In connection with the text tonight, again, which is Psalm 23, verses 2 and 3, I ask that you turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 34. Ezekiel 34, as we read together for our reading in connection with the text, verses 11 through 31 through the end of the chapter. In the first 10 verses, the Lord is talking about the shepherds of the sheep, the shepherds, the leaders of His people. And He's talking about the fact that they're not doing their job. In fact, they're destroying the sheep. They're scattering the sheep. And then we take it up in verse 11 as we hear now the Word of God. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says, I Myself will search for My sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after His scattered flock when He is with them, so will I look after My sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice. As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says, I will judge between one sheep and another and between rams and goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet? Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them. See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, because you shove with flank and shoulder, budding all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away. I will save my flock and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend to them. He will tend to them and be their shepherd. I, the Lord, will be their God and my servant David will be prince among them. I, the Lord, have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forest in safety. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season. There will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops. The people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslave them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety and no one will make them afraid. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the sovereign Lord. You, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people And I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord. Again, the text beginning with verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. See, this is a beautiful picture of comfort for those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith. To have the Lord as their shepherd. This is a picture of the grace of God. But it's not just a picture of God's grace in the time of need when we think we might need it most. For example, when we're facing all kinds of hardships and difficulties or when our enemies might be breathing down our neck or when we're facing some sort of sickness or possibly even death. This is comprehensive care. God's grace is sufficient for me in any and all situations all the time. And just as the shepherd watches over the sheep every moment, God is our shepherd every moment of every day. All of our times and all of our activities are under His watchful eye. He is our shepherd even when there is no threat of danger or attack. He is our shepherd even when we think we don't need Him. And there are times indeed when we think that way. But He is our shepherd even when we don't think we need Him. Because as we pointed out last week, the shepherd knows better than the sheep what it is that they need. Very simply, the good shepherd is our shepherd over all of life. And after making that beautiful confession about the ultimate relationship that he had with his shepherd, saying, the Lord is my shepherd, and also speaking of the comprehensive care of his shepherd, I shall not be in want, David then explains throughout the rest of this psalm, the comfort of the good shepherd's tender care. And tonight, we consider this tender care as David speaks of it in verses 2 and 3. The comfort of the good shepherd's tender care includes provision for life, restoration unto life, and guidance through life. That's what we see in these two verses. Now, if you ask most people what are the really important things in life, for example, if we took a poll here tonight and asked each one of you what are the most really important things in life, most of you would probably say, if not all of you, things like food, clothing, shelter, safety. These are the things that we might call the necessities of life. And David makes it clear that those are the things that the Good Shepherd provides for his sheep when he says, he makes me to lie down in green pastures and leads me beside quiet waters. You see, green pastures and quiet waters look forward to, point forward to rest and safety and nourishment. And the Lord's divine abundant provision is seen indeed in pastures richly covered with grass and gentle flowing streams of water. You see, plenty of fresh grass and fresh water are necessary for the well-being of the sheep. And that's exactly what the shepherd works to provide for his flock the shepherd really works to provide a sheep's paradise for his flock where he can provide the best tender care that he is able to and that which the sheep need but again unless you and i are familiar with sheep herding shepherding and unless we understand the characteristics of sheep which i don't think most of us do you cannot truly appreciate what david is saying here i am indebted to a shepherd turned pastor by the name of philip keller some of you no doubt have read his book a shepherd looks at psalm 23 and keller grew up and lived in in east africa surrounded by native sheep herders and he himself earned his living for about eight years as a sheep owner and rancher and he's done a very good job i think of taking taking his knowledge of sheep management as well, his expertise in that as well, his knowledge of the characteristics of sheep and taking that and giving a little bit of a fuller understanding of the details that David confesses in this psalm. And therefore, the details of sheep and shepherding that I relay