by Jilene Scherenske
This is the third in a series of articles on Psalm 23. I have found this study to be a great blessing to my soul and trust it will be to yours also. The reader should be aware that I have used Phillip Keller’s book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 as a resource. I refer often to his book and knowledge of the care of sheep. Then I take his insights, combine them with the Word of God and meditate thereon. This is the result of my meditations.
Psalm 23:2a
Oh my! Just the Hebrew meanings to these words give us a rich insight into this verse! “maketh to lie down” means to make to rest. He makes it so that we can rest! “Green” refers to a tender grass or herb, in other words, the best (most nutritious, best tasting). He always feeds me with what is absolute best for me! “Pastures” are our habitation and pleasant places. This is where we need to always be – feasting in His green pastures, not pastures of our own making!
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…” First let us learn about the nature of sheep so we can better understand who we are and Who our Shepherd is. Keller says that sheep, because of their great timidity and skittishness, will not lay down and rest unless four requirements are met. 1) They must be free of all fear. 2) They are very social creatures and so will not rest if there is any kind of friction with the sheep! 3) They cannot rest if they are being bothered by flies or parasites. 4) Lastly, they will not lie down if they are hungry. So, they must be free from fear, tension, aggravations, and hunger. The beauty of this nature of the sheep is that they are completely helpless to relieve any one of those requirements. Only the shepherd can fix it! Only he can make it possible for them to lie down and rest, to be content and quiet and thus flourish. I am always amazed at the creative and imaginable and wise creation of God. In every creature He has put within them a mechanism for survival. Just take the bee, for example. One of the many things He did for them was to create them with little scrub brushes on their knees so that every time they exit a flower, they can take that brush and clean out all the pollen from their airways. Otherwise they would suffocate! Every creature has a uniqueness about him that protects them. But I do not see that in sheep! I think God made these creatures helpless and in desperate need of a shepherd so that He could use them as an analogy throughout His Word to reveal to us, who don’t think we need shepherding, how tremendously we really do need our Shepherd Jesus!
1) Free from fear. It is the nature of sheep to be fearful. A jack rabbit suddenly bounding across their grazing grounds can instantly startle one sheep who will suddenly turn and run in fright. The whole herd will then follow blindly, not knowing why they are running! They have no self-defense mechanisms. They get scared and they run! If an ewe is pregnant, she will immediately abort her lamb and fall over dead. Nothing reassures the sheep more than the presence of the shepherd whether it be daytime or nighttime. The application to us human beings is obvious. We, too, are easily afraid. A strange sound in our home will put us on high alert! News of political unrest upsets us, and we think about moving to another country! A sudden and strangely timed phone call from a loved one makes us wonder what bad news they bear. But for us Christians knowing that Jesus is there with us settles us down immediately. The promises of His wonderful and continual presence are a quieter to our souls. This happens frequently, and as I write, we have just learned of a UND football player who, over Christmas break, had a skiing accident and is paralyzed. Immediately his mom posted on Facebook Romans 8:28 (And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.) God’s presence in the midst of that tragedy brought immediate comfort and calmness to this mom’s soul! PTL!
Ps 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Pr 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
Matt 28:20 …and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Heb 13:5 …for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Ps 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
What a calming effect these verses have on our soul!
I need not say it: we live in a troubled world full of disease, awful sin and wickedness. And then there is all the unknown and unexpected. These can produce a great panic in us. When tragedy strikes our first impulse is a desire to run. But riding in upon the horizon of our disquietness comes Jesus. Perfect Calm. Our souls suddenly feel relaxed, settled, encouraged, hopeful. Fear is the thing that now runs away. Ps 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. God’s gracious Spirit is conveying the presence of Jesus to our fearful hearts. Remember, fear does not come from God. 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. But there is one thing that keeps this blessing of His presence away from us. It is when we fail to go to Him, fail to cry out to Him. The moment a fearful thing presents itself, we must turn to Jesus, Who is a constant Presence in our lives. Tell Him the fear we feel. Ask Him by His power to remove it and restore to us perfect peace. He will gladly do it, but we must ask! We must yield our fear over to Him.
