Servant Leadership in Psalm 23

A Servant Leadership Model

The Lord leads us perfectly. He is not slack in getting done what is necessary nor is He anxious about anything. As leaders on the other hand, we tend to find ourselves in one of two camps. While some cannot seem to maintain the discipline in order to accomplish Kingdom work, still others are too busy building a kingdom God didn’t ask for rather than waiting on God’s solution. Over the next few weeks we will examine the 23rd Psalm, to find evidence of God’s leadership and how to apply those principles to our lives.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I 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 have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

We will divide each section into two applicable parts.
1.) How this Psalm relates to us personally as the sheep in this Psalm.
2.) How God gives us an example of leadership as the Shepherd in this Psalm,

The Lord is My Shepherd I Shall not want.

As Sheep…

God has demonstrated that He is possessive of His sheep (John 10:27) and the sheep ought to be possessive of the Shepherd. There is a relationship established which represents commitment, dedication, and loyalty to a singular entity. God made a covenant with you personally through Christ and those who are redeemed have entered that covenant with the Shepherd. Whether in life or death, feast or famine, blessing or cursing “I shall not want”. Whatever state we are in we can trust that the Shepherd knows best. Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th century pastor, cogently wrote in the Treasury of David regarding this Psalm.“I might want otherwise, but when the Lord is my Shepherd he is able to supply me needs, and he is certainly willing to do so, for his heart is full of love, and therefore “I shall not want.” I shall not lack for temporal things. Does he not feed the ravens, and cause the lilies to grow? How, then, can he leave his children to starve? I shall not want for spirituals, I know that his grace is sufficient for me…. I may not possess all I wish for, but “I shall not want”.”

As Shepherds…

One of the greatest challenges facing leaders is building relationships marked by dedication, loyalty to a leader. While God is entirely worthy of these attributes, leaders on the other hand have to work diligently to maintain relationships and be worthy of respect and following. It has been said that if you think you are a leader look around and see if anyone is following. Obviously not all people follow the Lord or His will, yet God is still the perfect leader. Not all people will choose to follow your leadership. This does not make you an ineffective leader. The question isn’t whether everyone is following you but is anyone following. God will provide leaders for what He wants you to accomplish. He will provide no less or more. A chief example of God’s sufficient provision is Gideon. (Jud. 7:7) As a leader, you shall not want for followers if you are doing the bidding of the Lord. Simultaneously,  your followers will not be in want if you give them what they are looking for, a clear vision, consistent example, and Christ-like love.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

As Sheep…

God never asks us to take on ourselves more than we can bear. His admonition to us is that we “be anxious for nothing but in prayer and supplication make our requests known to God.” (Phil. 4:6) As our Shepherd, God’s leadership always leads us toward inner peace and contentment. This does not mean that we will not be busy about the work He has given, but it is the peace and pleasure of God that stills us. God also leads us to communication with Him. A private council where we can be quiet and listen to the shepherd and heed His instruction.  Sheep who get out of earshot of the Shepherd get frantic and fearful. We have a responsibility to stay close to God and never let anything get us out of range of the Shepherds voice. If we will listen the waters run smooth and quiet and are easy to drink from. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

As Shepherds…

Lead your people to peace. When suitable delegate, delegate, delegate.  Spread the work among the sheep so that each can fulfill their role in grace. This is the path of peace for not only the leader but also those who follow. As a leader you need to be the calming force in the lives of your followers.  Sheep are easily frantic and fearful, getting themselves into all kinds of trouble if left alone.  The greatest amount of success can be achieved through clear communication, careful delegation, and considerate involvement.  Lead your people to the still waters, which are in Christ. Remember always that you cannot lead where you have not been, so protect yourself from harm by wearing out the path that leads to those “quiet waters”. Once there, you can observe as the sheep do the work and stay refreshed at the same time.

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

As Sheep…

God is the sole source of redemption. He restores one’s soul to its pre-fall condition before God as righteous. Restoration and rescue could be synonymous terms in this passage. A Shepherd’s primary responsibility is the care and well being of the flock.  This is not merely in meeting physical needs but rescuing them from themselves and from enemies that seek to devour them. It is no great secret that sheep, like us, are  inherently unintelligent when it comes to their well-being. Sheep do not even understand their weight distribution so that if they fall over they cannot move. No matter how strong a will they possess, they cannot get up from that place without the Shepherd. The path that the Shepherd chooses is always clear and right, even if it is a bit narrow. The Shepherd is keenly aware of the dangers that the sheep are oblivious to. Because of the Shepherd’s ability to see beyond the sheep, He alone is the one they trust to lead them on the right path.

