March 25, 2025 • 16 mins
As we lie down in green pastures or walk through the shadowy valley, we're assured that whatever our path, whatever our stumbling, the Shepherd will lovingly guide, carry, and protect us. We can depend on His goodness and mercy all the days of our lives. Readers will find comfort, guidance, and reassurance with A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.
Mark Rogers reads from Phillip Kellerss book, "A shepherd looks at Psalm 23". His book can be found on Amazon or Christian Books and other places where Christian books are sold.
Submit questions and comments to www.ThoughtsofChrist.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ecamm Live Recording on (00:00):
Welcome back to another reading of
(00:03):
Philip Keller's book, aShepherd's Look at Psalm 23, and
as we've noted before, why hetakes every phrase of Psalm 23
apart and examines that in eachin a chapter.
And today we're taking upchapter two, where David is
saying I shall not be in want.
(00:25):
Let's go over chapter two.
What a proud, positive, boldstatement to make.
Obviously, this is the statementof sheep, utterly satisfied with
its owner, perfectly contentwith its lot in life.
Since the Lord is my shepherdthan I shall not want, actually
(00:45):
the word want as used here, hasa broader meaning than might
first be imagined.
No doubt.
The main concept is that of notlacking, not deficient in proper
care management and husbandry.
But a second emphasis is theidea of being utterly contented
in the good shepherd's care, andconsequently not craving or
(01:05):
desiring anything more.
This may seem a strangestatement for a man like David
to have made it, if we thinkonly in terms of physical or
material.
Needs.
After all, he had been houndedand harri repeatedly by the
forces of his enemy, Saul, aswell as those of his own
(01:25):
estranged son, Absalom.
He was obviously a man who hadknown intense ProVation, deeply
personal poverty, acutehardship, and anguish of spirit.
Therefore, it is absurd toassert on the basis of the
statement that the child of God,the sheep in the shepherd's
(01:46):
care, will never experience,lack or need.
It is imperative to keep abalanced view of the Christian
life.
To do this, it is well toconsider the careers of men like
Elijah, John the Baptist, ourLord himself, and even modern
man of faith such as Livingston,to realize that all them
experience great personalprivation and adversity.
(02:07):
When he was among us, the GreatShepherd himself warned his
disciples with, for hisdeparture for glory that this is
John 1633.
In this world, you will havetrouble, but take heart, I have
overcome the world.
One of the fallacies that iscommon among Christians today is
the assertion that if a man orwoman is prospering materially,
it is a significant mark ofblessing of God upon his or her
(02:30):
life.
This simply is not.
So rather in bold contrast, weread in Revelation three 17, you
say, I am rich.
I have acquired wealth and donot need a thing.
But you do not realize you arewretched, pitiful, poor, blind,
and naked, or in an equallypointed way.
(02:51):
Jesus made clear to the richyoung ruler who wished to become
of his follower.
Mark 10 21.
One thing you lack, go selleverything you have and give it
to the poor.
Then come follow me.
Based on the teachings of theBible, we can only conclude that
David was not only was notreferring to material or
physical poverty when he madethe statement, I shall not be
(03:15):
and want for this very reason.
The Christian has to take along, hard look at life.
He has to recognize that as withmany of God's choice, people
before him, he may be called onto experience lack of wealth or
material.
Benefits, he has to see hissojourn upon the planet as a
brief interlude during whichthere may well be some privation
(03:38):
in a physical sense, yet amidstsuch hardship, he can still
boast.
I shall not want, I shall notlack the expert care and
management of my master.
To grasp the inner significanceof the simple statement is to
necessary to understand thedifference between belonging to
one master or another to thegood shepherd or to an imposter.
(04:02):
Jesus himself took great painsto point out to anyone who
contemplated following him thatit was quite impossible to serve
to masters, one belonged toeither to him or to another.
When all else is said and done,the welfare of any flock is
entirely.
Dependent upon the managementafforded them by their owner.
(04:24):
The tenant sheepman on the farmnext to my first ranch was the
most indifferent manager I'dever met.
He was not concerned about thecondition of a sheep.
His land was neglected.