2) Free from friction, tension, rivalry, cruel competition. In most, if not all creature societies, there is a bent for who will be the boss. With chickens we call it the pecking order. With cattle and other animals, it is the horning order. Such is the case with sheep; with them it is the butting order. Typically, an older ewe who is domineering and arrogant makes herself the boss of a herd. She will drive other ewes and lambs away from the best grass or the choicest place to lie down. It is not uncommon for this bossy ewe to walk up to a younger ewe minding her own business, arch her neck, tilt her head, dilate her eyes and approach the other with a stiff-legged gait. She is in effect saying, “Move over! Out of my way! Give me ground or else!” If the other ewe does not move immediately, she will be butted unmercifully. Or if she takes the challenge and butts back, a few strong butts from the dominant ewe and she will be scurrying away for safety. If this is allowed to continue it will have a most detrimental thing upon the herd. They will become edgy, tense, discontented and restless. They will lose weight, become irritable and fail to thrive. The remedy? The presence of the shepherd! As long as they could view his presence, the sheep quickly forgot their rivalry, stopped their fighting and settled into quietness. The Bible is an amazing book. It describes this very butting order in Ezekiel:
Eze 34:16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. 17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. {cattle: Heb. small cattle of lambs and kids} {he goats: Heb. great he goats} 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. 21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; 22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
I suppose I can blame our sin nature, but we humans also act much like the bossy ewe. Whether we realize it or not, we have a bit in us of wanting to keep up with the Joneses and perhaps even be a bit better than they. At the office, in our communities, in any organization, even in our families and at church the desire for recognition and self-assertion goes on. It is probably mostly seen in the business world. Everyone is seeking that promotion over another. In our families, wives seek dominance often. Even children seek to be the more favored one or to be their own boss. In our churches people seek to be accepted and thus seek to be recognized more than another and as a result rivalry is produced, and jealousy, and feelings get hurt. Some are bossy and bullish. Some seek to stand up for their rights or put himself in a good light. This creates much unsettledness and friction within the body. But when our eyes are on Jesus and not on those around us, there is peace, harmony, companionship, and sweet fellowship. All of our snobbery, selfishness, arrogance ends when we are acutely aware of Jesus’ presence. “It is the humble heart walking quietly and contentedly in the close and intimate companionship of Christ that is at rest, that can relax, simply glad to lie down and let the world go by.” Keller When we allow Christ to shepherd us, then we don’t have a concern for our reputation, for our acceptance by others. We are satisfied to let Christ do that for us. As Ezekiel stated, it is Jesus Who will determine what my status shall be. And it is His estimation of me that is of greatest importance. His indwelling Spirit, if allowed to do so, will make me free from fear of what others might think of me and free me from the desire to get ahead of another, free of the fleshly attitude of insisting on my way.
3) Sheep cannot rest if they are being bothered by flies or parasites. Especially in the summer, sheep can be driven to absolute torment by flies of all kinds and ticks. When pestered by these it is impossible for them to lie down and rest. Think of it: a dog or cat can use his feet to scratch himself or even bite off a tick. Cows have tails to swish away a fly. But what does the sheep have? The only thing he can do is stomp his legs, shake his head or rush into a bush to hide from them! A good shepherd will dip his sheep to clear their fleeces of ticks and other parasites. He will use insect repellents to keep the flies and other creature irritants away. He will lead them to shelter belts of trees and bushes where they can find refuge from these tormentors. This costs the shepherd much. He must provide the insect repellents, the dipping materials. He must also stay with the sheep so that he can be alert to the first signs of these pests. His constant goal is to provide for the sheep so that they can rest and be content. Their thriving in every way is dependent on them being able to rest.
In our Christian lives we also have pests. Some come in the form of petty frustrations, like that little habit of your husband’s that always gets under your skin. Or perhaps it is a personality quirk of a co-worker, or even of a friend. Maybe it is the long line at the bank that is always long because they do not staff enough people. So many little frustrations that have the potential of leaving us in a state of mind that is anything but peaceful and content. Can we find contentment even though these exist? Of course! If we will allow ourselves to be dipped into the Holy Spirit, we will realize the presence of Jesus in our lives. When we turn to Him, tell Him about the frustration, no matter how silly or how little it seems, He immediately comes to the rescue. “Lord, I know this thing is little in the big picture of my life, but it is bugging me, and I can’t seem to get free of its grip! Please take this frustration from me. Let me release it into Your care.” Now you have just invited Him into your problem – something He is delighted to be invited into. You have placed your trust in His ability to change you and, perhaps, to change the problem. Knowing He is now in charge of it brings peace. He may choose to only change you, and allow the problem may continue, but it will no longer pester you as long as your eyes stay on Him. He will give you His supernatural patience and that will bring to you the rest you need.
