God’s children, we have a shepherd who is able to defend against the attacks of the devil (Eph 6:16). By donning the armor of God (Eph 6), we will be ready for battle. Through His Word we can control our thought lives (2 Cor 10:3-5; Phil 4:6-7; Phil 4:8-9; Is 26:3).

My largest battlefield is that of my mind. One of the ways I was able to gain victory over post-partum depression was through a visual picture that the Lord gave me. I imagined each one of my thoughts written on a leaf with the wind blowing them through my mind. I had to chase that leaf down, scratch out the disobedient thought, and re-write the thought such that it was obedient to Christ (2Cor 10:3-5). Once the thought was obedient, I could release it into the wind again. Sometimes it takes that sort of attention to detail for us to live without the pests of our thought life.

The Voice of the Shepherd

When we were in Israel, we saw a number of shepherds with their flocks. However, there was only one to whom I was close enough to hear him interact with his sheep. The only sound he made was a little click. With that click, the entire herd looked up and followed instantly. Truly the sheep know the voice of the shepherd (Jn 10:4-5). How do we get to know the voice of our Shepherd? We do it by spending time with Him, by spending time in His Word, by listening to His under-shepherds (1Pet 5:2-4), by spending time in fellowship with other believers (Heb 10:24-25), and by spending time in prayer (1 Thes 5:17). Learn the voice of the Shepherd! This is the result:“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps 23:6)

An aside"The LORD" is Jehovah God, the covenant making God of Israel. The compound names of Jehovah in the Old Testament reflect the contents of this psalm.

"I shall not want" — Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide" (Gen 22:14)
"still waters" — Jehovah-Shalom, "the Lord our peace" (Judg 6:24)
"restores my soul" — Jehovah-Rapha, "the Lord who heals" (Ex 15:26)
"paths of righteousness" — Jehovah-Tsidkenu, "the Lord our righteousness" (Jer 33:16)
"you are with me" — Jehovah-Shammah, "the Lord is there" (Ezek 48:35)
"presence of my enemies" — "Jehovah-Nissi, "the Lord our banner" (Ex 17:15)
"anoint my head" — Jehovah-Mekoddishkem, "the Lord who sanctifies" (Lev 20:8)

(from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)"