This is the manuscript of my message at Brooks Avenue Church of Christ in Raleigh, NC, for Sunday May 28, 2023.

The text was Psalm 23. The congregation also heard 1 Peter 2:24-25 during worship.

A link to watch the sermon is embedded below. If something goes wrong with the playback, the message begins about 19:19.

Christ is the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23

So let’s start with a question: Where do we find the unity of the Scriptures?

In other words, what is it that connects the Law of Moses, to the Wisdom of Proverbs, to the the Histories of the Chronicles, to the Biographies of Jesus in the four Gospels, to the Letters of Paul and the Apostles?

With so many different kinds of literature, and so many different authors, what gives a coherent, organic unity to it all?

Let me give you the answer, then I’ll show my work. The answer is: The unity of Scripture is found in Christ.

The Bible is a history of redemption, from Genesis to Revelation. God had made promises to redeem us from sin and death and Satan ever since our first parents fell into sin. And all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

It is all, ultimately, His story. Jesus is the one who brings unity to this otherwise ramshackle collection of history, law, and poetry. In him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Christ is the true thread and the glue and the binding that holds our Bibles together. 

In the words of one of my favorite preachers, Alistair Begg: We find Christ in all the Scriptures. In the Old Testament He is predicted, in the Gospels He is revealed, in Acts He is preached, in the epistles He is explained, and in Revelation He is expected.

And that’s exactly how Jesus taught the Apostles to read the Bible. It’s in Luke 24:44-45. After His resurrection, He told them: everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then, it says, he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Once you come to see that all of Scripture—even Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms—are meant to lead you to Christ, your mind is opened to understand the Scriptures, the way the good Lord intended.

But seeking and finding Christ on every page of Scripture is a skill modern Christians have lost—mostly because we have been preaching the Christian instead of the Christ. One of the major ways I want to help you along in your discipleship, is to help us regain the skill of seeing Christ in all of Scripture that we have lost.

So what I’m going to do today is use Psalm 23 to give you an example of seeing Christ in all of Scripture. And the Psalm 23, in particular, is because it’s just natural for a Christ-centered reading. I mean, a lot of us know how it begins from memory: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

How many pictures have you seen of Jesus that portray Him as a shepherd holding a lamb? For good reason, too. After all, He calls Himself our Shepherd. John 10:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep … My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:11, 27-28 ESV

Later on, in John 21:16ff, Jesus calls the Church my lambs and my sheep.

Here’s one you might not think of. Mark 6, the miracle of the loaves and fishes. It says that when Jesus saw a great crowd … he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things, v34. 

He sees sheep without a shepherd, lost in the wilderness, and He immediately begins to shepherd them. 

But then, check this out. Remember, they all get hungry. So Jesus gets this little boy’s lunch—a can of sardines and a pack of crackers—and then it says, listen—v39: he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. What is that? The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

Jesus made these sheep He was shepherding—these people who were both spiritually and physically hungry—recline on the green grass—and then He fed them. And they did not want, did they? Mark 6:42-43: And they all ate and were satisfied. All 5000 of them! And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Yep, off a little boy’s sardines and crackers.

Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence!

And then, of course—earlier we heard the Apostle Peter call Jesus the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Christ is our Shepherd and our Guardian and our Protector. 

So it’s natural, and good, and altogether fitting that when we read, The Lord is my shepherd—we should think of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who knows His sheep by name; and who laid down His own life to save us; and from whose hand no one can ever steal us.

So the way I read it, there’s three main movements to the Psalm. Because you kind of have three distinct scenes in the Psalm, and in each one, Christ is in a different position relative to the sheep.

So in vv1-3, Christ is ahead of you. He goes before you, leading you through the fields or pastures.

And then in vv4-5, when you’re in trouble or danger—even at the hour of your death—He is with you. He’s at your side, protecting and defending and comforting you, and feeding you—even in the presence of your enemies.

And then at v6, He goes behind you. His goodness and mercy are following you like a rear guard, to make sure you get safely home.

I mean—listen … If I stopped preaching this sermon right now … wouldn’t just seeing this give you a boatload of comfort this week? Knowing that Jesus—who knows your name, who died for you, who is the guardian of your soul, who won’t let anyone or anything snatch you away from Him—is guiding you from ahead, comforting you from beside, and protecting you from behind? 