He gave little or no time to hisflock, letting them pretty well
forage for themselves as bestthey could both summer and
winter.
They fell pre to dogs, cougars,and wrestlers.
(04:46):
Every year, these poor creatureswere forced to gna away at bare
brown fields and impoverishedpastures everywhere.
There was a shortage ofnourishing hay and wholesome
grain to feed the hungry ewesshelter to safeguard and protect
the suffering sheep from stormsand blizzards was scanty and
inadequate.
They had only polluted muddywater to drink.
(05:07):
There had been a lack of saltand other trace materials needed
to offset their sickly pasturesin their thin, weak, and disease
condition.
These poor sheep were a patheticsite.
In my mind's eye, I can stillsee them standing at the fence,
huddling, sadly in little knots,staring, whistling through the
wires of the rich pastures onthe other side to all their
(05:29):
distress.
Their heartless, selfless ownersseemed utterly callous and
indifferent.
He simply did not care.
What if his sheep did want greengrass, fresh water, shade,
safety, or shelter from thestorms?
What if they did want relieffrom wounds, bruises, diseases,
and parasites?
(05:49):
He ignored their needs.
He couldn't care less.
Why should he?
They were just sheep fit onlyfor the slaughterhouse.
I never looked at those poorsheep without an acute awareness
that there was a precise pictureof those wretched old task
masters sin and Satan on theirderelict ranch scoffing at the
ply of those within their power.
(06:10):
As I have moved among men andwomen from all strato society,
as both a lay pastor and ascientist, I have become
increasingly aware of one thing.
It is the boss or the manager,or the master in people's lives
who make the difference in theirdestiny.
I have known of some of thewealthiest men on this
continent, intimately only someof the leading scientists and
(06:32):
professional people, despitetheir dazzling outward show of
success, despite their affluenceand their prestige, they
remained poor in spirit,shriveled in soul, and unhappy
in life.
They were joyless people.
Held in the iron grip andheartless ownership of the wrong
master.
(06:53):
By way of contrast, I havenumerous friends among
relatively poor people who haveknown hardship, disaster, and
the struggle to stay afloatfinancially.
But because they belong toChrist and have recognized him
as Lord and master of theirlives, their owner and manager,
they were permeated by deep,quiet, subtle peace that is
beautiful to behold.
(07:15):
It is indeed a delight to visitsome of these humble homes where
men and women were rich inspirit, generous in heart, and
large in soul, they radiate aserene confidence and quiet joy
that surmounts all the tragediesof their time.
They are under God's care andthey know it.
They have entrusted themselvesto Christ's control and found
(07:36):
contentment.
Contentment should be thehallmark of the man or woman who
has put his or her affairs inthe hands of God.
This especially applies in ouraffluent age, but the
outstanding paradox is theintense fever of discontent
among people who are everspeaking of security despite an
(07:56):
unparalleled wealth and materialassets, we are outstandingly,
insecure and unsure of ourselvesand well-known, bankrupt in
spiritual values Always men aresearching for safety beyond
themselves.
They're restless, unsettled,covetous, greedy for more,
(08:17):
wanting this and that, yet neverreally satisfied in spirit.
By contrast, the simpleChristian, the humble person,
the shepherd sheep can stand upand proudly boast.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not be and want.
I'm completely satisfied withhis management of my life.
Why?
Because he is the sheep man towhom no trouble is too great as
(08:39):
he cares for his flock.
He is the rancher who isoutstanding because of his
fondness for sheep.
Who loves them for their ownsake, as well as personal
pleasure in them.
He will, if necessary, be on thejob 24 hours a day to see if
they're properly provided forany every detail.
Above all, he is very jealous ofhis name and high reputation as
(09:00):
the Good Shepherd.
He is the owner who delights inhis flock.
For him, there is no greaterreward.
No deeper satisfaction from thatof seeing his sheep contented,
fed, safe and flourishing underhis care.
This is indeed his very life.
He gives all he has to it.
(09:21):
He literally lays himself outfor those who care are his.
He will go to no end of troubleand labor to supply them with
the finest grazing.
The richest pasture is amplewinter feed and clean water.
