SERMON SERIES: A SUMMER IN THE PSALMS

Psalm 23 HO! EVERYONE THAT THIRSTETH, COME

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea; 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs 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."

Isaiah 55:1-3
"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live."

John 4:7-14
"A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself as well as his sons and his livestock?"
Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Matthew 5:6 (The words of the Good Shepherd)
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Message: This is a poet's Psalm. It suggested to David's Son and Lord His most tender metaphor, and so to the rest of the New Testament writers much of the imagery of their pages: for example to the writer of the Hebrews the "great Shepherd of the sheep, and to St. John the Divine the "Lamb that shall lead us unto living fountains of water."
It is believed that David wrote this Psalm in his later years. There is fullness of experience about it, and a tone of subdued, quiet confidence which speaks of a heart mellowed by years, and of a faith made sober by many trials.

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The singer of this sweet psalm is one who has traveled far on life’s way, and his path has not always been bright and smooth. He knows that there are sunny nooks and corners, that life is not all a wilderness, but that there are bright patches of green where for a brief noontide hour one may lie down and be happy. He knows that its thirst is not such as cannot be slaked, for a gracious Providence has caused the waters to bubble up and run through it, and that by the banks of its restful waters a man may quench that thirst and rest his weariness awhile.
But he knows, too, that life is not all pastures of greenness and waters of rest; for he has had to tread many a dark way, and walk through ravines where the sun never shone, and in whose gloomy recesses there lurked dangers from robbers and beasts. Life has been a checkered experience, but through it all one thing has been very real to him; he has always been sure of God!
In our study of the Psalm, today we come to the phrase...HE LEADS ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS. The original language indicates that a better translation would be...He leads me beside the waters of rest. Rest comes when thirst has been satisfied.
Although sheep thrive in dry, semi-arid country, they still require water. They are not like some of the African gazelles which can survive fairly well on the modest amount of moisture found in natural forage. The body of an animal such as a sheep is composed of about 70 percent water on an average. This fluid is used to maintain normal body metabolism; it is a portion of every cell, contributing to its turgidity and normal life functions. Water determines the vitality, strength and vigor of the sheep and is essential to its health and general well-being. When sheep are thirsty, they become restless and set out in search of water to satisfy their thirst. If not led to the good water supplies of clean, pure water, they will often end up drinking from the polluted pot holes where they pick up such internal parasites as nematodes, liver flukes or other disease germs.
Generally speaking, water for the sheep comes from three main sources...dew on the grass, deep wells, and springs and streams. Most people are not aware that sheep can go for months on end, especially if the weather is not too hot, without actually drinking, if there is heavy dew on the grass each morning. Sheep, by habit, rise just before dawn and start to feed. Or if there is bright moonlight they will graze at night. The early hours are when the vegetation is drenched with dew, and sheep can keep fit on the amount of water taken in with their forage when they graze just before and after dawn.
In the spiritual, there is a thirst of the soul that only God can satisfy! Christ, our Good Shepherd, made it clear that thirsty souls of men and women can only be fully satisfied when their capacity and thirst for spiritual life is fully quenched by drawing on Himself. At that great feast in Jerusalem, Jesus declared boldly, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink." (John 7:37). "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled [satisfied]." (Matt. 5:6).
The difficulty in all of this is that men and women who are "thirsty" for God (who do have a deep inner sense of searching and seeking; who are in quest of that which will completely

