Why do I have the Lord as my shepherd? There are four blessings that we have from our good shepherd.

1 – Abundant vindication by the Lord – “he prepares a table in the presence of my enemies”

• There are enemies who seek our downfall. These are generally not people we have sinned against. These enemies oppose us for supporting what is true. It is impossible to live the Christian life and not have enemies. Jesus couldn’t so you shouldn’t be able to avoid enemies. We are not to compromise on the truth.
• I know who I am. The Lord prepares a table in the presence of my enemies. The Lord vindicates us. It is not wrong to look for and long for vindication. See 2 Thessalonians 1:6. It is righteous to repay those who trouble you. However, it is only God who can vindicate. See Romans 12:19. We are to go good to our enemies. We have to be willing to wait for it. God will vindicate us in time.

2 – Abundant provision by the Lord – “you anoint my head with oil”

This was done upon a welcome guest. It was to refresh the person and honour them. Your cup runs over. You have all that you need physically, emotionally and spiritually. We have unlimited refills!

We measure our capacity to do things and think we can’t do it in our strength. God has you cup overflowing. He will give you the strength to meet the needs of life. It is sin that stops the cup from overflowing. It is nothing else. We all need time of rest. God will help us to say “No” to the right things. We are to confess the sin that stops the Spirit overflow. We need the spend time regularly with the Lord.

3 – Abundant opportunity by the Lord- “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”

God shows loving goodness and mercy to his children. See Psalm 86:13 & 36:5. Our God is a good God. it is a stubborn love that God has for his children. He will not let us go. He will come after us! God is on when we are off. He is up when we are down. God chases us with his goodness and mercy. There are only good days ahead for the child of God. We have so much to look forward to. Satan wants us to believe that our failures mean that God can’t use us. Satan wants us to think that we are too old to do anything significant for God. Goodness and mercy are two dogs tracking you down all the days of your life. God chooses the weak things of this world to confound the wise.

4 – Abundant future with the Lord – “I will dwell in the Temple of the Lord forever”

David wanted to build a Temple to the Lord but God would not let him. He had written many psalms to be sung there. David was a man of war. It was Solomon who would do it. See 1 Kings 8:18. It was in David’s heart to build the Temple but it did not happen.

• David saw a permanent house in Heaven. He would sing his psalms there! David’s future was secure. He knows he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
• He won’t be passing through. He will dwell there. God will be his neighbour. He will be near Him.
• It is for forever. Life on this Earth is short. It may last more than seventy years. When we get to Heaven it will be forever. There is no end to eternity!

Categories: Psalms