Psalm 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Once again the scene changes. The valley of death, sorrow and suffering is left behind. We now enter the banqueting hall of feasting and merriment, prepared for us by the all-providing hand of our Shepherd.

Song of Solomon 2:11,12 -- "For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land."

Psalm 30:5 --"Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning."

In Verses 5 and 6 David speaks of the Shepherd as the Gracious Host.

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." {Psa 23:5-6).

David says that Jehovah spreads a sumptuous meal before him, a great banquet, in the presence of his enemies. All the figures David has used before — God feeding and providing, leading and protecting, are all bound up in the symbol of a gracious host.

It is important to note that this beautiful picture grows right out of the historical situation in which David found himself at the time of this writing. When David had been driven into the wilderness by his son's rebellion he found himself in the desert, hungry and weary, his army in disarray.

In 2 Samuel 17:28,29 we read that three men who were not even Israelites, Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai, "brought beds, basins [so they could wash and refresh themselves], and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, "The people are hungry and thirsty in the wilderness."

David was received with enthusiasm by the alien Shobi, by Machir, a local sheikh who had once supported Saul, and by the rich shepherd/rancher, the magnificent old Barzillai, who placed all he had at the disposal of his king. David and his weary group were entertained with oriental courtesy. It was the first carefree afternoon David had since the grim retreat to Jordan began, and the wealthy shepherd was his host.

Picture the royal minstrel rising at the banquet’s end to thank his shepherd host and touching the strings of his harp. For the first time the ears of men receive the moving simple phrases of the most famous of all the psalms. And what a compliment to Barzillai.

David saw in this that God, as a gracious host, had prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies.

Paul expressed it this way: "My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus," (Phil 4:19).

It is important to think of one’s self as a sheep, and of Christ as a Shepherd; but in reality there can be no fellowship between a dumb animal and its watchful keeper. The Psalmist, therefore, seems to say, "I am more than Jehovah’s sheep: I am Jehovah’s guest."

In the East it was a mark of significance to sit with a man at his table. It was not only a means of satisfying hunger, but a source of intimate and affectionate companionship and love.

What a privilege and honor it is to sit at the table God prepares for His saints. Our Heavenly Father has a great family. He is weighted with the concerns of a universe. All things depend upon His sustaining power. Yet at the top of the list things He has to care for are His sheep. He is most attentive to the needs of those who call him " Father."

And what a feast of good things the sheep of His pasture enjoy when they are guests at His table. When the Lord prepares the table, great is its menu.

It was customary for the Eastern shepherd to leave the sheep huddled together as he walked ahead to prepare a new "table" for their feeding. First, he would search out the new "table" for toxic plants whose perfumed-like odor lured the younger sheep to partake of its lethal substance. When he found these plants, he pulled them up by their roots and laid them out to be dried up by the parching sun. One shepherd recorded the loss of 300 sheep as a result of little poisonous plants that grew in the pasture into which he led his flock.

Secondly he would check out the "table" for snake holes. Poisonous snakes abounded in the hills of Palestine, and they would lie in the darkened mouths of their holes snapping out to bite the sheep in the nasal and facial area while they grazed. The shepherd would find these snake holes and jam pebbles or small rocks down into the mouth of the hole to protect his flock.

After the shepherd had secured the safety of the new table he would lead the sheep into the pasture to graze.

David says that this table was prepared "In the presence of mine enemies."

While the sheep securely grazed, the enemies of the sheep were ever present. However the enemies of the sheep had been rendered impotent by their protective shepherd.

At Calvary our enemy was rendered impotent.

At every sheepfold, there was a big earthen bowl of olive oil and a large jar of water. As the sheep came in for the night, they were led to the sheep-fold gate. The shepherd would lay his rod across the top of the gateway approximately six inches above the backs of the sheep.

1. The anointing with oil was understood first as an act of welcome.

It was a custom in the East to wash the feet of visitors before they entered the home of a guest. The roads in the East were hot and dusty and often the sandalled feet soon became very uncomfortable. It was refreshing to the visitors to have their feet dipped in cool water, and their heads anointed with fragrant oil. If a visitor was not welcome the host omitted these courtesies.

In Matthew 26 the Lord chided Simon the Pharisee for such an omission. Simon had taken offense at the extravagant emotional act of a sinful woman of the street. Her heart had been broken by Christ’s compassion for her and out of deep gratitude she wept over his feet and dried them with her hair. Simon was deeply offended by this demonstration and refused to welcome her into the house with these common courtesies. Then there was the priceless scene at Bethany when Mary lavished her treasure on the Savior’s feet. The lavish anointing which Mary of Bethany shed on the head of her Lord must have refreshed Him during the weary hours that followed.

In each of these Biblical scenes, oil symbolized a warm welcome and hearty hospitality.

2. Oil was a sign of gladness.

Psalm 45:7 — "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

Hebrews 1:8,9 — "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

Nathaniel Hardy observes that oil has basically three characteristics:

The need of the world is shining faces, glad smiles, hopeful words, joyful countenances.

3. Oil was a source of comfort and healing.

As each sheep passed under the rod, the shepherd meticulously examined it for briars in the ears, snags in the cheek or weeping from the eyes caused from dust or scratches. When such conditions were found he would drop the rod across the sheep’s back and the sheep would step out of line. The sheep’s wounds were first carefully cleaned. Then the shepherd would dip his hand into the olive oil bowl and anoint the open wounds and abrasions.

4. Oil was used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The Levitical priests and Israel’s Kings were always anointed before they served the people. It was a symbol of power and endowment for service.

How we need the fresh anointing of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives for power, whether it is in the home or on the job or in the ministry. It is our privilege as saints to be anointed with fresh oil.