4) Finally, there must be freedom from the fear of hunger if a sheep will be able to rest. Our Psalm implies that that is exactly what the shepherd does because he leads them into green pastures. He leads, he does not drive them. He leads softly and gently, never forcing himself upon the flock. Interestingly many of the great sheep countries of the world are dry, semi-arid areas. Believe it or not, most breeds of sheep flourish best in this sort of terrain. They are susceptible to fewer hazards of health or parasites where the climate is dry. But, as you might imagine, that type of land is also sparse of luscious pastures. The land where David kept his sheep was a dry, brown, sun-burned wasteland. Green pastures did not just happen by chance. They were the product of tremendous labor, time, and skill in the usage of the land. Green pastures were the result of clearing rough, rocky land; of tearing out brush and roots and stumps; of deep plowing and careful soil preparation; of seeding and planting special grains and legumes; of irrigating with water and husbanding with care the crops of forage that would feed the sheep. All of this cost the shepherd tremendous labor and skill and time if he was to be a good shepherd. This was the only way the sheep could enjoy green pastures. But green pastures were exactly what they needed for the lambs to mature and the ewes to have a heavy milk flow. In green pastures the flock could fill up quickly and then lie down and rest and ruminate. A hungry sheep, on the other hand, would be continually on its feet, on the move, searching for more food. They are not content, do not thrive and thus are of no value to their owner. Keller
In scripture God led the Israelites from Egypt into what He called the Promised land flowing with milk and honey. Flowing with milk and honey meant that the pastures would be lush and green. He led them from sin, symbolized by Egypt, into the promise of abundant life in Him. That is the picture of what He has done for everyone of us; He has given us the ability to inhabit the promised land, an abundant life. He sacrificed much to give us those green pastures of the abundant life. First, He sacrificed by leaving heaven, leaving His glory behind and living among us, His creation, who had chosen to go their own way and were very hostile toward Him. Then He sacrificed His life so that we could experience abundant life - a life filled continually with peace and contentment and victory over sin. Jesus knows our thoughts; He knows our battles. Every day He works to clear the rocks of stony unbelief from our souls. He works to ream out the bitterness that creeps into our souls, sometimes unawares at first. He breaks up the hardened and proud heart. Then He plants the seeds of His precious Word into our broken-up heart’s ground. He waters our heart’s soil with His soothing Presence. He tends to our hearts continually with His Holy Spirit, always leading us and guiding us into more green pastures. His green pastures are never exhausted! His goal is to constantly see us satisfied with Him. It is the only state in which we will grow to be more Christ-like. Jesus leads us into His green pastures, but it is for us to feed upon them. The saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Let us be sure we are taking full advantage of all His promises, of all His green pastures, and fully enjoying their full value by feasting on His Word every day, taking all our concerns to Him in prayer, and yielding to His rule in our life.
His abundant life is “green”. In our natural world we hear over and over again, “eat your greens”, the more the better. Greens are the best there is for us. They are the most nutritious, the easiest to digest, pleasant to look upon, absolutely wonderful for our health. And so it is with God’s word. There is nothing better for us spiritually. All we have to do is receive the Word, believe it and stand upon it, stepping out in faith. The more we feed upon God’s Word, the greater and more constant will be our rest! Mt 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. We are blest beyond belief that God has given us the power to appropriate such a promise!
Application
Let’s take one more look at ourselves. Do you have any fears? Are there long-standing fears in your life? I would fear that my daughters might be kidnapped and/or raped as they were growing up. But every time that fear threatened, I cried out to God to keep them safe. He did just that! And he kept me from worrying. There are many things in our life over which we might be fearful. Don’t hang on to those fears! Give it up to Jesus right now! They will destroy you. They will limit the abundant life He wants to give you. They will also limit your ability to give Him glory with your life, because by clinging to that fear, you are in effect saying that God is not big enough for you. His presence IS enough. Let it be enough for you. Yield to the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of peaceful rest.
Are you content with where you are, or do you seek to be in another place? By that I mean, do you long for a better place for your reputation? Do you desire for someone to see you and your worth in greater ways, to be accepted more by a certain someone more than you think you presently are? By all means, do not fight for that place! Let God provide it. Is there someone that you feel is in contention for your place? Do not worry about it. Let God handle it. Our reputation is His job. We just need to keep our focus on Him Who is continually with us!
Are you free from irritations? Is there anyone with whom you feel at odds? Some disagreement that has not been resolved? Or perhaps someone in your life has a personality quirk, or a personal habit that drives you batty! Two things must happen: you must first of all be willing to forgive them. There are times when the offender will never ask for forgiveness, but you must give it anyway for your own sake. Otherwise a root of bitterness will grow and poison you! Even if it is just a small quirk that you can’t stand, forgive that person of it, forgive them for not seemingly trying at all to change and/or stop the habit. Then yield the thing that troubles you to the Holy Spirit. Tell Him that you cannot find the will within yourself to forgive or to be patient with it. Ask Him to give to you the desire to forgive and/or be patient. Tell Him that by an act of obedience, whether you want to or not, you desire to forgive because you know it is the right thing to do. Ask the Holy Spirit to take away the irritation from you and replace it with peace. He will do all that for you if you will but ask!
Lastly, how well are you allowing Jesus, our Shepherd to lead you? Remember, He will not force you to follow. But He will gently and continually tap on your heart. His still and small voice can be easily heard. And He will lead you to luscious pastures, but He cannot force you to eat. Are you feeding on the Word of God to the extent that He is calling you to eat? Is there anything about your fellowship with Him, your times in His Word, to which He is gently calling you to, but you have not yet responded? Deepening our walk with Him, spending more time with Him, is not an easy habit to improve upon. But I have found many times that if I call upon Him to develop this new habit, He does so quickly. Perhaps He calls you to read through the Bible in a year. Perhaps He is calling you to spend more time in prayer. Perhaps He wants you to meditate on His Word longer. Maybe He is asking you to memorize more than you currently do. Yield to Him! Tell Him how hard this is for you. Tell Him you do not know how to do it. Tell Him you just cannot figure out where to get more time to do it. Whatever the devil tells you the obstacles are, give them over to Jesus and He will obliterate them and then give you the grace to follow His gentle leading….and you will find the pastures even greener!
What is there left to do but to thank Him for all His hard work of shepherding you and providing for you those lush green pastures of His Word?