Psalm
23
A
Psalm of Trust
Does it cause you to think less of
me if I acknowledge that I had not looked ahead to realize that the 23rd
Psalm was the appointed lesson for today?
I made a reference to a particular verse of Psalm 23 in my sermon last
week. Forgive me for anchoring two sermons on this
passage, but there is a lot in the Psalm worthy of our attention. When asked “Is there a text important to you
in troubled times,” the overwhelming response is Psalm 23. It does speak to us, in troubling
situations. It’s message of a God in
whom we can trust bears repeating.
I want to start with the 5th
verse. This is the verse which exposes
the setting to which this psalm speaks.
Try to repeat it with me, from memory if possible. If not completely from memory, allow the
chorus around you to remind you of what words come next. Verse 5 – “You prepare a table for me in
the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running
over.”
This psalm is spoken to those who
find themselves surrounded. At every
turn, in every direction the challenges and chances are pressing in tight. The LORD does not come and remove me from
this; the LORD comes and prepares a table for me right there, in the presence
of my enemies. When this banquet is
over, some of those enemies might breach the perimeter and overtake me. But before that happens, they are going to
have to watch the oil flow over me and see that overflowing cup.
Psalm 23 is in the category of
psalms referred to as “Trust Psalms.”
They strengthen my resolve to trust; to trust in God, to trust in God’s
promises.
Ready to try the verse again? Say it with me: “You prepare a table for me in the
presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running
over.”
Now we can go back up to the top of
the page. With an assurance that the
LORD is fully aware that we are in the midst of a whole host of enemies, that
opening affirmation doesn’t seem so naive.
The psalm was surely written by one who had passed through the valley of
the shadow of death and having come out the other side; they can now affirm the
goodness and mercy of the LORD.
Verse 1 is probably already
committed to memory. Say it with
me: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not be in want.” I know that there
are things that you want. There are even
a lot of things that you need. But isn’t
it also true that we are being cared for in a deep and compassionate way?
There are many opportunities for us
to express our “wants.” These days in
particular are overflowing with pleas for God to provide. Nothing – nothing – I am about to say is
intended to mean imply that we have nothing to ask for. But I do want to encourage each of you to
think of the ways in which God has been with you in the past. Remember other needful times and recall how
God proved to be the Good Shepherd for you.
Speak of these things, to one another.
Those of us who have lived more years may have more experiences. We need to speak of them. We need to share them.
Mostly, we need to remember
them. We need to recall them. Again, not in order to feel guilty or shamed
by the urgent cries on our lips this morning, but as a way of remembering that
God has been a good shepherd and gaining confidence that God will continue to
be our good shepherd.
How has God shepherded you? How has God removed your “want”?
Say the verse with me again: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in
want.
To get the impact of the next two
verses, you must know a bit about sheep.
Sheep will eat and eat and eat if there is food in front of them. Lying down in green pastures is tough
for them. They live with such a fear of
sacristy that they just keep on eating.
The psalmist points out that there
is no sacristy. We can relax. God will provide in abundance.
Sheep are also prone to
drowning. Still waters are preferable to
rushing waters.
Even without that background, verse
2 speaks to us, doesn’t it? Say it with
me: The Lord makes me lie down in
green pastures and leads me beside still waters.
Verse 3 might be the most difficult
to remember. It is devoid of poetic
imagery; it actually fits more in the category of theology. You will see that it also serves as a transition
verse. It is the affirmation, while
difficult to remember, that gives the psalm its purpose.
You restore my soul, O Lord, and
guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.
Any idea what that last phrase
means? “For your name’s sake”? What is the psalmist talking about here?
I have benefited from the
suggestion that it is God’s own good name which is at stake here. God does these things BECAUSE failure to do
so would reflect badly on God. God
restores me; God guides me – for the sake of His name among the peoples and
among the nations. God does not merely
shepherd me because God is in a good mood – this is who God has promised to
be. And thus, if God fails to guild me,
his name loses its luster. But, of
course, He won’t. Too much is at stake
here. For the sake of his name God will
restore and guide.
I much prefer this translation of
verse 4 to the translation in the NRSV. Gone
in that translation is the reference to the place through which I pass as the “valley
of the shadow of death.” Dr. Joseph Sittler pointed out that death
isn’t the threat; it is the “shadow” of death.
Our fear of death is what is likely to separate us from God; death
itself cannot.
Ready for verse 4? Though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; For you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me.
I do remember that we are in the
middle of the season of Lent and I know that the focus of Lent is to identify
our sins and work to seek a more pietistic response to God. But our Lenten activities are to accomplish
something more significant that scoring brownie points with God. They are to position us to carry forth into
the world the hope and promise which Easter brings. I can’t think of a better way to accomplish
that than by speaking and living the blessings of which Psalm 23 speaks. If you haven’t accomplished anything else as
a result of a Lenten discipline, take on the task of learning by heart Psalm
23. Speak it to yourself; repeat it to
your children; have it in mind when you find yourself at a loss for words.
How are we doing? Ready to repeat the whole thing with me? I am a bit nervous, and performance anxiety
is a real possibility. But let’s try
it. And when you find yourself at a loss
for what comes next, listen all the more intently for the clues given by a
neighbor and fellow pilgrim.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not be in want.
The Lord makes me lie down in green
pastures and leads me beside still waters.
You restore my soul, O Lord, and
guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.
Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;
For you are with me; your rod and
your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil, and my
cup is running over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of
the LORD forever.
Amen.
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