Psalm 23
May 12, 2024 + Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church +Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane
Please turn to the Psalm 23 insert in your bulletin. These beautiful pictures were created by our own Gary Feyen. They are written in the King James version, which may be the most poetic rendition of this Psalm that has ever been translated into English. But it is not always the easiest to apply to our daily lives. Some of you may have memorized this – or another version of the 23rd Psalm – and that is good. If you haven’t, I would suggest that you do – or memorize one of the many songs based on the 23rd Psalm that we are going to be singing today. Because, today I’m going to make the case that while Psalm 23 is often heard as a comforting word at funerals, it was written for the living and is still relevant to our everyday lives.
So let’s begin with the first line – the first picture in your handout. The Lord is my shepherd. This is a statement of faith by the Psalmist who is claiming that the Lord – GOD – is not just a shepherd taking care of the whole world, but the Lord, God – who is King of heaven and earth – is MY GOD, is MY Shepherd. The Lord is MY Shepherd.
The Psalmist does not have an exclusive claim. These words are meant to be read or rather proclaimed out loud by ALL people. So, I invite you to claim this relationship and say: The Lord is MY Shepherd. (Say it with me and I really want to hear you claim it as your own so let me hear MY really loudly.) The Lord is MY Shepherd. This is a proclamation of faith.
It is also a reminder to ourselves that we, like sheep, are vulnerable at times. And, that we can’t be as independent and as self-sufficient as we often would like to believe we are. No one pulls themselves up by their own bootstraps even if they are bound and determined that they can do it by themselves. Imagine a little girl maybe about 2years old who gets her boots stuck in the mud. She tries to pull herself out – but as she tries to lift up one foot, the other gets stuck even further down in the mud. So then she tries to pull that foot out and the other foot goes down deeper. Pretty soon she is up to her knees and she cries out “Daddy! Help ME!” And of course, her Daddy comes and gets her out of the mud – which is now all over her. Clearly, that little girl needed help - but she’s not the only one. We all NEED a Daddy or a Mommy to take us out of the mud and muck of life - a helper - also known as shepherd - one who will love us, care for us, and always be with us – no matter what.
What we need to do is trust. Trust in the Lord God. This isn’t hard to do when times are good. We can give thanks to God for the blessings and trust that God sent them. Maybe we even think we deserve them. But… when our luck runs out, our situation turns grim, we are betrayed by a job or a spouse or a friend or we make a mistake and betray someone else or something else unexpectedly bad happens - and we find ourselves alone and the pantry bare… in those times it is harder to say, “I shall not want” or “I lack nothing”.
Remember the Israelites, when they were in the wilderness? They had to trust that God would send enough fresh manna every day. They were warned – don’t try to save any. Don’t hoard it. But to some, this seemed too good to be true. Maybe they thought: what would it hurt to save a little – just in case. But…when they didn’t trust God to do what God promised to do, and they took just a little extra and stored it… they woke up to find foul smelling maggot filled manna stinking up their house. They learned – the hard way – that they had to trust the Lord to do as he said. As the proverb says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart” – all of the time.
Take a look at the second picture full of greens and blues – God has given to us green pastures – good food and opportunities and still fresh waters with good fishing. This is what God has provided.
Unfortunately, we haven’t always taken good care of the gifts God has entrusted to us. Some of the water – like in Michigan and in Lake Elmo and other places – is contaminated by lead or other chemicals. In poor neighborhoods, the fresh vegetables sold in the grocery store don’t look like the kind we enjoy from Byerly’s or Cub Food.
And yet… even when we as a people mess up our lives and the beautiful world that God created for us, God is still with us, caring for us. Take a look at the next picture, verse 3: The good Shepherd refreshes my soul, and leads me on the right path. If the Good Shepherd was like an ordinary person, he would be furious. But he’s not. Instead, he continues to refresh, renew and guide us – “for his name’s sake.” In other words, this is who God is, it is God’s character to care for you, no matter what.
This is why, as it says in the next picture, verse 4, that “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” This is the promise of Jesus to you. “I will be with you always.” As it says in Romans, “there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing.
There are lots of shadows in our world. And at times, the forces of evil seem overwhelming – for example: Russia’s war to take over Ukraine, the Palestinian people caught between the rifles of Hamas and the big guns in Israel, the dictators in so many parts of the world killing or expelling people from their land, forcing them to become refuges in a foreign land. The list goes on… Our world can be a dangerous place where it is hard to trust anyone.
Yet it is precisely for a time such as this that you need to have verse 5 memorized. Pick your translation. But have this verse in your memory banks –when – not if – really hard challenges come to you: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear NO evil, for you, God are with me.” God will be with you. No matter what comes. This assurance of God’s presence with us would be enough – indeed, more than we could dare to ask for. But God gives us more.
God plans a party – a banquet - a feast - and invites you and all your enemies. But neither knives nor guns are not drawn, not even forked tongues. Instead, somehow, by God’s grace, all are blessed. And your cup overflows.
Again, this would be more than enough. This is enough for you to sing Halleluia! But there is more. Turn to the last picture, verse 6. Surely goodness and mercy/ love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In this verse, the Hebrew word “Hesed” is translated as “mercy” in the King James version but the New Revised Version translates the word as “love.” Neither one is wrong. In truth, God’s character encompasses both of these qualities. And, in both of these translations, God’s goodness and love and mercy are described as things that will “follow” you. However, another translation of that verb is: “pursue”. God not only embodies goodness, love and mercy, but God loves you so much that God will pursue you all the days of your life.
God still gives you freedom. You can say no to God and God’s way. But God still loves you and not only wants to give you mercy. but continues to seek you to grant you grace. This is why you can trust that you have a place in the house of the Lord – forever.
Brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, this is why I want you to memorize Psalm 23 – and return to it often, because the words of this Psalm can be your words and your prayer. Friends in Christ, may you find God’s pursuit of you to be a blessing and may the words of the Psalm resonate in your heart and in your life.