Wandering Sheep
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: Wandering Sheep----------------------------------- Date: 05/22/2000
Keywords:
"desire" "sheep" "shepherd"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Today we begin looking at one of the most-often memorized
and recited passage of the Old Testament. There's a reason it is so well-used -- it never
wears out! Let's take a fresh look and see what it has to say to us in the face of today's
pressures and strains. We'll look at verse 1 today and use the next few days to go through
each verse.
Passage: Psalm 23:1-6*
1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet
waters,
3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Questions
1. What does a shepherd do for his sheep?
2. With the Lord as a shepherd, do we lack anything?
3. Are we supposed to want anything?
Practical help
Think about shepherds for a minute. The Bible uses the image of
shepherds in many places to signify spiritual leadership. King David (who wrote the Psalm)
was a shepherd before God called him to "shepherd" his people. Jesus called
himself the "good shepherd," (John 10:14), and Peter called him the "Chief
Shepherd" (1 Peter 5:4). Yet, culturally, shepherds weren't very highly ranked in
Jewish society. It is curious that the lowdown, dirty man of the field is God's choice
example of what it means to be a strong spiritual presence. Jesus tells us that the good
shepherd will sacrifice himself for his sheep. Why? It is because he owns them and loves
them, because he is personally invested in their well-being.
Now think about sheep for a minute. Not the brightest of God's creation. They'll wander
off in a heartbeat, into any sort of danger, just to find another patch of succulent grass
to graze on, not paying any attention to where they're headed. Isn't that a picture of our
own nature? Isn't that what it's like to get sucked into porn? The grass just looks too
green and tasty and it's just a mouse-click away.
The second part of Verse 1 is most familiar in the King James translation: "I shall
not want." That doesn't really do the idea justice -- I like the NIV better. The
point is not, "I won't want anything any more," but "I will not be lacking
anything I really need." We make a really big mistake when we try to kill our desires
and call it piety. It's better to call it pity, because it's a pitiful state. John
Eldredge says, "many of us have chosen simply not to want so much; it's safer that
way. It's also godless. That's stoicism, not Christianity." ("The Sacred
Romance") James tells us that sin springs forth from desire, and there's no doubt but
that if we no longer desired anything we could much more easily curb our sin nature, but
neither would we be of any more use to God. James also tells us that our desires are not
fulfilled simply because we don't ask God (James 4:2,3).
So where does all that leave us? We have a shepherd, one who knows both our need and our
desire, and one who is perfectly equipped to take care of both. We're tempted to take care
of our own needs, wandering into whatever is the most convenient pasture. You've come to
this web site presumably because you've become aware of your wandering heart and have been
alarmed by the danger you're in. Cry out to the shepherd. Ask him for help. He has already
laid down his life for you.
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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.