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satisfy) often are unsure of where to look or really what they are looking for. Their inner spiritual capacity for God and divine life is desiccated and in their dilemma they will drink from any dirty pool to try and satisfy thirst for fulfillment.
The ancient prophet Jeremiah put it very bluntly when he declared: "My people...they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13)
"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters..." When the ancient prophet made this invitation, he was touching a human need that is in every human breast...a spiritual hunger and thirst for God. It is the same invitation that the Good Shepherd made: "If any man thirsts, let him come..." Remember, Jesus had said to the woman of Samaria..."The water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) It would be another way of putting Isaiah's beautiful saying: "And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." (Isaiah 58:11) The meaning would be that Jesus can give a man or woman the refreshment of His Spirit, the Holy Spirit...and His indwelling presence satisfies the thirst of the heart. It is as if Jesus said: "Come to me and accept me, believe in Me, and put your entire trust in Me as your Savior and Lord, and I will put into you through my Spirit a new life which will give you purity and satisfaction, and give you the kind of life you have always longed for and never had."
We have observed that if the human thirst is not satisfied in Christ, men and women will drink from any pool, any source which they hope will satisfy their thirst. Drugs, sex, material things, fame and fortune...but whatever joy and satisfaction these may bring, it is only for a moment and then the emptiness only intensifies. We are spiritual beings, and the things of time will never satisfy us for the Bible tells us...."He has put eternity in their hearts" which simply means that only eternal values satisfy!
Through Christ and His Word, the thirst is quenched and life takes on real meaning and fulfillment.
The next phrase in our Psalm is...HE RESTORETH MY SOUL.
In the natural, the shepherd must continually be on the watch for a "cast down" sheep.
Mr. Keller explains: "A cast sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to stand up, without success. Sometimes it will bleat a little for help, but generally it lies there lashing about in frightened frustration.
If the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonably short time, the sheep will die. This is but another reason why it is so essential for a careful sheepman to look over his flock every day, counting them to see that all are able to be up and on their feet. If one or two are missing, often the first thought to flash into his mind is, ...One of my sheep is cast somewhere! I must go in search and set it on its feet.
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness,

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and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost." (Luke 15:4-6)
Mr. Keller tells us how sheep become "cast."
A heavy fat, or long fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some little hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out or relax. Suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically. Frequently this only makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for it to regain its feet. As it lies there struggling, gases begin to build up in the rumen. As these expand they tend to retard and cut off blood circulation to extremities of the body, especially the legs. If the weather is very hot and sunny, a "cast" sheep can die in a few hours. There is another aspect of this matter of causing the sheep to "cast." A sheep that is heavy with wool will pick up mud, manure, burrs and other debris, making its coat very heavy. This causes the sheep to be unbalanced and easily toppled on its back...leaving it impossible to turn over and get back on its feet! The life of the sheep is hopeless if the shepherd does not help.
David was acquainted with the bitterness of feeling hopeless and without strength in himself. In Psalm 42:11 he cries out, "Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God."
The spiritual applications in this truth are exceedingly interesting. There is much in this life that brings us into a "cast" relationship with our Good Shepherd. We can be inattentive and lax in our spiritual life...we can allow the world to stick to us and we become conformed to its values and goals, we can neglect the reading of His Word and the attendance in His sanctuary, we can avoid fellowship with the family of God...and soon, we become "cast" and backslidden!
The coat of the sheep is wool, and we noted that as it gets heavy, it picks up debris and mud and manure. It is interesting to note that wool in Scripture depicts the old-self life in the Christian. It is the outward expression of an inner attitude, the assertion of my own desire and hopes and aspirations. It is the area of my life in which and through which I am continually in contact with the world around me. Here is where I find the clinging accumulation of things, of possessions, of worldly ideas beginning to weigh me down, drag me down, hold me down. It is significant that no high priest was ever allowed to wear wool when he entered the Holy of Holies! This spoke of self, or pride, or personal preference——and God could not tolerate it. Paul writes: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)
Mr. Keller points out that there is one other cause for a sheep to become "cast." When the sheep becomes too fat, the body becomes unbalanced and top heavy!