Would that help you sleep any easier? Would that maybe give you an extra incentive to get out of bed? Would that help you keep going another day when you just want to give up?

Ah—but with Christ, we receive grace upon grace. So there’s more. Much, much more.

The pasture’s green, let’s dig in my fellow sheep.

Christ goes before us in the pastures (vv1-3)

V1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. This Psalm was written by King David, who had been a shepherd. So it’s natural that he would see His own experience with God through that lens. 

But never forget that when you’re reading the Scriptures, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). So the intent of the human author can only take you so far. They often wrote more truth than they knew or understood at the time. But I strongly suspect the Old Testament saints knew a lot more about the Christ who was coming than we give them credit for.

The Psalmist says, I shall not want. Or, I lack nothing. When you are Christ’s sheep, you lack nothing for your salvation. Ephesians 1:3 says that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. 2 Peter 1:3 says He has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

What are these spiritual blessings? What is all things that pertain to life and godliness? Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:30: you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God.

Christ is the Word of God become flesh, the living embodiment of true wisdom. Christ is the only God, who is at the Father’s side, and he has made him known to us (John 1:18). So He is wisdom from God for us, because we become wise unto salvation through faith in Him (2 Timothy 3:15). In Him, we lack no wisdom.

Next, Jesus is our righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own before God, but Jeremiah 23:6 declares that Christ would be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ When we stand before the Judgment Seat, Christ will plead His own perfect righteousness in our place. We lack no righteousness in Him.

Then it says Jesus is our sanctification. Just as He makes us righteous before God, He makes us holy to God, for He is holy, and we are in Him. Because we are sanctified by His blood, our works are holy and acceptable to God; so that we are able to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days (Romans 12:1; Luke 1:74-75). We do not want for holiness in Him.

And finally, it says, Christ is our redemption. This sums up all of the spiritual blessings we receive in Christ. He has redeemed us from the power of sin, from guilt, from Satan, from the wrath of God, and finally—He will redeem us from the grave by raising us up at the last day. In Him our souls truly want for nothing.

And notice, it says, He makes me lie down in green pastures. He not only feeds and nourishes our souls by His Word, and by His body and blood given for us in the Lord’s Supper. But He makes us lie down. He gives us the peace and security to rest in Him, and in His finished work for us. So it is true that those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10).

Ah—I could stay here all day, but you’ll want to be grazing at the Carolina Cafe. So we move along.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. The way we usually translate this into English obscures what it’s actually saying. You would not want to drink from still waters, nor would a sheep—still waters would be dirty and stale. That water would be gross; it would not restore your soul.

It should be read as the waters of resting. Isaiah 49:10 says: for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. These are waters that give us rest and refreshment, and restore your soul. 

You can think of this as a reference to baptism, which saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:21). 

Joined to Christ by faith, and plunged into Him in the waters of baptism, our souls find rest. It is not merely an outward washing to clean the outside of the cup, but an inward washing that cleanses the inside as well, so that our very conscience is cleansed. 

It is not the external washing of behavior modification—cleaning up our act, as it were. Any old heathen can do that on his own. No—baptism becomes to us the waters of rest that restores our soul, because it is a guarantee from God of forgiveness. 

O believer—rest in your baptism! And weary sinner—if you have not put on the Lord in baptism, why do you tarry? The water of resting stands ready to receive you, as Christ stands ready to receive you! How blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:12). How blessed are those who rest in Him!

Ah, but let’s be moving on, little flock. Further up and further in, in the words of C.S. Lewis.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Literally, it says He leads you in the wagon-paths of righteousness. The idea here is that when you follow the path the Lord has laid down for you, it’s the same path every saint before you has already traveled on. When you see the wagon tracks, you know that you’re headed for home, you see?

David says elsewhere that, The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul (Psalm 19:7). When believers meditate on the Words of God, His instructions, His teachings—these help to renew our inner man, day by day. 

There’s something exhilarating and life-giving about seeing that you are walking in the wagon-paths of righteousness. You have joined the wagon-loads of pilgrims who have made this journey before you, praying and singing to the Lord as they baked their bread or plowed their fields. Meditating on the words of the Lord as they knitted a blanket or rode out to market.

