We need rectangular pupils!

Good morning, everyone!

Why in the world do we need rectangular pupils? Psalm 23 - the most famous and familiar of all the Psalms - reveals the reason!

Blessings,

Fritz.

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105)

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:10

Good morning all. I am really excited about this week's Fifteen Minutes with Fritz Podcast because we will be looking at one of the most popular psalms ever written. Not surprisingly, people from all walks of life have looked to this psalm for help. Chuck Swindall, the author of our book Living in the Psalms, identified some who have benefited from this psalm, the soldier in battle, fearing injury and possible death, the grieving widow standing before a fresh grave, wondering how she can go on with her life, the guilty wanderer seeking forgiveness and direction, the lonely stranger longing for love and companionship, the suffering saint strapped to a bed of pain, the destitute and the forgotten, the depressed and the jobless, the prison inmate and the persecuted, the prodigal and the orphaned. Now when all is said and done, the people in these situations were facing enormous uncertainty in their lives, whether in the next five minutes or the next five years. And the beauty of this one psalm is that it can provide relief in any of these circumstances or any other situation you might find yourself in. Now how can one psalm do that? Well, because these are the very words of God written by a man who was carried along by the Holy Spirit. They are literally God breathed words of wisdom and encouragement. When the trials of life push us to the limit and our hearts are heaviest, Swindall wrote, this magnificent psalm of the shepherd offers comfort and assurance, especially for those who lack the secure feeling of God's perpetual presence. Listen to these familiar words from King David the Shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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 love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Wow. Where do we begin? How do we unpack the majestic beauty of this incredible psalm? Well, let's begin with a few observations. One observation is that David speaks about God in verses one to three. The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul, and so on. When we come to verse four, however, his language changes. You are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me, you prepare a table. Do you see the difference? He transitions from making a speech or declaration to praying a prayer, from speaking to others to speaking to God. These types of transitions are important to look for whenever we read scripture because they reveal the perspective or point of view of the writer. But the most important observation is that David uses a figure of speech to identify things that are alike. He compares something we know to something that might be difficult to grasp or understand. This type of comparison is called a metaphor. And the metaphor he uses is that the Lord is our shepherd and we are his sheep. And this theme continues throughout the Psalm. Why did David use this kind of comparison? How is the Lord like a shepherd? And why are we like sheep? Well, since David grew up as a shepherd, he knows a thing or two about that profession, and since he cared for sheep, he knows why they are a good comparison for us as children of God. So he is speaking from experience, and therefore we can trust what he has to say. Let's look at the role of the shepherd in Old Testament times and let's understand more about sheep and their characteristics so we can answer those questions we just asked. Now I suspect you have the same picture in your mind that I do. I see a strong, wise shepherd leaning on his hooked staff, keeping a keen, protective eye on his flock of sheep. And the sheep he is watching are fluffy and white munching contentedly on ripe green grass without a care in the world. That picture seems consistent with David's description of green pastures and quiet waters. But he also talks about the valley of the shadow of death and evil and enemies, which doesn't quite agree with the green pastures and quiet waters. To help us, we need to learn more about sheep. And so in the next few minutes I want to share some interesting characteristics about sheep, some of which might surprise you. First, sheep lack a sense of direction. I'm sure you've heard stories about dogs or cats that find their way home when accidentally left hundreds of miles away. Somehow they have an instinct that guides them to their home base even though they never traveled that route before. Sheep, however, aren't that way. They get lost easily even in familiar territory. Second, sheep are virtually defenseless. Most animals have claws or rows of sharp teeth to defend themselves with, or they're blessed with great speed to outrun their attackers, or they have the ability to blend in with their surroundings to avoid detection. Not so with sheep. They tend to be awkward and slow, and they don't exactly have an angry growl to scare off predators. Third, sheep are by nature unclean animals. Our dog used to groom herself by licking her paws, but sheep have no such instincts. In fact, they will remain dirty until someone else, i. e. the shepherd, cleans them up. And amazingly, sheep cannot find food or water on their own. Some animals have a keen sense of smell or superior eyesight to locate food or water, but sheep depend entirely on their shepherd to find nourishment for them. With these things in mind, we need to ask ourselves why in the world would David compare us to sheep? How are we as God's people similar to these defenseless creatures that depend almost entirely on their shepherd for their nourishment and protection? Well, I think David is painting the picture of dependence. The sheep's