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Words of Rest, Part Two Psalm 23 |
September 10, 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum |
Several years ago, friends of ours surprised Stirling and I with airline tickets to Paris. We immediately threw ourselves into the task of creating an itinerary that would allow us to see as many of Europe’s highlights as was possible in the limited amount of time that we had and, for us, that included an afternoon at Paris’ famous museum, The Louvre. It was one of those experiences that not only met, but also exceeded all expectations.
As we entered the facility, perusing our guidebook, our anticipation continued to build as we were reminded of the amazing artworks that we would soon be seeing, including…
…two of the most famous statues in the world, both from ancient Greece—the “Venus de Milo” and “Winged Victory.”
…and, of course, the single most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s, “Mona Lisa.”
As we followed both the crowds and the guidebook from one incredible work of art to the next I began to sense, at some point, that the 4 hours that we had allotted to our museum visit might not be adequate to take it all in. As I read further in the guidebook, I learned that the museum housed some 35,000 works of art. I did some quick calculations and discovered that if… we set aside 4 hours each day to explore every treasure in The Louvre… and if we paused to ponder each of those treasures for just 60 seconds, a single minute… that it would take 96 days to see everything that was there. That was when I decided that the best that we could possibly hope for on that particular day was simply to scratch the surface of the wealth of treasures tucked away in that amazing museum.
I had a similar kind of sense after the journey we took last Sunday through the 23rd Psalm. I thoroughly delighted in the experience. The time we spent considering the treasures we found there left me uplifted and refreshed. Judging by your feedback, you felt the same. But I also came away feeling like we had barely scratched the surface of that amazing psalm. I came away wishing that we’d had more time to explore its depths. And God used an email from one of you to confirm His invitation for a return visit. So, this morning, I’m delighted to say that we’re going to go back to Psalm 23 and wander around a little further. And let’s begin by reading it together.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even 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 overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
If you were with us last week, you’ll remember that we focused our attention on two primary observations. We began by noting that this is an intensely personal psalm. David describes for us, here, the nature of his own relationship with God and it is clearly a close and personal relationship.
“The Lord is my shepherd…”
“He makes me lie down in green pastures…”
“He leads me…”
“He guides me…”
“He restores my soul.”
Clearly, David has had a profound, life-changing encounter with God. And part of the timeless appeal of this psalm is found in the hope that it offers us, namely, that if David can have an authentic encounter with God, then we can, too. The Lord can be our shepherd, too. He longs for us to know Him in such a deep and personal way that He can lead, guide and restore us as well. God longs for us to experience with Him the same kind of profoundly satisfying personal relationship that David experienced with Him.
Then, the second lesson we learned last week grew out of the shift that occurs in the middle of the psalm concerning the way that David refers to God.
--In verses 1-3 David talks about God—“the Lord is my shepherd,” “he makes me lie down in green pastures…”, “He leads me,” “He restores me,” “He guides me.”
--Then, in verses 4-5 David suddenly shifts gears and begins talking, not about God, but directly to God. “I will fear no evil for you are with me.” “Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” “You prepare a table before me…” “You anoint my head with oil…”
And the lesson that we drew from that shift is that talking about God should always be accompanied by talking to God. Why? Because God’s ultimate desire for us is not that we would study Him as a subject but that we would truly get to know Him personally; that we would develop with Him a meaningful personal relationship. And that’s exactly what happens when we combine talking about God with talking to Him.
So, those are the nuggets of treasure that we mined last week. Now, let’s move forward and see what new treasures we might find, this morning. And let’s begin by returning, once again, to verse 4. We’ve just noted the shift that occurs here as David moves from talking about God to talking directly to God. Now, let’s dig a little deeper by asking this question—Why do you suppose this language shift occurs precisely where it does, namely, in verse 4?
--If he’d wanted to, for instance, David could have made the shift in verse 3 and written, “You guide me in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake.”
--On the other hand, if he’d wanted to he could have made the shift in verse 5, in which case verse 4 would have read, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for he is with me; his rod and his staff they comfort me.”
But he didn’t make the shift in verse 3 or in verse 5, instead, he shifted from talking about God to talking directly to God in verse 4. The question I’m asking this—Is there something to learn from the fact that this language shift happens specifically in verse 4? And, it seems to me that the answer is a resounding, “yes.” And the key to understanding the shift in David’s language in verse 4 is to understand that shift in David’s circumstances in verse 4.
