Psalm 23:2a- Unexpected Contentment šŸ˜ŒšŸ•Šļø
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Psalm 23:2a- Unexpected Contentment šŸ˜ŒšŸ•Šļø

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Introduction

Welcome to the second part of our series, "The Good Shepherd."

Text: Psalm 23

(A psalm of David.)
The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
    He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

The LORD is our Shepherd. WE CAN FOLLOW HIM.

Overall Commentary: šŸŒŽ

One of the most significant issues we have when reading the Old Testament is ethnocentrism. The definition of ethnocentrism is:

  1. Evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

It is difficult for most of us to imagine ourselves back in that time and in the agricultural environment of sheep and shepherds. Understanding these cultural differences is a major key to truly understanding what God's Word says about God's characteristics. My hope is that we will have a fresh understanding of who God is by understanding what He reveals to us through this famous song.

Because the LORD is our Shepherd, we live with unexpected contentment.


What is contentment?

While there are many definitions for this word, the best I have ever heard is the following:

Contentment is not the act of simply settling. It is the act of resting in the Word and goodness of God.

Many people think of contentment as a bad word. They think it means giving up on wanting more out of life, settling for what you have, and giving up on your dreams. This is not at all what contentment is. Contentment is fully trusting in the One who is leading us. It rests in the confident hope that we are right where we need to be. It is believing that God is truly in control of everything and will lead us all along the way.

This is a problem for many Christians because they believe God has not always been faithful. This can be for various reasons. It could be because they prayed for something, and God did not answer how they thought He should. It could be because they saw someone go through a terrible season and could not understand how a good God could let bad things happen. Contentment is believing God has a bigger plan than we can imagine. We trust His goodness is bigger than we can imagine, and we are resting in His promises to make it all sense in eternity. This can be hard for some of us, but this is the essence of contentment. We trust what we cannot understand to the One who does.

Sheep Are Not Naturally Content

Sheep do not easily find contentment. It can be challenging to lead sheep to green pastures and make them stay there because they are easily agitated. Four of the main culprits to their discomfort are:

  1. The threat of predators.
  2. The danger of other sheep who are bullies.
  3. The agitation of parasites and flies.
  4. The fear of not having enough food. They must be free from hunger.

These are reasons why they need a Good Shepherd to lead and guide them.

Commentary

Verse 2a. Being Well-Led by the Shepherd.

"He..."- The verse before tells us the "He" is the LORD. (Yahweh) In this verse, David tells us how the Lord provides for all our needs.

"Lets me rest..."- The Hebrew word for this literally means to lay down and stretch out. It is a position of complete rest where we are no longer in the position of being able to keep watch. We are entirely at ease and trusting the Good Shepherd to watch out for us.

    • This phrase also means it is something that the Good Shepherd allows. It paints the picture that contentment is not something that we stumble into. Contentment is the desire of our Shepherd. We find contentment when we allow Him to lead. He will lead us where we need to go.
    • It is also important to realize that sheep do not always easily follow their shepherds. Once they are there, they do not always rest. Many times, the shepherd will have to purposefully make the sheep kneel to the ground to force them to rest. This can be an uncomfortable but accurate picture of us. How many times has God placed us in a season of waiting to cause us to finally slow down and allow our hearts to focus on Him?

"In green meadows."- Many great points are missed in our modern minds that can be found in this simple phrase.

    • Green- symbolizes life.
    • Meadows- Pastureland.
    • On purpose- most of the land where this song was written was dry and sparse. If you found a green pasture, you knew someone had worked hard to make it so. They found a way to irrigate it properly, pull up stumps, and keep wandering animals away.
    • This statement symbolizes that God has prepared a place of peace for us and will lead us there. Our job is to follow His lead.

Bottom Line.

God's Promise:

(Hebrews 13:5) Donā€™t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ā€œI will NEVER fail you. I will NEVER abandon you.ā€

There are many promises throughout the Bible that promise us contentment, but there is always a premise we must follow. We must keep our focus on the shepherd. If we will follow His lead, He will guide us into unexpected contentment.


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What does ā€œhe makes me lie down in green pasturesā€ mean (Psalm 23:2)? | GotQuestions.org
What does ā€œhe makes me lie down in green pasturesā€ mean? What is the meaning of Psalm 23:2?
What does Psalm 23:2 mean? | BibleRef.com
He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. - What is the meaning of Psalm 23:2?
Psalm 23:2 Commentaries: He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
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ā€œHe makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.ā€ Psalm 23:2
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Pastor Colin Smith preached this sermon on ā€œHe Leads Meā€ on Psalm 23:2ā€™s ā€˜He Leads Me Besides Still Watersā€™ in his series on Psalm 23.
Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 23
David Guzik commentary on Psalm 23 explains this most well known Psalm, which declares ā€œThe Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not wantā€.