Sunday Sermon explores Psalm 23, asserting God's glory shines through both His goodness to the sheep and justice toward the wicked. The speaker details partial preterism regarding AD 70, the early church's asset liquidation, and the law's three uses as mirror, shield, and compass. Interpreting verses 4-5, he argues the path of righteousness can lead saints into suffering via sovereign providence or personal sin, yet God remains present with a rod for discipline and a staff for protection. Ultimately, the sermon concludes that while God gains glory through justice, His supreme attribute is grace, leading believers to dwell in His house and behold His beauty. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: CohereLabs/cohere-transcribe-03-2026, WAV2VEC2_ASR_BASE_960H, sat-12l-sm, script v26.04.01, and large-v3-turbo
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God's Glory Through Blessing00:03:51
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Psalm chapter 23, perhaps one of the most well known texts in all of the scripture.
Would you join me in standing for the reading of God's word today?
I'll read the text in its entirety.
When I finish reading the text, I'll say, This is the word of the Lord.
At which point I would appreciate very much if you respond by saying thanks be to God.
One more time, our text for today is Psalm chapter 23, which says this.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
This is the word of the Lord.
All right, please be seated and join me as I pray once more.
Father, we thank you for your word.
We pray that you would bless it to your people today.
We pray, Lord, that you would give us spiritual eyes to see.
Spiritual ears to hear, new hearts that are softened and malleable and receptive to your word.
Father, I ask that indeed through the preaching of your word, your people might be brought to a right knowledge of who you are, what you've done, and what it is you require from us as a right response.
Father, we pray that this knowledge would not be an end in itself, but it would serve as the necessary means propelling your people not merely to right knowledge, but right love.
Love, worship, adoration, and obedience.
So that you might be glorified and so that we might be blessed.
We pray these things in the name of you might be blessed.
We pray these things in the name of your Son Jesus.
Amen.
By way of introduction, I've written the following in your notes Psalm 23 is an account of everything God has already done for David in the past, as well as everything David is confident God will do for him in the future.
But the chief end of all God's past provisions and future promises is found in the final phrase of verse 3 of our text He leads me in the paths of righteousness.
For his name's sake.
All that God does is for his name's sake.
That is, all that God does is for his glory.
See, the glory of God has been the dominant theme throughout our study of the Psalter thus far.
The reality is that the glory of God is the dominant theme in our text today, Psalm 23, in all of the Psalms that we've seen thus far and that we will see, Lord willing.
But also, the glory of God is really the dominant theme of all of Scripture.
It's the dominant theme of all creation.
It's the dominant theme of all of life and all of the universe.
The glory of God.
Of God.
And so I believe that the main theme, the header of Psalm 23, really is found in the second half of verse 3 of our text.
He does all of this for his glory, for his namesake.
God does good things for you for his own fame.
God is good to his people for his glory.
Now, the reality is that God does good to his people and he also does that which is terrible for the wicked.
And the Bible uses that word terrible.
Terrible are the judgments of the Lord.
Justice and Mercy for the Wicked00:10:27
That great and terrible day when God will come, He will return, Christ bodily on the clouds.
The clouds in Isaiah and other Old Testament texts, it actually refers to, it indicates judgment.
That's what we see in Joel chapter 2 when he prophesies.
He says, In the last days, I'll pour out my spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Even on your maidservants and male servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days.
And then it immediately goes to this image, this imagery of clouds and billows and vapors of smoke.
Meaning that God is going to do something in the last days, namely pour out His Spirit on all flesh.
Peter stands up in Acts chapter 2 and says that that's fulfilled at Pentecost.
So he says what Joel prophesied about the last days, the pouring out of God's Spirit on all flesh that they might prophesy, is happening right now in Acts chapter 2 at Pentecost after the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ.
And the next thing to happen.
Is clouds and billows of smoke.
Clouds.
Christ coming on the clouds.
Judgment.
Now, what we know, this is the doctrine of partial preterism, which not everybody's a fan, but I am.
So, this would go with a post millennial theology, eschatology, our study or understanding of the end times.
What we know is this that in AD 70, precisely one generation after the life and death and resurrection and ascension of Christ, about 40 years.
In Hebrew terms, in Jewish terms, 40 years indicated one generation.
In the same way that how long?
Did the Israelites wander in the wilderness 40 years so that one generation, namely the generation that was led out of bondage from Egypt but grumbled against the Lord, so that they would perish, but their children, their offspring, namely the next generation, would inherit the land?
And so, one generation 40 years wandering in the desert, so too it was 40 years from the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ to 8070, which was what the fall of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is sacked.
The temple is destroyed.
And just as Jesus said, not one stone was found upon another.
Now, remember what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 24, the Olivet Discourse, which ironically many atheists have actually used as a proof that Christianity is false.
Because if you can somehow detract, somehow poke holes in the credibility of Jesus, the head of the Christian faith, then you can ultimately dismantle Christianity altogether.
And one of the things that Jesus says in Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse, is this He says, Truly, truly, I say to you, That all these things will come to pass before what?
Before this generation ceases.
Now, we've had to get cute with that text.
If we're not partial preterists and post mill theologians, we've had to get cute and say, well, Jesus is saying there's a particular type of generation.
What he means by generation is not a literal generation, but he means a type of people, a stiff necked people, the type of people who were in the wilderness after they were led out of Egypt, and the same type of people that Jesus came to in his earthly ministry.
Who rejected him?
He came to his own people, but his people received him not.
It's a type of people that's grumbling, that's stiff necked, that's stubborn, that's ultimately unbelieving.
The people of unbelief.
The people that Moses was weary of leading.
And the people that Jesus was rejected by.
This type of person, and in the metaphorical sense, generation will not pass away.
But I believe, and other theologians that I trust, that Jesus was actually speaking in literal terms.
This generation will not pass away until I come to them in glory.
Well, that generation was still alive, many of them, 40 years later, when what happened?
When judgment came upon Israel, the end of the priestly sacrificial system.
It had already ended through Jesus' crucifixion, his death and resurrection and ascension.
But there were many people in Israel, many Jews who had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, who were still trying to find forgiveness of sins through the law of Moses, through the priestly sacrificial system with the temple.
And Jesus puts it to an end.
And what does Jesus say?
Another thing in Matthew 24 is all of that discourse.