As Shepherds…

Our primary concern with those entrusted to us is not merely the agenda before us but the path that must be traveled for each follower to get there. How a person gets where they are going can be more important than the goal or the length of time needed to travel. The key word here is patience. Our Shepherd is profoundly and inexplicably patient with His sheep. Sadly, not just one of us has gone astray but “each one has gone astray and turning to their wicked ways.”(Isa. 53:6) Still, our Shepherd manages to accomplish His celestial task using a collection of stray sheep. How much more patient ought we be with those we lead when presented with that truth? Walking in the dark is no fun, it always involves stubbing your toe or falling over something that you knew was there but failed to see for a lack of turning on the light. We must trim the lamps and clear the path for our followers, so that righteousness will be the objective not self indulgent, and often self-aggrandizing goals, which leave a wake of hurting and frustrated sheep in his/her wake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

As Sheep…

The journey with the Shepherd is long and envelops a vast degree of difficulties. God is always present. He does not turn the other way when the flock is faced with deep, dark and even everlasting shadows. It is not death itself that is in question but the very edge of it. Most believers do not fear what comes after death, it is the manner of death that grips us and fills us with fear. The sheep in this case have no cause for fear even in the face of death. There is no evil that can overtake the sheep. The Shepherd stands ready to do battle with the weaponry of His craft to defend those in His care. What is this weaponry? It is the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresence of God Almighty with whom “there is no shadow of turning”. (Jas. 1:17)

As Shepherds…

Leaders do not possess the ability to prevent danger or death of one of his/her followers.  Though God is sovereign over these events, leaders are observers and participants in difficult times. Sheep must have confidence that their Shepherd will not abandon them to the darkness. Administratively and spiritually, they must be assured that we will not let them go where they are not ready or prepared and other times send them into the darkness knowing that there are potential dangers lying in wait with severe consequences if gone unprepared. Leaders must also be equipped with the tools they need to accomplish the mission, defend and care for the sheep. Likewise, training and development is necessary to be most effective with those tools. Initial and continued education is a must for any effective leader and those in his/her leadership.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

As Sheep…

The conversation at this point shifts from the language of sheep and shepherd to servants and king. There is a feast at hand, in which the servant is the focal point. The King allows attention to be given to His servant since he is such a fine reflection of the purposes of the King. God tends to make a grand spectacle of His faithful followers. Those who model commitment and humility He presents before many, even their enemies. He not only provides the means but also prepares it Himself. Faithfulness breeds spiritual reward and God is gracious, lavish, and even extravagant in His demonstrations of love toward His faithful. (He who is faithful in little….Luke 16:10) The blessings of God are already flowing in your life. Remember, and God is not stingy. He is holy and therefore draws glory to Himself by displaying the trophies of His grace.

As Shepherds…

“Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up” (Jas. 4:10). As a leader acknowledge those who are participants in whatever success that is gained. In abundance and without flattery, be a gracious leader to those in your provision. Allow for those who serve to share in the success. This is not to the glory of men but to the glory of God. (1 Thes. 5:11) Leaders do not move from servant to boss. They are chief among servants. Our chief example of this is Jesus himself who, “did not come to be served but to serve”(Matt. 20:28). A leader never stops serving; he/she is perpetually preparing the way for future leaders through example in service. This does not mean they perform every task themselves, but they are ready and willing to perform any duty when called upon no matter how menial or trivial the task may seem. The highest form of condescension ever witnessed in history is the birth of Christ. God Almighty clothed in
the flesh of a helpless, defenseless baby. God, the one who spoke the words of creation became the created and without a voice. (Phil. 2:1-11) This is our example and model for our service as leaders.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

As Sheep…

The results of following the Shepherd are specific blessings that come from God himself.  These blessings are enumerated by His presence in this life and His eternal presence in the life to come. Goodness and lovingkindness (often translated mercy) are two of the greatest treasures on can possess here on earth. The smile of the face of God on ones life satisfies the longing in each soul for the presence of God. It is the filling of the God sized vacuum that the philosopher Voltaire spoke of. God’s lovingkindness (checed in Hebrew, pronounced kessed) is the greatest expression of love and dedication given in the Hebrew language. It is used most often used to describe God’s love toward His chosen people. God’s promises extend into eternity with the promise of an eternal home with God. This is the chief end of God’s creation that we would live for God in the flesh and live in continuous fellowship with Him for all eternity.

As Shepherds…

While we know it is impossible for us as leaders to provide inner peace and eternal life, it is not beyond our grasp to be living examples of the goodness of God in our demonstrated faithfulness and commitment to sharing the message of Christ with all. It is important to leaders and followers alike to remember that all that is done, every breath expended, and dollar spent is so more will hear the voice of the chief shepherd, cry out His name and share in the life temporal and eternal that has been given to us in Christ.  Keeping “the main thing the main thing” while so simple in thought is much more difficult in the throws of leadership. It is that leader that can keep a cool head and calm heart that will persevere in faith and exhibit the traits seen in these verses. Let’s commit ourselves to excel in all areas this year, focusing on leadership that is modeled after our Lord and Shepherd. The path to fulfilling the will of God for our personal lives and His church is found in not only the methodology, philosophy and doctrine, but also in how we handle ourselves as leaders and lead others down the path toward home.