protection rests completely with the shepherd. If left on their own, sheep would be devoured by their predators because they have no defense mechanisms. As children of God we need protection as well, and God provides protective armor to keep us safe, just like the shepherd protects his sheep. Now the sheep's enemies are lions and wolves, but we wrestle against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. And apart from our shepherd, we have no defense mechanisms to fight these kinds of battles. I also mentioned that sheep have no sense of direction. They rely completely on their shepherd to guide them, guide them to food, guide them to water, and to shelter. In the same way we rely on the Lord, our shepherd, to guide us. He does that through his word, through prayer, and through godly people we admire and trust. I commented that sheep are unclean by nature, which is an accurate picture of our situation, isn't it? All our righteous acts are like filthy rags to God. Even if we attempt to clean ourselves we fail miserably because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And just like the sheep who are cleansed by their shepherd, we are cleansed by our shepherd, Jesus. If we walk in the light, John wrote, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus. His son purifies us from all sin. So when we look beyond our childlike picture of white, woolly sheep, we discover that David painted a wonderful, accurate picture by comparing us with the sheep that he knew so well from his days as a shepherd. Now there's one more characteristic of sheep that you need to be aware of, one more fact that really closes the circle on why we are so much like sheep. Here it is. Sheep have rectangular pupils. Now, before you roll your eyes at me, let me explain why that is so important. Because they have rectangular pupils, a sheep's peripheral vision is much greater than ours. When I look straight ahead I can see about one hundred and eighty degrees side to side. In other words, I can detect motion or activity that's even with the front of my head. Sheep, however, because of their rectangular pupils, can actually see behind them. Think about that. They can look straight ahead and still see what's going on behind them. That's actually a pretty impressive feature, isn't it? When I was younger I remember my mom telling me that she had eyes in the back of her head, which was why she could catch me doing things when I thought she wasn't looking. Well, she certainly didn't have eyes in the back of her head, but maybe she had rectangular pupils. This one feature might be the only defense mechanism sheep have. Nothing can sneak up on them from behind. Now I want to suggest that there are two reasons this unusual feature is important to keep in mind. The apostle Paul touched on this in his letter to the Philippians. But one thing I do, he said, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Paul to his credit did not have rectangular pupils. He did not worry about what was behind him. But I'm not so sure I can make that claim. If I'm honest with myself, I am constantly looking behind me, remembering things from my past, things that I have already that I've already dealt with and settled. My mind conjures up sins that I have already asked for and received forgiveness for, but I keep dredging them up, wondering how God could possibly forgive me. And when I do that I am no longer pressing on toward the goal in front of me, and I am no longer an effective instrument in God's hands. I am just like a sheep with rectangular pupils watching what is behind me. But there's another reason why this is so significant, and this one has a positive tone, and is far more important for us to remember, especially when we're in the midst of a valley. When sheep were being moved from one place to another, their shepherd would be out in front leading them, and the sheepdogs would be behind them watching their rear guard, protecting them from harm. And the sheep with their rectangular pupils could see both at the same time, the one leading them in front and the ones protecting them in back, which must have been comforting to a defenseless animal. Do you see how this comparison can help us? Like sheep, we need to recognize that we are protected in front and in the rear. We need assurance that God is leading us and following us, making sure we reach our destination safely. We need to have rectangular pupils. Now before you think I'm just making this up, there is actually a verse in the book of Isaiah that speaks indirectly about this concept of rectangular pupils. Listen. But you will not leave in haste or go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Does that sound familiar? Isaiah is saying that God is in front of us and he is behind us. He is leading us and he is watching our back, just like the shepherd and the sheepdogs. Now how can he do that? Well, because he is omnipresent, that is, he is in all places at all times, meaning he is in front of us and he is behind us. You see, when we're in the middle of a challenging time, we tend to think we're on our own. We've been left to deal with the problem without any help from our shepherd. But nothing could be further from the truth. We simply need rectangular pupils. Let's pray. Lord, I have to admit I was a little insulted when I began to learn more about sheep and their limitations. And then maybe David got it all wrong when he compared me with a sheep. But in reality, I have to admit that my limitations, my dependencies, my shortcomings are truly sheep like, and my need for the good shepherd is greater than ever. Thank you for walking in front of me and behind me every hour, every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will. May He work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

This is the end of our podcast, but it's not the end of our story. Thank you for listening.