He says this He says, Flee.
He speaks to his disciples and he says, Flee Jerusalem.
One of the reasons, actually, it's not socialism as many liberals and liberal Christians would like to think, but one of the reasons why Christians were selling their property, remember Anais and Sapphira who were put to death?
They weren't put to death because the Bible doesn't affirm property ownership.
No, they were put to death because they sold their property and then only gave a part of the proceeds, which it was theirs.
They didn't have to give it all, but they pretended, right?
They acted as though they were giving all the proceeds.
So, they were put to death ultimately for deceit, not just lying to man, but Peter says, lying to the Holy Spirit, and trying to appear more generous than they actually were.
See, they had gone before the apostles and said, We sold this property and we're going to give 20%.
Peter would have said, Fine.
And maybe he would have challenged them and said, Everybody else is being a lot more generous.
But they wouldn't have been put to death.
No, they were put to death because they lied to the Spirit and they were trying to appear more generous than they really were.
But the point is this everyone was selling their property.
It says that everyone shared everything in common.
And one of the ways that they shared everything in common was that they were liquidating all their assets.
So they were taking their tangible physical assets, like property, even livestock, they were selling it, liquidating it, putting it at the apostles' feet for the clear purpose that's explicit in those New Testament texts that is to share with one another, to meet the physical needs of those who were poor.
And not just the poor neighbor, but primarily the poor brother or sister in Christ.
So that no one had, the Bible says in the New Testament in Acts that there was no one in need.
Now, that doesn't mean that they eradicated poverty and hunger for all people in Jerusalem.
No, when it says no one had any need, it's speaking of the household of faith.
It's what Paul says elsewhere in, I believe, Galatians chapter 6, where he says that we should be eager as we have opportunity to do good to all people, but especially, that is, prioritize the household of faith.
It's what Jesus says when he says, whatever you've done for the least of these, right?
You give a cold glass of water in my name, or you visit someone when they're in prison, you visited me.
Or you clothe someone who's naked, you've clothed me, you feed someone who's hungry, you've fed me.
But notice Jesus uses one very important phrase.
He says, Whatever you do for the least of these, my brothers.
Meaning, you did it for them on account of them bearing my name.
So it's not just visiting someone in prison just because they're in prison.
No, it's visiting the Christian in prison because they're a Christian.
It's feeding the brother or sister who is hungry.
Because it can't just be feeding the poor in general, because that would contradict other parts of Scripture.
Namely, when Paul says, if you don't work, you don't eat.
So there's a righteous way in letting the poor go hungry, so that the sloth might learn to be diligent with his own hands.
There's a time where we don't meet the needs of those who are poor.
But for the righteous, the implication is that for the righteous, if they are poor, it's not because of sin, it's not because of laziness.
And so we meet the needs of the righteous who are in prison, the righteous who are naked, the righteous who are hungry, because they're probably hungry or naked or stripped of their possessions by virtue of persecution.
Not by virtue of their laziness, namely sin, but by virtue of their righteousness and obedience and a God hitting world persecuting them for precisely that reason.
So, all this being said, whatever you do for the least of these, my brothers.
So, the point is that the early church in Jerusalem was meeting the needs of one another.
They didn't eradicate poverty in a universal sense for everyone in Jerusalem, all of their neighbors, but they did eradicate need, poverty for all their brothers and sisters in Christ.
For the church in Jerusalem.
So that's the first explicit reason of liquidating assets.
But here's an implicit reason.
The implicit reason for why Christians, the disciples of Jesus, in Acts, underneath the leadership and guidance of the apostles, liquidated their assets was this so that they can more quickly flee to the mountains as Jesus told them to in Matthew 24 when judgment came within that literal generation.
And judgment did come in AD 70 with the fall of Jerusalem.
It was the Christians who remembered the words of Jesus and quickly got out of harm's way.
And this caused Christianity to kickstart.
And one of the reasons why Christianity, from its inception, was so successful and spread so quickly was because not only were they persecuted and caused to scatter and disperse and spread the gospel to other places, but they were also prepared, they were properly informed by the head of the Christian faith, Christ Himself, to flee quickly if they persecute you in one city.
Flee to the next.
So Jesus appears in a sense, as it were, the spirit of the risen Christ appears in AD 70 by virtue of judgment.
So when he says, I'll return, all these things are going to happen before this generation passes away.
There's a sense in which not Jesus' ultimate return, which we still await, but there is a sense in which Christ returned.
And the Jewish historian, Josephus, he actually says, it's very interesting, he has an eyewitness account because he was there in AD 70, the fall of Jerusalem, he was there in the city.
With the temple nearby, and he says, he says, and he doesn't just say his experience, but he recounts what many other eyewitnesses said they saw that as the enemies were sacking Jerusalem and it was the fall of the temple, that clouds were in the sky and they could see angelic hosts bearing swords.
That's an eyewitness account, and there's more evidence for that account than Caesar, Augustus, ever even living.
Predestination and Divine Purpose00:07:17
Just saying, post mill, get on board.
All right, so all that being said, All that being said, the point is this it's the glory of God.
He does all things for His name's sake.
That's the dominant theme of all Scripture, the dominant theme of the Psalms, and the dominant theme of our text today, Psalm 23.
See, in Psalm 1, we saw that God gains glory for Himself by firmly establishing the blessed man as He meditates on God's Word day and night.
In Psalm 2, God garnishes glory for Himself by orchestrating the rebellion of the nations, as well as the destruction of those who refuse to repent.
In Psalm chapter 8, God derives glory through his earthly creation, especially by crowning his image bearing creatures, mankind, with unique dignity even from the womb, from infancy.
In Psalm 16, we saw that God gets glory by being our safe refuge, supreme treasure, sovereign Lord, and sure counselor.
And in Psalm 19, we saw that God is glorified through at least two ways through natural revelation, particularly the skies, and special revelation, particularly his law.
And now, In Psalm 23, God gains glory for himself as he leads his people, as he's good to his people in the paths of righteousness.
Now, that's how I got on the whole clouds and post mill thing.
The point was to say this God gains glory for himself.
It's not as though God has two purposes.
He does, but it's not as though God has two purposes and two means of accomplishing, of achieving those purposes, right?
That God wants to gain glory for himself and be good to his people, and he does these two things in two separate ways, like as though it were two separate tasks, right?
