Psalm 23: God Reveals Himself to You in Every Circumstance

Introduction

In the life of faith, there are seasons of trial, moments when you need healing and restoration, and times of battle. That Sunday at Kobe Christ Glory Church, the preacher continued the series begun the month before on the names of God, with a subtitle that sums up the whole message: the Lord reveals himself in every circumstance.

Four names were on the program, the fourth through the seventh of the series: Adonai Roi, Adonai Tsidkenu, Adonai Shalom and Adonai Shammah. The preacher admits he could have given an entire message to each one, and that he gathered them all into less than an hour. The thread stays the same from beginning to end, a question asked again and again: "For you, who is God?"

His encouragement is simple: leave with at least one word from Psalm 23 or one of the names of God, and make it your own for the week that is beginning.

Message Outline

1. Adonai Roi: The Lord Is My Shepherd

"Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters" (Psalm 23:1-2). David was a shepherd. He protected and fed his sheep at the risk of his life, and this psalm was born from comparing that work to what God is for him.
In the preacher's translation, the word "Lord" appears four times, "you" three times, and "I" or "me" about fifteen times. Saying "it's water" and saying "it's my water" are not the same thing. Neither is saying "Jesus is God" and saying "Jesus is my God." Psalm 23 is David's confession of faith: this is who my God is.
He illustrates how much perception matters with a family memory, shared with the permission of his eldest daughter. One Saturday morning about two years ago, she woke him up to say they had to go to the nursery. As he came fully awake, he realized she did not see him the way she saw her mother: to her, Dad was mostly a playmate. Everything is a matter of perception, and that also applies to the way you perceive God.
Some people see God as someone harsh, picky, even frightening. At a youth service a few years earlier, the preacher had told the young people that if their image of God was distorted, it was the older Christians who had passed it on to them. He had apologized to them on behalf of all the "elders." His wish: that the Church would pass on an accurate image of God, and so be a channel of blessing.
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Psalm 23:5). In the culture of that time, the table and the oil were the greatest honor shown to a guest. But the table is set in front of the enemies, not after they have left. In the middle of your problems at work, in your family, at school, God comes to tell you, as the preacher humorously puts it: "The meal is ready!"
Problems do not mean that grace has disappeared. Even when nothing is settled, the Lord takes care of you and does not forget you.
Jesus takes up the image: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). In Luke 15:4, the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to look for the one that is lost until he finds it. We could not return to God on our own. He is the one who came looking for us and carried us back on his shoulders.

2. Adonai Tsidkenu: The Lord Our Righteousness

Jeremiah 23:5-6 announces a righteous Branch from David, a king who will practice justice and righteousness, and whose name will be "Yahweh our righteousness." Jeremiah prophesies in a time of crisis: the leaders of the people are no longer fulfilling their role, and Judah is about to be destroyed by Babylon, the temple too, and the people deported. In the midst of that judgment, God makes a promise of hope that points to Jesus Christ, the promised righteous king.
In the Bible, righteousness refers to God's uprightness, to just actions, and, when it comes to salvation, to being recognized as righteous before God. No one can boast of their own righteousness before him. Even the chosen people did not manage it.
God is just, and he cannot turn a blind eye to sin. But he is also love, he shows grace and he has compassion. To illustrate this, the preacher tells a story, making clear that it is only a story: a king establishes a very strict law that punishes every criminal by putting out both of his eyes. On the first day, the first person arrested is the king's own son. The king refuses to make an exception. Then he gets up, runs to his son and declares: let one of my son's eyes be taken, and the other taken from me. The king's justice and the father's love are held together.
How can God refuse to let sin go unpunished while still saving the sinner? The answer is the cross of Jesus Christ. There God displayed his justice against sin (Romans 3) and his love, since Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
To be justified does not mean to have become a good person. It is a declaration: because of the righteousness of Jesus, God declares righteous the one who believes. A verdict of acquittal.
Becoming a Christian does not make all sin disappear at once. Paul himself says that he does not do the good he wants, and does the evil he does not want, because sin dwells in him (Romans 7:19-20). The foundation of your place before God is therefore not what you have become, but Jesus Christ. That is the gospel, that is grace.

