Finding Green Pastures in Washington

As people serving and leading in Washington, we bear the image of God in many ways.

We rule over aspects of the earth. We are creative and compassionate. We seek to bring about flourishing. But there are some important aspects of God in which we are not the same. Despite our best efforts or what others believe or expect of us - we are finite and fragile. We are not all-powerful, we are not all-knowing, and we are not self-sufficient. This puts us in a situation that causes us all kinds of internal conflict.

It also forces us into a position that is very un-Washington-like: we need to be cared for. This reality calls for us to do something that often is very hard – to trust in someone else and have confidence that they can deliver on our hopes. In Washington, we often attempt to resolve our feelings of insecurity through alliances. But as anyone who has ever played a game of RISK ™ knows, those only go so far and last so long.

As Christians, we need to look somewhere else. Thankfully there is a Psalm that speaks to this very issue. We may first have encountered this on television as an army was preparing to go into battle, or a sick person was lying on their deathbed, or maybe even a prisoner was walking to their execution. The minister was there walking beside them, reciting the words to Psalm 23. The context always had one thing in common: the person to whom this Psalm was being read was facing a terrible situation that was coming at them like a freight train! In virtually every situation, the outcome was the same, the person did escape the peril that laid before them. God did not swoop down at the last minute and rescue them.

23 A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads 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 mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

So, why this Psalm? Maybe you are familiar with this Psalm. And maybe, if you are honest with yourself, you have some real questions. Maybe you feel like all you do is live your life in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Maybe you are saying, “Where is my green pasture? Where are my still waters? Where is the table in front of my enemies? Where is my overflowing cup? Why do I not feel like I am being restored, or protected, let alone dwelling in the house of the Lord?”

This is a Psalm designed for everyday living, especially for those serving and leading in government.

While this is called a Psalm of David, we do not know if this means it is a Psalm written by David or about David. I lean towards the latter because the psalm seems to speak of the Temple when it says, “and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Since Solomon built the Temple, it was more likely written about David. Regardless of when it was written, its purpose is to get the congregation to sing together the reasons they can and should trust in the LORD, despite their present, and apparently difficult, situation.

While that is its original context, we cannot ignore the fact that we read it on this side of the Incarnation. You may have to work a bit to connect some Old Testament passages to point to Jesus. That’s not true of Psalm 23! Jesus says in John 10, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

So, this Psalm directs our confidence toward God because of Christ. Even better, this confidence is for the whole of life in the whole of Washington.

Rescuing us from frailty and futility

As Christians, we can have confidence in God to rescue us from our frailty and futility. He rescues us from our frailty by leading us to a place of flourishing v1-2. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. What does this mean? Is this a promise of a life of ease and comfort? No, because that is not what the people of God experienced. It is not what the early Christians experienced. It is not what we frequently experience. We need to reorient our perspective. The place where we flourish is in His kingdom. The green pastures and still waters we are looking for are found as members of his kingdom. As Psalm 84 declares, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere. God does not lead us towards destruction, he leads us to flourish.

The reference here is to God leading his people to a place of flourishing. The Old Testament people who sang this Psalm knew well the story of laboring under slavery and oppression in Egypt. The years of toiling for nothing. The years of being exploited. Generations living face to face with their own frailty. God had rescued them from that and taken them to the Promised Land.

In much the same way, Christ rescues us from slavery to this futility. He brings us into his kingdom and promises that the best of times on this earth are but a foretaste of the new heavens and the new earth to come. He reminds us that we do not labor for acceptance, but all our work is acceptable to God as worship. And that reality is the green pasture and still waters of the Kingdom of God.

As much as we seek after flourishing ourselves and work frantically at forging our own path, without Him leading us here and making us lie down, we never will. This is His grace to us! We are told in Colossians 1:13 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. If you are working your way through life and feeling crushed by the weight of it or unsettled by its unending chaos, ask yourself, what are you working for? Are you trying to work your way to God, or are you resting in His provision?

Verse 3 says, “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his Name's sake.” God takes everyone where they are, but he does not leave them there. Christ says, “Come to be all you are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He also says, as he announces to his disciples at his ascension, “Teach them to obey all that I have commanded.” Through his Law, God teaches us the way of righteousness - the way of life that leads to our flourishing.

We want so very badly to know the best way forward and, usually, to determine it for ourselves. God says, ‘I am here to lead you in paths of righteousness that will bring about your flourishing. But we say, that is not how we are getting ahead. We say, “if I do that, I will never be in the in-crowd.” We look at the path to the top at work, and we set our course for getting there. While flourishing at work is certainly something God wants for us, He says He will lead us there. Further, it will be the way of humility and service. It will be the way of honesty and integrity. Now, that may not get us the promotion we are hoping for, but it will conform us more and more into the image of his Son - into the people we were created to be. This is the path of our restoration that leads to flourishing.

As Monty Hall used to say on the original version of Let’s Make a Deal, “But wait, there’s more!” If that was counter-Washington enough, all of this leading us to rest and flourishing is not primarily about us - it is primarily for God. The text says that He leads us in paths of flourishing for His Name’s sake. Consider that - the path that our shepherd leads us on is one that brings us flourishing and Him glory.

Rescuing us from fear

What do we fear? We fear being overrun and crushed. To address that reality, in this Psalm, the congregation sings of promised protection v4. 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.

