Psalm 23:4c

While vacationing in Williamsburg, Virginia I visited a “Ripley’s believe it or not!” gallery, the home of bizarre stories, international oddities, and strange discoveries.  Along the journey of browsing I saw a life size version of the tallest man in the world, standing at a towering eight feet and eleven inches I found myself just about eye level with his belt.  While in the gallery I couldn’t help but think of another giant who stood just about the same height as the display in front of me. 

His spear was bigger than most flagpoles, his coat of armor weighed about 200 pounds, and his voice scared an army of well weathered warriors.  Goliath was no joke; you didn’t catch any Israelites giggling when the giant stood morning after morning to mock the God of Israel.  A massive detachment of troops feared one man; he was head, shoulders, and even belly above everyone else.  To be perfectly fair, I couldn’t blame them, I was intimidated by a nine foot statue; they were dealing with the real deal, a man of war who toted a coat of armor that weighs more than I do. 

With all of that said, it seems a bit odd that the only guy that stepped on the scene with enough boldness to face a giant was not much bigger than a high school point guard.  What is even more curious is where this youthful shepherd boy got his courage. 

His brothers thought it was youthful pride.

His King thought it was youthful ignorance.

His heart knew it as child-like faith.

It wasn’t because of an enlarged ego, or some positive thinking technique, it was from a faith that the Lord Himself was with him to deliver as times before (1 Samuel 17:37).  I personally believe the words of Psalm 23 were written while David was in the field tending sheep, the very same field that he mentions while testifying to King Saul.  You see, When God showed Himself faithful in the life of David, he wrote it down, when he penned these words he allowed faith to permanently be written on his soul.  I encourage you to do the same.

Write it down!

When God delivers you out of trouble, stop… and write a note of remembrance. 

Here’s why:

When days turn to weeks and weeks turn to years we as human beings tend to forget stuff, and when the next trial arises you will be tempted to doubt.  In times like these I’ve learned that a personal record of God’s faithfulness is a huge help to boosting your faith, lifting your head, and bringing praise from your lips.  When the situation tells you, “You don’t stand a chance; you’re so small compared to that giant!”  You can remind yourself that, “If God did it before, then He can do it again!”

Often we make the mistake of having the “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there” mentality.  We turn the dial to cruise control and begin to think that we’ll sail over our rough waters simply because “we’ve gotten this far!”  Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way, we must apply the truth of God’s word as presently active and absolute to overcome the giants that are camping in our territory.  The truth is the same for us as it was for David; boldness, courage, victory and valor, are all birthed in a faith that trusts that the Lord is personally involved with us.  I believe the more this faith is applied in our lives the more we will see obstacles fall, foggy paths become clear, and fear begin to fade.

“I will fear no evil…”

Psalm 23:4

When listening to these words I often get the idea that David was some type of superman.  Being able to eat steel and spit nails might be the kind of tough criteria that enables some to cry out, “I Will Fear No Evil!”… But what criteria does it take to overcome the things that even valiant men are vulnerable to?  Perhaps it isn’t the “boogie man” that frightens you, but what about when the doctor says, “I’m afraid I have some bad news…” or when that foreclosure letter arrives in the mail?  I find myself wondering if David might have had it easier back in the day than those of us who live here in the future.  Just as I begin to start rationalizing my fears however, I find the statement of this shepherd turned king much more profound and applicable to our time than its length and eloquence lets on. 

The Hebrew word “yare’” or “fear” used in this passage gives a bit more insight as to the reality of fear and the confidence that our author proclaims.  Yare’ speaks of an inspired reverence, awe, or respect to the point of terror.  The sensation that is experienced when faced with conflict is founded upon the perspectives we hold and the faith which we apply therein.  So if I believe that a certain situation is impossible, and my faith is based on my abilities, the result will be a sensation of despairing inadequacy or fear.  On the other side of the coin, if I happen to believe that the situation I have in front of me is somehow manageable, and my faith is invested upon the abilities of one who was up to the task, my emotions in turn are equally hopeful and bright.  What fear often does is distort our sense of reality; it enlarges our understanding of vulnerability and leaves us emotionally in fetal position, cowering from the victory that is available.  When penning this part of the chapter, I don’t think David was placing his faith in himself as a shepherd, but in the Lord, Who is immeasurably capable no matter the difficulty.  In short, what David was trying to say was, “I’ve seen God, I’ve experienced already a reverence, awe, respect, and terror that has driven me beyond what anything else has ever caused in my heart…fact is, everything that seemed pretty big and bad pales in comparison to the “fear” of God, or the respect and awe that God’s presence has demanded of me.”