to you in explaining this psalm and this text, as you know, don't come from my personal experience because as I said last week, my experience includes chasing my grandfather's sheep. And that's about it. But these details come from first-hand experience of a real shepherd. David said, he makes me lie down in green pastures. Now, lying down has with it the idea of peace and tranquility. And that makes sense to us, doesn't it? When we lie down at night for a night of sleep. There's nothing better than peace and tranquility. And a number of times in the Old Testament there is an additional claim along with that which says, and no one shall make them afraid. And that too makes sense to us because if you lay down for the night for a night of sleep and you're afraid of something, something has you anxious, there will be no peace and tranquility. It will not be a peaceful night. This is significant for sheep. Keller points out that sheep do not lie down easily And he explains that four requirements must be met to get them to lie down. First of all, because sheep are timid, they must be free from all fear. Sheep are easily panicked. They're easily spooked, even by a small rodent, let's say a squirrel, that's running away from them, from the sheep. And if one sheep is startled, it will start a stampede among the whole flock, Because sheep are followers even though they have absolutely no clue why they are running. And quiet waters also comes into play here because the noise of rough, rapid water crashing along the rocks will also make them afraid. And there is danger for the sheep with rough, raging streams that could easily carry off the small and the weak sheep to their death. But as long as there is even the slightest suspicion of danger, sheep will stand up, ready to run for their lives. But the presence and the voice of the shepherd can calm his sheep. It can put them at rest. And beloved, in the Christian's life, in the life of one who knows the voice of the Good Shepherd by the grace of God, there is no substitute, absolutely no substitute, for the sure awareness and the certainty that my shepherd is nearby. How many times haven't you or someone you know when facing a serious illness or even death or maybe some other sort of hardship said, I don't know how one who doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ can face these things. Maybe you've said that. Maybe I've heard it more often because I'm a pastor and deal with oftentimes with people who are sick and facing death. But it's a true statement. Those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ truly have no security. There's no safety. And beloved, all we can say in answer to that is but for the grace of God. Knowledge of and faith in Jesus Christ with the comforting presence of His Spirit takes away the fear. It takes away the panic. It takes away the terror of the unknown. And nothing can compare with that. Now, we don't know. Not one of us knows what God's plan is for tomorrow, although we confess that we know who holds tomorrow in His hand. And sometimes we talk about the fear of the unknown. And indeed, there are many who live in fear of that which is unknown. And many run at the site of trouble. Yet for those who know the soothing voice of the Good Shepherd and enjoy His presence every passing hour, For them, the dark isn't so dark. A second requirement to get the sheep to lie down is that because of their social behavior within a flock, sheep must be free from friction with other sheep. And apparently, sheep work to establish their territory among the flock by budding other sheep with their heads and bullying them around. Does this sound familiar, students? Happens in junior high, happens in high school when some gang up on others and they bully them around, try to establish their territory. Ezekiel 34, 20-22 speaks of this. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them. See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep because you shove with flank and shoulder budding all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away. I will save my flock and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. You see, this rivalry and competition causes much tension and insecurity in the flock. Sheep cannot let their guard down, as we say, because they must stand and they must always be ready to defend their rights and to contest the challenge of the challenger. But again, when the shepherd is near and the sheep can see Him, then their focus changes to Him. And they stop their rivalries and their fighting. Congregation, we live in a world of friction because of competition, because of pride, because of selfishness. And man doesn't look out for the interests of others except to get his hands on the others' interests. Paul says in Philippians 2, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, But in humility, consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of the others. But you see, the world doesn't operate that way. I'm number one. I'm better than the next guy. I deserve more than him. We often work to keep up with the Joneses, as the saying goes, and the Joneses' kids. if our friends or neighbors buy this or do that, we have to do it too. And the world promotes this through advertising, trying to make people think that they deserve this or that or that their life simply isn't complete without this possession or that vacation. The world grows covetous by their discontentment and competition. But the child of God, the sheep in the fold of the Good Shepherd lies down in quiet contentment, satisfied with his or her lot in life. Satisfied with the provision of his or her shepherd. The Bible says godliness with contentment is great gain. And Paul says, I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. Jesus pointed out that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. People of God, when your eyes are on the Master, then they will not be on those around you in this sort of selfish way. But sheep will also not lie down if they are tormented by flies or parasites. This is the third requirement. These drive sheep crazy. And they're constantly looking for relief. And the shepherd provides the proper insect repellents and salves and seeks the best environment where the sheep can indeed find relief. We, too, are often bugged, aren't we? Pun intended. We're often bugged as we experience small irritations and annoyances and petty differences often with each other. Husbands and wives all have quirks about them that drive each other bananas. Even in a congregation of believers, there are things about one that drive the other one nuts. as we might say, and have a hard time dealing with it. But through His Spirit, the Good Shepherd applies the healing, soothing, effective ointment of His presence and comfort to our difficulties so that we might see the purposelessness and the worthlessness of these things and stop to consider what is really important. Now, the fourth requirement is that sheep will not lie down as long as they are hungry and feel the need for food. Isn't it amazing how much we as people are like sheep, especially little boys and girls. I can't go to bed yet. I haven't had my snack. I'm hungry. Green pastures, you see, are essential to the success of the sheep. Tender green grass is important for the mother to provide nourishing milk for her young. As well, it's important simply for the overall health of all the sheep. And in the part of the world where David lived, one had to search hard for green pastures. But David confesses. He confesses that his shepherd, the Lord, not only provides green pastures in which to graze, to find plenty of food, but there's also enough to lie down and rest in, pointing to the total comfort that God's people enjoy from His hand. And water is also necessary for sheep. We know water is necessary for life. They need, again, quiet waters where they can drink without fear of danger of falling in and being swept away. Water is necessary for the vitality and the strength of sheep. It's important for their health and general well-being. If sheep don't have good water supplies from which to drink in their ignorance, they will be content with polluted puddles of water through which they will become infected with terrible parasites that threaten their lives. And beloved, the ruler of this dark world, the prince of darkness, Satan, tries to lead you and me to graze in the weed patches of lies and that which is false. Trying to get us to accept his lies as he did with Eve. Trying to tell us God doesn't really love you. He wouldn't allow you to get sick. He wouldn't let you lose your job. Jesus Christ is not the only way to be saved. There are many ways, Satan says. And the waters of the world, beloved, are anxiety and friction and selfishness and competition polluted with individualism and self. But for God's people, the Good Shepherd provides the green pastures of truth and the comforting living water of His Holy Spirit. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. The green pastures for the Christian are God's Word of truth. The Bible. The Scriptures. His Word of truth, which is always fresh. It's always rich. it's always abundant, it never withers, it is never exhausted. It's always nourishment for our soul, for our good. God's Word provides comfort and rest for His sheep, and just as tender grass is natural nutrition for sheep, the sweet, full doctrines, teachings of the Gospel are fit food, the only fit food for the soul. Beloved, sheep must be free from fear, friction, flies, and famine before lying down. And only the shepherd can provide the trust, the peace, the deliverance, and the pasture that are necessary. Only he can supply provision for life. Without the tender care of the shepherd, the sheep are in danger of wasting away. They're in danger of death. And only the shepherd can see to it that sheep are free from disturbing influences. and only then can He do that by constant care and expense. Being with His sheep. Abiding with them. And of course, as I trust you see, this is a picture of the gracious, tender care of the believer's good shepherd. One who gave His life that His sheep might have life. One who says to His sheep, to you and me, I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you. This psalm begins with rest and nourishment and safety and is a fitting reminder that the Christian life begins with rest in God through Jesus Christ. Rest from the restlessness of sin. Being rescued from sin. Having our sins forgiven and finding rest in Jesus Christ. Again, Ezekiel 34, 13-15 says, I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries. and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend to them in a good pasture in the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I Myself will tend My sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. And Jesus said, Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest. The soul's need is rest in the Lord, safety in the palm of God's hand, and nourishment from His Holy Word. And in the second place, the comfort of the good shepherd's tender care also includes restoration unto life. David says, he restores my soul. Now, a shepherd will also be quick to tell you and me that sheep will do things that compromise their safety. Boys and girls, sheep will do things that put their lives in danger. Now, restoring the soul, according to Scripture, can mean two things. On the one hand, it can mean to bring to repentance and conversion initially, the first time, to deliver one from darkness and bring him into the light of the truth of Jesus Christ. and indeed we know that that is the work of our God by the power of His Holy Spirit. But it can