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Turning to the Christian life we are confronted with the same sort of problem! In His warning to the church in Revelation 3:17 God points out that though some considered themselves rich and affluent, they were actually in desperate danger. The same point was made by Jesus in His account of the wealthy farmer who intended to build more and bigger barns, but who, in fact, faced utter ruin. Material success is no measure of spiritual health. Nor is apparent affluence any criteria of real godliness. And it is well for us that the Shepherd of our souls see through this exterior and takes steps to set things right. Sometimes the Good Shepherd must take painful steps to bring us down from our positions of arrogance and self-sufficiency. It is easy to become spiritually "cast" when we are too 'fat' with the things of this world!
But let us never forget...it is the "cast" sheep which gets the personal attention of the Shepherd! Many people have the idea that when a child of God falls and is "cast"...when he is frustrated and helpless in a spiritual dilemma, God becomes disgusted, fed-up and even furious with him in his "cast" condition. THIS SIMPLY IS NOT SO!
One of the great revelations of the heart of God is given to us in the story which we referred to from Luke 15 where the shepherd leaves the flock and goes to find the sheep that was lost! The Good Shepherd has the same identical sensations of anxiety, concern and compassion for the "cast" men and women as a shepherd has for his "cast" sheep. This is precisely why He looked on people with such pathos and compassion. It explains His magnanimous dealing with down-and-out individuals for whom even human society had no use. It reveals why He wept over those who spurned His affection. It discloses the depth of His understanding of undone people to whom He came eagerly and quickly, ready to help, to save and to restore. It is why He leaves the ninety-nine and comes looking for us when we are "cast."
He does restore...He does forgive...He does treat us with mercy and compassion...He is our Good Shepherd even when we are wandering sheep, lost sheep, disobedient sheep!
Our Psalm continues...
HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE.
Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves, they will follow the same trails until they become ruts; graze the same hills until they turn to desert wastes; pollute their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites. Many of the world's finest sheep ranges have been ruined beyond repair by over-grazing, poor management and indifferent or ignorant sheep owners.
A commonly held, but serious misconception about sheep is that they can just "get along anywhere." The truth is quite the reverse. No other class of livestock requires more careful handling, more detailed direction, than do sheep.
Because of the behavior of sheep and their preference for certain favored spots, these well-worn areas become quickly infested with parasites of all kinds. The greatest single safeguard which a shepherd has in handling his flock is to keep them on the move. In a word—there must be a pre-determined plan of action, a deliberate, planned rotation from one grazing ground to another in line with right and proper principals of sound management.

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This is precisely the sort of action and the idea David had in mind when he spoke of being led in paths of righteousness . Remember! God calls us sheep. Our behavior patterns and life habits are so much like that of sheep it is well nigh embarrassing!
First of all, Scripture points out that most of us are stiff-necked and stubborn. We prefer to follow our own fancies and turn to our own ways. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53). Just like sheep will blindly; habitually, stupidly follow one another along the same little trails until they become ruts that erode into gigantic gullies, so we humans cling to the same habits that we have seen ruin our lives! Turning to 'my own way' simply means doing what I want. It implies that I feel free to assert my own wishes and carry out my own ideas. And this I do in spite of every warning.
We read in Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." In contrast to which Christ the Good Shepherd comes gently and says, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6). "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
The stubborn, self-willed, proud, self-sufficient sheep that persists in pursuing its old paths and grazing on its old polluted ground will end up a bag of bones and ruined land.
But in the spiritual, our Good Shepherd desires the very best for us, and if we will follow, He will lead us into paths of righteousness, into lives of fruitfulness and meaning that will bring glory to Him! If we are in earnest about wanting to do His will, and to be led, He makes this possible by His own gracious Spirit who is given to those who obey (Acts 5:22). "For it is He who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). Christ, the Good Shepherd, comes to us and says, "If any man will follow Me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross and follow me (Mark 8:34). But most of us, even as Christians, simply don't want to do this. We don't want to deny ourselves, give up our right to make our own decisions—we want to follow our plans, not His.
We will find these paths of righteousness if we will do the following things:
(1) Instead of loving myself most, I am willing to love Christ best and others more than myself.
(2) Instead of being one of the crowd I am willing to be singled out, set apart from the gang.
(3) Instead of insisting on my rights, I am willing to forego them in favor of others. 
(4) Instead of being "boss" I am willing to be at the bottom of the heap.
(5) Instead of finding fault with life and always asking "Why?" I am willing to accept every circumstance of life in an attitude of gratitude.
(6) Instead of exercising and asserting my will, I learn to cooperate with His wishes and comply with His will.
(7) Instead of choosing my own way, I am willing to choose to follow in Christ's way; simply to do what He asks me to do!