The book of Psalms is a book in the Bible that many people find meaningful. The book of Psalms speaks to the human heart about the challenges and struggles all people face. There are individual psalms that certain people appreciate and go to when life becomes difficult. Probably the best-known and most loved psalm is Psalm 23. It is short and easy to remember; in fact, it is taught to children to memorize, which is a good thing. But more than that, Psalm 23 is emotionally moving and speaks comforting truth to followers of the Good Shepherd. Therefore, Psalm 23 qualifies as one of the truly great chapters of the Bible and will be the focus of this study.
Psalm 23 is biblical poetry and uses the imagery of the shepherd and his sheep as a metaphor for the Lord and his people. The image of the shepherd is such an evocative one that we need to understand the shepherd-sheep relationship. Shepherds have the responsibility to care for and protect the sheep. They lead them, feed them, and watch over their every need. Shepherds are dedicated to the well-being of the sheep. When we transfer this imagery to the Lord and his people, we understand that it is the Lord who cares for and protects us. He is dedicated to our well-being. It is a metaphor that naturally fits with what we know about the Lord and his love for us.
In the six verses of Psalm 23, we notice three stanzas. In the first stanza, David talks about his relationship with the Lord, and in the second and third stanzas, David talks to the Lord about their relationship. In the first stanza (23:1-3), we see how the Lord cares for his sheep. The first verse gives us the general statement of the Lord’s care. Then we find in verses two and three four ways he cares for us.
The First Stanza
This beautiful and meaningful poem begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (23:1). In this first verse, the image of the shepherd is evoked, and then the result of the relationship is expressed. Notice the power of the tiny first-person singular personal pronoun, my. The Lord is my shepherd. Yes, he is the shepherd of every believer, but to say he is mine conveys a close relationship that has important ramifications for my life. He belongs to me because I belong to him. What happens to me matters to him. Then, we see the result of this personal relationship. I shall not want means that I shall not be without what I need, though I may not have what I desire. Because the Lord Jesus is my shepherd, I shall not be in any need that he will not take care of. The divine shepherd cares for the needs of his sheep in a way that no human shepherd can.
In the rest of the first stanza (23:2-3), David enunciates four ways the Lord, as his shepherd, cares for him. First, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” In the land of Israel, green pastures are hard to come by. The shepherd sometimes led his sheep long distances to locate the necessary pastures. Our shepherd, the Lord Jesus, provides us with the rest and nourishment we need in the green pastures of his physical and spiritual provision. Second, “He leads me beside the still waters.” The still waters bring peace and refreshment to the sheep. Water is life-giving. We need water to live. Our shepherd provides us with the spiritual water we need. “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (John 6:35).
We find the third provision of our shepherd in verse three, “He restores my soul.” The word soul can mean the innermost part of our being or our life in general. We can take it both ways here. Jesus restores our souls by the salvation he brings. He saves our souls. In like manner, he restores our lives. The Shepherd of our souls can restore a ruined and wasted life (1 Peter 2:25). Finally, the fourth provision of our shepherd concludes the first stanza, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” In the first three, we are the passive recipients of the Lord’s provision. But in this final provision, we are actively involved. The path he leads us to walk in our lives is the path of righteousness. We live in conformity with his will by obeying his word. And it is all by his grace and for his glory (for his name’s sake).
The Second Stanza
The second stanza (23:4) is a prayer. David’s prayer to the Lord is about his fears and the Lord’s presence that calms his fears. “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.” The Lord is our shepherd. He is always leading us. Sometimes, he leads us through the darkness of shadowy valleys that feel like death. He is with us there and has a purpose in the valley. We fear no evil because he is with us. He will bring us out on the other side of the dark valley. In the valley, we know our shepherd carries his rod and staff. The shepherd’s rod was a short, stout club to chase away the predators. His staff has the shepherd’s hook on the end to snatch us out of danger. The rod and the staff of our shepherd comfort us in the valley.
The Third Stanza
We observe in the final stanza that David has shifted the metaphor from the shepherd to the gracious host metaphor. Some maintain that the shepherd metaphor is present throughout the psalm, but it is clear that the third stanza changes the metaphor to praise the surprising grace of the Lord on David’s life. The Lord is the host at a banquet where David is the guest of honor. The host showers his gracious blessings on his guest. The Lord, as host, sets a banquet table with David in the honored position. As the honored guest, David’s head was anointed with oil. The anointing with oil represents the Lord’s choice of David as king. But the contextual meaning of anointing the head with oil is that of the honored guest who comes in from a long, dusty, and tiring journey and receives the refreshing oil on his head. Life is a hard journey, but the grace of the Lord refreshes along the way. He is with us every step of our journey through this life. Here, God’s surprising, amazing grace is poured out on David’s life. David is astonished to see all the Lord has done for him. David sits in the place of honor, not because he deserves it, but because of the pure grace of God. So it is with every believer in Jesus Christ. The grace of God is poured out on us in more ways than we realize. Because the Lord is so good and gracious, David expects this blessing to pursue him all the days of his life. This is beautiful, but the grace of the Lord does not end there. David knows that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. His eternal home is in the presence of the Lord.
Conclusion
The twenty-third Psalm is truly one of the great chapters in the Bible. Believers in Jesus have cherished it and been strengthened by it throughout history. Each word speaks to the heart. It is a feast of God’s love and grace that humbles us and encourages us as we face the struggles of life in this broken world. We thank the Lord for his blessings of life and the Lord for the blessing of Psalm 23.
Though short and simply written, the beautifully worded messages of the 23rd Psalm are deep and meaningful.