Costa Maya, Mexico. A quaint little island with a busting population of 2000. This is our first time to visit Costa Maya and rightfully so, it was relatively unknown before the bustling cruise industry discovered it, or should I say Costa Maya chose to be discovered. We are fortunate as Americans to have such a wealth of disposable dollars, a luxury the rest of the world does not enjoy. To have a cruise ship dump off 4000 Americans, all with pockets full of vacation cash is quite the commodity indeed. A commodity many of these small little Mexican islands are only too happy to exploit. The cruise terminal at Costa Maya is something to behold. 75 acres of what I would call ‘resort quality’ grounds. And all built just for whatever cruise guests just happens to be in port that day. Huge resort style pool, shops, restaurants, free wifi, lush tropical landscaping, live flamingos, you name it. It was just ironic to see a behemoth cruise ship docked at this lush pier in a small, poor Mexican fishing village of only 2000 people.
We took a truck drawn trailer that resembled what you’d take a hay ride in to their “downtown” area. Little towns fascinate me. Maybe because I grew up in a town of only 300 people, but small towns are interesting. Things move slower, people have time for each other, and people are just better to each other. The little town on Costa Maya has been developed to maximize on collecting the precious American tourist dollars that show up with every ship. And it had been done very well, just as the resort at the pier. A large paved boardwalk separated the beach from the shops, restaurants and vendors, and what a beach it was. Sugary white sand being constantly caressed by the gentle turquoise waves. We found a great little restaurant and shared a great plate of nachos. Cheese is cheese but this Mexican cheese was amazing. So thick and so flavorful. When you rate a restaurant there’s always the ambiance to consider and what an ambiance this place had. We were about 75 yards from the water and the view was mesmerizing. The palms swaying, the water glistening, the sounds of the seagulls calling. And all under the bright sun bathing it all in a glorious warm glow. It’s moments like these Margie and I call “happy thoughts.” Those moments in life that you can go back to and just smile. Sitting in a little cafe in a tiny Mexican village, enjoying food with your dearest love as you enjoy the sea and the surf on a beautiful sunny day. There was even a resident border collie in house that looked to had just received the gift of a new ball. He walked over and dropped it at my feet. Let’s play. Let’s play indeed.
Concerning our study, besides of course, God’s Word, we’re using the great little book “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23” by W. Phillip Keller. Mr. Keller was a sheep farmer and shepherd for 8 years on the East Coast of Africa, near where David would have learned his shepherding customs and terminologies we see here in Psalm 23. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it, you can get it on Amazon for $5.99. I recommend you get a few additional copies to give away to friends and family. It’s a quick read, only 176 large print pages, you can easily finish it in a day or two.
Let’s move along into the third part of our study of the 23rd Psalm. (I’ve broken the study into 5 parts, if you’ve missed parts 1 or 2, you can backtrack and catch them at The5MC.com under the tab of Psalm 23.)
“I shall not want”
This is a powerful statement. There’s a few important things to note about this amazing promise of provision from the shepherd to his sheep.
1) Take careful notice of the tense of ‘want.’ This is not limited to today. Of course, in the care of the shepherd you will not want in the current day, but this projects into the future. I shall not want…today, tomorrow or next year. It is not limited by time. Our shepherd will make sure that we are taken care of every single day that we are in His care. It’s the nature of the shepherd. The problem with this statement arises with our sinful selfish desires. We as humans have an innate desire to accumulate. It offers us false security to see lots of stuff around us. Unfortunately, this is not allowing the shepherd to provide if we are providing for ourselves. If you are truly in the shepherd’s care, you will rely upon His provision. I shall not want….today, tomorrow or ever. My trust is in the Good Shepherd.
2) Another fallacy here is you cannot just correlate this verse with material things. We Americans love our stuff. If we have a great job, a great house and money in the bank we tell people we are blessed. But if we lose our job, foreclose on our house and struggle with our finances, we would dare tell people we are blessed. In fact, most of us, would at this moment feel like God is somehow withholding His blessings from us. We correlate and limit God’s blessings to material items, money or position. But this verse covers so much more that has greater value than anything you can physically put your hands on. What about peace? What value do we place on having a deep level of peace in our lives? A peace that our shepherd is in control and will take good care of us every day of our lives? What about joy? Do you have true joy in your life? Being under the watchful eye of the shepherd and following him is the only place you can truly find this level of joy. What about love and harmony in your relationships? Of what value is that in your life? Without loving harmonious relationships, life can grind to a halt. Tumultuous relationships filled with strife can drain the life out of you quicker than just about anything. When you think about this verse think about the myriad of goodness that God can pour into your life. If you follow the shepherd, He will provide you with everything that you need for an abundant life. Everything. I shall not want. For anything. Ever. " I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10
3). The final point to note here on “I shall not want” is the simple fact that the Lord is the sole originator of the provisions in our lives. He is the only one that can give us what we truly need. As the Good Shepherd, we can rely on God to provide everything we need each day to be peaceful, joyous and free. Again, don’t just see God’s provision as material, He provides us with love, peace, purpose, wisdom, knowledge, fellowship, patience and on and on. James 1:17 sums this up perfectly, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.” What a powerful statement from God about Himself, we shall not want for He provides us with more than we will ever need. Praise God for His abundant provision to His sheep.