He will spare himself no painsto provide shelter from storms
and protection from ruthlessenemies and the diseases and
parasites to which sheep are sosusceptible.
(09:45):
No wonder Jesus said, I am thegood shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down hislife.
Sheep John 10 11, and again, Ihave calm that they may have
life and I and have it to thefull john.
10 10 from early dawn until lateat night.
This utterly selfless shepherdis alert to the welfare of his
(10:05):
flock.
For the diligence sheet, manrises early and goes out first
thing every morning without failto look over his flock.
It is the initial intimatecontact of the day.
What a practice.
Searching sympathetic eye.
He examines a sheep to see thatthey are fit and content and
able to be on their feet in aninstant.
He can tell if they have beenmolested during the night,
(10:27):
whether any are ill or if thereare some that require special
attention.
Repeatedly throughout the day,he casts his eye over the flock
to make sure that all is well,nor even at night is he
oblivious to their needs.
He sleeps as it were, with oneeye open and both ears open.
Ready at the last sign oftrouble to leap up and to
protect his own.
(10:48):
This is the blind picture of thecare given to those whose lives
are under Christ control.
He knows all about their lives.
From morning to night, praise beto the Lord to God our savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Psalm 68 19.
Psalm 1 21, 3.
He who watches over you will notslumber in spite of having such
(11:12):
a master and owner.
The fact remains that someChristians are still not content
with his control.
They're somewhat dissatisfied,always feeling that somehow the
grasp beyond the fence must be alittle greener.
These are carnal Christians, onemight almost call them fence
crawlers or half Christians whowant the best of both worlds.
(11:35):
I once owned a u whose conductexactly typified this sort of
person.
She was one of the mostattractive sheep that ever
belonged to me.
Her body was beautifullyproportioned.
She had a strong constitution,an excellent coat of wool.
Her head was clean, alert, andwell set with bright eyes.
She bore sturdy lambs thatmatured rapidly.
(11:56):
But in spite of all theseattractive attributes, she had
one pronounced fault.
She was restless, discontent,and a fence crawler.
So much so that I came to callher"Mrs.
Gad about" this one ewe producedmore problems for me than almost
all the rest of the flockcombined.
No matter what field or pasturethe sheep were in, she was
(12:18):
search all along the fences orshoreline.
We live by the sea, looking fora loophole.
She would crawl through andstart to feed on the other side.
It was not that she lackedpastorage.
My fields were my joy anddelight.
No sheep in the district hadbetter grazing with"Mrs.
Gat- about." It was about aningrained habit.
She was simply never contentwith the things as they were.
(12:40):
Often when she had forced herway through some such spot in
the fence or found a way arounda end of wire and a low tide on
the beaches, she would end upfeeding on bare brown burned up
past of a most inferior sort.
But she never learned her lessonand she came to fence crawl time
after time.
(13:01):
Now, it would've been bad enoughif she was the only one who did
this.
It was sufficient problem tofind her and bring her back.
But the further point was thatshe taught her lambs the same
tricks.
They simply followed her exampleand soon were as skilled as
escaping as their mother.
Even worse, however, wasexample, she would set forth for
other sheep.
In short time, she began to leadothers to the same holes and
(13:22):
over the same dangerous pathsdown by the sea.
After putting up with herperverseness for a summer, I
finally came to the conclusionthat to save the rest of the
flock from becoming unsettled,she would have to go.
I would not allow one obstinatediscontented you to ruin the
whole ranch operation.
It was a difficult decision tomake for I loved her in the same
(13:45):
way.
I loved the rest.
Her strength and beauty andalertness were a delight to the
eyes.
But one morning I took thekilling knife in the hand and
butchered her.
Her career offense crawling wascut short.
It was the only solution to thedilemma.
She was a sheep who, in spite ofall that I had done to give her
the very best care, still wantedsomething else.
(14:07):
She was not like the one whosaid, quote, the Lord is my
shepherd.
I shall not be in want.
It is a solemn warning to thecarnal Christian, the
backslider, the half Christian,the one who has wanted the best
of both worlds.
Sometimes in short order, theycan be cut down.
That's quite a solemn thing withregards to that one ewe that he
(14:27):
had that was always fencecrawling and a beautiful
specimen of a sheep, if youwill, and bore great lambs.
It had so many fine qualities.
But at the end of the day, itcould not continue to be allowed
in the flock.
And so he had to take thebutchering knife to the ewe.
If I can relate a chicken storyreal quickly.
We had chickens, and we wouldcarry a batch of chickens,
(14:50):
little chicks that were probablywe would do this every 24 to 30
months, we'd order a brand newbatch of chickens coming in.
Every year and a half or so, andevery year and a half, these
hens would grow up and out ofthe 24 to 30 hens that would sit
there, there would be three orfour that would wander out of
the pasture, which they werecompletely able to graze over a
(15:13):
full acre and a half of pasture.
But they would gather in threeor four of'em would jump the
fence or crawl through the fencethat I had tenderly tried to
fence up and go into thevineyard next door.
The vineyard next door is wherethe coyotes were roaming.
And so oftentimes a hen wouldget out there and find, think
gracing was better out in thevineyard.
(15:33):
And in doing so at night, shecame back in.
She couldn't quite find thatsame hole that she left in, so
she would huddle down in theclump of grass.
And in the morning why therewould be a clump of feathers
sitting there because why?
The coyote knows how to find thechicken.
He knows how to find the onethat has strayed, that has
crawled to the fence.
(15:54):
And so this would happen yearafter year.
And it came to my attention andcame to my mind that, you know
what, this chicken that just goteaten right now and didn't know
about the chicken that just gotate 18 months ago, 24 months
ago.
In the last generation or theone generation before that?
Yes.
Out of every hen batch of thesethings of 24 or 30 hens, there
would be a handful that wouldfind themselves desiring to be
(16:15):
outside of the large pasturethat I had given them, and
therefore, they were findingthemselves to be a food for the
enemy.
And so it is today.
There are those that wander.
They wanna find the holes, theywanna find out their own way.
And in doing so, oftentimes theyfind themselves being taken care
of by the enemy.
(16:35):
But then there's that time whenthe sheep or the chicken or the
person is left to their owndevices.
We all desire our own way.
To recognize that the hand ofthe enemy may take over at some
point, and it's a sad thing tosee, and yet the shepherd is so
good, so gracious, so loving,providing everything.
May the Lord be with us as wecontinue through the rest of
Psalm 23.
Welcome back to another reading of
(00:03):
Philip Keller's book, aShepherd's Look at Psalm 23, and
as we've noted before, why hetakes every phrase of Psalm 23
apart and examines that in eachin a chapter.
And today we're taking upchapter two, where David is
saying I shall not be in want.
(00:25):
Let's go over chapter two.
What a proud, positive, boldstatement to make.
Obviously, this is the statementof sheep, utterly satisfied with
its owner, perfectly contentwith its lot in life.
Since the Lord is my shepherdthan I shall not want, actually
(00:45):
the word want as used here, hasa broader meaning than might
first be imagined.
No doubt.
The main concept is that of notlacking, not deficient in proper
care management and husbandry.
But a second emphasis is theidea of being utterly contented
in the good shepherd's care, andconsequently not craving or
(01:05):
desiring anything more.
This may seem a strangestatement for a man like David
to have made it, if we thinkonly in terms of physical or
material.
Needs.
After all, he had been houndedand harri repeatedly by the
forces of his enemy, Saul, aswell as those of his own
(01:25):
estranged son, Absalom.
He was obviously a man who hadknown intense ProVation, deeply
personal poverty, acutehardship, and anguish of spirit.
Therefore, it is absurd toassert on the basis of the
statement that the child of God,the sheep in the shepherd's
(01:46):
care, will never experience,lack or need.
It is imperative to keep abalanced view of the Christian
life.
To do this, it is well toconsider the careers of men like
Elijah, John the Baptist, ourLord himself, and even modern
man of faith such as Livingston,to realize that all them
experience great personalprivation and adversity.
(02:07):
When he was among us, the GreatShepherd himself warned his
disciples with, for hisdeparture for glory that this is
John 1633.
In this world, you will havetrouble, but take heart, I have
overcome the world.
One of the fallacies that iscommon among Christians today is
the assertion that if a man orwoman is prospering materially,
it is a significant mark ofblessing of God upon his or her
(02:30):
life.
This simply is not.
So rather in bold contrast, weread in Revelation three 17, you
say, I am rich.
I have acquired wealth and donot need a thing.
But you do not realize you arewretched, pitiful, poor, blind,
and naked, or in an equallypointed way.
(02:51):
Jesus made clear to the richyoung ruler who wished to become
of his follower.
Mark 10 21.
One thing you lack, go selleverything you have and give it
to the poor.
Then come follow me.
Based on the teachings of theBible, we can only conclude that
David was not only was notreferring to material or
physical poverty when he madethe statement, I shall not be
(03:15):
and want for this very reason.
The Christian has to take along, hard look at life.
He has to recognize that as withmany of God's choice, people
before him, he may be called onto experience lack of wealth or
material.
Benefits, he has to see hissojourn upon the planet as a
brief interlude during whichthere may well be some privation
(03:38):
in a physical sense, yet amidstsuch hardship, he can still
boast.
I shall not want, I shall notlack the expert care and
management of my master.
To grasp the inner significanceof the simple statement is to
necessary to understand thedifference between belonging to
one master or another to thegood shepherd or to an imposter.
(04:02):
Jesus himself took great painsto point out to anyone who
contemplated following him thatit was quite impossible to serve
to masters, one belonged toeither to him or to another.
When all else is said and done,the welfare of any flock is
entirely.
Dependent upon the managementafforded them by their owner.
(04:24):
The tenant sheepman on the farmnext to my first ranch was the
most indifferent manager I'dever met.
He was not concerned about thecondition of a sheep.
His land was neglected.
He gave little or no time to hisflock, letting them pretty well
forage for themselves as bestthey could both summer and
winter.
They fell pre to dogs, cougars,and wrestlers.
(04:46):
Every year, these poor creatureswere forced to gna away at bare
brown fields and impoverishedpastures everywhere.
There was a shortage ofnourishing hay and wholesome
grain to feed the hungry ewesshelter to safeguard and protect
the suffering sheep from stormsand blizzards was scanty and
inadequate.
They had only polluted muddywater to drink.
(05:07):
There had been a lack of saltand other trace materials needed
to offset their sickly pasturesin their thin, weak, and disease
condition.
These poor sheep were a patheticsite.
In my mind's eye, I can stillsee them standing at the fence,
huddling, sadly in little knots,staring, whistling through the
wires of the rich pastures onthe other side to all their
(05:29):
distress.
Their heartless, selfless ownersseemed utterly callous and
indifferent.
He simply did not care.
What if his sheep did want greengrass, fresh water, shade,
safety, or shelter from thestorms?
What if they did want relieffrom wounds, bruises, diseases,
and parasites?
(05:49):
He ignored their needs.
He couldn't care less.
Why should he?
They were just sheep fit onlyfor the slaughterhouse.
I never looked at those poorsheep without an acute awareness
that there was a precise pictureof those wretched old task
masters sin and Satan on theirderelict ranch scoffing at the
ply of those within their power.
(06:10):
As I have moved among men andwomen from all strato society,
as both a lay pastor and ascientist, I have become
increasingly aware of one thing.
It is the boss or the manager,or the master in people's lives
who make the difference in theirdestiny.
I have known of some of thewealthiest men on this
continent, intimately only someof the leading scientists and
(06:32):
professional people, despitetheir dazzling outward show of
success, despite their affluenceand their prestige, they
remained poor in spirit,shriveled in soul, and unhappy
in life.
They were joyless people.
Held in the iron grip andheartless ownership of the wrong
master.
(06:53):
By way of contrast, I havenumerous friends among
relatively poor people who haveknown hardship, disaster, and
the struggle to stay afloatfinancially.
But because they belong toChrist and have recognized him
as Lord and master of theirlives, their owner and manager,
they were permeated by deep,quiet, subtle peace that is
beautiful to behold.
