The Lord Is My Shepherd

Good Morning!

Psalm 23 (English Standard Version)
The LORD Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
3He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[c]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely[d] goodness and mercy[e] shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell[f] in the house of the LORD
forever.[g]
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 23:2 Hebrew beside waters of rest
b. Psalm 23:3 Or in right paths
c. Psalm 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness
d. Psalm 23:6 Or Only
e. Psalm 23:6 Or steadfast love
f. Psalm 23:6 Or shall return to dwell
g. Psalm 23:6 Hebrew for length of days

Dr. Louie D. Newton lived next door to Grandma Ward. Who was Dr. Louie D. Newton, you might ask? Louie Newton was a Baptist preacher in Atlanta from 1929 through 1968 at Druid Hills Baptist Church. And he was what we would refer to today as a “mover and shaker” in that he had the ear of the leadership of Atlanta. For most of those years, the main leader was William B. Hartsfield, who was mayor of Atlanta from 1937 through 1960. He was followed by Ivan Allen Jr.

As I said, Dr. Newton lived next door to Grandma Ward. And he used a portion of Grandma’s pasture to feed the sheep he kept. Originally he had a cow and the sheep – but the cow died and soon there was only sheep – and chickens and guinea hens. And, yes, this was just outside the city limits of Atlanta – in what was once considered the wealthy part of town. Actually, when Granddaddy Ward was living, they had a cow and a horse in their backyard. The neighbor on the other side of Grandma – the Roans – hated the sight of the barn so they planted bamboo – that ultimately grew into Grandma’s yard. We used it for building materials.

Dr. Newton was truly a shepherd of the people of Druid Hills Baptist church. The average stay at a Baptist church for a preacher is currently about eighteen months – Dr. Newton lasted forty years and then remained as Pastor Emeritus until he died in the late 1980s. He was a kindly man who loved to garden and to write. He actually wrote a devotional entitled “Good Morning”.

The Lord is my shepherd - a shepherd is responsible for the safety and well being of the flock. David points out that our protector and provider is the Lord. And because our shepherd is the Lord, we will not be in want.

How does our Lord protect us and provide for us?
(1) He makes us lie down in green pastures – we have sufficient and more for our needs
(2) He leads us beside still waters – sheep are skittish around brooks that babble – they much prefer the still waters to drink from
(3) He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness. We could split these two – but they are similar in that His leadership in righteousness is what restores us.
(4) He accompanies us through the valley of the shadow of death – through our toughest times, He is there to protect us and to comfort us.
(5) He prepares a table for us and anoints us. He treats us as honored guests in His presence when we should be honoring Him.

And because of all this, we can join with David in saying – surely, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Agape’

Mr. Jim