Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 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.
In the book of Psalms, there are two passages where the Lord is referred to as a shepherd. Psalm 23 is the most common one. If one has any semblance of a Christian education, he is taught the 23rd Psalm. Many Christians and Catholics alike have committed it to memory. Psalm 80 is a much lesser known Psalm.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
In these passages, both David and Asaph speak to God from the perspective of sheep calling out to a shepherd or sheep being led by a shepherd. They so desperately want to see God take their own lives and the lives of their people and lead them through life. Through previous pictures, we have seen God lead as king and judge, but how does he lead as the shepherd?
First, a shepherd leads gently. In verse 2 of Psalm 23, David says that God leads to green pastures and beside still waters. These green pastures are not rough like the mountains of Israel, but rather they are the fields that surround the homes of the people. And while sometimes the mountains come, when we have passed through those mountains, there is green grass for us to lay down in- gently. The same applies to the waters. The waters that God leads us by are not rushing rivers that would scare us away so that we cannot drink. Rather these waters are calm streams, creeks, lakes, and ponds. The water is still. The water is peaceful. It provides us with a sense of comfort that we would otherwise not experience without the gentle hand of God leading us.
Secondly, a shepherd leads while guarding. Psalm 23:4 talks about the valley of the shadow of death. But, David says, even though we pass through this dreadful valley, we don't need to fear because the Shepherd is right there leading us with His rod and with His staff. The rod was typically a shorter piece of wood and was quite thick at times. The rod's purpose was striking. David very well may have used the rod when he struck the animals who would have tried to kill his sheep. It could have been used as either an offensive or defensive weapon against enemies. The staff had a completely different purpose than the rod. The staff is the stick that we often picture shepherds with. A long pole with a large hook on the end. Its purpose was to corral the sheep and to keep them away from the edge of a cliff or a thorn bush. With the hook, the shepherd could easily grab one of his sheep while keeping a safe distance away from the danger himself. This was used against traps. Both are effective in guarding the sheep against any dangers that they may face.
Finally, a shepherd leads while giving. When one comes to the end of Psalm 23, he encounters two verses that spread out four gifts from the shepherd: the set table, the anointing of oil, the full cup, and the eternal home. The set table is just what it sounds like- it is the food that we enjoy. Not only are we enjoying it, we are enjoying it in the presence of our enemies. His guarding that we saw in the previous verse now allows Him to provide for our needs. This table is not necessarily overly-abundant at this time. But it is a table that fulfills our need.
The anointing of oil was a sign of respect whenever one entered another's home. This gift was designed to show love and acceptance as long as the person was in the home. And daily, we can approach God and be accepted as anointed believers.
The running over of the cup was another custom when one would be a guest in someone's home. A family would give their guest a cup and be careful to make sure that they filled it to the point where it overflowed. This symbolized that as long as the guest was in their home, they would have plenty- abundance. In the same way, God not only provides for our daily needs, but he also provides us with abundant blessings when we follow His leadership.
The final gift of Psalm 23 is the eternal home. Just like we may have stray dogs and cats today, at some points there would be stray sheep in Bible times. They wouldn't have a fold to call home or a shepherd's voice to follow. But this is where we connect the words of Jesus to the words of the Psalmist. When Jesus spoke of Himself as the Good Shepherd, or as the Door of the fold, He spoke of this leadership and of the welcoming into the fold that each of his sheep receives. It doesn't matter where they've come from or what they have seen, they can be welcomed into the fold of God and find a forever home. And today, if you have not done so already, you can be welcomed into the fold of God.