I need to focus some attention here, getting glory for myself, and now I'm going to work on this separate task of being good to my people.
No, God gets glory for himself by being good to his people.
He leads me on the path of righteousness for his glory.
Meaning, God gets glory.
His fame, his namesake, is achieved by leading me on the path of righteousness.
The clouds and judgment is to say that technically, God gains glory for himself by being good to his people, but also being terrible to his enemies.
Both.
It is both by the blessing and redemption of his people and the judgment of the wicked that God gains glory for himself.
There was a conference with a panel one time.
I believe it was a Ligonier conference.
And Dr. Sproul, the late, great R.C. Sproul, was on the panel, sitting up there on the stage.
And they were getting questions in from the audience.
And one of the questions came in, and you guys are probably familiar with this, it's kind of a legendary story.
But one of the questions came in and said, You know, why does God predestine people for hell?
And Sproul gets angry, right?
You think you'd be sympathetic.
But it's just, I mean, you have to take into context.
The guy at this point has spent a generation.
About 40 years teaching this again and again and again and again.
He's like, You guys should know by now.
So, why does God predestine people for hell?
And Sproul says, Are you serious?
Haven't we already had this question?
In this conference, not just over 40 years, but in this conference?
And he says, My grandchild can answer this question.
And he says, What's wrong with you people?
My grandchild can answer this question.
Why does God predestine people for hell?
For his glory.
Because God is glorified.
In his righteousness, in his justice.
His justice is exemplified for all eternity as he punishes the wicked in hell.
And God is glorified, his mercy and grace and loving kindness exemplified for all of eternity as he bestows blessings upon his people.
So these aren't separate tasks.
It's not as though God is committed to gaining glory for himself and being good to his people and judging the wicked.
No, God gains glory for himself precisely by being good to his people.
And judging the wicked.
Now, what we see in Psalm 23 particularly is not so much the judgment of the wicked, but we're going to focus our attention where the text emphasizes, where the text focuses his attention, which is God's goodness, faithfulness to the righteous.
So, David says in verse 3 of our text, he says, He leads me on the path of righteousness, which is good.
It's not just the right thing, it's good.
It is a benefit for David.
It's not just good for God, it's good for David.
So, God is doing something very good for me, and He's also doing it for him.
God's doing something good for me, for him.
God's leading me on the path of righteousness, which is to my eternal benefit, for his name's sake, for his glory.
That's the overarching theme of all of Scripture, of all the Psalms, and certainly our Psalm today, Psalm 23.
God is gaining glory for himself by being good to David.
And what is it precisely?
What precise good thing is God doing for David?
He's leading him.
He's leading him on the paths of Of righteousness.
So let's delve into verse 3 a little bit more.
In your notes, I've written this God's leading of his people in the paths of righteousness is not automatic.
It's not something where the Christian can just go on autopilot.
It's not the default position or the default posture.
See, it's actually something that David had to work for, and particularly we know from other texts, namely Psalm 25, it's something that David had to fervently and diligently pray for.
See, in Psalm 25, verses 4 through 5, David prays this to the Lord.
He says, Make known to me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths, lead me, there it is, lead me in thy truth and teach me.
For thou art the God of my salvation.
For thee I will wait all the day long.
So, David, he's not just being led in the path of righteousness for the namesake of God, for God's glory by default.
It's not something that comes natural or easy or automatic.
It's something that David is working at, and even more than that, it's something that David is pleading, petitioning, praying for.
How is it, though?
Here's the question that God answers this particular prayer.
See, David's being led by God.
God is doing good to David, namely leading him in righteousness.
And God's doing this for his glory, for his name's sake.
But it's not something that happens easily.
It's something that David has had to pray for, ask for.
And so, how is it that God answers the prayer?
David says, Lead me in your ways.
Teach me your word, thy truth.
Reveal these things to me.
Enlighten me of the things that are good, the things that are right, the things that are holy.
Keep me on your path.
Keep me, lead me in your ways.
That's David's petition.
That's his prayer.
How does God answer this prayer?
Well, he answers it.
By virtue of his word and his spirit.
First, his word.
Psalm 119, 105 says this Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
This is, in regards to the law of God, what we refer to as the third use of the law.
I've spoken of the three divisions of the law.
I've spoken of this before the moral law of God, ceremonial law of God, and civil law.
The Third Use of the Law00:11:59
There's also not just the three divisions of the law, but the three uses of the law the first, second, and third use.
The first use of God's law is The easiest way to think of it is mirror, shield, and compass.
Mirror, shield, and compass.
Firstly, the law, use of God's law, mirror.
We stare into the law of God and it reflects back to us our own shortcomings, failures, and sin.
And thereby, it reveals to us the necessity for a Savior.
That's where I use the quote from Charles Spurgeon, right?
A man cannot appreciate the beauty of Christ until he first comes to see the necessity for Christ.
And how does he see the necessity for Christ?
Well, he sees the necessity for a Savior by seeing the holiness of God and his own sinfulness.
And the law reveals that to them.
So the first use of the law is as a mirror.
It reveals to us our sin and God's holiness and our need for Christ, our need for the gospel.
Second use of the law is more of a common grace use, not just for the people of God and salvation, special grace, but a common grace use, meaning the law has a benefit for all people, even the pagan who hates him.
So the law of God also serves as a blueprint, a guide for civil governments.
Even governments that are not regenerate, civil magistrates that are not Christians themselves, that are not actually born again, and yet, because they're made in the image of God through natural revelation and natural law, the law of God is written on their hearts.
That's what the Bible says.
It's not just written on the hearts of the believer by the work of the Spirit and regeneration by having a new heart, but even for the unbeliever, because they're made in the image of God by natural revelation and what we call natural law, the conscience, even the pagan has a general sense of morality.
They have a general sense of knowing right and wrong.
And so, even unbelievers ordinarily, not in all cases, but ordinarily will set up civil governments to enact and legislate and enforce morality.
Now, they're going to get off track if they're pagan and not submitted ultimately to Christ, right?
They're going to deem that certain things are moral that God's Word actually says are immoral.
And they'll deem certain things as immoral that God's Word actually says are moral and righteous.
But in a general sense, there's a reason why our nation and many other nations condemn murder as wickedness.
Right?
And it's not just Christian nations with Christian kings or Christian parliament or Christian, you know, Supreme Courts.
It's even those who are not Christian, not regenerate, not born again, have a general sense by natural revelation, God revealing himself, and natural law, God revealing the blueprint for his morality on the hearts of men made in his image.
So there's this second use, common grace element of the law of God that works to hold evil at bay as a shield.
Which makes society and human life more livable, better.
So, the first use of the law is a special grace use.
It reveals the holiness of God and our sinfulness and our need for a Savior.
It brings us to the gospel, it drives us to the cross.
All right, that's the first use of the law, mirror.
Second use, shield.
That's a common grace use.
So, even the pagan is benefited by the second use of God's law, natural law written on the hearts of men, to where even pagan governments will set up generally moral governments.
Where their citizens are benefited by that.
And then the third use of the law is precisely what we see in Psalm 119, 105, guide, compass.
Three uses of the law, once more mirror, shield, and compass.
Three divisions of the law, moral, civil, ceremonial.
We're not going to talk about that today, we've talked about that before.
So we've already seen the first two uses of the law mirror and shield, but this third one, compass.
See, the law of God, it's not just the mirror that reveals how far we fall short and our need for Jesus, our need for the gospel, Savior.
But the law also functions as a guide, as a lamp unto our feet.
It lights the way, the path.
That's what Psalm 119, 105 says, or a compass.
It directs us.
Meaning, the law doesn't say, This is the way you should go to be saved.
Because Romans says that no man will be saved by works done unto the law.
We're not saved by our obedience, we're saved by grace through faith in Christ's obedience.
But the law shows us where to go, not as a means of meriting God's favor.
But as an act of love, right?
Because Jesus says, if you love me, you obey me, as a response of love for the free favor we already have by grace.
So, the third use of the law as a compass, as a lamp unto our feet, a guide, is not that it shows us where to go so that we might be saved.
No, it shows us where to go that is God's glory and our good so that we might respond in love for being saved freely already.
Now, that's another special.
Grace use of the law, the third use of the law for the Christian.
It guides the Christian, the one who has eyes to see, the one who has spiritual ears to hear, the one who has a new heart.
Psalm 119, verse 9 says, How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to thy word.
In both verses, Psalm 119, 105 and 119, verse 9, the word is the instrument that God uses to guide or to lead his people.
So again, Psalm 23, our text for today, verse 3, He leads me in the paths of righteousness.
For his name's sake.
So God is doing something for his glory.
What is it?
Being good to his people.
Being good to his people, how?
By leading us on the path of righteousness.
Is this automatic?
No.
It must be worked for, and more specifically, Psalm 25, we see it must be prayed for.
When we pray and ask the Lord, petition the Lord to keep us on the path of righteousness, to lead us on the path of righteousness, how does God answer this prayer?
What tool does He use at His disposal?
What agency does He employ?
His Word.
And His Word works to lead us on the path of righteousness in at least two regards.
I want you to see this.
This is why I used.
Both Psalm 119 and 105 and Psalm 119 verse 9.
See, in Psalm 119, 105, the Word of God answers our request to lead us in the path of righteousness by, by being a guide, by being a compass, by being a lamp unto our feet, showing us the way.
But in Psalm 119 verse 9, the Word of God answers the prayer to keep us on the, not just lead us on the path of righteousness, but to keep us on the path of righteousness by functioning as guardrails.
See, look at 119.
Verse 9, once more, it says, How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it, according to thy word.
See, the word of God works as a lamp revealing the direction to go.
It's a guide, a lamp, a compass.
So it leads us, but it also restrains us.
See, the word of God, it not only leads us on the path of righteousness, it keeps us on the path of righteousness.
The word of God is ultimately, it's like if you go bowling.
With a three year old, and you get like the little rails that you put the ball on so you don't even have to throw it and it rolls down, and you do the bumpers, right?
So that it can't go in the gutter.
That's what it's like for the blessed man, the righteous man, to be led by the law of God.
It's as though you can't fail.
You don't have to have the strength to roll this eight, nine, ten pound ball.
You just barely place it on this thing and let go, and it rolls all on its own, and then the bumpers are there.
So even if you didn't line it up correctly, It can't go in the gutter.
You're going to knock down a few pins whether you like it or not.
The law of God leads and the law of God keeps, it preserves, it protects, it guards.
So, the word of God is the answer to David's prayer in Psalm 25, verse 4 and 5.
He says, Make known to me thy ways, teach me thy paths.
How does God answer?
By his word.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, it shows the way, it leads me.
How can I keep myself from detours?
How can I keep myself from distraction?
How can I keep myself from deterring off of the path?
Thy word, it guards me.
I'm guarded by thy word.
It's the light unto my path leading me.
It's the guardrails on either side, the left and the right of the path, that keeps me and preserves me.
So, verse 3 of our text you lead me on the paths of righteousness for your glory, for your namesake.
How does he lead us on the paths of righteousness?
Automatically, no.
We work for it and pray for it.
And how does God answer this prayer?
Through the agency of his word.
His word leads us by lighting our path as a compass or a lamp, and his word restrains us from going off the path like guardrails on either side.
Continuing in your notes, I've written this.
Although the Bible reveals the path, the Bible is not enough.
Let me pause.
That's a phrase you will not hear come out of my mouth hardly ever.
So, Soak it up, drink it in.
In fact, I'll say it once more just to humor you.
Although the Bible reveals the path, the Bible is not enough.
Now, to clarify that statement, certainly we affirm the sufficiency of Scripture.
But here's the key.
In terms of the sufficiency of Scripture, we must ask this question What is the Bible sufficient for?
When we say that the Bible is sufficient, what are we saying?
What is the Bible sufficient for?
Well, see, the Bible is sufficient for revelation and revealing, more particularly, the way to salvation, life, and godliness.
So the Bible is sufficient for life and godliness.
For salvation.
We always say that, right?
The Bible is sufficient for life and godliness.
It's sufficient for salvation.
But what we implicitly actually mean when we say that is that the Bible is sufficient, it's reliable, it's efficacious for revealing life and godliness, revealing the way to salvation.
But the reality is, because of man's sinfulness, because of original sin and fallen hearts, revelation is not enough.
Revelation is not the only thing that we require.
See, the problem with mankind is not simply a matter of ignorance that can be solved by mere revelation.
