THE SECRET TO A LIFE WELL LIVED

Psalm 23:2
Bob Bonner
August 13, 2006

We live in a hectic, hurried, harassed age in which headache medicine has become the national beverage. Several years ago, Time magazine reported that the American public gulps down tons of sleeping pills trying to get a little rest—but the next day we are back in the same maddening pace, racing around in circles and wearing ourselves out. We would like to rest, of course, but we don’t know how. Furthermore, we fear that if we really did take time out to lie down, it would be so hard to catch up with the crowd again that it would hardly be worth the trouble.

And even when we try to stop running, the tensions under which we have become accustomed to living are so tight that we can’t even relax on a vacation. I didn’t realize how much this was true in my own life, until last May, when Becky and I took time off. The first four days we did absolutely nothing! Instead, we slept. I must admit that at first, I had a hard time relaxing. Something inside this sanguine’s heart said, “Hey! This is vacation time. It’s time to play...have fun...do some exciting things you don’t get to normally do. Don’t stop to rest or you’ll be sorry. You will have missed out. So, get yourself up and go!”

For instance: By 10:30 a.m. of the second morning of that vacation, I had already had my rigorous morning swim, had breakfast and had spent an hour and a half alone in sweet fellowship with the Lord. Typically, I would have been rarin’ to go. Instead, I looked at Becky and complained, “ Ya know what? I feel like I need to take a nap.” She said, “Why don’t you?” My immediate response was one of guilt. I said, “Because I feel like I would be wasting the day.” She responded, “You are on vacation. Relax. Take a nap if you feel like it.” Like a five-year-old child, who didn’t want to take a nap for fear that he might miss something, I reluctantly laid down. The next thing I knew, it was 3:00 pm. I had slept four-and-a-half hours!

Here’s another cultural observation that is evidence of the tense life that we have become accustomed to living: For those of you who have lived here for more than five years, you know what I’m about to say is true. Grants Pass is not a metropolitan city and never will be. It will grow, but it will never become a Portland, San Francisco, or Southern California. For those of us who have grown up in such cities, constantly being stimulated by activities, creativity and high-energy people and suddenly to find yourself living in Grants Pass, where you are forced to slow down, it’s a huge shock to your system. It’s a different world. People move slower, speak slower and as a result, appear less motivated or excited about life.

For those of us who have been removed from that cultural rat race for more than five years, we have been faced with what was once a drivenness or addiction for action, that made it impossible for our souls to truly find rest. Now, what was once mistaken for lack of motivation or the killer instinct, has become a deeper appreciation for the simple pleasures of life and deeper relationships with people, which require the investment of time. Something which in our previous lives we had little to share.

Much of what drove us was our own pride and need to prove ourselves successful or valuable to the cause—whatever that cause may be...the cause of Christ...a political cause...an environmental cause. But once an individual discovers that he or she is fully approved by the King over all creation, whose opinion of us is really the only one that matters, and once we have experienced God’s rest, most of us vow to never go back to that hurried pace. We have learned to slow down and truly appreciate people and those things that matter most in life. We may leave here to visit family elsewhere or to be warmed by the sun, or to take in some cultural arts in some metropolitan city. But permanently return to that harried life that tends to tear apart the fabric of relationships, including one’s walk with the Shepherd—most of us would rather not risk it.

In Matthew 11:28-30, the Great Shepherd, Jesus, had spent a busy day of ministry on the north side of the sea of Galilee. Contrary to some people’s idea, this area made up of the cities of Tiberias, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Magdala, and Chorazin was not a lazy community of small fishing villages. It was a very busy and populated part of Israel, full of hustle and bustle. It not only was a center for the fishing industry of the area, but also for the production of olive oil, stone masonry and other areas of building construction. Because of its natural steam baths, Tiberias had become the vacation spot of the north for the wealthy. This northern area of Galilee was on or near a major trade route. Hence, it became a key center for trade, government offices and the collection of taxes. It was not the size of the area surrounding Jerusalem, but it felt all the pressures of metropolitan life.

It was to this community of needy people, pressed by the stresses of life that Jesus said “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

In northern Galilee, like in most metropolitan areas, these Jews, including the religious Jews, were searching for the good life. In fact, they were driven in pursuit of it, but never seemed to find it. Jesus offers to give them the rest their inner man desires, something they don’t naturally know about, but must learn from Him. Also, note a key clue to discovering true rest hidden in Christ’s description of Himself, “I am humble of heart.” There is no pride driving His ministry or life. He has nothing to prove. There is no personal ambitious goal to fulfill. As the Father has already declared, Jesus is His son in whom He is already well pleased. Jesus knew He was fully approved of the father. He didn’t have to race off to accomplish some ministry goal to prove anything. His personal pace reflected His relationship with and confidence in the Father.

Having been born and raised in southern California, I know what it is to be ambitious and driven...even in ministry. It has taken me years to learn the importance of setting aside my ambitious, self-centered ministry goals and to wait and to listen to the Lord’s voice and then to move when He calls. I have come to understand that if I feel driven, anxious or in a hurry to get something done, even for the Lord, then more likely than not, I have picked up someone else’s yoke, but not the Lord’s. It’s a yoke that prevents one’s soul from knowing genuine inner peace and rest. In the end, it becomes a burdensome yoke, difficult to carry for any distance.

Why does Jesus tell us that we have to learn how to rest? Why can’t we simply just hit the “rest” button, or hit the “cruise control” that will allow our souls to relax? I believe David answers that question for us in Psalm 23. In his opening declaration, David says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” As we learned last time, David sees himself and the rest of the human race much like sheep. Considering oneself to be a sheep is not much of a compliment. Sheep are dirty, defenseless and dumb animals who are pretty much dependent upon others if they are going to survive on the margins of life. They need to be led and instructed in how to survive and even relax in life. They need a shepherd who can teach them how to relax or find soul rest in the pressure-packed, stress-driven world.

David declares that Yahweh, or Jesus Christ is his shepherd and that he has learned over his lifetime, that because the Lord is and has been his shepherd, he does not in the present, nor will he in the future, ever want again. He is confident in this one who has cared for his life for more than 60 years. He has learned that His shepherd is more than worthy of his trust.

Then, continuing with this illustration of sheep and the shepherd, in verses 2-5, David explains why he has complete trust in his shepherd, Jesus Christ. In verse 2, David reveals that the Good Shepherd has even taught him how to rest. He explains, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters.”

Sheep cannot typically lie down to rest unless everything in their world is just right. This lying down in green pastures is a picture of one’s environment being such that one can enjoy perfect contentment and satisfaction. In order for sheep to relax or to “lie down in green pastures” there are four environmental requirements that need to be met in their lives. Left to themselves, the sheep cannot fulfill these requirements. They have to depend upon the shepherd to make these things happen. What are these four requirements?

First, sheep must feel safe, free from fears of any kind. The growl of a mountain lion, the bark of a dog, or merely the shout of a child is enough to startle sheep into running back and forth across the pasture. Should anything like that happen, the shepherd needs to relieve. their fear by proving to the sheep that he is greater than all that frightens them, and that he cares about them and will protect them.

When thunderstorms come, sheep need to find shelter from lightening strikes that frighten them, or they will remain agitated.

One example of the shepherd’s protective concern for the sheep, and his relieving their fear is seen in the last half of this verse, “He leads me beside quiet waters.”

Like the scene of the pasture, this too is a scene of tranquility, satisfaction and rest. Except this parallel scene illustrates the shepherd’s relieving of a specific and natural fear for sheep. That fear being their fear of running water. Sheep are deeply disturbed and frightened by turbulent waters. Instinctively, they seem to realize that if their wool coats should get soaked, they would drown before they could swim. They would become waterlogged instantly and sink. As a result, they won’t go near moving water.

You might think that the simple solution would be to just make sure the sheep avoid streams and take them to a pond-like setting. Ponds are extremely rare in Palestine, a typically arid land. Furthermore, sheep are pretty picky drinkers. They will not drink muddy water, stagnant water or water where other animals like hogs have drunk. Hence, they needed a shepherd, who would find a stream that had an easy flat access. He would then take his rod and staff, pry loose a few large stones and dam up a quiet place away from the rushing water, where the sheep could safely move to the edge of the still waters and drink. This took time and meant a lot of hard work for the shepherd. Most hirelings wouldn’t do such a thing. Only the owner, the one who cared most about his sheep, would work this hard—all work that David was intimately acquainted with.

After preparing these still waters, then the shepherd would “lead” his sheep to the water’s edge. The verb “leads” suggests a slow and leisurely pace. A pace that takes into account understanding the nature of the slow plodding sheep and their inherent fears of moving water. He doesn’t drive them to the water, but calls them softly, gently encouraging them that it is safe. Because they trust him, they come, they relax, they drink and their thirst is satisfied.

I believe that’s exactly the picture David has in mind here, because the word quiet or still waters literally in Hebrew is “stilled waters,” waters that someone has made still.

Have you ever felt like life was being caught up in a rampaging stream or that you were caught off guard in a river wash that suddenly had been hit by a flash flood and that if someone didn’t take hold of you or provide high ground you would get sucked under and buried beneath its flow? There have been two or three major events in my life where I have witnessed the onrushing flood waters coming at me, with nowhere to go. I didn’t know how I got where I was, but like a sheep, I’d “baaa!” to the Shepherd, and He’d take those fearful turbulent waters and turn them around to such an extent that they became a source of refreshment to me. Sometimes disaster was so close that, figuratively speaking, my tunic was damp for years from the spray of those raging waters. But nonetheless, He rescued me.

Over time, it is the witnessing of the shepherd’s concern and ability to protect them from those things that cause sheep to fear, that makes the sheep feel more and more at ease in the shepherd’s presence. Over time, they become less and less easily startled, and more confident in their shepherd.

How do we discover that God, the Good Shepherd loves us so much that He will protect us from the evil and harm that surrounds us in this world? Two things aid in this discovery: First, is becoming very familiar with and believing the truth about God, which is found in His Word, the Bible. He reveals not only who He is, but His instructions as to how we are to live our lives. God’s Word is true whether one believes it or not. Believing God’s Word doesn’t make it true. It is true, and you would be wise to believe it!

However, many of you younger people who have been raised in Christians homes, know some truth about God, but you still struggle with trusting Him. That’s because you are missing the second ingredient. The second ingredient that aids in our discovery of the trustworthiness of God is having a track record with God, which requires time. You can believe in the truth of God’s Word, but if you are never tested or tried as to the trustworthiness of God’s Word, your confidence in God and His Word will never grow. For instance: If you have always been able to work and provide for your needs, and you have never gone without, how could you really know for sure that God is able to meet your needs? Honestly, you can’t. It’s only when you have been tested in that area and there is little or no food left on the shelf, and you are forced to put God to the test that you discover He can and will provide for His sheep.

For those who want to grow in knowing and in being able to trust God as their shepherd more, I would like to make this suggestion. The best way to develop a track record with God is to record in a journal those mile markers in your relationship with Him. Those times He has revealed to you new truths about Him. Those times He has answered your prayers, whether in the affirmative or the negative. Try recording God’s faithfulness to you and how He has moved in your life for just one year. When you do, and you go back to see how God has been moving in your life in just one year, you will be amazed at His personal concern for your life. Furthermore, you will find it easier to trust Him because you will see His unswerving love for you.

Tests come to all of us over time, because God wants us to know experientially that we can trust Him. Life, real life, is not about a theological intellectual exercise. Real life is lived amidst many dangers, toils and snares. Real life is about experientially knowing the living God and that He and His Word are reliable. Over time, as you develop a track record of walking obediently with this very real Good Shepherd, you learn that you can relax as you keep your eye on the shepherd. That is David’s testimony after having walked with the Shepherd for more than 60 years.

I’m still in my 50's, and I’m very much aware that I have much more to learn and experience about the faithfulness and trustworthiness of my Shepherd.

The second requirement for sheep to be able to relax is they must feel free from friction with others of the same kind. They cannot relax when there is tension amidst the flock. In every animal society there is an established order of dominance or status within the group. If there is going to be peace among the flock, those animals must come to accept that order. In a pen full of chickens, the established order of their society is referred to as the “pecking order.” With cattle it is called the “horning order.” Among sheep we speak of the “butting order.”

Generally, among sheep, an arrogant, cunning and domineering old ewe will become the boss of the flock. She maintains her position of prestige by butting and driving other ewes or lambs away from the best grazing or favorite bed grounds. Sometimes, these ewes get a little too big for their britches, and for the betterment of the rest of the flock, these pushy ewes are made into lamb chops. For if they are allowed to dominate those around them too much, they can literally starve the other sheep to death.

A vivid and accurate word picture of this process is given to us in Ezekial 34:15-23. In these verses, Yahweh is using sheep to describe how some people were mistreating each other and what Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will do to those who bully or take advantage of others. Yahweh declares, “I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.” The “fat and the strong” refer to those lambs that are so strong that they have kept the other sheep from being able to eat and drink enough food and water to survive. Meanwhile, they are eating and drinking everything they can get their mouths on.

God continues His indictment of them. He says, “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet ? As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul with your feet!” These fat and strong lambs deliberately ruin the other edible grass and drinkable water so that the other lambs can’t eat. There is more than enough for everybody, but these selfish lambs want it only for themselves. They refuse to share even that which they can’t eat!

The Lord continues, “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.”

Humans, just like certain lambs, can oppress others. When that happens among God’s flock, God will first discipline that cruel lamb. If the lamb does not respond, then God will remove or destroy that lamb. It may not be immediately or soon enough for your liking, and their may be some unpleasant treatment you are called to endure in the meantime, but God will judge that oppressive lamb.

Interestingly, when the shepherd comes into view of the flock, most often, the sheep quickly forget their foolish rivalries and stop their fighting. My Dad used to have between a half a dozen and a dozen sheep. I can remember walking along the road beside the pasture that held the sheep. I often observed this one lamb pushing and butting another. I asked my Dad about it and he told me that she was a bully! When I came up to the fence to get a better idea of what was happening, the butting immediately stopped and all the sheep went back to grazing. Hence, when the shepherd was in view, the sheep were free from personality conflicts. But in David’s day, if the shepherd couldn’t get the ornery lamb to quit picking on the others, then by evening, the rest of the sheep would smell roast mutton being cooked over an open fire!

The third requirement that is necessary for sheep to find rest is that they must be free from pests. There must be no fleas attacking them or they will be stirred up. If a particular field was infested with bugs, the shepherd would lead the sheep elsewhere. If there was nowhere else to go, he could spread an ointment over their faces that would act like a repellant from certain bugs.

Do you have things “bugging” you today? Do you think the Shepherd knows it? Sure He does. And, He is either slowly taking you to a place where the bugs will no longer annoy you, or He will provide an oil or bug repellant to bring you relief. Phillip Kellor points to the Holy Spirit as being God’s symbolic oil or bug repellant by which God brings healing, comfort and relief from the harsh and abrasive aspects of life. He writes, “The gracious Holy Spirit makes real in me the very presence of the Christ. He brings quietness, serenity, strength, and calmness in the face of frustrations and futility.”

To some of you who are new to your walk with Christ, you might be wondering, “How does the Holy Spirit bring calmness into my life in the midst of the daily fears and frustrations I face?” The answer is given to us by Jesus in John 14 and 16. There, Jesus tells us that it is the job of the Holy Spirit to take the Word of God that you have read and to use it to give you enlightenment and truth that will bring peace to your heart. But if you are not faithfully in the Word, you can see that you are not availing yourself of the Shepherd’s protection. You won’t be able to apply God’s balm, His supernatural ointment that will bring you relief amidst this world’s “bugs.” When you don’t faithfully stay in God’s Word, you are not keeping your eyes and ears on the Lord. Reading the Word of God, studying the Word of God is not just an intellectual exercise left to theologians. Studying the Word of God is vital to every Christian’s ability to live a peaceful, fret-free life in a world filled with fears, tensions and aggravations.

Get into the Word of God so that the Holy Spirit can rescue you or show you the way of escape from “the bugs.”

Finally, that which really is the picture of a sheep that is relaxed, is a sheep that is lying down in a green pasture. It’s a picture of a satisfied sheep, whose hunger pains are satisfied. He may not be full, but he is free from hunger, and therefore, relaxed enough to eat even while lying down.

Christ came to bring this deep satisfaction to our inner being. In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” Following Jesus as our Shepherd is all we need to find that which feeds our inner man, and ultimately enables us to find rest in this world. He is our sufficiency.

But did you notice David’s words that the Shepherd “makes me lie down.” Why would a shepherd need to make a sheep lie down? The wise shepherd knows that the sheep have need of rest. So he takes them into a pasture filled with green grass. He knows that hungry sheep will not lie down. He knows all that. But sometimes, even sheep that have eaten their fill can feel agitated and restless due to fears, bugs, and tensions, and although full, will not lie down and rest. Therefore, he will move into the midst of the flock and, catching a sheep, he will gently force it to lie down and feed quietly on the cool, green grass or teach it to relax in his presence. In time, the rest of the sheep, watching this, will lie down as well. In the end, nothing so quiets and reassures the sheep as to see their shepherd in the field. This is the point behind God’s instruction, “Be still and know that I am God.” In other words, God is saying to you this morning, “In light of your situation, don’t focus on the situation so much that you lose sight of me. Keep your eyes on me and I will take care of you. As you continue to focus on me, you will find rest for your souls.”

Note once more, the two pronouns preceding the two verbs in this verse: He makes me...He leads me. Who is the active one here? Who is in charge? The shepherd. The shepherd selects the trail and prepares the pasture. The sheep’s job—our job—is to watch the shepherd. With our eyes on the Shepherd, we’ll be able to get some sleep.

Do you know this rest of which David writes? The whole purpose for David writing this psalm is for friends like you, who may be confused, hurting, and scared and in trouble and need the Shepherd’s help. For when we know Him, we know the secret to a well-lived life, one in which we can proclaim, regardless of our condition, “I shall not want.”

Who is your shepherd? Your husband or wife? Your pastor? Your parent? Your psychologist? A close friend? As important as these people are, they can never be the Good Shepherd of your life, because they are merely sheep, just like yourself. Take David’s invitation. Learn about the Shepherd and begin following His lead.

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