(07:15):
It is indeed a delight to visitsome of these humble homes where
men and women were rich inspirit, generous in heart, and
large in soul, they radiate aserene confidence and quiet joy
that surmounts all the tragediesof their time.
They are under God's care andthey know it.
They have entrusted themselvesto Christ's control and found
(07:36):
contentment.
Contentment should be thehallmark of the man or woman who
has put his or her affairs inthe hands of God.
This especially applies in ouraffluent age, but the
outstanding paradox is theintense fever of discontent
among people who are everspeaking of security despite an
(07:56):
unparalleled wealth and materialassets, we are outstandingly,
insecure and unsure of ourselvesand well-known, bankrupt in
spiritual values Always men aresearching for safety beyond
themselves.
They're restless, unsettled,covetous, greedy for more,
(08:17):
wanting this and that, yet neverreally satisfied in spirit.
By contrast, the simpleChristian, the humble person,
the shepherd sheep can stand upand proudly boast.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not be and want.
I'm completely satisfied withhis management of my life.
Why?
Because he is the sheep man towhom no trouble is too great as
(08:39):
he cares for his flock.
He is the rancher who isoutstanding because of his
fondness for sheep.
Who loves them for their ownsake, as well as personal
pleasure in them.
He will, if necessary, be on thejob 24 hours a day to see if
they're properly provided forany every detail.
Above all, he is very jealous ofhis name and high reputation as
(09:00):
the Good Shepherd.
He is the owner who delights inhis flock.
For him, there is no greaterreward.
No deeper satisfaction from thatof seeing his sheep contented,
fed, safe and flourishing underhis care.
This is indeed his very life.
He gives all he has to it.
(09:21):
He literally lays himself outfor those who care are his.
He will go to no end of troubleand labor to supply them with
the finest grazing.
The richest pasture is amplewinter feed and clean water.
He will spare himself no painsto provide shelter from storms
and protection from ruthlessenemies and the diseases and
parasites to which sheep are sosusceptible.
(09:45):
No wonder Jesus said, I am thegood shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down hislife.
Sheep John 10 11, and again, Ihave calm that they may have
life and I and have it to thefull john.
10 10 from early dawn until lateat night.
This utterly selfless shepherdis alert to the welfare of his
(10:05):
flock.
For the diligence sheet, manrises early and goes out first
thing every morning without failto look over his flock.
It is the initial intimatecontact of the day.
What a practice.
Searching sympathetic eye.
He examines a sheep to see thatthey are fit and content and
able to be on their feet in aninstant.
He can tell if they have beenmolested during the night,
(10:27):
whether any are ill or if thereare some that require special
attention.
Repeatedly throughout the day,he casts his eye over the flock
to make sure that all is well,nor even at night is he
oblivious to their needs.
He sleeps as it were, with oneeye open and both ears open.
Ready at the last sign oftrouble to leap up and to
protect his own.
(10:48):
This is the blind picture of thecare given to those whose lives
are under Christ control.
He knows all about their lives.
From morning to night, praise beto the Lord to God our savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Psalm 68 19.
Psalm 1 21, 3.
He who watches over you will notslumber in spite of having such
(11:12):
a master and owner.
The fact remains that someChristians are still not content
with his control.
They're somewhat dissatisfied,always feeling that somehow the
grasp beyond the fence must be alittle greener.
These are carnal Christians, onemight almost call them fence
crawlers or half Christians whowant the best of both worlds.
(11:35):
I once owned a u whose conductexactly typified this sort of
person.
She was one of the mostattractive sheep that ever
belonged to me.
Her body was beautifullyproportioned.
She had a strong constitution,an excellent coat of wool.
Her head was clean, alert, andwell set with bright eyes.
She bore sturdy lambs thatmatured rapidly.
(11:56):
But in spite of all theseattractive attributes, she had
one pronounced fault.
She was restless, discontent,and a fence crawler.
So much so that I came to callher"Mrs.
Gad about" this one ewe producedmore problems for me than almost
all the rest of the flockcombined.
No matter what field or pasturethe sheep were in, she was
(12:18):
search all along the fences orshoreline.
We live by the sea, looking fora loophole.
She would crawl through andstart to feed on the other side.