The root problem with mankind is moral, and therefore it can only be solved by transformation.
See, we must not only possess external revelation, a lamp unto our feet, that is the Bible, but we must also possess internal regeneration, that is transformation, a change that comes by the power of the Spirit.
Let me say that again.
This is important that we catch.
We don't only need external revelation, aka the Bible.
We need internal regeneration or transformation, aka the Spirit.
It's both.
It's the Word being used by the Spirit, it's the Spirit of God and the Word of God working in conjunction with one another.
See, the Word of God reveals the path, but it's the Spirit of God that makes us willing to follow the path and to stay on the path.
Together, both the Word of God and the Spirit of God lead us in the paths of righteousness.
Word and Spirit Working Together00:14:43
So, verse 3 of our text, again, he leads us what?
It tells us that the overarching theme, the big idea, is that everything God is doing is for his glory.
God does terrible things to the wicked for his glory.
But in our text, the focus is on the wonderful things he does for the righteous for his glory.
And what is the primary thing that David has in view in his mind that God does that is good for the righteous, that garnishes glory for himself?
He leads us on the paths of righteousness.
How does He lead us on the path of righteousness?
Not by default, not on autopilot, but we work for it, we pray for it, and God does this by virtue of His Spirit and His Word.
The Word reveals the path, and the Spirit changes our hearts in such a way that we become willing to traverse that path.
See, our problem is not just intellectual.
And that's what the pagan worldview says, does it not?
Is that not what we see in every school?
In every political campaign?
Is that not what we see with the Black Lives Matter movement?
All these different things.
What do we see?
We see that, oh, well, the problem with America, the problem with culture, the problem with the nation is what?
Ignorance, ignorance, ignorance.
So if we could just change the curriculum in schools, if we could just, it's because people aren't being taught history, or they were being taught history incorrectly.
We don't need to do the 1776, but we need to do the 1619 project instead, when America really began on the backs of slavery, you know, and slavery isn't the bug, it's actually the feature, and we need to tear it all down.
But either way, whether they're wrong, presenting wrong information or right information, the general mindset is still the same.
They think that ultimately the problems of mankind can be solved by information, which indicates that they think the main problem with mankind, all of his immoral deeds, stems from ignorance.
That's not the problem.
Our problem isn't that we have bad people doing bad things because they don't know better.
Our problem is that people know better and they don't care.
That's our problem.
It's not that people are ignorant and therefore because they're ignorant they rebel.
Rebellion doesn't stem from ignorance.
Romans 1 is clear.
Ignorance actually stems from rebellion.
It is first not a problem of the mind, it is a problem of the will.
It's a problem of the will.
It's not an intellectual problem, it's a moral problem.
Because people ultimately hate God in their will, in their heart, they therefore do what?
Suppress the truth of God in deeds of unrighteousness and are given over further and further to ignorance.
See, people become ignorant.
The more and more they rebel.
So it's first the moral problem of the will being at enmity with God.
That's what Romans chapter 8 says.
The mind of the sinful man is hostile towards God.
It's not just indifferent, it's not just neutral or uninterested or uninformed.
The mind of the sinful man is lacking information.
No, the mind of the sinful man knows God but does not bow his knee.
The mind of the sinful man is hostile towards God.
It neither submits to his law nor, Romans 8 says, can it.
Meaning, it's not just that it's unwilling, it is unable.
It is not in its nature.
In the same way that 10 times out of 10, if we had a cage with a lion and a cage with an ox, and we put meat in front of the ox and hay in front of the lion, they wouldn't eat.
And it's not that they physically couldn't chew, it's not that the ox couldn't somehow chew the meat and ingest it, and it's not that the lion couldn't somehow break down and chew the hay, but the reality is they're not going to make those choices.
A lion choosing to eat hay or an ox choosing to eat meat because it's not in their nature.
And that's the imagery, the illustration that the late, great Jonathan Edwards used.
It's not in their nature.
Meaning that for the pagan, for the unregenerate, the choice of submission to God, right?
The mind of the sinful man does not submit to God.
It's hostile towards God.
It doesn't make the choice of submission to God and his law because it's not in its nature to do so.
It's not in its nature to do so.
So what's the solution?
What's the remedy?
The remedy is.
A new nature.
It's not just new decisions.
It's not just better choices that come with being better informed.
It's not just new information leading to new choices.
No, it's a new heart.
It's being a new creature.
We can't just merely turn over a new leaf.
It's not a stronger resolution.
No, it's being a new creature in Christ Jesus by grace through faith.
So that the heart of stone is removed and replaced with a heart of flesh that actually desires to submit to the law of God, that actually Desires to obey God.
So the problem with mankind is not fundamentally, first and foremost, ignorance.
It is rebellion.
It's not a problem of the mind.
It's a matter of a problem of the will.
And so at the end of the day, the Bible is, we can say, with biblical, here's the irony, we can biblically say that the Bible is insufficient.
Insufficient for what?
Not insufficient to do what it's meant to do, namely reveal God's truth.
It reveals God's truth sufficiently and infallibly.
But a mere revelation of God's truth for someone with a heart of stone doesn't do anything.
Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees, the religious rulers of his day, he said, You search the scriptures incessantly, day and night, but you miss the big point.
It all points to me.
You hate me.
So the reality is that ultimately what is pleasing to God, the change that you and I so desperately need, it does not come merely through diligent study of the scripture.
You can study the scripture day and night and ultimately still be displeasing to the Lord because not only do you need the scripture to reveal the path, but you need the spirit to change your will so that you will take the path.
Not just external revelation, aka Bible, but internal transformation, aka the spirit, giving us a new heart.
Is this not precisely what Romans 12, verse 2 says when it says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be informed?
No.
Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Now, the second half of Romans 12, verse 2, is precisely what we're talking about in Psalm 23, verse 3.
Psalm 23, verse 3 says, He leads me on the paths of righteousness.
And we've begged the question, How?
How does He lead us on the path of righteousness?
And we've answered that question by saying, By both His word, which shows us the way, and His spirit, that makes us willing to go on the way.
And that's what Romans 12, verse 2 says.
It says, Testing.
By testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect.
The ability to discern what is pleasing to God, what the will of God is, what's good, what's moral, what's perfect, all of that is the path of righteousness.