3. Adonai Shalom: The Lord Is Peace

The preacher enjoys the "Adonai shalom" we say to each other when leaving after the service: it is not a signal that it is over, it is a name of God written in the Bible.
In Judges 6:11, Gideon is threshing wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The people are oppressed, their harvests plundered, and they have to hide. It is to this frightened man that the angel says: "Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6:12). The preacher confesses that in his place, he would have turned around to see which muscular hero was being spoken to.
Gideon answers frankly: if the Lord is with us, why is all this happening to us? You too may have prayed without seeing any change. You know the promises, you believe them, and yet nothing moves.
Gideon has a poor image of himself: "my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house" (Judges 6:15). The Lord does not contradict him on that point. He does not ask him to look at the strength he has within. He tells him: go, I am the one sending you, I am with you. Even if you are empty, the Lord is with you. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13): everything rests on these words, through Christ who strengthens me.
Gideon still asks for a sign (Judges 6:17). The preacher says he loves Gideon precisely for that: so many strong words, and still no certainty. He is like us. But God does not reject him, he answers him.
Gideon then builds an altar and calls it "Yahweh is peace" (Judges 6:24). Shalom is peace; you could say: "It's going to be all right." Yet at that moment, the Midianites are still there, and the victory will come later. His peace rests on the word God spoke to him, not on a situation that has been settled.
"Faith is not no longer feeling any fear," says the preacher. It is listening to the word of the Lord and trusting him in the middle of fear. If you are afraid, do not hide your fear: bring it before him. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

4. Adonai Shammah: The Lord Is There

"The name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is there" (Ezekiel 48:35). It is the name given to the restored city. The last question of the message: where is your Lord?
God is not limited by time, but to make himself understood, the preacher speaks of past, present and future. The God who brought Israel out of Egypt is the same God who is with you today.
For the present, he reads Isaiah 63:9. In the version he uses, the verse says that in all their distress, the Lord himself was in distress, and that he carried them since the days of old. When you suffer, when you can't go on, God is there, he suffers with you and he carries you.
At the birth of Jesus, this name becomes Immanuel, God with us. Before going up to heaven, Jesus promises: "I will not leave you orphans" (John 14:18) and "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Today, the Holy Spirit is sent as the one who helps, who keeps and who leads.
The Lord is here: in your life, in the middle of your problems, and in the new stage you are about to step into.

5. Psalm 23, a Confession Where the Names of God Are Revealed

To conclude, the preacher reads Psalm 23 again. This psalm was probably written near the end of David's life. It preserves the trace of how God revealed himself to him all along his path. David probably did not do it on purpose, but the names of God appear in it one after another.
"Yahweh is my shepherd": Adonai Roi. "I shall not want," and the goodness and grace that accompany him all the days of his life (verses 1 and 6): Adonai Yireh, the Lord will provide.
The green pastures and the still waters (verse 2): Adonai Shalom. Yet David's life was a long flight, with enemies who wanted him dead. He understood that, because the Lord was with him, he had peace.
"He restores my soul" (verse 3): Adonai Rapha, the Lord who heals. "He guides me in the paths of righteousness": Adonai Tsidkenu.
"Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (verse 4): Adonai Shammah. In the very heart of misfortune, the Lord was there.
The table set in the presence of his enemies (verse 5): Adonai Nissi, the Lord my banner, the name seen the month before. If the Lord is for me, who can be against me?
The preacher invites each person to choose the part of the psalm they will make their own, and to call on the name of the Lord throughout the week: "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved" and "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed" (Romans 10:13 and 10:11).

Key Takeaways

Psalm 23 is not a general description of God: it is a personal confession. The question remains: for you, who is God?
God sets the table in front of your adversaries. Problems do not mean that his grace has left you.
Your place before God does not rest on your uprightness but on Jesus Christ, in whom God's justice and love meet at the cross.
God's peace can come before the problem is resolved. It rests on his word: "Yahweh is with you."
The Lord is here: in your past, in your present suffering and in what is coming.

Personal Application

If you had to complete the sentence "My God is..." based on what you are living through, what would you say? Is it in line with what the Bible says?
What distorted image of God did you receive, or perhaps pass on to others?
In front of which "adversary" are you waiting for everything to be settled before you receive what God is preparing for you?
Like Gideon, what fear or frank question can you bring to the Lord this week, without hiding it?
Which verse of Psalm 23 or which name of God will you hold on to and speak out each day this week?

Scriptures Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the names Adonai Roi, Tsidkenu, Shalom and Shammah mean?

Adonai Roi means "the Lord is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). Adonai Tsidkenu means "the Lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6). Adonai Shalom, "the Lord is peace," is the name of the altar Gideon built (Judges 6:24). Adonai Shammah, "the Lord is there," is the name given to the restored city in Ezekiel 48:35.

Why is the word "my" so important in Psalm 23?

The preacher notes that, in his translation, the word "I" or "me" comes up about fifteen times in the psalm. Saying "Jesus is God" and saying "Jesus is my God" are not the same thing. Psalm 23 is David's personal confession: this is who my God is. The question then becomes: who is God to you?

Can you have God's peace before the problem is resolved?

Yes. When Gideon builds the altar "Yahweh is peace," the Midianites are still there and the victory has not yet been won. His peace rests on the word of God: "Yahweh is with you." For the preacher, faith does not mean no longer feeling any fear, but listening to the word of the Lord and trusting him in the middle of fear.