Let’s explore the next verse:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures”
Sheep just like us humans are very timid, they panic easily. We like sheep, cannot get comfortable or rest well unless circumstances are just right. Sheep are no different and in his 8 years as a shepherd and sheep rancher, Mr. Keller notes that there are 4 reasons that cause a sheep to not be able to lie down in rest to rejuvenate themselves.
1) They must be free of fear. Sheep have no natural defense to predators, so they are very timid for their safety. Their only resort is to run. If a predator nears, the nearest sheep will run, and it thereby launches the entire flock into a running panic. A stampede of chaos. So, if a sheep is constantly on edge how can they really get comfortable enough to lie down? One word…security. And where does this security come from? Notice the verse again, “HE makes me lie down.” Remember that every verse here is David writing as the sheep to the Lord his shepherd. God provides us with security against the evils of this world. He is our shepherd, constantly vigilant, watching for predators, ready to act in our defense. In due time the mere presence of the shepherd will sooth the sheep. The entire flock will get used to his presence and they associate the presence of the shepherd with safety and security. In the presence of the shepherd the sheep will lie down. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Tim 1:7
2) Sheep have a very rigid social order and they will not lie down if there is friction within their social circles. In all animal groups there is a hierarchy. It is usually determined by either age, strength or will, or any combination of the three. With chickens, it’s called the pecking order. With cattle it’s called the horn order and with sheep it’s called the butting order. The head sheep will be the “top ram” and the lowliest the “tail-ender.” You see when sheep sense that there is social unrest around them, they will be on edge and unable to lie down in rest. When there is constant fighting around them, they will keenly sense the friction and it will affect their psychological sense of security. The constant butting for better placement, the perpetual jockeying to move ahead and the relentless show of force to better others will take a toll on the entire flock. This is oh, so similar to us humans whether it be at home, work, or yes, even church. Those that feel they should be in charge are constantly positioning themselves in places of power. Those that feel they are better are constantly elevating themselves above others. Those that feel superior make it known and trounce on the humble. It’s just the way of life. But you know what’s funny? Once again in his experience, Mr. Keller notes that the one thing that can comfort the entire flock, settle the rivalry and calm the flock is what?. The presence of the shepherd. When the shepherd is within the flock, there is comfort and security and the sheep no longer feel the need to exert dominance over one another. Amazing. If we stay close to the shepherd, He will make us to lie down in comfort and peace, free from social turmoil. "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1
3) Sheep are very sensitive to parasites, flies and annoyances in their life. If these persist, they cannot get comfortable and lie down. You might say, “well this is one is way off, what do sheep pests have to do with me?” You ever heard the term “that bugs me?” What bugs you? What is in your life that in itself, is relatively minor, but it’s relentless attack on you has you so ‘bugged’ that you cannot lie down? These can be small annoyances, petty frustrations or re-occurring disagreeable experiences. Have you ever lost sleep over some petty problem that just won’t seem to go away? I have. In the presence of these ‘bugs’ it causes me to lose the ability to lie down. The remedy? The shepherd. A good shepherd will know the time of year that the pests will be the worst and he will prepare the sheep before hand. Ointment, insecticides and even placement in certain fields will help alleviate the pests and offer the sheep the comfort they need to be able to lie down and truly rest. The shepherd cares for His sheep in so many ways. " Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom." Isaiah 40:11a
4) Sheep will not lie down if they are hungry or feel they need to search for food. Notice it doesn’t mention only hunger. Liken it to this. If you prepare dinner and you use the only food in your entire house to fix it, will you eat it and then just simply go to bed easily? Or will you eat your dinner and then be concerned about what you will eat tomorrow? You see, once again, we and sheep are so similar. We need to know that we will be fed tomorrow. We need to SEE the food that will sustain us. We are such finicky creatures, are we not? I just finished a study with my Sunday School class about God providing the Israelites with their food daily in manna that would fall from the sky. One of the rules that God gave them was that they should only gather enough for one day and have NO leftovers at the end of the day. You see, God knew of our propensity to hoard so that we can try to satisfy this need of having today AND tomorrow’s food nearby. But God wanted to reverse this thinking and force the Israelites to depend upon only Him for their daily needs. In fact, what does the Lord’s prayer say? “Give us this day our DAILY bread.” It doesn’t say give us our weeks’ worth of groceries. If the shepherd is a good provider for his sheep, the flock will come to an understanding that they will not only be fed well today, but they will be fed well tomorrow. As a result, they will not worry and they will be able to lie down. What a beautiful picture, a flock that is completely dependent upon their shepherd for their daily food and the trust between them is absolute. That is a perfect picture of God in our lives. " The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Psalm 34:10
Now recall our verse, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” It’s important to note here how the sheep get to green pastures. You see the shepherd knows where he’s going. He knows where the green pastures are and he leads his precious sheep there. In fact, the shepherd will periodically leave the flock to go ahead of them to scout the terrain. He will do all that is necessary to ensure that his sheep will be well fed. It’s his primary job. Once again, the parallel to our Savior is striking. God takes us where we need to go. He leads us to lush green fields where His provisions are bountiful. And in the midst of this, He offers us protection, comfort, security and provision so that we will be able to lie down and rest in Him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matt 11:28-29
Rest well in the Lord for He is our Good Shepherd.