Christ leads us in the wagon-tracks of all those saints who lived a quiet life, provided for their families, struggled, wept, buried loved ones, and did good deeds for all, especially those of the household of faith. They have gone on to be with the Lord, but their wagon tracks remain. 

And Christ, the Good Shepherd of your souls, delights to lead you over those same well-worn paths, for his name’s sake. His Name is Emmanuel—God-with-us—and He delights in living up to that sweet Name, leading His people over these same wagon ruts again and again, from age to age, and being God with us, and God for us. 

Christ is beside us in times of distress and danger (vv4-5)

But sometimes the way grows dark and the wagon-tracks seem to disappear. And this is where the second movement of the Psalm takes us. Christ goes with us in times of danger and distress.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 

This is Christ walking with us—beside us—in times of danger, or trouble, or distress, or even when death itself looms over us. In those times, Jesus our Emmanuel is God-with-us.

The picture here—the valley of the shadow of death—wants us to think of a deep, narrow ravine, overshadowed by steep mountains or rocks. Here is where predators can pounce from above and attack a sheep. Or where bandits can ambush you, unseen, to try and steal the sheep.

But even in the deep darkness of uncertainty, betrayal, loss, depression; yes, even death itself coming to claim us, it says: I will fear no evil. This is not triumphalism, understand. This is not saying that we won’t be afraid or anxious. Instead, it’s saying this: That even in the darkness, we walk in Christ, who is the light; and by faith we trust that even if this darkness could overcome us, it cannot overcome Him. 

Elsewhere it says: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). In the gathering gloom, in the uncertain season, even on your deathbed, the sweet promises of Christ—no condemnation … See, I am making all things new … I will never cast out … these give you hope and comfort to make the next step. Even if the next step leads you out of this world itself.

I will fear no evil, it says, because your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The rod and staff are the shepherd’s tools to guide, protect, and rescue the sheep. They can be used to keep a sheep in the right path—to guide her back to the wagon-tracks of righteousness—or to beat away the wolf who has come to devour her.

But the greatest comfort we receive is when we see the rod and staff of our Good Shepherd held up in the shape of a cross. For with that cross, He has crushed the skull of our old enemy, the serpent Satan. He has taken away our fear of being lost in the fiery valley of hell, and by conquering death, He has taken away the sting of the grave. The old serpent still snaps at our heels, but Christ has taken away His venom for us. 

This is why the old hymn prays that Christ would, Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes. It is especially when we are at the hour of death that we most need to see our Good Shepherd’s rod and staff, crossed before us, comforting us with His promise to protect us on our final journey, and rescue us by the resurrection.

Here is another way our Good Shepherd is with us through every distress and danger we encounter. V5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

As Christians, our chief enemies are Satan, a fallen world, and the sin that still lingers in us. And the fallen world includes Death—The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). But it also includes all the heartaches and frustrations, the tears and disappointments and dangers, that come with living in the world until Christ returns.

In the presence of these enemies, Christ beckons us to join Him at His table, and drink from His cup, every Lord’s Day. 1 Corinthians 10:21 calls it the cup and the table of the Lord. And it also says: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16). 

Every week, Christ calls His people to join Him, and fellowship with Him. To be spiritually fed from His own table, from His own body and blood, which we receive by faith in the bread and the wine. 

Here, in the very presence of our enemies—for we bring our sins and sorrows to the table with us—Christ feeds Himself to us, and His promises, and nourishes us with the blessings He has won for us by His cross. 

At this table, He declares to us again and again that by His death and resurrection, He has crushed Satan’s head. He comforts us by reminding us again and again that our sins are forgiven. He soothes our anxieties by telling us that our heartaches and frustrations, and all the dangers and distresses of this life, cannot separate us from God’s love. And He declares to us again that when He returns, He will utterly destroy death. And then we shall feast with Him at His table anew, forever and ever (Matthew 26:29).

Every week, a table supplied by Christ Himself stands prepared for us, His sheep and lambs. And that table proclaims to us that our enemies shall be wiped away, along with all our tears, when He returns.

And He anoints your head with oil. This is the Holy Spirit, which is called the oil of gladness in Isaiah 61:3. Christ has poured out His own Holy Spirit on His Church, and through the Holy Spirit He is with us always, even until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). This is how He is present with us and among us until we see Him face-to-face. And grace upon grace, we have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Spirit seals us to Christ, and assures us of our redemption.