That's what the path of righteousness is.
And how is it that we come to that point where we can discern good and evil and discern what's pleasing to the Lord and be willing to do it?
By being transformed.
Not just informed, but transformed by the renewal of your mind.
See, the Spirit has at least two primary works when it comes to working in conjunction with the Word of God.
The Spirit illuminates and inspires.
See, the Spirit inspired the writing of the Word of God long ago so that it's credible, so that it's reliable, sure, and trustworthy.
But the Spirit hasn't stopped working in conjunction with the Word since the close of the canon.
See, the Spirit is no longer inspiring the continual writing of Scripture.
The canon is closed, no new books of the Bible are being added.
Revelation says, don't take anything away and don't add anything.
But although the Spirit is no longer working with the Word of God in terms of inspiration in its writing, the Spirit is still working in conjunction with the Word of God in terms of illumination, that is, its reading.
See, the Spirit inspired the writing of the Word, and He, even now, with all of those who have faith in Jesus, still works no longer in the inspired writing of the Word, but the illumined reading of the Word.
So that we don't study the scripture day and night like the scribes and Pharisees and miss its point.
He opens our eyes.
He gives us ears to hear.
He softens our hearts so that we don't just see the way like a lamp.
The word is a lamp, but the spirit is ultimately what changes our hearts to where we'll actually follow the lamp.
We need both.
So that's how God answers the prayer.
So, big idea God is doing something for his namesake, his glory.
He judges the wicked for his glory, but, particular to our text, He's good to the righteous.
What's this very good thing that he does for the righteous?
He leads us.
He leads us on the path of righteousness.
How does he do it?
By his word that illuminates the path and his spirit that makes us willing to traverse it.
Now, verses four and five of our text, we see that not only does God lead us for our good and his glory, that was verse three, and that's the big idea, but in verses four and five, we see that God leads us through valleys and victories.
In verse five, God plays the role of the host who prepares a banquet for us in the presence of our enemies.
The presence of David's enemies as he feasts at the table of the Lord may indicate God's invincible protection in the midst of battle.
Let me pause for a moment.
Or it may also indicate God's power to defeat his enemies.
Now, you're probably familiar with the first one.
So let's deal with that first.
You set a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
The imagery that most of us get, and probably what you've heard preached whenever this text is exposited or preached, or if you've read any commentary on this particular text, in most cases, verse 5 of Psalm 23 is said like this.
You set a table for me in the presence of my enemies, and most people use that as an opportunity to speak of both the provision and protection of the Lord.
Provision, because David is being fed from the Lord's banqueting table, he's providing for him food and drink.
You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
So you're feeding me, you're giving me food and drink and allowing me to rest.
So there's provision, but there's also protection, right?
Because you're doing all this in the presence of my enemies.
And so, the first imagery that most people would focus on with verse 5 of our text is this.
It's this idea, this scene, if you will, that there's a battle between David and his armies, his men, and his enemies that is currently being waged.
So, the battle is actually currently going on, and yet the Lord, in his protection, is so powerful and mighty that it's as though the Lord is holding, as the battle is still being fought.
It's not over.
The battle is still currently waging, and yet the Lord is so faithful in his protection.
It's as though the Lord is holding his enemies at bay to where, in the heat of battle, where most of us would be terrified, David is able to calmly sit down at the Lord's table and dine.
Right?
So there's protection and provision.
And I think that's true.
I think that's absolutely true.
That the Lord is able to protect his people in the midst of trouble, as it's currently going on.
And not only is he able to protect us in the midst of trial and tribulation, but he's also more than able and willing to provide us, provide for us.
So, he can protect us from our enemies and provide for us his banqueting table, choice meats, and his wine, his drink that's flowing, overflowing out of our cup.
So, the Lord's protection and provision.
But here's the second image that some commentaries indicate.
It could indicate not only God's protection and provision, but his infinite power to defeat David's enemies.
See, perhaps David has just conquered his enemies, and his enemies are now being held captive.
And must look on in anguish as David celebrates this victory.
Either way, here's the point whether it's the enemies are present because they're being held captive and have already been defeated and the battle has ended and David has won, the Lord has produced a victory, and he's now sitting down to dine to celebrate that victory in the presence of his captive enemies, or whether he's dining at the banqueting table of the Lord in the midst of the battle as it's currently raging because the Lord is holding them at bay, protecting and providing.
Either way, the big point is this God protects, provides, and conquers for his people.
I think we can say it's all of it.
It's all of it.
And the big idea that we don't want to miss is that verse 5 of our text, as beautiful as it is, we cannot give in to the temptation to strip it from its context and hold it up as the norm for all of life.
See, the leading of God in Psalm 23, while beginning in green pastures and beside still waters, verse 1 and 2, and ending with feasting and the house of the Lord, which we see in verse 5 and 6, it also includes walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Namely, verse 4.
But throughout all of Psalm 23, God is leading.
See, God leads us by His Spirit and His Word in the paths of righteousness.
That's verse 3.
But even when we disobey God's Spirit and ignore God's Word, God still is leading us by His providence because He's sovereign over all things, including even our sin.
So whether we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death because we got off the paths of righteousness, Through our sin, or we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death because we stayed on the path of righteousness through our obedience, God is still with us and God is still leading.
Let me break this down for you theologically as quickly as I can.
Righteousness Leads Into Darkness00:12:58
Would you say that Job experienced the valley of the shadow of death?
And every indication, yes, absolutely, every indication of Job as he's suffering is that he was righteous.
Not just indication, but it's explicitly in the book of Job, it's in the text.
It's written that Job did not sin.
He did not sin.
And in all this, Job did not sin.
He remained righteous.
He preserved his integrity.
And yet, if that's not the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not certain what is.
So, Job went through the valley of the shadow of death without abandoning the path of righteousness.
Which indicates what?
What can we conclude?
Logically, we can only conclude this.
There are times for the saints, there are times for the saints where the path of righteousness actually goes through the valley of the shadow of death.
That the Lord actually leads us on his path of righteousness, and it's not by going off of the path of righteousness that we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death, but precisely the path of righteousness itself leads us into the valley of the shadow of death.
Not to stay there, but through the valley of the shadow of death.
However, I think we can also theologically form an argument from the whole of Scripture that there are times.
