B, Easter 4 - Psalm 23 "The 23rd Psalm"

Deep in the bowels of the earth, encased in rock, at the Beaconsfield mine in Tasmania, two men are found alive five days after they were first trapped in a collapsed mineshaft. It’s hard to imagine what Brant Web and Todd Russell went through as they sat there in the seconds after the collapse; and after the seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes turned into hours and the hours became days. Would there be another rock fall? Will we be crushed? Will anybody look for us; will they find us in time, or will we starve? I can only imagine it would have been tempting to despair and give up all hope, as they waited to see if there would be a rescuer’s light at the end of the tunnel.

We may not be able to imagine what Brant Web and Todd Russell were going through one kilometre below ground. But as Christians we know that all is not lost and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. We know our lives began as if we were encased in rock, unable to help ourselves in the stoniness of our sinful condition. We know that as we go through life with the powers of evil pressing in all around us, if left to our own devices we would be enticed back into the hellish depravity from which God is currently rescuing us. We know that in these days of calamity we can take solace in God’s Word, especially the twenty-third Psalm. When we, God’s sheep, get into trouble, finding ourselves in situations over which we have no control, nor the means from which to escape, the soothing words of Psalm 23 offer great comfort.

But why is Psalm 23 such a calming crotch on which so many have leaned for so many years? What is it about these words which give us comfort and reassure us of God’s presence in times of strife? Let’s look at the psalm and the picture it paints.

1 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1-6 NIV)

Immediately the psalm locates us with King David. The Psalm is attributed to him. He was a shepherd, the youngest son of Jesse. Pictures of this shepherd boy, being protected by God as he shepherded his sheep from lions and other threats, come to mind. Comforting pictures of victory accompany our thoughts of David; killing Goliath when he was only a shepherd boy, running from and being given kingship over Saul, and conquering the Philistines and others as king. The Lord certainly protected the youngest shepherd son of Jesse. The Lord was the shepherd of Israel’s shepherd; the protector of Israel’s protector. The Lord was King David’s shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. It’s not difficult for us to understand the function of the shepherd. Australia’s culture is full of shepherding imagery and poetry. Drovers still work the long yard, leading sheep and cattle out of starvation into greener pastures along our roads and stock routes. Their flocks and herds have no need to be in want of anything. And just like the trapped miners after their rescuers first made contact, we are called to look to God, trusting in the contact that he has made with us. We shall not be in want! In want of what? In want of nothing! Our Lord wants to be the shepherd of every part of our lives.

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. This is essentially what a shepherd does. He finds us food, water and peace – so much so we can lie down knowing it is safe to do so. The Lord is our shepherd; he will not lead us into something greater than we can bear. He protects us for his name’s sake. Jesus’ name means “he saves”. He leads you out of death into life; he saves you from eternal death with his death. He is your righteousness and you are his sin. We’ve heard in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.”

However, the most important word in this set of promises is the word “he”. Comfort comes from knowing that it is not me who saves me, but that it is he who saves me. He makes me lie down, he leads me, he restores me, and he guides me! And we know this is the truth because God’s word tells us, “for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (Psalm 95:7) And in Isaiah 40:1 & 11 we hear, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” But even more so, Jesus says of himself in John 10:11 & 14, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…”

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. In the depths of the earth the two miners have been lying in the constant shadow of death. We too lie in the shadow of death, but we can lie in peace. We are called to fear no evil although it is all around us. We can, and do, lie down in peace because God is with us. He has come to us; he has given us hope. Just like the miners lying helpless, we have had a pilot hole extended to us, while hopelessly lost in sin. Through this pilot hole God has revealed himself to us. Our redeemer first comes to us through his word. In fact our total knowledge of him in this life comes to us through the bible. God’s word is the pilot hole giving us comfort, peace, and hope.

So as we wait for the glorious day when we are rescued once and for all, our comfort continues to be his word. God's word is the tool of choice for our good shepherd, and through it we hear the law and the gospel. His word is the rod of the law and the staff of the gospel. The law is the rod, and sometimes the law hurts when we are disciplined as it pokes at our sinful nature. But on the other hand the staff is his tool of protection. The staff is the gospel, and with the gospel staff, God is rescuing us from every deadly situation for Jesus’ sake.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. When they first made contact with the two trapped in Tasmania, one of the men is reported as asking for a meat pie. As we lie in wait for God to rescue us from this life he feeds us something more wholesome and substantial than meat pies. He feeds us with his word and with Jesus’ body and blood. It is truly amazing that God would want to come down into our filthy existence and endure the cross to save us and sustain us. But this is what he does. He comes to us in the dirtiness of our humanity; he comes and rescues us from the grave. He drank from the cup of suffering unto death and was burial in the grave. Therefore, we have been anointed as Sons of God, in baptism, and our cup of blessing will overflow into eternity. He is your righteousness and you are his sin.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Surely if God loves us to such an extent by taking the time to come to us trapped in our sinfulness, piloting hope to us through his word and the sacraments, he will continue to save us from death. He will open up the pilot hole and draw you and me out of this life into his light of eternity. This will not be light like the light of day the miners see after they come out from the mine, but it will be the light of eternity where everything is revealed. We will see Jesus our rescuer, the Father our Creator, and the Holy Spirit who gives, nourishes, and strengthens faith with holy food during our life of entrapment and escape.

So we can believe without doubt that because the God of goodness, mercy, and love has pursued us to such depths, and dwells with us there, he will not stop working to dig you and me out. He is so passionate to save us he sent Jesus to the cross and grave, and rescued him from death, and he is still passionate about rescuing you from death too. Like the fellows trapped one kilometre underground, have faith in the pilot hole, trust his word, the life line God has put in place to secure your rescue. Our rescuer, our shepherd, calls us to listen to him alone, saying in John 10:9a, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved”

Jesus is the rescuer, he is the hole digger, he is the shepherd who leads us out of darkness into light. There is a light at the end of the tunnel; it’s the glory of God. Jesus is the shepherd; we shall not be in want. He makes us lie down, he leads us, and he restores our souls. He guides us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. And he will rip open our tombs and bring us through death to live with him in his heavenly home forever. He is risen, and we will be raised. The Lord Jesus Christ is my shepherd and he is your shepherd too! Amen!