It reminds me of a story about three young Jews.  In a time when the nation of Israel was in captivity and the laws of Babylon seemed frightfully sovereign, three teenage boys kept their perspective, stood firm in the truth, and in result their gritty faith shook a nation aware to the sovereignty of God. 

The king of Babylon had raised a massive statue in his own likeness, and then with a compelling hostility persuaded everyone to bow down and revere the image.  In a way, that’s what fear does; it drives us forcefully to pay an enlarged amount of attention and reverence to something.  When the flutes and trumpets sounded, it was three young guys who were committed to appropriately directing their attention to the only One Who deserved such awe, and with a short trial they were sent to their deaths…or so it seemed.  In the face of impending danger, they spoke the words that echo in my mind when I consider the equally faith filled words from King David.  

“I’ll give you one more chance to bow down!” yelled Nebuchadnezzar furiously

“We do not need to defend ourselves before you.” Replied the boys

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.  He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.  But even if He doesn’t, Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” 

In other words, “I will fear no evil”

And into the fire they went…and the result was wonderful.  Not a scent of smoke on them, not a hair singed, not a thread bared; they paid the proper respect to the Lord and God honored them with confidence, security, blessing, and peace.

The moment we lose sight of the reality of Who God is and What He is capable of, is the same moment fear comes in and peace is hindered.  By willfully conceding to an authority of power that is not over us, we in a way are saying to the Lord that we are uncertain of His authority.   David chose otherwise…he tells us, “I will not”.  You see, fear is a choice not a mandate.  Evil will never be able to harm us when our faith is in Jesus Christ.  Threats will come, fiery trials may surround, but as the three young men said, “the God whom we serve is able to save us.”  God is mightier than that which we fear. 

As we begin to trust and live out this faith in Jesus, those who are bowing down will start to raise their eyes and see the truth.  They will be as Nebuchadnezzar, seeing one who looks like “the Son of God”.

They’ll see Jesus

So Fear not

Psalm 23:3

A common misconception held in regards to the Human race is that we, like all the other species of the animal kingdom, are two part beings (i.e. body, and soul).  The truth is, however, that we are not part of the animal kingdom; and we as mankind were created specially in God’s image, making us three part beings (i.e. Body, Soul, and Spirit).

“Isn’t the soul and the spirit the same thing?” You might ask

No

The Bible clearly states in the Hebrew that the soul is not the same as the spirit.  The spirit is that within us that will move on into eternity; it’s the character image of God that is imparted unto us and shaped into His likeness while here on earth.  The soul, on the other hand, is the combination of the thoughts we think and the emotions we feel, knit into our makeup by God as tools He uses to shape our spirits to be as His own.  “Nephesh”-the Hebrew word for “soul” speaks of the mind and heart, the source of thinking and feeling.  A vital area within a person’s being, but not the inner being itself.

So what exactly is David trying to say as he pens the words, “He restores my soul…”?

He’s telling us that the Shepherd cares about what we as His sheep think, and He’s intimately concerned with how His sheep feel.  He desires to “restore”-or literally translated, “to turn around, or bring back” the peace of mind that He originally designed for us to enjoy while in relationship with Him.  He wants to turn around the misdirected thoughts and emotions that are negatively affecting our spirit, leading us out of the pain of the present problem, and into the assurance of His promised paradise.  The dilemma is that sometimes, like sheep, we get spooked easily.  Sheep have this strange tendency to panic when fearful (sound familiar?)Due to the panic they become unsettled and take off away from the Shepherd, leading them into unnecessary hurt, pain, and injury.   

Our thoughts and emotions can be a tricky area.  As Jeremiah the prophet said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  Directly following those words the Lord replies, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”.  You see, Our Shepherd sees the inner workings of our heart and mind.  Not only is He capable to diagnose our heart conditions, He is also perfectly able to restore and remedy those things which often lead to our breaking down and giving up.  There isn’t one person on this green earth that hasn’t experienced a time where they got depressed, disappointed, and disillusioned to some degree.  It happens so easily, and make no mistake, its not a “walk in the park” to snap out of it.  This is why David reminds us that the answer isn’t a self help book, positive thinking methods, or even Yoga positions…the answer is not in our ability, the answer is in the Lord.  For we too are like sheep, we get psyched out by the emotions which are triggered by our thoughts.  In effect we derail, falling out of step with the Shepherd, endangering our own lives, and sometimes the lives of those who are following us.

Who is it that reminds, returns, and refocuses our soul to where it needs to be? 

The good Shepherd…Jesus. 

How does He do it?

Psalm 51, another psalm where David speaks of the Shepherd Illustration helps us understand this secret. 