also mean to restore by bringing back. One was here. They moved over to here. And you bring them back. And that's what we find in Psalm 60, verse 1. The psalmist says, O God, You have cast us off, You have broken us down, You have been displeased. O restore us again. That's what we find with the prodigal son in that parable that Jesus told about the son who asked for his half of the father's inheritance and he goes off and squanders it. Comes back pitiful, poor, in rough shape. And the father restores him to his place and his honor in the family. Soul means life. And Psalm 23 is not the unbeliever's psalm. Psalm 23 is the Christian's claim of belonging in the family of God, of already being converted, and therefore the context of shepherding here supports the second interpretation of restoring to health and safety, bringing back to health and safety from having caused oneself to fall into danger. We all know, no doubt, that we can all testify to the fact that Christians do become distressed in soul. And we need to be restored to life. We do fall into sin. There are times when we are not content. Those four things, one or more of those four things we talked about, are out of place. There's friction. There's no peace. We need to be restored to the joy of salvation. That was David's prayer. Read Psalm 32. He said, Restore unto me, O Lord, the joy of salvation. Our comfort is that when the believer does fall into sin for a season, he doesn't lose his salvation, but he loses the joy of it for a time. And that was David's prayer. Restore to me the joy of salvation. Now again, the former shepherd Keller sees in this need for being restored what is called a cast sheep or a downcast sheep. And he's not talking about a depressed sheep here. A cast sheep is a heavy, fat, or long-fleeced sheep that finds a hollow or a hole in the ground and lies down comfortably in that hollow and rolls so far that its hooves, its legs, no longer touch the ground. And as the sheep senses danger and moves to try to get up, it ends up completely on its back and it is impossible to get up. Remember when I had the privilege of going to the Netherlands with the Dork Choir a number of years ago and we were driving along this dike and the water was up here on the one side and there was nice lush grass down here on the other side and we saw all these fat sheep laying on their back with just these little sticks for legs sticking up. I don't know if they were cast sheep, but that's what I think of when I think of these cast sheep. And not only is a cast sheep easy prey then for vultures and coyotes and cougars and other predators, but because of their anatomy, circulation gets cut off and death, especially on a hot day, is only a matter of hours away. Beloved, Jesus says that the shepherd leaves the 99 to go looking for the one that is lost. And a cast sheep literally needs the shepherd to lift it on its feet again. We know that in this life, sin still clings to us against our renewed will and sometimes we willingly give into it even David knew this personally the friend of God the man after God's own heart David willingly sinned with Bathsheba for example he experienced defeat and temptation he knew what it was to feel hopeless and and hopeless and without strength in himself. He says in Psalm 42, verse 11, Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? But he also knew the source of his restoration as he continues in that psalm, hope in God. For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Well, how does one become a cast sheep? Talking about us. By looking for a soft, comfortable spot. The easy place. The cozy corner. With no hardships or difficulties. No controversies. No need for endurance. No demand for self-discipline. A place where I can avoid faith talk. A place where we can avoid confrontation and trouble by compromising. Also by clinging to the old self with its selfish desires and hopes. As well, clinging to possessions and worldly ideas that weigh me down, drag me down, and hold me down so that I cannot stand up. But God does not abandon His sheep who fall. He shears them. He trims them up with the cutting edge of His Word. David knew that from experience. He says, thy hand was heavy upon me. And Jesus, we read, often looked at the multitudes and He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He often picked up the cast sheep. We think of Peter's restoration after he rejected, denied Christ three times. Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep. We think of the adulterous woman whom the Pharisees wanted to stone. But Jesus told her to go and sin no more. Beloved, only the Good Shepherd saves from sin eternally. And only He can restore my soul from temporary sin unto life. Only He can restore unto me the joy of that salvation. And that's why the assurance of pardon which we hear from Lord's Day to Lord's Day is so wonderful. Every Lord's Day as our God, as it were, looks us in the eye and from His Word says, Your sins are forgiven you. I have forgiven them as far as the east is from the west. I have forgiven them. I remember them no more. Yet the shepherd doesn't leave the sheep to find their own way. The good shepherd's tender care includes guidance through life. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The shepherd knows that the sheep are prone to wander. That's why they end up in danger. That's why they end up as cast sheep. Sheep will easily take the wrong paths that threaten their life. They can be brought to good grazing pastures, yet if they're left alone, they will wander off to fields that are empty. They will eat every blade of grass. They'll keep grazing in the same place, turning it into a wasteland because the new fresh grass does not have the opportunity to grow. By not having enough sense, sheep will literally starve themselves to death. And because of habit, sheep will also follow the same paths that once were smooth, but because of continuous use, they become dangerous ruts that could harm them. The shepherd, you see, must move the sheep from field to field so that the grazing spots are not destroyed. And he moves them on good, safe paths, keeping them from the rugged and the torturous paths that endangers them, but also keeping them near abundant supply of water. Isaiah rightly describes man apart from the Good Shepherd when he says, All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. Beloved, left to ourselves, we are stiff-necked. We are stubborn. And we like to follow our old familiar ways. We sing, in truth, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. prone to leave the God I love. Oftentimes, we don't learn from our mistakes, but instead, we cling to the same old habits that we have seen ruin other lives. But not me. I'm stronger than that. I can take care of myself. That problem which happened to that person or that couple isn't going to happen to me. Broken homes, broken hearts, Neglected lives and twisted minds remind us everywhere of men and women who have gone their own way. The writer of Proverbs says, there is a way that seems right to man. Hear that? It seems right to man, but its end is the way of death. And isn't it true that so often we think that we know better than God? God, if only You would heal me of this deadly disease and do it in this way, please. We think we know better than God. But God knows best, even and especially when we don't agree. Beloved, the stubborn, self-willed, proud, self-sufficient sheep that continues in pursuing its old paths, grazing on old, polluted ground, will end up a bag of bones on ruined land. But David confesses that confidence that this is not the way of the child of God. because He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. The Lord leads His sheep carefully in straight paths. And what David is saying here, I believe, is that with our God, with the Lord as our shepherd, there is no risk, absolutely no risk, of wandering to destruction. And He leads us to the right goal. Jesus Christ is the only shepherd, the only one who can truly say, I have not lost even one of my sheep. And notice the good shepherd guides because the sheep cannot find the way themselves. Life under the tender care of the good shepherd is abundant life as Jesus says He came to give. But life apart from the Good Shepherd is no life at all. The Lord shows us the way that we must go. Jesus says, I am the way. No one comes to the Father but through Me. No matter what Satan says, no matter what the world says, no matter what anybody else says, there is no other way to the Father. There is no other way to salvation. There is no other way to be saved from sin but through Me. in Jesus Christ as well, then the redeemed Christian doesn't pick and choose the commandments he will obey. But by the grace of sanctification, he desires to keep all of God's commandments which guide him through life in paths of righteousness and holiness. And why does the good shepherd bother to lead poor, helpless, hopeless, ignorant sheep in the paths of righteousness when by nature they are inclined toward all unrighteousness? Well, the answer, beloved, is simply gracious for His name's sake. For the sake of His glory. Demonstrating who He is. Demonstrating His love. His compassion. His sovereignty. And for the sake of His covenant promises. And what comfort? That must be comfort for you and me. for His sake. Not our sake, first of all. We would think it would be the other way around. But it's for His sake. Simply because He wants to. And it doesn't get any better than that. Congregation, because of the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep, Christians enjoy showers of blessing, as Ezekiel says. And he goes on to explain that beautifully. But those who don't enjoy the comfort of the Good Shepherd's tender care, they are under the curse of the devil's destructive control. It can only be one way or the other. And with Satan, there is no provision for life with green pastures and quiet waters, but only desert wasteland and polluted streams. With him, there's no restoration unto life, but only destroying of the soul. And there's no guidance through life because Satan doesn't really love us as he would like us to believe, but there's only casting toward eternal death. That's His goal. But for those who answer the call of God to repent and believe, they will enjoy the rest. The eternal rest that only the Good Shepherd can give. And we enjoy that rest in part already today. If the comfort of the Good Shepherd's tender care is yours, then with David, hope in God And praise Him for His name's sake. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, as we come before You at the close of this sermon and this service together, we do thank You for the comfort of Your Word, the comfort of Your presence, of Your hand with us, among us, guarding, guiding, protecting us. knowing what it is we need far better than we know, and giving to us exactly what we need, sometimes by withholding from us the things we want. Yet You give to us the confidence of knowing that indeed all things work together for the good of those who love You, those who are called according to Your purpose. Father, day by day, may we recognize our shepherd leading and guiding us. It may be, O Lord, that we would desire to walk in those paths of righteousness. When we are among the world, O Lord, may it not be that we would look for the cozy corner, the place where we can hide our faith under a basket, but that we might always be ready to give a reason to anyone who asks for the hope that is in us. Make us ready, O Lord, and give us confidence. And may our goal be that You would be praised. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.