F.B. Meyer: "There is nothing stale in God’s household economy. We do not need to live on dried fruits because winter has stripped the trees. The power and joy of other days should be no subject for lingering regret; for our gracious Host is able and willing to do as much for us, and more also, on each succeeding day of our life as in any day of the past. Sigh not for the grace of a day that is fled, as if it will never come back. There are eternal stores and reservoirs of golden oil in God’s olive trees, which shall pour down the golden pipes of faith, ministering nutriment to the lamp of holy living; so that it shall not flicker throughout the long night, but ever grow in brilliance and radiating glory. Claim each morning to be anew anointed-- and with fresh oil."

Shepherds carried portable cups or small buckets to hold cool water for purposes of refreshing the sheep. These cups were dipped into wells or nearby brooks and filled with water. The cups were never half full, but always overflowing. The sheep would come, sink their nose into the water clear up to their eyes and drink until fully refreshed.

It was also a custom among the shepherds of Israel to dash a cup of cold water upon the head of the exhausted and weary sheep passing into the fold at night. The shepherd would generally perform this refreshing ministry to the poor, thirsty, tired and dusty sheep, as they passed under his counting rod. Sometimes the shepherd would not wait until the evening to share this much needed refreshment. Often during the mid-afternoon grazing period he would draw a bucket of cold water from a nearby brook, sit on a convenient rock near the sheep, and coax the sheep to come to him for a private refreshment. The "played out" lambs and exhausted older ram and ewes would generally come voluntarily with hardly little coaxing at all. The shepherd would place the bucket of water between his legs, examine each sheep carefully and then proceed to plunge the head of the sheep into the bucket. This plunging would, of course, force the cool water to overflow the sides of the bucket and splash upon the ground. The other sheep lazily resting nearby, upon the sound of this overflow spillage, would come, wait their turn in line, so as to have their own private audience of refreshment with the shepherd. What a beautiful picture this is -- the sound of the spillage excited other sheep to participate in their own experience of refreshment.

Some of the older manuscripts translate the phrase "My cup is intoxicating." The idea is that of an inebriated person who exudes his excitement, exhilaration and happiness, and is inwardly compelled to share it with others.

It is a beautiful picture of the spirit filled life.

This is the overflow life, by which we flow over into the lives of others. True soul happiness and blessing should be contagious, spreading its contagion round about.

Dr. John R. Mott said, "When Christ comes into our life to forgive us our sins, He compels us to either give Him up, or give Him away."

The word "follow," in Verse 6, literally means "pursue". David says that God's goodness and mercy shall pursue him, in contrast to the pursuit of his enemies who are out to dethrone and destroy him.

Dr. W. B. Meyer once called "goodness and mercy" God’s sheep dogs. He also referred to them as "the rear guard of God."

Dr. MacLaren said, "There are two angels of God who shall follow and camp about the pilgrim through his journey. Their names are goodness and mercy. The white wings of these messengers of providential protection and provision will never be far away from our pathway. The air will often be filled with the music of their wings and their celestial weapons will glance round about him in all the rough way and bear him up higher at last to the throne."

David did not say "goodness" or "mercy" alone but rather "goodness and mercy" would follow him all the days of his life. Not goodness alone; for we are sinners needing forgiveness. Not mercy alone; for we need many things besides forgiveness. But each linked with the other. Goodness to supply every want; mercy to forgive every sin; goodness to provide, mercy to pardon. David often links these two together in the Psalms.

What a comforting picture is painted for us here. Our Shepherd always goes in front. But you have only to turn around, or to swoon backward, and you will find yourself caught in the arms of God’s goodness and mercy, which are always following you. You may not realize that they are near; you may feel lonely, and sad, and desolate; it may be one of your bad days, sunless and dreary, without a ray of comfort or a flash of hope, surrounded by objects and forms of dread. Yet there, close by you, stand the glorious, loving forms of God’s infinite goodness, which cannot fail, and His tender mercy. And they will spread for you a table in the desert, or they will flash through the storm and stand beside you, saying, "Fear not."

TO THE FRONT is the leading Shepherd. John 10:14
ROUND ABOUT is the delivering angel of the Lord. Psalm 34:7
BENEATH are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27
WITHIN is the divine Comforter. John 14:17
TO THE REAR ARE THE GUARDIAN ANGELS, GOODNESS AND MERCY.

Verse 6 -- "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

God will bring those whom He has led through the journey of life, to an unchanging mansion beyond the stars. It seems that on earth we are always eating in haste. Especially so in our travelling ministry. Everything is instant: instant food and instant indigestion. We eat in haste from a table spread sparingly with pilgrim’s food. But in the house of the Lord we shall sit leisurely at a table spread complete by His goodness. What a feast!

Max Lucado said, "The toils of the trip will be lost in the joys of the feast."

CONCLUSION

Maybe today you are need of restoration or in need of the anointing oil and the touch of the Master Shepherd in your life to bind up the wounds.

Dr. Robert C. McQuilkin has called Psalm 23 "The Psalm of the Victorious Life." In his wonderful little booklet he tells the story about Mrs. Field, the consecrated leader of Hephzibah House in New York City. Mrs. Field was often asked the question: "Are you an out-and-out Christian?" Her friend D. C. I. Scofield said one day: "Mrs. Field, you never ask me if I am an out-and-out Christian?"

"Well, I will ask you now. Are you?"

"No," he answered. And before Mrs. Field recovered from her astonishment, he added: "I am an in-and-out Christian. "The Lord’s sheep go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9).

The LORD is my Shepherd.
The Lord IS my Shepherd.
The Lord is MY Shepherd.
The Lord is my SHEPHERD.

Psalm 23 is indeed the Psalm of the victorious life.

Throughout the Bible we find the golden thread of the Shepherd work of Christ, until in its closing pages, we read of the Lamb who leads His flock to the rivers of waters of life.