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies…Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom…Make me hear Joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.”

Psalm 51:1, 6, 8

When sheep get scared they scatter, inevitably leading to a harmful predicament.  Straying sheep often means injured sheep…maybe even dead sheep.  That’s not what the good Shepherd wants when it comes to the sheep He loves. 

So what does a loving, kind, merciful, tender Shepherd do to keep scared sheep from scattering? 

He breaks their leg. 

Calm down…I know your probably thinking, “How is breaking the leg of the one you love “kind, merciful, and tender”?

Before you begin questioning the love of the Shepherd, take a closer look at the result of His actions.   In ancient times, when a certain lamb developed the bad habit of consistently straying away from the Shepherd and endangering its life, the Shepherd would take the baby sheep that strayed and break one of its legs.  He then would masterfully set the broken leg, lifting the lamb onto His able shoulders, carrying it until the leg had healed.  During that time of close intimacy with the Shepherd that lamb would witness up close and personal the loving strength day by day as it simply rested upon the strong shoulders of the Shepherd to carry it through.  Eventually when the lamb was able to bear its own wieght again it has become only natural to remain, draw near, and abide with the Shepherd. 

Perhaps you might think, “That’s well and good for lambs Dan, but i’m no lamb…i’m not even a spring chicken!  I’ve been in this pasture so long, so set in my ways that I can’t possibly heal from a broken bone…much less have my old, overwieght body hauled around by the Shepherd.  If that’s you take heart.  The Lord is mighty and capable, “a thousand years are as a day, and a day a thousand years to the Lord” It doesn’t matter if you’ve been around for 80 years and you feel like God is breaking you down and carrying you through, your still a babe to the Lord.  Heck, He’s been around before Day 1 was measured out and listed as Day 1.  Your just a babe in His arms, He can carry you, He will carry you, If you just let Him.

The Shepherd desires that His sheep would know completely the truth of his love, kindness, and mercy no matter the situation or circumstance.  So when thunder claps, or the wolf howls, or the wind blows a little harder than what the sheep might feel comfortable with, the presence of the Shepherd speaks assurance and security to the easily rattled sheep, and so it is for you and me. 

When emotions tempt us to worry and whine, and we begin to feel as though life is bearing it’s fangs at us, we need not fear.  Instead, in those times we must remember how the good Shepherd has carried us with His strength. 

Simply place your faith in the One that has carried you this far, draw near to His love, and experience the restoring of your soul.

Genesis 23:5-6

It’s amazing to see the favor that Abraham holds with the locals being that he is a “foreigner and a visitor in the land”.  It’s a stark contrast to Lot who also being a stranger and visitor in his land actually held a high political office and prospered in his local region, however, when communicating with the locals they stated, “Who are you to us?”  It’s interesting to me that Lot chose the greener grass, the nicer deal, and his selfish ambition drove him to compromise, and his example and witness was exactly that…compromised; his decision to honor himself while also trying to honor God hurt his ability to reach those around him and exemplify Holiness to those around him.  Abraham on the other hand chose to honor God, yup…he made mistakes, but all in all his passion was to honor God first and exclusively, in doing so he was blessed and we see here that those around him noticed the blessings as well as his relationship with God, Abraham’s ability to minister to them and testify to his neighbors was so evident.

More recently I was teaching a general overview of Christianity in a college located in the southwest of England.  After the session was done a student raised his hand and asked the question, “Do you often get insulted for being a Christian?”  I responded to his question by sharing how when I was younger I often was timid and quiet about my faith because I was often afraid of what others might say or do to me if they knew of my faith in Jesus Christ.  As I’ve matured in age and faith I’ve found that just the opposite is true.  Like Abraham, the more open and honest I am about my faith, the more people notice.  How they respond is out of my control, one thing is certain however, they will see me for who I am, and who I am will essentially lead them to the majesty of Jesus Christ or lead them away from the glory of God.  Sure, I get a few people that insult me, but more importantly I get people that see firsthand the Lord’s presence in my life, and they recognize my standing among them, I am a “Son of the King”  a “mighty prince” and the favor followed is the blessing imparted by our identity as such. 

Genesis 15:4-6

Years ago there was a famous tight rope walker who broke all types of records when he strung a line between two tall buildings and made the risky trip across the rooftops and back. Upon his return from making his first trip across and back the crowd roared. Everyone cheered and respected him. Then the tight rope walker announced he would attempt the same feat while maneuvering a wheel barrel across the line and back. With winds blowing and hearts racing the master of the rope successfully made it across and back. Everyone was going bonkers at this point, the cheers were massive, and people were taking pictures to remember this moment in history.

