Perfectly Content

A Study in the Psalms: Psalm 23

Keller, W. Phillip. "I Shall Not Want." A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1970. 26-34. Print.

Psalm 23:1b

I shall not want.

Keep in mind this psalm was written from the viewpoint of a sheep talking about his shepherd. The word "want" in this verse means lacking in the Hebrew language, but what does that really mean? This sheep, with Jesus as his Shepherd, is perfectly content.  Keller is careful to point out that the word "want" goes beyond just the meaning of not lacking in basic necessities. It means resting in God's care; being content and not desiring anything else.

I have to be very careful not to take this verse to mean that as a Christian I will never experience need or hardships. Paul went through many difficult times, and in Philippians 4:11 states that he learned to be content no matter what the circumstances. Likewise, David, a shepherd boy, who became king of Israel, expressed times where he experienced hardship. There are other examples of people in the Bible who experienced adversity. Look at Elijah, John the Baptist and even Jesus. These are only a few examples where people of God experienced hardship, and time of need, yet God took care of them.

Keller notes that the psalmist here is expressing that he can rest completely satisfied in the care of Jesus, knowing that there is no problem too great for Him to handle.

He is the owner who delights in His flock. For Him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing His sheep contented, well fed, safe and flourishing under His care...From early dawn until late at night this utterly self-less Shepherd is alert to the welfare of His flock. (p.31)

I love Keller's picture of a shepherd caring for his sheep.

For the diligent sheepman rises early and goes out first thing every morning without fail to look over his flock. It is the initial, intimate contact of the day. With a practiced, searching, sympathetic eye he examines the sheep to see that they are fit and content to be able to be on their feet. In an instant he can tell if they have been molested during the night - whether any are ill or if there are some which require special attention.

Repeatedly throughout the day he casts his eye over the flock to make sure that all is well.

Nor even at night is he oblivious to their needs. He sleeps as it were "with one eye and both ears open" ready at the least sign of trouble to leap up and protect his own. (p.32)

What a beautiful picture of how my Shepherd, Christ, cares for me. There is not one need that goes unnoticed. He is already aware of everything going on in my life, every trouble, every hardship, every need. Matthew, in Matthew 6:8,32, talks about how God already knows my needs, but I am to seek after Him first and not be bogged down with worry over what I need. Even though He knows my needs, He expects me to bring them to Him and spend time with Him. Paul, in Philippians 4:6, tells me that I am to bring my worries to God. Philippians 4:19 reminds me that God will supply all my needs.

What a comfort it is to know that I can rest perfectly content knowing God is in control. I am under the care of the Good Shepherd. Although I might experience difficulties, He is still there lovingly caring for me.

My Shepherd

A Study in the Psalms: Psalm 23

Keller, W. Phillip. "The Lord Is My Shepherd." A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1970. 15-25. Print.

I'll be referencing what I've read from the book listed above, so I want to be sure to give credit where it is due. Phillip Keller, the author of the book I'll be referencing, had firsthand experience with sheep and being a shepherd.  He provides an interesting insight into Psalm 23, that most of us who read it don't have.

Psalm 23:1a

                "The Lord is my Shepherd..."

Jesus referred to Himself several times in John 10 as the Good Shepherd.  What does that mean for me?  It is referring to the relationship between me and the One who created me.  Phillip Keller notes,

It links a lump of common clay to divine destiny - it means a mere mortal becomes the cherished object of divine diligence. (p.17)

In this verse, David is speaking from the viewpoint of a sheep. He is proud of Who his Shepherd is. According to Keller, "the lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it." (p.17) Sheep could suffer hardship under one owner, but could flourish under another.

Jesus calls Himself my Shepherd and invites me to be part of His sheepfold. Isaiah 53:6 refers to me as a sheep who has gone astray.  Sheep don't care for themselves. They require more attention and care than any other group of animals.  They aren't exactly the smartest animals, and they need someone to guide and lead them.