Where we're not by God's leading, which we've already said is by His Spirit and by His Word, God leading us on the path of righteousness by His Spirit and Word takes us into the valley of the shadow of death.
But there are also times where by our own sin, namely our willful choice to get off of the path of righteousness, to forsake God's leading, that we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death.
Why?
Because sin produces sorrow, sin produces hardship.
So, my point is this.
You, saint, you, Christian, may find yourselves in the valley of the shadow of death in one of two ways.
Because I believe both can be biblically supported.
You might find yourself, as Job did, in the valley of the shadow of death by your obedience, by staying on the path of righteousness, by following the leading of God, because he led you into the valley of the shadow of death.
You also might find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death by getting off.
The path of righteousness by virtue of your disobedience and sin bringing about consequences and sorrow in this life.
But here's the reality.
In both instances, the Lord is with you.
And even furthermore, in both instances, the Lord is still leading.
Now, not in the same way.
See, the Lord leads first and foremost, primarily in his first sense.
The Lord leads on the paths of righteousness by his word and spirit.
That's what we've already covered.
And our obedience to stay on that path.
But in a secondary sense, the Lord leads not merely by his spirit and his word, but by his sovereignty.
And his providence.
Meaning that even when we sin, that does not mean that we are somehow, in an ultimate sense, outside of the sovereign leading of God.
Because the Lord, in Romans chapter 8, the Bible says that God is working, and that doesn't mean just fixing or salvaging, but that means working, actively orchestrating all things for his glory.
And not only his glory, but the good of his people, the good of those who are called according to his purposes.
And who love him.
And all things is a pretty inclusive term.
All things would include suffering.
And even more than that, all things includes sin.
So if you find yourself in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death, it could be that you've been obedient and the path of righteousness led straight through.
It could also be that you've been disobedient, that the path of righteousness was intended to go, in this particular case, around the valley of the shadow of death.
And yet you took a cheap detour.
And found yourself in the valley of the shadow of death due to your disobedience.
But even then, although God is not leading you in that first sense by his spirit and word on the path of righteousness, God is still leading you in the secondary sense by virtue of his sovereignty and providence because God is sovereign over all things, including your rebellion, including your sin.
So, either way, if you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death, we can know that God is with us and we can know that God is leading us.
In the first sense or the second sense, in a secondary sense, by his word and spirit as we stay on the path of righteousness or by his providence and sovereignty over all things, including our sin.
Now, this is why I think the psalm includes both.
Because David says in verse 4, he says one more thing.
He says, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me.
And then he says, Thy rod and thy staff.
They comfort me.
Now, you're probably familiar with this.
The rod and the staff, these two instruments of the shepherd, were used for two separate purposes.
One, the staff is used as a defensive weapon in order to fight against threats, dangers, enemies, wolves, to protect the sheep.
But the rod is used to discipline the sheep.
And see, and as I've executed this text and was working and studying and praying about it all week long, I think.
That the reason why David says both of these instruments, the staff that protects me by being used to vanquish the enemy, and your rod that's actually used on me for my discipline, both bring me comfort because there are two ways that I might find myself in the valley of the shadow of death.
I might find myself in the valley of the shadow of death because I was obeying and you led me here on the path of righteousness.
The path of righteousness actually took me into the valley of the shadow of death, in which case you hold a staff.
And you protect me from the wolves and all the dangers in the valley of the shadow of death.
But I might also find myself in the valley of the shadow of death because I went off the path of righteousness through my rebellion, through my sin, in which case I'm comforted by your rod because you discipline me and bring about repentance to help me get back on the path of righteousness.
All right, that being said, finally, God leads us.
We've seen now in verse 3 he leads us for our good and his glory.
And he also, we saw in verse 4 and 5, he leads us through valleys and victories.
But we see finally in verse 6 the final ultimate end of God's leading.
God leads us to himself.
In your notes, I've written this.
David's final conclusion in verse 6 is this.
In other words, like this when a man pursues God, God pursues that man.
See, the language shifts in verse 6.
It's the only time.
What we've seen in verse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Now, we saw in verses 1 through 3, explicitly.
I think it's implicit in verses 4 and 5, and I've already made that argument how God leads us even into the valley of the shadow of death.
He does it explicitly by the path of righteousness going into it, leading us through His Word and His Spirit, but He also does it implicitly by His providence and sovereignty over all things, including our sin and our choice to get off the path of righteousness.
Either way, God is leading us.
So, implicitly, I think in verse 4 and 5, With the banqueting table, and even with the valley of the shadow of death, we still see implicitly God's leading.
We see explicitly, no doubt can be had in verses 1, 2, and 3, God's leading.
He leads me beside still waters, verse 2.
He leads me in the path of his righteousness, verse 3.
So we see the leading of God all over Psalm 23, until we come to the final verse.
See, verse 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, David is following God as God leads.
But in verse 6, after David has followed God, there is now a benefit, a promise, an attribute of God that now follows David.
David has followed God, namely God's leading.
And now God's goodness and mercy follow David.
When a man pursues God, God's mercy and goodness will pursue him all the days of his life.
David is convinced, he is absolutely, completely persuaded that at this point in his life, If the goodness and mercy of God have not failed yet, they never will.
If the goodness and mercy of God can be found in the presence of his enemies at a banqueting table, if the goodness and mercy of God can be found in his staff and even his rod through discipline, if the goodness and mercy of God can be seen even in the valley of the shadow of death, then the goodness and mercy of God will follow him, pursue him everywhere he goes.
Like a tick on a dog, David can't get away from the goodness and mercy of God even if he tried.
When a man pursues God, God's goodness and mercy pursue him.
Almost like honing missiles.
It's just he can't outrun it, he can't evade the goodness and mercy of God.
David pursues God, God's goodness and mercy pursues him.
Lastly, notice that the ultimate reward for David and for you and I is not the leading of the Lord as an end in itself.
Verses 1 through 3.
And it's not even the comfort of the Lord, right?
The staff and the rod comforting us.
As we saw in verse 4.
It's not even the blessing of the Lord, his banqueting table, his protection and provision that we saw in verse 5.
It's not even the house of the Lord that we dwell in that we see in verse 6.
No, the ultimate reward for God's people is the Lord himself.
See, Psalm 27, verse 4, David says this One thing I have asked of the Lord that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.
That's what we find in verse 6.
I'm going to dwell in his house forever, all the days of my life.
But see, in Psalm 27, verse 4, David says, Why?
That I may, this is the one thing I petition, the one plea that I have.
I want this more desperately, more deeply than anything else to dwell all of my days in the house of the Lord.
For what end?
To behold the beauty of the Lord.
I want to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Why?
Because that's where the Lord is.
It's not just because the house is amazing, which it is.
I don't want to just be in the house of the Lord forever because it's a good place to live.
I want to be in the house of the Lord forever because I know who lives there.
And it's the Lord Himself.
It's not just to gaze upon the beauty of the house, it's to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord who made the house.
That's where true happiness is found.
That's where my heart will finally be satisfied.
That's where all want disappears.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Why?
Not merely because He provides green pastures and still waters, not merely because He wields a rod and a staff that comfort me, not merely because of the Lord's table and the Lord's banquet and His bounty, not merely because.
The Lord protects me from my enemies, or even that the Lord establishes me in His house.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want because of the shepherd Himself.
It's the shepherd, not just what He does, not just what He gives, not just what He promises.
It's because the Lord is my shepherd, and because the Lord dwells in the house of the Lord, that I ultimately shall not want.
I have no need, I have no lack.
Every desire of my heart has been satisfied because I have Him.
The Lord is my portion.
The Lord is my provision.
The Lord is my great reward.
He makes my heart glad.
In conclusion, John Piper says this It occurred to me that all the paths of righteousness are paths of love.
God is the beginning and God is the end of all my righteousness.
See, the path of righteousness has God's grace as its starting point, for He leads me into it.
And it has God's glory as its destination, because His leading is for His namesake.
The path of righteousness.
Paths of Love and Grace00:04:30
Are not merely the paths of moral goodness, holiness, doing the right thing so that God might be glorified.
Now, the paths of righteousness that glorify God are synonymous with the paths of love that benefit you.
You are benefited.
And God is glorified.
And these are not two separate things.
No, God is glorified by your benefit.
God is glorified by keeping steadfast covenant.
I mean, that's literally what Moses uses, as it were, against God when he's trying to convince God.
Now, we know God's mind was already made up.
He's just Having this dialogue with Moses.
So it's not as though Moses was used to actually change God's mind.
God is not a man that he should change his mind, the scripture says elsewhere.
There's no variation or shadow in him due to change whatsoever.
He's the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.
However, we see this dialogue between Moses and God, and God says, I'm going to start over with you.
Same thing I did with Noah, round two.
I can't flood the earth because I made a promise about that, but maybe I'll just consume it all with fire.
There's other ways, Moses.
I'm going to kill everybody and start over with you, just like I did with Noah.
And Moses says what?
He says, he persuades, as it were, God from doing that, against doing that, by saying, but then the Egyptians and all the other nations, they'll say that you only led us out here in the wilderness to put us to death.
And that you were not able to fulfill your covenant, your promise, by guiding this people into the land of promise.
See, Moses, what he does is this he says, you'll get less glory.
God?
God?
I mean, he knows what God loves.
God is a jealous God.
And that's not God being self consumed or selfish or arrogant in any way.
God.
See, you and I, we read the Ten Commandments every single week.
It's a sin for us to have any God before God.
Well, guess what?
The Ten Commandments, it's not just what God says we should do, it's what God upholds perfectly himself.
God has no other God but God.
See, if God were to love any creature more than himself, he would be an idolater.
God would be committing idolatry.
It would be wrong.
It's not righteous.
It's not just.
It's not correct.
If God were to have placed more value and more affection and more love on anything in all creation besides Himself, He would be improperly attributing value and affection.
He would be loving something idolatrously.
God loves Himself the most because He's the most worthy of love.
God loves Himself and therefore He loves His name, His glory.
That's His reputation, His character, who He is.
And he's not going to compromise it ever.
And so Moses puts God's name on the line, as it were.
He says, if you don't fulfill your covenant, if you're not good to your people, then the other nations will say bad things about you.
But notice what Moses is doing.
And here's the beauty it's not that Moses is used to change God's mind, God is condescending to speak to Moses as a man speaks to a man.
God already knows what he's going to do.
But here's the point the point is not Moses' brilliant strategy to persuade God.
No, the point is, though, that God affirms it.
That's the point.
It's not what Moses does, it's what God does.
Not what Moses says, what God says.
What God says is an affirmation.
He says, You're right.
Which means what?
What principle did God just affirm with Moses?
The principle that God gets more glory by being good to his people than punishing them.
That's insane.
That is so encouraging.
That's so hopeful.
Moses makes this argument, and Moses is probably not even sure about it, but Moses says, If you do that, you would be just.
It would be just.
It would be righteous because we're a stiff necked people.
We're grumbling, we're complaining.
You've already provided so much.
All these things, and yet their hearts are filled with unbelief.
You would be perfectly just and righteous in putting all of Israel to death and starting over with me.
But the other nations will say bad things about you.
The other nations will see this in a negative light.
They won't see you as beautiful, as glorious, as if you fulfilled your promise and had mercy on your people and delivered them into the promised land.
And God responds by saying, You're right.
You're right.
I will be more glorified by being good to my people.
Than bad by doing them good rather than doing them evil.
The Mountain Peak of Glory00:01:28
You see, the glory of God is really, it's like a mountain.
Many theologians have used this illustration, so it's not unique to me, but it's like a mountain.
And in this mountain, we have all the attributes of God His justice, His judgment, His righteousness, His holiness.
But the peak of the mountain is His grace.
The peak of the mountain is His grace.
The reality is that no part of the mountain is really better than the other, but the part that can be seen from miles and miles away.
The part that appears the most majestic is the same rock that makes it all up.
It's the same essence, the same substance that the peak of the mountain wouldn't be as glorious if it didn't have the base of the mountain hoisting it up.
So, all the attributes of God are the mountains, the same dirt, the same rock, the same substance.
It's all glorious.
It's all glorious.
But what's seated at the top, the peak of the mountain that can be seen from miles and miles away that causes your jaw to drop, is His grace.
God gains glory for Himself by His judgment of the wicked.
But the way God gains glory for Himself in His mercy towards the righteous, There's something special about that.
And that is what David basked in.
That's what he exults in in Psalm 23.
And we should too.
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