Is the Lord your Shepherd? | Psalm 23:1
by Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
Psalm 23 is one of the favorite psalms of believers because its content is true-to-life: it is a portrait of David’s life and it is the story of David’s life. It is, in addition, also the story of the life of every believer. Every one of us can find ourselves in this psalm. The theme of this psalm is found in verse one – The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not lack.
Is the Lord your Shepherd?
The Lord is David’s shepherd and David says he lacks nothing. The most important point to ask is, “Is the Lord your shepherd?” David referred to the Lord as the shepherd and himself as the sheep. David himself was a shepherd. Thus, he knew what a shepherd was and why sheep needed a shepherd.
David said, “The Lord is my shepherd.” God has many names in the Bible; why did David call God ‘The Lord’? The name Jehovah or ‘The Lord’ is related to Israel’s history. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God sent Moses to deliver them from their slavery. Moses asked God what His name was and God said to him, “I am the Lord.” “The Lord” is God’s covenant name with His people. Is the Lord your God? Is He your Shepherd? The sentence “The Lord is my shepherd” speaks of a relationship. Religion is ritual and dogma. Religion is man’s attempt to find and reach God, but faith is a relationship – a relationship between God and man. God longs to be our shepherd and He wants us to be the sheep in his care.
If the Lord is your Shepherd, do you trust Him?
When the Lord is your shepherd, you will not lack. What will you not lack? In Psalm 2-6, we can see that we have many needs – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. When the Lord becomes our shepherd, he will meet each one of our needs. So the question to ask once again is whether or not the Lord is your shepherd. As we face this terrible epidemic, it is normal to find ourselves afraid and worried; but when the Lord is our shepherd, we can depend on Him and experience peace in our hearts.
Brothers and sisters, examine your relationship with the Lord. Make sure that what you have is not a religion, but a relationship. He is mine. He is my shepherd. If the Lord is your shepherd, do you trust Him? Is there peace in your heart?
耶和華是不是你的牧者?
牧者的話 (二) 詩篇 23 (1)
張國強牧師
詩篇23篇是信徒喜愛的詩篇之一, 因為內容非常的真實，這是大衛一生的寫照，是大衛一生的故事；但這不單是大衛的故事，也是每一個信徒的故事，因為你會從這篇詩裡找到自己。全首詩的主題是在第一節: 耶和華是我的牧者，我必不至缺乏。
耶和華是不是你的牧者。
耶和華是大衛的牧者，大衛說他必不至缺乏。最關鍵的地方是: 耶和華是不是你的牧者。大衛稱神為牧者，大衛就是那隻羊。大衛本身曾經是一位牧羊人，他知道什麼叫牧者，他更知道羊為什麼需要一位牧者。
大衛說耶和華是我的牧者。在聖經裡神有很多名字，為什麼大衛稱神為耶和華？耶和華這個名字是與猶大人有關係的名字；當猶太人在埃及作奴僕的時候，神派摩西去埃及，要將猶太人拯救出來，摩西就問神，你叫什麼名字，神向他啟示說: 我名叫耶和華。耶和華是神與祂的百姓立約的名字。耶和華是你的神嗎？祂是你的牧者嗎？這是一種關係，宗教是一種儀式，是一些教條規定，因為宗教是人在尋找神的方法；但信仰卻是一種關係，神、人的關係，神要成為我們的牧者，我們要成為祂手中的羊。
如果耶和華真是你的牧者，你有信靠祂嗎？
當神是你的牧者，你的一生才不至缺乏。不缺乏什麼？從第二開始到第六節，這五節經文告訴人生有很多的需要，不單是身體上，也有感情上，意志上，靈性上，當耶和華成為我們的牧者, 祂卻能一一滿足我們一切的需要。關鍵是耶和華是不是你的牧者。當我們面對這個可怕的疫情時，我們都會害怕，都會擔心，但只有神成為我們的牧者，我們才有依靠的對像，我們的心才能平穩安靜在祂裡面。
弟兄姊妹，好好省察我們與主的關係，不是宗教性的，是關係性的； 祂是我的，祂是我的牧者； 如果耶和華真是你的牧者，你有信靠祂嗎？你心裡有平安嗎？