The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
—Psalm 23, KJV
Pastor Tom Johnson, April 25, 2021
Psalm 23—written by King David about his own personal account of his relationship to God. Even God himself says of David that he is “a man after his own heart.” God finds in David a kindred spirit. You’ll remember that the prophet Samuel found David when he was a young man working as a shepherd in the fields. David grew up with sheep and was a skilled shepherd himself. And of all the things he learned about shepherding, the greatest lesson was how much of a great shepherd his Lord and his God is to him. Psalm 23 is often quoted by the prophets that followed David—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah. Jesus himself uses the shepherd imagery in many teachings and parables to explain the love of God and himself as the Good Shepherd. Psalm 23 is popular among Jews and Christians alike. It is used at the bedside in hospitals and in funerals. It is beautiful poetry, bucolic imagery, and tells a powerful story of David’s faith journey with God. He invites us along. It is familiar in the old King James Version because of all the music set to it and oral tradition. Many believers have committed this psalm to memory because of its encouraging power as we contemplate and recite this Scripture. I encourage you to commit it to memory if you haven’t already. I am confident that you will find strength and joy.
“The Lord is my Shepherd.” Just as David cared for sheep—just as he killed lions and bears to protect his sheep, so YAHWEH—his Lord shepherds and protects David. He finds in his own story of nurturing the flock God’s nurture of him.
“I shall not want.” In his relationship with God, he finds contentment and personal peace. God gives him everything he needs. Although he may not have everything he wants, he has experienced God who gives us all we need for life and godliness.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” God so satisfies David’s soul that he is like a sheep who simply cannot eat anymore of the colorful array and nutrient rich bounty. What’s so good to feast on is now good and soft to sleep contentedly on.
“He leadeth me.” The shepherd does not drive his sheep with threats and the whip. He goes on ahead. He leads us. And how do you make any creature follow? By kindness, goodness, and cultivating trust. The sheep know the Shepherd’s character and his voice. And so we follow.
“He leadeth me beside the still waters.” David appreciates not only the hydration God gives but also the empathic way God leads him. God knows how easily startled his sheep can be by tumultuous waters. With the Lord we are not swept away by the flood but drink deeply of his living waters.
“He restoreth my soul.” David remembers the times the sheep would get caught in a thicket, cast on their backs in a crevice, or trapped in a steep ravine. The shepherd does not despise the sheep for their waywardness but always brings back what is lost. The Lord restores our souls and places us safely on solid ground.
“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” God puts the sheep on the right path—the path that leads to love and gratitude toward the Shepherd and love and respect toward the other sheep in and outside the fold. We manifest the righteousness of the Shepherd because of his goodness toward the sheep.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Sometimes the right path goes through dark and terrifying valleys where death looms large. But the sheep do not fear. The Shepherd takes us safely through—not to—but through.
“For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The perfect love of the Shepherd casts out the fear that threatens. He does not leave nor forsake the sheep as orphans. His rod can take out the lions and the bears. His staff can crush the serpent’s head. It is by the rod of his Word that we are delivered. The Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep on the wooden beams of the Cross. “All of us like sheep have gone astray—each to their own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him” [Isa 53:6]. He triumphs over death and evil for us. By the staff and power of his Word, he is always near to guide us.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The Shepherd prepares the feast of victory. He has us for supper—not to be the meal—but as those who take and eat as his beloved daughters and sons. We are no longer mere sheep but members of his family. He raises us up to sit at table with him.
“Thou anointest my head with oil.” We are now Christened in our adoption as royal children. We are the baptized. He fills us with the Holy Spirit. We have the indelible mark as the redeemed people of God.
“My cup runneth over.” Jesus drink of the cup of his suffering so that he can pour out his lavish grace of forgiveness and strength for the remainder of our life’s journey. God’s grace superabounds toward us.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” The sheep have the confidence that the Shepherd’s love will pursue us all our days. He will not give up on bringing us back and setting us on the path of life. No one can snatch us out of his hand. Our salvation and life in him is secure.
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” The Shepherd has gone before us to prepare a place for us in his mansion and his eternal Kingdom. We will always be at home with the Father just has Christ has made his home in our hearts.
The King of Love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
(“The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” LSB 709, v. 1)
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