In order to have a sheepfold, one must purchase the sheep. Once the sheep are purchased, the shepherd will then mark them so that he knows which sheep belong to him. Christ purchased me with His shed blood on Calvary. I have been bought with a price, and I am now covered, "marked," with His shed blood. Christ went through unimaginable pain to purchase me. When sheep are marked, there is pain involved as well. Likewise, there is pain in a sense when I am marked because becoming part of Christ's sheepfold requires sacrifice. The pain I experience is nothing compared to the pain He suffered for me. Christ's mark on me requires me to die daily to myself and take up my cross and follow Him. The mark Christ left on me is the mark of the cross. I exchange my desire to follow my own ways for a desire to follow Christ and what God has planned for me. As a Christian, Christ now owns me. I am no longer my own. I belong to the God of the universe...what a thought that is!

It is hard for me to comprehend that God in all His significance and power, would send His Son to die for someone like me who is so insignificant in the scheme of His creation. With gratitude in my heart, I can proudly exclaim along with David, "The Lord is my Shepherd!" I belong to Him and I am marked by His blood.  Even though, in my stubbornness and stupidity, I will wander away from the sheepfold, He is always gently leading and guiding me back to where I belong because I bear His mark. He knows me and loves me! No matter what life brings, I will flourish with Christ as my Shepherd! I'm so thankful that I belong to Him! I'm so thankful I don't have to figure things out on my own.  God already knows which direction I need to take. It's up to me, though, to follow the Shepherd's leading and guiding.

Parallels between Psalm 16 and Psalm 23

As I begin preparing for a study in Psalm 23, I thought I would note the parallels between Psalm 16 and 23. I'm not making any comments on these verses since I will be breaking down Psalm 23 over the next several days, but I love to see how interconnected God's Word is. This would be easier to read in a chart, but I wasn't able to figure out how to do that easily without taking a lot of time.

Psalm 16:2

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing."

Psalm 23:1

                     The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Psalm 16:5-6,9-10

                    Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot 

                   secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I 

                   have a delightful inheritance...Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue 

                   rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to 

                   the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

Psalm 23:5,6

                   You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint 

                   my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow 

                   me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 16:1,7-8

                  Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge... I will praise the Lord, who 
                  counsels me; even at night my dart instructs me. I have set the Lord always 
                  before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 23:4

                 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. 

Psalm 16:11

                You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your 

                presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Psalm 23:2-3

              He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He 

              restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Never Shaken

A Study in the Psalms

Hopefully I don't bore you with this bit of introduction, but I found it interesting.

Over the next several days, I'm going to be focusing on the a section of psalms in Psalm 15-24. I found it interesting to understand how the book of Psalms is organized. The notes in my Bible (Zondervan NIV Study Bible) provide a great chart showing the how these ten psalms are organized.

15  Who has access to the temple?                              24  Who may ascend the holy hill?
     16  Confession of trust in Yahweh                        23  Confession of trust in Yahweh
         17  Plea for deliverance from foes                22  Plea for deliverance from foes
             18 Royal praise for deliverance         20-21 Prayer for king's victory; praise for victory
                                   19 Yahweh's glory in Creation and Torah

I love how this chart shows the pattern among these psalms.  The first and last chapter of this section both talk about who has access to God. Then Psalm 16 and 23 express trust in the Lord. Psalm 17 and 22 show David's plea for deliverance followed by praise for deliverance in Psalm 18 and 20-21.  The middle psalm, Psalm 19 spends time expressing God's majesty and His law. As I go through these psalms, I'm going to study them in the grouping as listed above.  I will be stopping for some time on Psalm 23, though, because I'll be incorporating the use of the book titled, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, by Phillip Keller

Psalm 15, Psalm 24

In both these psalms, David asks, "Who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill?" In the times when David wrote these psalms, he had to go through a priest to speak with God. He didn't have direct access. So when he is writing, he's referring to those who wished to have access to God at the temple. Praise be to God, though, I no longer have to go through a priest.  Because of Christ's shed blood covering my sin, I now have direct access to God.  I can take what David has penned in these psalms, though, and apply it to my life. The one who may come before God exhibits the following characteristics:

