Review – The Lord is MY shepherd.
He is MY rock
He carries ME forever
He gathers ME in his arms
The evil one wants to attack ME, but he guards ME
He lays down his life for ME
He oversees MY soul
I do not want –
He gives me everything I need. Not everything I want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures
Sheep will not Lie or rest until their needs are met. They are nervous by nature. The must be made to rest by having their essentials met.
He leads me beside the still waters
God created this earth with calming colors of blues and greens for our sake
Read Psalm 23
Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
He restores my soul –
The word restores can have several meanings in the bible
Healing – When a sheep got injured, the shepherd would treat its wounds until it returned to good health. How often the Lord restores us to good spiritual health after the evil world system has hurt us.
Rescue – like a lost sheep being brought back
Repentance – In Hebrew the words “restores my soul” can mean to bring to repentance
Purity – He restores to original purity that which has turned black with sin. What good are “green” pastures with a black soul?
Anyone have an example of how God restores their soul?
Daily?
From a large event?
Even more often than worldly events, we need restoration from our own ego or actions.
Read John 21:15-19
What is Jesus restoring Peter to here? …when the rooster crows three times…
When Peter relied on his own self confidence to stay loyal to the Lord, what happened?
In these verses, God restores Peter. So much so that he gives him the job of “feeding his sheep” That is quite and honor as we have learned from the first verse, The Lord is my shepherd…
He leads me – Deep thought –
The shepherd was a guide . The sheep didn’t need to know where the green pastures or still waters were; all it needed to know was where the shepherd was. Likewise, the LORD would guide David to what he needed.
He leads me in paths of righteousness –
God does not just provide for us and protect us, but he leads us the way we should go morally.
The path of righteousness is the path of moral Christian living.
Are you on that path now? Are you always on that path?
Obviously not, but God has a plan for that. Ever heard “God has a plan…?”
Sheep were accustomed to following their shepherd in well-worn paths, but occasionally a sheep would stray from a safe path and become lost. Then the shepherd would leave the rest of the sheep in the custody of helpers and go searching for the lost sheep
Read Luke 15:3-7
- Then Jesus told them this parable:
- “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
- And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
- and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
- I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Does this mean salvation?
Does this mean Christian living?
Can it mean both?
For his names sake.
What does this mean?
All that he is doing here is meant to point to him.
Provide, protect, heal, restore, …all for him.
NLT says To bring honor to his name.