After quieting the crowd the tight rope walker asked, “Do you believe I can cross this rope again?”

The crowd cheered, “Yes!” as they started in uproar again.

Again the rope walker quieted the crowd, he then inquired, “Do you believe I can cross this rope again with a wheel barrel?”

“YES!” cried everyone present

The tight rope walker asked a third question, “Do you believe I can make the walk once more with a wheel barrel and someone in it?”

The people lost it; they were hailing the greatness and encouraging him to once again overcome the impossible.

Then the tight rope walker turned and asked for a volunteer to hop into the wheel barrel…no one answered.

God proved His might to Abram time after time in impossible situations. Abram worshipped God, proclaimed His wonder and glory between Bethel and Ai, dwelt in Canaan even though the plain of Jordan was better land, and then rescued Lot against crazy odds. But when God asked Abram to trust Him for a son, to hop into the wheel barrel of faith and believe that the heir was going to be from his own body and that his descendants would be greater than the stars in the sky, Abram seemed a bit speechless.

We too have seen that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), and that He desires to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20), the pivotal moment comes to whether or not we will believe God at His word and allow His power to work in us.

Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Not only did he receive God’s blessings but he was part of giving God’s blessings as the Messiah would come from his descendants and bless the whole world. And so it goes, when we place our faith in the Lord it is counted to us as righteousness, we get blessed, and we also find that our faith will bring Jesus into the world of others, blessing them as well.

Genesis 12:10-13

Sometime after Abram started south to the Negev (the Hebrew word for south) famine struck the land lifeless. Abram then goes down to Egypt to dwell. Egypt in the Old Testament pictures the flesh. For those who are a bit unfamiliar with this word, the flesh is the sensual part of the human nature that seeks to satisfy the sinful nature of mankind. I once heard sin explained as, “taking your rights from the hands of the God who died for them.” You see, upon death Jesus signed, sealed, and delivered us from the damnation we were doomed to receive. He ransomed us from sin and death. I think it’s pretty safe to say Jesus owns the rights to us, for without Him we are dead in our sin. But often after being ushered into this new life with Jesus we turn around and play the old “snatch and run”, taking ourselves from His hands and running off to our own passions and desires.

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Nowhere in scripture was Abram instructed to go to Egypt, in fact, while in Egypt we see a side of Abram that is not exactly testifying that God is in control. Abram panics over His wife being really hot (not exactly something I see need to panic over, but I guess that’s just me). Fearing that the Egyptians would want her so bad that they would kill him, he decides to lie about his relationship to her and based on fear and assumptions, snatches himself out of God’s hands and tries to manage the situation. This is the same guy who just a couple verses back was worshipping and proclaiming the name of God in his difficulties.

How did this change?

As we see in Abram’s life, famine lead to fear and fear is not faith. Faith drives us to worship the Lord instead of panicking during dry and lifeless situations.

Has famine ever ravaged your life?

Maybe not physically, but perhaps in your relationship with God it’s been a while since you’ve eaten well from God’s word, leaving you fearful instead of full of the faith to get you through the trying times. Things seem dry and you don’t know why, so you give into the flesh, the part of your natural self that only wants to satisfy your right to yourself, instead of satisfying God’s right to you.

Because of our natural tendency to struggle through things by our own might and power, God allows us to go through trials. This isn’t a selfish attempt to trap us, but a gracious act by our father to show us his loving-kindness in our needy lives. He’ll allow us to stubbornly go at it alone, so that we realize our need for His powerful loving-kindness in our lives. Famine is simply another one of those things in life that are meant to drive us deeper into our faith in the Lord. Here’s the downer about choosing fear instead of faith when famine enters the picture. You not only give into sin, hurting your relationship with God, but your choice hurts those around you too. It’s kind of like dropping a pebble in a pond; the ripple effect of this action touches everyone in the pond with you. Abram’s lack of faith more than likely hurt his wife. His fear kept him from standing up for Sarai as a husband, she was then taken by the demand of those in rule, which more than likely meant Sarai entered the Pharaoh’s harem to satisfy whatever Pharaoh had in mind sexually. However, God in His goodness and faithfulness stepped in and stopped anything from happening to Sarai, He graciously covered over Abram’s error, while whooping up on Pharaoh and the boys with plague (vs.17).

Faith allows God to show Himself powerful in impossible situations, so that those who look on might have the faith to believe. Fear only disconnects you from that power and leaves you panicky and paranoid, drawing everyone’s attention from faith in God, to the fear in you.

Choose faith in the challenging times and see God reveal His glory through you in your situation.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6

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