• has a blameless walk (Ps 15:2, Ps 24:4) - meaning without defect, unblemished 
• The only way I can be unblemished is to be covered in Christ's righteousness.  I am not, nor will I ever be unblemished and perfect in my own self.  
• does what is righteous (Ps 15:2)- what is fair, right, just
• speaks truth from the heart (Ps 15:2) - Ephesians 4:25 commands us to put off falsehood and speak truthfully with one another. God detest lying lips. (Proverbs 12:22)
• has no slander on the tongue (Ps 15:3) - the KJV calls slander "backbiting," spreading falsehood about someone; Psalm 101:5, God says that He will put to silence those who slander their neighbor.
• doesn't do evil to a neighbor (Ps 15:3) - doesn't wrong a brother/sister in Christ, a friend
• despises a vile man (Ps 15:4) - turns away from someone who is unrepentant and living in sin
• honors those who trust in the Lord (Ps 15:4)
• keeps an oath even when it hurts (Ps 15:4, Ps 24:4)- keeping a promise can be hard,  that's why Jesus, in Matthew 5:33-37 encourages us to not even take an oath, but instead just speak truth and don't attach it to any oath.
• lends money without usury and doesn't accept a bribe against the innocent (Ps 15:5) - one who doesn't make money off someone else's loss or try to make money in a corrupt manner

Does all that mean I must be perfect to come into God's presence? No, I will never be perfect, and I will sin because the old nature is still inside of me.  However, I should not give in to the desire to sin, and when I do, I need to take it to God immediately and ask forgiveness of that sin. He is faithful to forgive that sin and cleanse from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 

David ends Psalm 15 by saying,"He who does these things will never be shaken." He will never fall. He will be immovable, like that strong tree rooted in the ground that the psalmist refers to in Psalm 1.   I see this theme several times throughout the psalms. David understood what it meant to rest securely in God.

This "list" seems like a lot of do's and don'ts; each item could be broken down further into more lists. When I look at it, though, it all falls under the two greatest commandments, Love the Lord your God with your whole being and Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:28-31)  If I follow those two commands, all those characteristics listed above will fall into place.  All of those are the result of loving God with my whole being and loving others as myself.  If I do that, my relationship with God will be strengthened, and I won't be shaken when bad things happen (and they will because I live in a sinful world).

Psalm 37:24

                           If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he 
                           stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 112:1, 5-6

                            Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His 

                            commands...Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, 

                            who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; 

                            a righteous man will be remembered forever.

When I seek God first and love Him with my whole being and love others the way God intends for me to love them,  I can rest securely in Him, knowing nothing can shake me. I may stumble, but I won't fall down.

Never Forsaken

A Study in the Psalms: Psalm 9:10

                                Those who know your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, 
                                have never forsaken those who seek You.

What a comfort it is to know that God will never abandon me. Even though there may be times I don't understand what He's doing, or times when He seems distant or quiet, He is still there. As a child of God, nothing and no one can take me out of His hands.

In contrast to David's expression of trust in God and His presence, he cries out to God in Psalm 22, which we see Jesus repeat the first part while He is on the cross,

                            My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from 
                            saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by 
                           day, but You do not answer, by night, and and am not silent. Yet You are 
                           enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel. In You our fathers 
                           put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried to You and 
                           were saved; in You they trusted and were not disappointed. 
                           (Psalm 22:1-5 NIV)

In this psalm, I can see David's struggle with God. He is struggling to understand where God is, yet he comes back to the fact that God is sovereign; that He doesn't desert His people. The prophet Habakkuk experienced a similar situation where he wondered where God was. God replied,

                            Look at the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed. For I am doing 
                            something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.
                           (Habakkuk 1:5 NIV)

At the end of the book, Habakkuk realized that even though God was allowing suffering and loss, he could still rejoice in the Lord.

                            Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 
                            The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet 
                            of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:18-19 NIV)

There are going to be times in my life when I can't seem to "find" God or times where He doesn't seem to be there.  No matter what, though, I can rest on His promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5) Although there may be times I allow my circumstances to distance me from God, He will always be there; nothing can separate me from God's love. (Romans 8:35-39)

A friend on Facebook posted a quote she recently heard at a conference, and I think it fits well with this: "God may be silent, but He is never still."  There will be times in my life when God appears silent, yet I can rest in the fact that I know He is still there. He is still in control. I will never be forsaken.