In the first 3 verses David has been writing about his experience with God in “green pastures,” beside “quiet waters” and in “paths of righteousness.” In verse 4 David is now writing about his experience with God as he walks into “the valley of the shadow of death.” And what we see in David’s experience can be seen in the experience of God’s people across the ages, namely, that during times of crises God’s people draw closer to God.
When life is bright and bountiful I may be satisfied with talking about God. “The Lord is my shepherd. He leads me and guides me and restores my soul.”
But, folks, when bright and bountiful days are nothing but a distant memory and all I can see today in every direction are dark shadows of death, I’m not particularly interested in talking about God. I’m suddenly impressed with a grave urgency to talk directly to Him. “Father, I need you to be my shepherd. I’m surrounded by darkness, here. I need you to lead me through this. The dangers I’m facing are real and imminent. Lord, I’m begging for your guidance. I’m frightened, Lord. I need you to protect and restore me.”
At the outset of this message I told you that God had used an email from one of you to confirm His invitation for us to return to the 23rd Psalm, today. That email came from Jayne Askew and she has given me permission to share that it with you. She wrote:
Pastor Tom,
Thank you for your fresh perspective on this passage. Although a very familiar Psalm, it has become a treasured and often recited scripture for me during this journey of brain cancer. When I went to get my first MRI in March, it was the first passage that came to mind to calm my fears. I laid in that tunnel and recited it over and over. When I found out I had a tumor, I fell back on it's promises and comfort. Denise had just been to a Brian Doerkson concert and shared his song "When You Shepherd Me". I loved it and felt it was "my song". She also prayed over me that He would Shepherd me through this dark valley. As she was praying, I had the thought, ' this is a valley, but it's not dark! ' The presence of God during tumultuous times dispels darkness. Right after that, the Lord gave me another scripture to tie in with what He was teaching me as He so often graciously do! Psalm 18:28 says, “You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.”
So Sunday night before I went to bed I meditated on the 23rd Psalm again, specifically noting your observation of how the Psalm became more personal at verse 4. As I was reading and reflecting the thought came to me that the psalmist begins this change at verse 4 when he's talking about the dark valleys. I have noticed in my own life, and I'm sure many others have too, that God becomes intensely personal when we fall on rough times. We cling to Him with a greater intensity and He is there. He's always been there, but His presence becomes more tangible in those times of need.
What a wonderful word of wisdom for us.
When you find yourself in a valley shadowed with death, don’t turn from the Lord, instead, cling to the Lord with a greater intensity than ever before.
When your life is suddenly filled with uncertainties, don’t let your confidence in God grow weak, instead, trust Him with a greater intensity than ever before.
Folks, in times of crises, those who have been content to merely know about God may very well turn their backs on Him, thinking that the crisis means that He must have abandoned them. They mistakenly conclude that the hardships and struggles in their life somehow prove that God has been unfaithful to them. But, folks, they’re wrong. And in turning from God precisely at the moment of their greatest need for Him, they make a difficult situation exponentially worse.
But, folks, those who truly know Him; those who faithfully nurture an intimate, daily walk with the Lord, they don’t abandon God when life gets tough, they run to Him with a greater intensity than ever before. And as they do so, what do they discover about God?
--They discover what Jayne discovered. “He’s always been there, but His presence is even more tangible in those times of need.”
--They discover what James discovered. “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8
--They discover what the author of Psalm 46 discovered. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
--They discover what David discovered. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… you are with me.”
Folks, if you’re facing financial uncertainties… the reserves are going down while the bills are going up… don’t turn your back on God; run to Him… cling to Him more tightly than ever. He will be there in your time of need.
If you’re facing a health crisis of some kind… either in yourself or in someone you love… don’t turn your back on God; run to Him… cling to Him more tightly than ever. He will be there in your time of need.
If your marriage is on the brink of collapse and you’re worn out and discouraged and out of ideas… don’t turn your back on God; run to Him… cling to Him more tightly than ever. He will be there in your time of need.
If God seems far, far away from you right now… if it feels like your prayers are not only going unanswered, but unheard… if you can hardly remember how long its been since your walk with God was close and real… don’t turn your back on God; run to Him… cling to Him more tightly than ever. He will be there in your time of need.
Folks, if you’re facing a challenge of any kind today that is filling your valley with dark shadows… don’t turn your back on God; run to Him… cling to Him more tightly than ever. He will be there in your time of need.
© Copyright 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum