A Deeper look at Psalm 23: Part 3
February 16, 2007
' He Makes Me To Lie Down In Green Pastures '
Nestled deeply in the tall shoots of his love, and there you will find rest.
For sheep to sleep, everything must be just right. No predators. No tension in the flock. No bugs in the air. No hunger in the belly. Everything has to be just so.
Unfortunately, sheep cannot find safe pasture, nor can they spray insecticide, deal with the frictions, or find food. They need help. They need a shepherd to "lead them" and help them " lie down in green pastures." Without a shepherd, they can't rest.
Without a shepherd, neither can we.
In the second verse of the Twenty-third Psalm, David the poet becomes David the artist. His quill becomes a brush, his parchment a canvas, and his words paint a picture. A flock of sheep on folded legs, encircling a shepherd. Bellies nestled deep in the long shoots of grace. A still pond on one side, the watching shepherd on the other. " He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters"(Ps 23:2)
Who is the active one? 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 our Shepherd, we'll be able to get some sleep. " You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You." (Isa. 26:3)
For you to be healthy, you must rest. Slow down, and God will heal you. He will bring rest to your mind, to your body, and most of all to your soul. He will lead you to green pastures.
Green pastures were not the natural terrain of Judea. The hills around Bethlehem where David kept his flock were not lush and green. Even today they are white and parched. Any green pasture in Judea is the work of some shepherd. He has cleared the rough, rocky land. Stumps have been torn out, and brush has been burned. Irrigation. Cultivation. Such are the work of a shepherd.
Hence, when David says, " He makes me to lie down in green pastures," he is saying, " My shepherd makes me to lie down in his finished work." With his own pierced hand, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. He tore out the thorny underbrush of condemnation. He pried loose the huge boulders of sin. In their place he planted seeds of grace and dug ponds of mercy.
And he invites us to rest there. Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when, with the work completed, he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass?
Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same. His pasture is his gift to us. This is not a pasture that you have made. Nor is it a pasture that you deserve. It is a gift of God.
To recognize God as Lord is to acknowledge that he is sovereign and supreme in the universe. To accept him as Savior is to accept his gift of salvation offered on the cross. To regard him as Father is to go a step further. Ideally, a father is the one in your life who provides and protects. That is exactly what God has done.
God has proven himself as a faithful father. Now it falls on us to be trusting children.
Trusting children.... we expect our children to trust us for their needs, yet how much do we truly trust God for our needs? What makes us so afraid to trust our Father completely? Why must we continue to look towards ourselves or others before turning to God?
Is there any area of your life that you have not yet given totally over to God?
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