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| Rev. Juliet Schimpf |
By
Rev. Juliet Schimpf
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Broadcast
Notes
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LINK to CFRA broadcast of
Sunday, April 12th, 2015)
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which made today’s broadcast possible.
'God is Enough' -Psalm 23
Opening prayer…
Lord, we thank you for this new day. Your mercies are new every morning and
we thank you that you are the Great Shepherd, and we are the sheep. Will you speak
to us today through your faithful Word, which equips us, encourages us, challenges
us, refreshes us? We love you, Jesus. AMEN.
“The Lord is my Shepherd…”
·
Martin Luther used to
say that faith is a matter of personal pronouns.
One time at a dinner table a famous movie actor got
up and recited the 23rd Psalm at the beginning of the dinner, as sort of a kind
of pious introduction. And when the dinner was over, somebody there at the
table asked an elderly gentleman there at the table to recite it who was not an
actor; he was an old retired preacher. And the old retired preacher got up and
recited the Psalm. The difference was, when the actor finished reciting the
Psalm, everybody at the table applauded; but when the old preacher got through
reciting the Psalm, it was quiet, and some of the people were crying. And when
they got through, the movie actor, going out the door, said to the old retired
preacher, "What power of delivery do you have that you can move these
people like that and I can't?" And
the preacher smiled at him and said, "Well, sir, you know the Psalm. But I
know the Shepherd!" One fellow knew
it by rote, and the other fellow knew it by heart. Psalm 23--the Lord is my
Shepherd.
·
It is most significant and instructive to notice
that most of the great saints in the Old Testament were shepherds:
o
Abel was a shepherd
o
Abraham was a shepherd
o
Isaac and Jacob were shepherds.
o
Moses was a shepherd.
o
Joseph, the greatest type in the entire Bible
o
And David, of course, one of the great types of
Christ in the Old Testament, was by nature and by trade and upbringing a
shepherd.
·
David referred to the
Lord as a shepherd, in part because he knew that he was a mere sheep…
o
Phillip Keller: “In our western culture, most people assume
that sheep are sweet, soft, white, innocent, harmless creatures dotting far-off
hillsides, looking so inviting and cuddly in their woolly coats.
How far from reality! The harsh, unhappy truth is that sheep just
aren’t that beautiful—except at a distance….sheep are actually very
stupid! They are incredibly stubborn! They have a very offensive odor. They are prone to sickness, susceptible to
innumerable parasites and diseases.
Timid, helpless, fearful creatures, they move under blind compulsion of
the mob instinct. Under improper
management when left to their own devices, they can be most destructive of the
land and its resources. When unattended,
they are harsh and hardheaded with one another.
They have a natural predilection to wander away, ending up in
difficulties of a dozen kinds.“
·
Put simply, sheep are
not naturally attractive animals, and neither are we!
o
Isaiah 53:6 “All we, like sheep, have wandered astray”
“He maketh me lie down….”
·
The word for “lie
down” is actually “stretched out”. Imagine
sheep sprawled out, stretched out…..resting!
·
FOR SHEEP TO SLEEP,
EVERYTHING MUST BE PERFECT: no predators, no tension in the flock, no bugs in
the air, no hunger in the belly!
The strange thing about sheep is that because
of their very make-up, it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down
unless 4 requirements are met:
1.
Owing to their timidity
they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear.
2.
Because of the social
behavior within a flock, sheep will not lie down unless they are free from
friction with others of their kind.
3.
If tormented by flies or
parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they
relax.
4.
Lastly, sheep will not
lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from
hunger.
A flock that is restless, discontented, always
agitated and disturbed never does well. And the same is true of people.
“In green pastures…”
It is not generally recognized that many of
the great sheep countries of the world are dry, semi-arid areas. Most breeds of
sheep flourish best in this sort of terrain. They are susceptible to fewer
hazards of health or parasites where the climate is dry. But in those same
regions it is neither natural nor common to find green pastures. For example,
Palestine, where David wrote this Psalm and kept his father's flocks,
especially near Bethlehem, is a dry, brown, sun-burned wasteland.
Green pastures did not just happen by chance.
Green pastures were the product of tremendous labor, time and skill in land
use. Green pastures were the result of clearing rough, rocky land; of tearing
out brush and roots and stumps; of deep plowing and careful soil preparation;
of seeding and planting special grains and legumes; of irrigating with water
and husbanding with care the crops of forage that would fed the flocks.
“He leadeth me beside still waters….”
·
“He leads me”: God isn`t behind me yelling, `Go!`
·
He is ahead of me,
bidding, `Come!`
·
He is in front,
clearing the path, cutting the brush, showing the way….
·
Before thinking about the water sources themselves, we do well to
understand the role of water in the animal body and why it is so essential for
its well-being. 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 thrist.
·
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.
Water for sheep came from three main sources ...
1.
dew on the grass
2.
deep wells
3.
springs and streams.
The good shepherd
makes sure that his sheep can be out and grazing on this dew drenched
vegetation. If necessary, it will mean he himself has to rise early to be out
with his flock.
"He restoreth my soul"
Surely it would be assumed that anyone in the Good
Shepherd's care could never become so distressed in soul as to need
restoration.
There is an exact parallel to this in caring for
sheep. Only those intimately acquainted with sheep and their habits understand
the significance of a "cast" sheep or a "cast down" sheep. This is an old English shepherd's term for a
sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself. A
"cast" sheep is a very pathetic site. 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
if all are able to be up and on their feet. If one or two are missing, often
the first thought to flash in his mind is, One of my sheep is cast somewhere. I
must go in search and set it on its feet again.
“He leadeth me in paths of righteousness…”
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.
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. In a short time a whole flock can thus become
infected with worms, nematodes, and scab. The final upshot is that both land
and owner are ruined while the sheep become thin, wasted, and sickly.
The greatest single safeguard which a shepherd has
in handling his flock is to keep them on the move... they dare not be left on
the same ground too long. They must be shifted from pasture to pasture
periodically. This prevents over-grazing of the forage. It forestalls the
re-infestation of the sheep with internal parasites or disease, since the sheep
move off the infested ground before these organisms complete their life cycles.
“Yea, Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death"
·
springtime grazing has
left the shepherd’s pasture bare…he must seek new fields….
·
he leads them to the deep
grass of the hillsides
·
the trek is long; the
path is dangerous; poisonous plants; wild animals
·
but the good shepherd
knows the path; he has walked this trail many times…
·
Every mountain has its
valleys. Its sides are scarred by deep ravines and gulches and draws. And the
best route to the top is always along these valleys. Any sheepman familiar with
the high country knows this. He leads his flock gently, but persistently up the
paths that wind through the dark valleys.
·
The shepherd knows from
past experience that predators like coyotes, bears, wolves or cougars can take
cover in these broken cliffs and from their vantage point prey on his flock.
There could be rock slides, mud or snow avalanches and a dozen other natural
disasters that would destroy or injure his sheep. But in spite of the hazards
he also knows that this is still the best way to take his flock to the high
country. He spares himself no pains or trouble or time to keep an eye out for
any danger that might develop.
“Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…”
1.
The rod was what he
relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger.
There is a second
dimension in which the rod is used by the shepherd for the welfare of his sheep
-- namely that of discipline. If the
shepherd saw a sheep wandering away from its own, or approaching poisonous
weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go
whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the
bunch.
The skilled shepherd uses
his rod to drive off predators like coyotes, wolves, cougars or stray dogs.
Often it is used to beat the brush discouraging snakes and other creatures from
disturbing the flock. In extreme causes, such as David recounted to Saul, the
psalmist no doubt used his rod to attack the lion and the bear that came to
raid his flocks.
2.
The staff is essentially
a symbol of the concern, the compassion that a shepherd has for his charges. No
other single word can better describe its function on behalf of the flock than
that it is for their "comfort."
The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring
it to its mother if they become parted. He does this because he does not wish
to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it.
Whereas the rod conveys the concept of authority, of
power, of discipline, of defense against danger, the word "staff"
speaks of all that is longsuffering and kind.
“Thou anointest my head…”
Sheep are especially troubled by the nose fly, or
nasal fly, as it is sometimes called. These little flies buzz about the sheep's
head, attempting to deposit their eggs on the damp, mucous membranes of the
sheep's nose. If they are successful, the eggs will hatch in a few days to form
small, slender, worm-like larvae. They work their way up the nasal passages
into the sheep's head; they burrow into the flesh and there set up an intense
irritation accompanied by severe inflammation.
For relief from this agonizing annoyance, sheep will
deliberately beat their heads against trees, rocks, posts, or brush. They will
rub them in the soil and thrash around against woody growth. In extreme cases
of intense infestation, a sheep may even kill itself.
All this excitement and distraction has a
devastating effect on the entire flock. Only the strictest attention to the
behavior of the sheep by the shepherd can forestall the difficulties of
"fly time." At the very first sign of flies among the flock, he will
apply an antidote to their heads--in Palestine the old remedy for this disease
was olive oil mixed with sulphur and spices.
Jesus Christ
says in John chapter 10, "I am the Good
Shepherd" (verse 11). "The Good Shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep." And again, in John 10:14, "I am the good
shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
Jesus says
in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them." I know them! "...and they follow me: And I give unto
them eternal life." We saved people are in the right flock and have
the right Shepherd. We never fool with any "shepherds" down here. We
know who the Chief Shepherd is. The Good Shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's called the Shepherd and the Bishop of our soul. And when we say "The
Lord is my shepherd," we're talking about a personal relationship that no
church can interfere any way in the world with. They simply can't interfere. They
might be able to kill us, but that won't sever us from the Shepherd.
Psalm 23
The Message
(MSG)
A David Psalm
23 1-3 God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
4 Even
when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.
5 You
serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your
beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life. (KJV: “for ever”)
Let us
pray…
Our Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word, which is a lamp
unto our feet. And we thank you that through your servant, David, Psalm 23 was penned,
and it is as relevant now as it was back then.
Lord, I pray for the listeners, and I pray, Lord, that they’d know that you
are the Great Shepherd. That you carry both a rod and a staff and that you long
to care for us, and direct us, and protect us, like a shepherd does his sheep.
So, encourage each listener, today, that You who began a good work in them
will see it through to completion, if they simply trust and obey. AMEN.
Rev. Juliet Schimpf
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broadcast, click on the following link:
