Christmas 2021: Letting God be the Shepherd

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23: 2-3, NIV)

“Because Joseph [Mary’s] husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1: 19-25, NASB)

This Christmas season, we’re going through Psalm 23, and seeing if we can connect one of the most well-known of David’s psalms back to the birth of Christ. Last week, we established Jesus, the newborn Savior, as our shepherd and the implications of that relationship.

This week, let’s continue on into the following verses, which are deep with vivid imagery. The Lord is our shepherd. He makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us beside still waters. He refreshes us and leads us along paths of righteousness. When I was a kid, memorizing these verses, I pictured my Papa’s house in the mountains of New York. His house was at the top of a hill, surrounded by woods, and at the bottom of the hill was a little stream and an apple grove. Everything about it was green and beautiful to my childhood imagination. 

In all reality, however, the green pastures and still waters that David was familiar with  were more similar to what we might consider deserted wilderness. You see, for a young, Israelite shepherd, his flock grazed on landscapes that looked more brown and dry than green and lush. In some areas, the grass may have only grown between the rocks on craggy hills, where rainwater pooled and provided enough water for plant life to grow.

The point is this: sheep often need to be made to take care of their basic needs. Sheep will actually not rest unless all their basic needs are taken care of, including security against anything that might take their rest as an excuse for easy prey. If God is the shepherd, we are the sheep, and I think the more you think about it, there are strong similarities between us and these animals that are often perceived as dumb and defenseless. 

Because, if we’re being honest, we need to be forced to rest. We need reminders to carve out time to put down our over-scheduled lives and be still. And most times, we won’t do it unless we’re fed, watered, showered, safe, comfortable, and feel like we’ve been adequately productive for the day. 

And yet, God finds a way to meet all our needs, big and small, and captures our short attention spans so that we can be made to lie down and rest with Him.

In the Christmas story, we begin with a lot of needs. Mary, an unwed virgin, needs the protection of her beloved Joseph, who is planning on quietly breaking his engagement to Mary because he doesn’t believe her story of being pregnant with God’s child. Joseph wanted to save his reputation and not be known for marrying an unfaithful woman. He was afraid of the implications of marrying her, knowing what people would say. But for Mary, it was dangerous to be a woman in her position at that time, and so she and the baby needed the protective covering of a husband and father.

And God supplies the need, even in its impossible nature. Only God could have changed Joseph’s mind to recommit to Mary without fear. Only He could have soothed that worry. Only He could have intervened to make sure that Mary and Jesus would be protected by a father and a husband in that time, but also within a timeline that not only offered them security, but also didn’t undermine Christ’s virgin birth. If Mary and Joseph never had problems, and it was never recorded that Joseph planned on leaving her, then all the nay-sayers that are out to disprove the Bible would have been able to devise Joseph as Jesus’ biological father. 

Without Joseph, Jesus and Mary might have had a troublesome life simply because of the social constructs of the time, and God knew that so He made a way for Joseph to be brought into the picture without calling into question the divinity of Christ’s birth. God, as the shepherd, will always know where to look for the green pastures and the still waters so we can have rest. He will always lead us to the path of righteousness that we should be on, free to walk on without fear.

Because it’s important to admit: none of these things are done by our own merit. If left to our own devices, we make a mess of things. Joseph would not have chosen to abandon Mary. Maybe even Mary would have passed on God’s offer to mother Jesus, without the faith God created her to have. Without the shepherd, we are sheep; left to starve, be attacked, attach each other, or wander off. Nothing that we have or accomplish can be attributed to our own credit. That’s why the psalm reads, “for HIS name’s sake.” 

We are brought to the green pasture and still water to rest. We are placed on the path of righteousness. Mary accepted being the mother of Christ. Joseph had a dream that dispelled his fears in marrying Mary. Jesus was born in a stable behind an inn, with no audience but His parents and the livestock already in residence. By coincidence? No.

For the glory of God. 

So when God provides for us, when He protects us, when He redirects us; it is for His glory. Jesus’ birth, and everything that happened before and after was so God’s glory might be seen throughout the whole world. 

And it is just the same for us. The things happening in our tiny, little lamb lives, are all working together for His name’s sake.