SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23 - #5

A SHEPHERD looks at Psalm 23 #5

He restores my Soul!

     IN STUDYING THIS Psalm it must always be remembered 

that it is a sheep in the Good Shepherd's care who is speaking. 

It is essentially a Christian's claim of belonging in the family of

God. As such he boasts of the benefits of such a relationship.

This being the case, one might well ask, "Why then this statement

... "He restoreth my soul'?" Surely it would be assumed that

anyone in the Good Shepherd's care could never become so

distressed in soul as to need restoration.

     But the fact remains that this does happen.

     Even David, the author of the Psalm, who was much loved 

of God, knew what it was to be cast down and dejected. He had 

tasted defeat in his life and felt the frustration of having fallen

under temptation. David was acquainted with the bitterness of

feeling hopeless and without strength in himself.

     In Psalm 42:11 he cries out, "Why art thou cast down, O my

soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God..."

     Now there is an exact parallel to this in caring for sheep.

Only those intimately acquainted with sheep and their habits

understand the significance of a "cast" sheep or a "cast down"

sheep.

     This is an old English shepherd's term for a sheep that has

turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself.

     A "cast" sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back,

its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to stand up, 

without success. Sometimes it will bleat a little for help, but 

generally it lies there lashing about in frightened frustration.

     If the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonably 

short time, the sheep will die. This is but another reason why it 

is so essential for a careful sheepman to look over his flock 

every day, counting them to see that all are able to be up and on 

their feet. If one or two are missing, often the first thought to flash 

into his mind is, "One of my sheep is cast somewhere. I must go 

in search and set it on its feet again."

     One particular ewe that I owned in a flock of Cheviots was

notorious for being a cast sheep. Every spring when she became

heavy in lamb it was not uncommon for her to become cast every

second or third day. Only my diligence made it possible for her

to survive from one season to the next. One year I had to be away

from the ranch for a few days just when she was having her

problems. So I called my young son aside and told him he would 

be responsible for her well-being while I was absent. If he managed

to keep her on her feet until I came home he would be well paid

for his efforts. Every evening after school he went out to the

fields faithfully and set up the old ewe so she could survive. 

It was quite a task but she rewarded us with a fine pair of twin

lambs that spring.

     It is not only the shepherd who keeps a sharp eye for cast

sheep, but also the predators. Buzzards, vultures, dogs, coyotes

and cougars all know that a cast sheep is easy prey and death is

not far off.

     This knowledge that any "cast" sheep is helpless, close to

death and vulnerable to attack, makes the whole problem of cast

sheep serious for the manager.

     Nothing seems to so arouse his constant care and diligent

attention to the flock as the fact that even the largest, fattest, 

strongest and sometimes healthiest sheep can become cast

and be a casualty. Actually it is often the fat sheep that are

the most easily cast. The way it happens is this. A heavy, fat,

or long fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some little

hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side

slightly to stretch out or relax. Suddenly the center of gravity

in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that

the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic

and start to paw frantically. Frequently this only makes things

worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for

it to regain its feet.

     As it lies there struggling, gases begin to build up in the

rumen. As these expand they tend to retard and cut off blood

circulation to extremities of the body, especially the legs. If

the weather is very hot and sunny a cast sheep can die in a few

hours. If it is cool and cloudy and rainy it may survive in this

position for several days.

     If the cast sheep is an ewe with lambs, of course, it is a

multiple loss to the owner. If the lambs are unborn they, too,

perish with her. If they are young and suckling they become

orphans. All of which adds to the seriousness of the situation.

So it will be seen why a sheepman's attention is always alert for

this problem.

     During my own years as a keeper of sheep, perhaps some of

the most poignant memories are wrapped around the commingled

anxiety of keeping a count of my flock and repeatedly saving and

restoring cast sheep. It is not easy to convey on paper the sense

of this ever present danger. Often I would go out early and

merely cast my eye across the sky. If I saw the black-winged

buzzards circling overhead in their long slow spirals anxiety

would grip me. Leaving everything else I would immediately go out

into the rough wild pastures and count the flock to make sure

every one was well and fit and able to be on its feet.

     This is part of the pageantry and drama depicted for us in

the magnificent story of the ninety and nine sheep with one

astray. There is the Shepherd's deep concern; his agonizing

search; his longing to find the missing one; his delight in

restoring it not only to its feet but also to the flock as well

as to himself. 