It was not that she lackedpastorage.
My fields were my joy anddelight.
No sheep in the district hadbetter grazing with"Mrs.
Gat- about." It was about aningrained habit.
She was simply never contentwith the things as they were.
(12:40):
Often when she had forced herway through some such spot in
the fence or found a way arounda end of wire and a low tide on
the beaches, she would end upfeeding on bare brown burned up
past of a most inferior sort.
But she never learned her lessonand she came to fence crawl time
after time.
(13:01):
Now, it would've been bad enoughif she was the only one who did
this.
It was sufficient problem tofind her and bring her back.
But the further point was thatshe taught her lambs the same
tricks.
They simply followed her exampleand soon were as skilled as
escaping as their mother.
Even worse, however, wasexample, she would set forth for
other sheep.
In short time, she began to leadothers to the same holes and
(13:22):
over the same dangerous pathsdown by the sea.
After putting up with herperverseness for a summer, I
finally came to the conclusionthat to save the rest of the
flock from becoming unsettled,she would have to go.
I would not allow one obstinatediscontented you to ruin the
whole ranch operation.
It was a difficult decision tomake for I loved her in the same
(13:45):
way.
I loved the rest.
Her strength and beauty andalertness were a delight to the
eyes.
But one morning I took thekilling knife in the hand and
butchered her.
Her career offense crawling wascut short.
It was the only solution to thedilemma.
She was a sheep who, in spite ofall that I had done to give her
the very best care, still wantedsomething else.
(14:07):
She was not like the one whosaid, quote, the Lord is my
shepherd.
I shall not be in want.
It is a solemn warning to thecarnal Christian, the
backslider, the half Christian,the one who has wanted the best
of both worlds.
Sometimes in short order, theycan be cut down.
That's quite a solemn thing withregards to that one ewe that he
(14:27):
had that was always fencecrawling and a beautiful
specimen of a sheep, if youwill, and bore great lambs.
It had so many fine qualities.
But at the end of the day, itcould not continue to be allowed
in the flock.
And so he had to take thebutchering knife to the ewe.
If I can relate a chicken storyreal quickly.
We had chickens, and we wouldcarry a batch of chickens,
(14:50):
little chicks that were probablywe would do this every 24 to 30
months, we'd order a brand newbatch of chickens coming in.
Every year and a half or so, andevery year and a half, these
hens would grow up and out ofthe 24 to 30 hens that would sit
there, there would be three orfour that would wander out of
the pasture, which they werecompletely able to graze over a
(15:13):
full acre and a half of pasture.
But they would gather in threeor four of'em would jump the
fence or crawl through the fencethat I had tenderly tried to
fence up and go into thevineyard next door.
The vineyard next door is wherethe coyotes were roaming.
And so oftentimes a hen wouldget out there and find, think
gracing was better out in thevineyard.
(15:33):
And in doing so at night, shecame back in.
She couldn't quite find thatsame hole that she left in, so
she would huddle down in theclump of grass.
And in the morning why therewould be a clump of feathers
sitting there because why?
The coyote knows how to find thechicken.
He knows how to find the onethat has strayed, that has
crawled to the fence.
(15:54):
And so this would happen yearafter year.
And it came to my attention andcame to my mind that, you know
what, this chicken that just goteaten right now and didn't know
about the chicken that just gotate 18 months ago, 24 months
ago.
In the last generation or theone generation before that?
Yes.
Out of every hen batch of thesethings of 24 or 30 hens, there
would be a handful that wouldfind themselves desiring to be
(16:15):
outside of the large pasturethat I had given them, and
therefore, they were findingthemselves to be a food for the
enemy.
And so it is today.
There are those that wander.
They wanna find the holes, theywanna find out their own way.
And in doing so, oftentimes theyfind themselves being taken care
of by the enemy.
(16:35):
But then there's that time whenthe sheep or the chicken or the
person is left to their owndevices.
We all desire our own way.
To recognize that the hand ofthe enemy may take over at some
point, and it's a sad thing tosee, and yet the shepherd is so
good, so gracious, so loving,providing everything.
May the Lord be with us as wecontinue through the rest of
Psalm 23.
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