23rd Psalms

The 23rd Psalms. There is so much more in these few verses than we realize. David was a shepherd boy, so he knew the true meaning of that life. He was considered “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). 1st Samual 6:12-13 tells us, “The Lord said arise and anoint him, and the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” The Psalms are full of David’s praises to God. 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Chronicles tell of David’s life as he followed God, fell and repented, but always loved the Lord. Who is better to be the patriarch of Jesus’ lineage? Throughout the Old Testament, many prophecies foretell a King to come from the line of David.

Now look at this Praise, this song, and think about what it says.

V1a The Lord is my shepherd.

Throughout history, shepherds have been people who tended to animals, known to fight off all dangers. In Matthew 18:11, Jesus tells how one left 99, to search for the one that wandered away. He tells us God loves us so much, He doesn’t want even one to perish. (John 10:11) Throughout the Bible, God and Jesus are spoken of as shepherds keeping watch over us, their flock.

V1b I shall not want.

We need not want. Phil 4:19 tells us that God will supply us with all our needs. Throughout the Bible, we see God providing. He fed the Jews manna from Heaven and brought water from a stone (Neh 9:15)

V2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters; He restoreth my soul.

In Matthew 11:28, God tells us to come to Him all who are weary, and He will give us rest. In V29, He continues by telling us to take His yoke and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find rest for our souls.

V4a Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

Hebrews 9:27, we are told, “It is an appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Romans 5:12 says, “Just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” But John 3:16 tells us that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus assures us also in John 14:1-4 telling us, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house, there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” We’re all going to die. But if we are in Christ, we don’t have to fear death, for when we die, we will be with God. Jesus has gone before us to prepare for us a home in Heaven.

V4b thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

A rod was a tool used by shepherds to fend off danger. Knowing its meaning gives us peace that we know we will be protected. The staff was crook-shaped and could be used to draw back the wandering sheep. We all wander and stray. Look again at David’s life. He was on both ends of the shepherd’s staff. He pulled back the wandering sheep, and God pulled him back into His fold. We have peace knowing the same Shepherd that pulled David back is watching over us still today.

V5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

The Lord always provides. When wandering in the desert, God provided. In Numbers 20:11, Moses raised his arm, struck the rock twice with his staff, and water gushed out. In Exodus 16:4, God told Moses He would rain down food from Heaven. He anointest us as honored guests. And our cup runneth over with the Living Water only God can supply. Jesus offered this "Living Water" to the Samaritan woman in John 4. And God had said, "Arise and anoint him, and the Lord came upon David from that day forward” 1st Samual 6:12-13.

V6a Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

For we are saved by grace, God’s mercy (Eph 2:8). David truly understood the mercy of forgiveness. He had fallen again and again but always came back to God. The Gospels tell us how Christ came to Earth as the sacrificial lamb and died for our sins. His blood was the sacrifice needed to cover our sins. The mercy of God was required to save us. John 10:28-29 tells us that we have eternal life and no one can pluck us out of God’s hand.

V6b And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

John continues in chapter 14 to tell us that Jesus is gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven. In Phil 3:20 we are told that our citizenship is in Heaven. And in 2 Cor 5:1, “We have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the Heavens.

So David, anointed of God in 1 Samuel 16, King in 2 Samuel 5, a man after God’s heart, looked forward 1000 plus years and praised God. And we today, more than 2000 years after the death of Christ, still use this song to praise God. “The Lord is our Shepherd…”