     Again and again I would spend hours searching for a single

sheep that was missing. Then more often than not I would see it

at a distance, down on its back, lying helpless. At once I would

start to run toward it - hurrying as fast as I could - for every

minute was critical. Within me there was a mingled sense of fear

and joy: fear it might be too late; joy that it was found at all.

As soon as I reached the cast ewe my very first impulse was to

Pick it up. Tenderly I would roll the sheep over on its side.

This would relieve the pressure of gases in the rumen. If she had

been down for long I would have to lift her onto her feet. Then

straddling the sheep with my legs I would hold her erect, rubbing

her limbs to restore the circulation to her legs. This often took

quite a little time. When the sheep started to walk again she

often just stumbled, staggered and collapsed in a heap once more.

All the time I worked on the cast sheep I would talk to it

gently, "When are you going to learn to stand on your own feet?"

- "I'm so glad I found you in time - you rascall." And so the

conversation would go. Always couched in language that 

combined tenderness and rebuke, compassion and correction. 

Little by little the sheep would regain its equilibrium. It would 

start to walk steadily and surely. By and by it would dash away 

to rejoin the others, set free from its fears and frustrations, given

another chance to live a little longer.

     All of this pageantry is conveyed to my heart and mind when

I repeat the simple statement, "He restoreth my soull." There is

something intensely personal, intensely tender, intensely

endearing, yet intensely fraught with danger in the picture. 

On the one hand there is the sheep so helpless, so utterly

immobilized though otherwise strong, healthy and flourishing;

while on the other hand there is the attentive owner quick and

ready to come to its rescue - ever patient and tender and

helpful. At this point it is important to point out that similarly 

in the Christian life there is an exciting and comforting parallel 

here. Many people have the idea that when  a child of God falls, 

when he is frustrated and helpless in a spiritual dilemma, God 

becomes disgusted, fed-up and even  furious with him.

     This simply is not so.

     One of the great revelations of the heart of God given to us

by Christ is that of Himself as our Shepherd. He has the same

identical sensations of anxiety, concern and compassion for cast

men and women as I had for cast sheep. This is precisely why He

looked on people with such pathos and compassion. It explains His

magnanimous dealing with down-and-out individuals for whom even

human society had no use. It reveals why He wept over those who

spurned His affection. It discloses the depth of His understanding 

of undone people to whom He came eagerly and quickly, ready to 

help, to save, to restore.

     When I read the life story of Jesus Christ and examine carefully 

His conduct in coping with human need, I see Him again

and again as the Good Shepherd picking up "cast" sheep. The

tenderness, the love, the patience that He used to restore

Peter's soul after the terrible tragedy of his temptations is a

classic picture of the Christ coming to restore one of His own.

And so He comes quietly, gently, reassuringly to me no matter

when or where or how I may be cast down.

     In Psalm 56:13 we are given an accurate commentary on this

aspect of the Christian's life in these words, "... thou has

delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from

falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living."

     We have to be realistic about the life of the child of God

and face facts as they really are. Most of us, though we belong

to Christ and desire to be under His control and endeavor to

allow ourselves to be led by Him, do on occasion find ourselves

cast down.

     We discover that often when we are most sure of ourselves we

stumble and fall. Sometimes when we appear to be flourishing in

our faith we find ourselves in a situation of utter frustration

and futility.

     Paul in writing to the Christians at Corinth warned them of

this danger. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take

heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12).

     Admittedly this may appear as one of the paradoxes and

enigmas of our spiritual lives. When we examine it carefully,

however, we will not find it too difficult to understand. As with

sheep, so with Christians, some basic principles and parallels

apply which will help us to grasp the way in which a man or 

woman can be "cast."

     There is, first of all, the idea of looking for a soft spot.

The sheep that choose the comfortable, soft, rounded hollows 

in the ground in which to lie down very often become cast. 

In such a situation it is so easy to roll over on their backs. In 

the Christian life there is great danger in always looking for the

easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where

there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon 

self discipline.

     The time when we think "we have it made," so to speak, is

actually when we are in mortar. There is such a thing as the

discipline of poverty and privation which can be self-imposed to

do us worlds of good. Jesus suggested this to the rich young man

who mistakenly assumed he was in a safe position when in truth he

was on the verge of being cast down.