The people who sang this Psalm would recall how God had rescued them from Egypt and taken them to the Promised Land. They would recall how they had been given victory after amazing victory over their enemies until they came to rest in a land flowing with milk and honey, in the middle of a lucrative trade route along the shores of the Mediterranean. As Joshua prepared to enter the Promised Land, he had been charged, “Be strong and courageous, and do not fear.” God went out of his way to make it clear that it was Him who was giving them the victories.

We have all seen the pictures of white-Jesus with the lamb on his shoulders and a nice smile. That picture comes to us by way of us being in a culture where we have no idea what a shepherd does. When it says, “your rod and your staff they comfort me,” we need to picture a highly-trained ninja who knew how to use his rod and staff to crack open the skull of any animal that tried to hurt the flock. That is the person who brought the sheep comfort, not some happy-faced picture on the wall.

When we are told in Colossians 1:13 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” We might rightly ask, how can we know we will be kept safe in this new kingdom? Who is keeping us safe there? Great question! Paul answers in verse 15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Who will keep us safe in this kingdom? Jesus Christ – our Shepherd. And you do not want to mess with Him.

What else do we fear in Washington? We fear humiliation! We fear others thinking that we are small and insignificant. And in this Psalm, the congregation sings of promised vindication v5 – 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Consider the beautiful picture, all your enemies lined up in front of you as you are clothed in glory, and you eat at the victor’s table. As your head is anointed with oil - a sign of exaltation and acceptance. Your cup overflows with the wine of the banquet. The image is clear, you are the centerpiece of a banquet, and those who have made you feel humiliation and defeat are made to watch. Let’s be honest, that’s a wonderful feeling. But rather than moving us to triumphalism, it should move us to worship because we do not do anything to secure this exaltation. It is being done for us by God. “You prepare a table before me. You anoint my head with oil.” The work is all God’s, we are only the gracious recipients.

This begs the question of delivery, When will this happen? Perhaps never in this world. Sure, that’s hard to swallow in a town where our vindication in the next news cycle is critical to our public image. But, that is not the true way of things. Jesus guarantees it for his followers in the world to come. No matter how you see yourself, this is how God sees you, as worthy of a banquet. Consider that. What would it be like to live lives as people free from fear and confident in his protection?

Rescuing us from isolation

In a city outwardly defined by relationships and networking, this is a lonely town. Thankfully, Jesus rescues us from our isolation by bringing us into a relationship with him, 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

If anyone knew political isolation, it was David. His own family turned against him! Again this Psalm paints a picture of the best kind of abiding relationship. This Psalm reminds us of the theme of re-dwelling with His people, which God has been pursuing since He kicked us out of the Garden. He dwelt with them on the Exodus in the Tabernacle. He dwelt with them in the Promised Land in the Temple. And, most recently, He dwelt with his people in the person of Jesus Christ – of Immanuel, which means, “God with us!” This Psalm calls us to confidence in the fact that no matter how bad it gets in our homes, in our workplaces or political caucuses, or in our communities, God will always be with us.

It is important to remember that this Psalm does not Promise you the goodness and mercy of the world but the goodness and mercy of God. As we have so frequently in the Psalms, this is based on a covenant promise. Look at this Psalm again. It starts off, “The LORD is my shepherd.” There it is. The covenant name of God. LORD (all caps) always means YHWH, the name he gave his people when he called them out of Egypt and promised them that he would ultimately provide a redeemer. The Psalm ends with the phrase, “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Again, there it is, the personal covenant name of God. This entire psalm takes place in between the name of the covenant God. It is a promise. And we have the fullness of the promise in Christ. The relationship and dwelling that were destroyed by us are repaired in the love of Christ so that we can experience the goodness and mercy of God.

I hope you noticed something else. Look at the Psalm one last time. In verses 1-3, the Psalmist refers to God as “He.” But as we come to verse 4, the Psalmist begins to use the more intimate “you.” Notice also that when we come to verse 5, the Psalmist abandons the metaphor of the shepherd and uses instead the more intimate image of the loving host who invites us in for dinner to dwell forever. This is a Psalm of rescue based on intimacy and love. “For God so loved the world, that he sent his only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.”

And you will not dwell alone. He rescues us from our isolation by bringing us into relationships with others. This is not a song to be sung alone, and His house is not a house to be lived in alone.

This Psalm does not promise us that everything will always go the way you had planned. It does not promise us that we will not suffer the consequences of our actions. Consider the growing ease and jubilation with which this Psalm must have been sung in the time of Solomon’s rule as they watched the physical House of the LORD being built and their kingdom prospering. Then consider the emotional difficulty with which it must have been sung as the kingdom crumbled, as Jerusalem fell and no deliverance came, as they marched into captivity, and remained there for 70 years - largely because they had not followed the paths of righteousness God had led them in. But, in the end, God’s covenant faithfulness, true to this psalm, was revealed as He delivered them again and brought them once again, with goodness and loving-kindness, to dwell in the land of promise. This is a Psalm to be sung by all people, at all times, in all situations, because it is a psalm of promise that brings confidence in our God. This Psalm is a promise that because He loves you, God has promised to rescue you.

If you are reading this and you do not know Christ, hear this, he wants to invite you to dwell with Him. He promises to rescue you from your frailty and lead you into a place of flourishing and on paths of flourishing. He promises to rescue you from your fear and offers you a promise of protection and a promise of vindication that will restore your soul, and he promises that His goodness and His mercy will be directed to you all the days of your life.

If you already know him, then my prayer for you is that you would come to put your full confidence in God, because of the work of Jesus Christ, in every situation, and that we might come to more fully experience and extend the life-changing love of Christ, in our homes, our workplaces, and our communities.