“The LORD is my shepherd…” (Psalms 23:1)

King David continues his thought of Who is “my Shepherd.” He is my Savior; but He is also my Sovereign.

The Sovereign (My God)

David uses seven active verbs to show that The LORD (my Shepherd) had complete control over His own Creation; over the affairs of David’s life, and his position now and forever in Christ.

Note these phrases:

1. “He maketh me to lie down” (Psalms 23:2a)
2. “He leadeth me by” (Psalms 23:2b)
3. “He restoreth my soul” (Psalms 23:3a)
4. “He leadeth me in” (Psalms 23:3b)
5. “With me… comfort me” (Psalms 23:4b-c)
6. “Thou preparest a table before me” (Psalms 23:5a)
7. “Thou anointest my head with oil” (Psalms 23:5b)

The key verbs are “maketh… leadeth… restoreth… leadeth… comfort (or comforteth)… preparest… anointest.”

All of these verbs are active by the Power of God upon His Sheep. Each Sheep is passive in receiving the action; Jehovah (The LORD, the Shepherd) is the Power of these actions upon the Sheep.

Each one of these verbal phrases is worthy to exegesis, and will be in the next devotions. But the primary focus in this devotion is The Sovereign (My God).

The first definition of the word “sovereign” as a noun is “one possessing the supreme power and authority in a state.” Synonyms would be “autocrat, monarch, ruler.”

In this devotion, God the Shepherd is viewed in His Sovereignty (or supremacy in rule, or power) over all things; but especially over His Sheep.

When we speak of the Sovereignty of God, we are speaking of “power to govern without external control.”

God is Sovereign because:

1. He is God, the only True and Living God;
2. He is the Creator of all things;
3. He is the Controller of all things;
4. He is the Consummator of all things;
5. Being God, He answers to no one.

Being the Origin of all things, even life itself, He is the Owner of all His Creation. All of His Creation is governed by His Plan and Purpose, which cannot be altered or changed (Hebrews 6:17-20).

1) The First Step a quickened sheep must do is to Surrender to God as Lord and Master; as the Ruler, the Head, the Controller. He must come to relinquish his own will, desires, and plans to the Mighty and Perfect Purpose of God. When one surrenders, he gives into; he quits his own struggles and his fight to do it his way.

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” (Proverbs 19:21)

“But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. (14) For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.” (Job 23:13-14)

You, as a quickened Sheep of God, will come to see that God has ordained your steps; that God is God all alone; that He will carry out His Plan for you; that God loves you and has good for you; that God knows exactly where you are at every second of your earthly journey; and that nothing catches God by surprise. Also, being His Creation, His chosen one – God is your Owner. Whatever He does in your life, you must surrender that He is God, and He is doing best for you (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

You must come to see:

“Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;” (Job 14:5)

“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.” (Psalms 39:4)

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)

You must come to see that it is the Sovereign God that has ordered (established) your steps (Psalm 37:23). Then, and only then, can you come to rest in God, and in His Power and Purpose for you in Christ.

2) The Second Step of a quickened sheep is to Submit to His Will. Not only to know He is your Creator, but He is also your Savior. You must submit to Him (or be ranked under Him). This kind of submission comes by Divine Revelation. God reveals Himself in Christ. Christ is God in the Flesh, and His Written Word (the Bible) reveals His Will (Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:2-3.)

When the Holy Spirit of God reveals to you: This is My Will (as written in God’s Word) – then comes Submission. Not only is God my Creator, but He is also my Savior, my Head, my Holiness, and my Righteousness. I know He bought and paid for me:

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Therefore, I must glorify Him in my body and my spirit. (See Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; etc.)

This submission is in the spirit of the Child of God. It is the Work of the Holy Spirit of God (Matthew 16:13-16; John 6:67-69). This submission is an acknowledgment that the Written Word of God is Truth, and must be His Will.

3) The Third Step of a quickened sheep is Obedience to the Word of God:

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:21-22)

Obedience is the legs of faith (James 2:14-26). The proving of Submission to God as Lord and Master; the Submitting to His Will of Holiness, Love, and Peace – comes by actual Obedience (John 14:15), or by works of faith. Without obedience, there is no real proof to yourself or to others:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22)

4) Then, the Fourth Step of a quickened sheep is Endurance. Endurance is the continuing-on in the walk of faith. It is a never-turning-back; never giving in, or up, to the enemy:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

You do not obey God to get Him to save you. But you obey God because you love Him (John 14:15); and because God is the Ultimate Force working in you:

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

David, aware that God was Sovereign over him, writes Psalm 23:1-6, picturing His Sovereign God as his Shepherd. Therefore, being his Shepherd, God was his Leader, Guide, Provider, Protector, and Power – now and forever. Because Jehovah was his Shepherd, then in this life, “goodness and mercy” shall follow him all the day of his life, as David would dwell (abide) in the House of the Lord for ever.

The Shepherd Concept is a beautiful way to see the Blessings and Benefits of being a sheep in God’s Flock.

The Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is a foundational must for every Child of God to surrender to, and submit to – for him to have perfect peace and rest in who he is, where he is, and what is happening in his daily life.

Life’s journey is full of ups and downs; dark days, sunny days, and days when we just don’t understand why God would allow this to be happening in our life.

However, when a Child of God comes to see and to know, by experience, that God is his Shepherd – then, whether he understands his circumstances or not, he knows God loves him, and has good for him. So this is where Peace, Rest, and Contentment begin; that is, in The Sovereignty of God.