     Sometimes if, through self-indulgence, I am unwilling to

forfeit or forego the soft life, the easy way, the cozy corner,

then the Good Shepherd may well move me to a pasture where 

things aren't quite so comfortable - not only for my own good 

but also His benefit as well.

     There is the aspect, too, of a sheep simply having too much

wool. Often when the fleece becomes very long, and heavily matted

with mud, manure, burrs and other debris, it is much easier for a

sheep to become cast, literally weighed down with its own wool.

     Wool in Scripture depicts the old self-life in the

Christian. It is the outward expression of an inner attitude, the

assertion of my own desire and hopes and aspirations. It is the

area of my life in which and through which I am continually in

contact with the world around me. Here is where I find the

clinging accumulation of things, of possessions, of worldly ideas

beginning to weigh me down, drag me down, hold me down.

     It is significant that no high priest was ever allowed to wear 

wool when he entered the Holy of Holies. This spoke of self,

of pride, of personal preference - and God could not tolerate it.

If I wish to go on walking with God and not be forever cast down,

this is an aspect of my life which He must deal with drastically.

     Whenever I found that a sheep was being cast because it had

too long and heavy a fleece, I soon took swift steps to remedy

the situation. In short order I would shear it clean and so

forestall the danger of having the ewe lose her life. This was

not always a pleasant process. Sheep do not really enjoy being

sheared and it represents some hard work for the shepherd, but it

must be done.

     Actually when it is all over both sheep and owner are

relieved. There is no longer the threat of being cast down, while

for the sheep there is the pleasure of being set free from a hot,

heavy coat. Often the fleece is clogged with filthy manure, mud,

burrs, sticks and ticks. What a relief to be rid of it all.

     And similarly in dealing with our old self-life, there will

come a day when the Master must take us in hand and apply the

keen cutting edge of His Word to our lives. It may be an

unpleasant business for a time. No doubt we'll struggle and kick

about it. We may get a few cuts and wounds. But what a relief

when it is all over. Oh, the pleasure of being set free from

ourselves! What a restoration!

     The third chief cause of cast sheep is simply that they are

too fat. It is a well-known fact that over-fat sheep are neither

the most healthy nor the most productive. And certainly it is the

fattest that most often are cast. Their weight simply makes it

that much harder for them to be agile and nimble on their feet.

Of course once a sheepman even suspects that his sheep are

becoming cast for this reason he will take long-range steps to

correct the problem. He will put the ewes on a more rigorous

ration; they will get less grain and the general condition of the

flock will be watched very closely. It is his aim to see that the

sheep are strong, sturdy and energetic, not fat, flabby and weak.

     Turning to the Christian life we are confronted with the same 

sort of problem. There is the man or woman, who because they

may have done well in business or their careers or their homes,

feel that they are flourishing and have "arrived." They may have

a sense of well-being and self-assurance which in itself is

dangerous. Often when we are most sure of ourselves we are 

the most prone to fall flat.

     In His warning to the church in Revelation 3:17 God points

out that though some considered themselves rich and affluent,

they were actually in desperate danger. The same point was made

by Jesus in His account of the wealthy farmer who intended to

build more and bigger barns, but who, in fact, faced utter ruin.

Material success is no measure of spiritual health. Nor is

apparent affluence any criteria of real godliness. And it is well

for us that the Shepherd of our souls sees through this exterior

and takes steps to set things right.

     He may well impose on us some sort of "diet" or "discipline"

which we may find a bit rough and unpalatable at first. But again

we need to reassure ourselves that it is for our own good, because 

He is fond of us, and for His own reputation as the Good Shepherd.

   

  In Hebrews 12 we read how God chooses to discipline those He

loves. At the time it may prove a tough routine. But the deeper

truth is that afterward it produces a life of repose and tranquility 

free from the fret and frustration of being cast down like a helpless 

sheep.

     The toughness it takes to face life and the formidable reverses 

which it brings to us can come only through the discipline of endurance 

and hardship. In His mercy and love our Master makes this a part of 

of belonging to Him.     

     We may rest assured that He will never expect us or ask us to 

face more than we can stand (I Corinthians 10:13). But what He

does expose us to will strengthen and fortify our faith and

confidence in His control. If He is the Good Shepherd we can rest

assured that He knows what He is doing. This in and of itself

should be sufficient to continually refresh and restore my soul.

     I know of nothing which so quiets and enlivens my own

spiritual life as the knowledge that - "God knows what He is

doing with me!"

                            ...................

To be continued