Since the beginning of the year, I've been meditating upon Psalm 23. I believe the Psalm is a prophetic Psalm for the year 2023. That has been confirmed by another of other sources. Here is the Psalm 23 (ESV),
A Psalm of David.
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.
When my wife and I were in Israel 5 years ago, I was fascinated by watching the Bedouins as they cared for their sheep. There are 210,000 Bedouins in Israel. Wherever we travelled, we would see them. In fact, they were all over the various regions of Israel, from the luscious green pastures of Galilee to the dry arid desert region around the Dead Sea. Sometimes there were 3 or 4 different flocks mixed into one large flock. However, as soon as the shepherd called the sheep, they would separate and follow their own shepherd. Observing this reminded me of what Jesus said about His own sheep in John 10:27 (ESV)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
In studying Psalm 23, it’s wonderful to be a “sheep” in Jesus’ flock. You won’t have need of anything, He always leads you to fresh good food and cold still water. Jesus leads you in such a way that you begin to be like Him in righteousness and character.
There is no fear of death because He gives you eternal life, John 10:28 (ESV).
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
The Great shepherd then guides you to listen and make proper decisions that benefit and not harm you. Sometimes the rod of discipline is needed when a sheep goes astray. But that is only because He loves us as sons, Hebrews 12:5-6 (ESV)
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Being disciplined by the Lord actually brings comfort because you know that He is keeping you on the straight and narrow path that leads to life.
I love that He prepares a banqueting table in the presence of my enemies, and He anoints my head with oil and my cup overflows in abundance. Afterall, the battle belongs to the Lord. This reminds me of another incredible experience we had in Israel.
Gene Little took Cheryl and I to the village of Tekoa where the prophet Amos lived. To the west of the village is a huge gorge. Apparently, it was there that the angel of the Lord destroyed a great horde of the Ammonites and Moabites who had come against Jehoshaphat and Judah. You can read the narrative in 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (ESV)
“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.”
Notice King Jehoshaphat’s prayer as recorded in verses 5-12; It’s awesome!
“And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11 behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
The answer came through prophet Jahaziel the son of Zechariah (Vs 15-17)
“He said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
In the same way, our nation has been in a great war for the last 4 years as the forces of justice have fought against the “Cabal” and the forces of Lucifer. This war will not be necessarily won by man but the Lord will crush the forces of darkness for us. Remember, the battle is the Lord’s.
What was the strategy given by the Lord? Send the worshippers first before the army. What did they sing?
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
It does not surprise me in the least that many of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in the last several weeks in Asbury and other places has been about praise, worship, and the reading of scripture. Very simple yet so profound. It’s how God fights and wins. Declaring the goodness of God and praising His name. A strategy given 3000 years yet timeless in effect. God is setting an ambush against His enemies.
The result? The enemies destroyed themselves and Judah received all the wealth and plunder of the enemy. In the same way, we are witnessing the fall of the kingdom of darkness that has ruled things behind the scenes for thousands of years. They forgot that it is God who rules over the nations. That has never changed.
I believe that we are getting ready to plunder the enemy and take back what has been stolen from us and our descendants for decades, possibly centuries. How do I know that? Because God provides a table of abundance in the presence of our enemies and goodness and mercy follow us all the days of my life. I go into battle praising and thanking the Lord and it’s His goodness that destroys the enemy and allows us to plunder them on the heels of victory.
That’s just the character of our God! He is good and His love endures forever, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever! It is His joy to even lay down His life for His flock, John 10:11 (ESV)
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Thus, the sheep don’t fear. Even when the bear, wolf and lion come to ravage the sheep, The shepherd drives them off with His rod. The same rod that disciplines also defends. He places himself between the enemies and His flock. Even the sheep that wanders off doesn’t need to far for the shepherd searches for it until it is found (Luke 15).
What enemies are you facing today? Start celebrating the goodness of God. Begin to worship Him with thanksgiving and praise. Don’t be overcome by the size of the enemy or the intensity of the battle. Enjoy the fruits of peace and joy that come from His table. When you’re one of His flock, you cannot lose. The war is almost won. Train your spirit to the sound of His voice. Obey and follow Him. Then you will dwell in His presence both now and forever. You won’t fall to your enemies. Each one will be destroyed before you.