Beloved, doesn’t that make your mouth water for the Lord’s Supper? Each week we come, Christ’s little lambs, anointed by His Spirit, to eat and drink the meal He has prepared for us? This meal that testifies to our enemies that Christ has conquered them, and His saints shall persevere! Our cups truly do overflow.

Christ goes behind us with steadfast love (v6)

And now, the third and final movement of the Psalm is v6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. 

Once again, our English translations let us down a bit here, because the Hebrew is … well, it has more sparkles and bubbles, like rich champagne, and it pops the cork of the page and pours comfort in your cup.

First of all, this word surely marks a sharp transition—away from the Good Shepherd feeding His sheep in the valley full of enemies. Back to the trusty wagon-paths that lead you home.

It’s kind of like it’s saying, Even though my way must sometimes take me through dark valleys where my enemies pursue me; even so, my Good Shepherd’s goodness and mercy are also at my feet, making sure I get safely home.

Also, mercy may not be the best word here. The Hebrew word is chesed—which is usually translated as steadfast love. As in: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases (Lamentations 3:22). This isn’t a spontaneous outpouring of affection—this is covenantal love. This is the love that says, if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13). 

This is the Jeremiah 31:3 love, where the Lord says: I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. It is an infinite, eternal, faithful love—from everlasting to everlasting. 

The Old Princeton professor Geerhardus Vos said it like this:

The best proof that He will never cease to love us lies in that He never began. What we are for Him and what He is for us belongs to the realm of eternal values. Without this we are nothing, in it we have all.

“Jeremiah’s Plaint and Its Answer,” in Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos, ed. Richard B. Gaffin (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2001), 298.

As wonderful a word as mercy is, it is too small to contain all that. Maybe there’s no word in human language that’s enough for it.

And goodness means whatever promotes, protects, or enhances life. Like Psalm 34:8: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! 

The picture is, the lovely, life-giving, everlasting faithful love of Christ follows me wherever I go!

And that’s the other thing. Follow is too tame a word here. This word is typically used when you’re chasing somebody, when you’re pursuing them, you’re hot on their heels. 

So it’s more like: Even though my enemies may be waiting for me in deep, dark, valley; I am absolutely confident that Christ, my good Shepherd, is right at my heels, with the rod of His goodness to protect me, and the staff of His faithful love to guide me and rescue me. Every. Day. Of. My. Life.

And where is our Good Shepherd chasing us to? The very last line—notice the assurance, the confidence, the boldness: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

He’s chasing us home. He’s chasing us to the Father’s house, to the great feast, in the new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells, and we shall see our Good Shepherd face-to-face, and He will wipe away all tears, and every sad thing will come untrue, and the word goodbye will be erased from our vocabulary. Home! To dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever, world without end. Home. Our true country. Home.

And surely we will make it. Because Christ, our Good Shepherd, has led us to the restful waters of baptism and restored our souls. Because He guides us in the wagon-paths of righteousness for His own Names’ sake. Because He goes with us, and the rod and staff of His Cross protects us and comforts us in the deep, dark valley. Because He feeds us from His own table, and gives us Himself in the presence of our enemies. Because He has poured out His Spirit on us, sealing us to Himself. Because He is doggedly pursuing our every step with His goodness and faithful love. In Him, and in Him alone—we will surely make it.

How seeing Christ in Psalm 23 transforms what it does for us

So I just want to leave you with a question: What would change if you learned to read—not just Psalm 23, but the whole Bible this way?

Would you be more confident in Christ, and in your salvation? And would that confidence be expressed as a greater willingness to share the Gospel with your neighbors, and to love and serve them? Would it enchant the daily rhythms of your life to know that Christ is guiding you on the wagon-paths of righteousness that so many ordinary saints have already trod safely home across? Would you find that your time in the Word really renewed your soul, because your Savior was waiting for you on every page? Would your prayers be more honest? Would you stop killing yourself trying to be impressive? Would good works flow more naturally, without some guy in a pulpit begging you? Would your faith, hope, and love all be strengthened? Would your mouth water for the Lord’s Supper?

Today, if you hear the voice of your Good Shepherd calling you, come to Him, and He will guide you to the restful waters of baptism, and seal you to Himself with the Holy Spirit. And He will go before you, beside you, and behind you every step, until you come to the house of the Lord forever.