Psalm 23 - Overcoming Adversity

May 30, 2021

Randy Hageman

If we live any length of time, we all find ourselves facing

.

Many of the Psalms, which were originally songs in biblical times, express feelings of lament and

.

Other Psalms aren’t so much about acknowledging our hurts but claiming and proclaiming God’s

when we face times of adversity.

In Psalm 23, David uses two different images of God – as a

and as a

Reveal Answer

.

The LORD is my shepherd…. —Psalms 23:1 (ESV)

David uses God’s covenantal

, Yahweh, which is signified to us by the word “LORD,” either in all caps or small caps, depending on your Bible translation, or it could actually say Yahweh or even Jehovah.

David is calling God by name and claiming him as his

shepherd.

From personal experience, David knows that a shepherd…

•

his flock.

•

the flock.

•

the flock to places of food and water.

Jesus adopted this same image for himself, referring to himself as the

Shepherd and explaining what this meant to his sheep

Jesus: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.’ —John 10:10-16 (ESV)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. —Psalms 23:1 (ESV)
…I have all that I need. —Psalms 23:1 (NLT)

When we allow the LORD to be our shepherd, to protect, guide and lead, then we have no other real needs that are

met – “I have all that I need.”

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads 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. —Psalms 23:2-4 (ESV)

Over and over David says it’s the

who is leading him, who is helping him and caring for him.

When these paths lead down into deep, dark ravines and wadis, “the valley of the shadow of death,” places of seeming danger, David says he will not

for he knows his shepherd is with him, carrying his “rod” and “staff” to protect him.

Faith is both a conscious

on our part and a

Reveal Answer

in the true power of God to rightly lead us and watch over us so that we can experience joy and peace, regardless of whatever adversity faces us.

In vs. 5, David changes the metaphor for the LORD from shepherd to

.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. —Psalms 23:5-6 (ESV)

You’re not at the banquet by accident, nor did you slip in the side entrance – you are one of my most treasured

!

I do not have to despair or lose hope, even in the face of adversity, because the LORD has a way

for me, even if I don’t see it right now.

David’s not promising that our cup will always be full or our heads always anointed with oil, but we have the promise that God will always

for us.

David could sing this Psalm, along with the rest of God’s people, because he believed it was true, and their

of it didn’t just affect their thinking but touched their hearts, as music often does.

When we’re in the middle of hard times, our first inclination isn’t to say it’s going to be ok because God’s on my side, because our

get ahold of us, and

Reveal Answer

rears its head.

The Good News is that the LORD is not just our shepherd – He’s here to be

shepherd, my personal shepherd to see me through trouble and hardship.

What’s more, He’s provided us the

of Christ to walk alongside us, to be the hands and feet and voice of Christ when we don’t feel it.

Next Week: Psalm 103 – The Gift of Forgiveness

Find connection with your church next Sunday at Connecting Point.