Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is a very personal psalm
written by David: a shepherd boy
anointed by God to be the Shepherd King.
Long before the crown was placed on David’s head, the Lord was preparing
him to lead the people of Israel by first shepherding the sheep of his pasture:
protecting them, tending to them, feeding them, caring for them, and guiding
them to green pastures.
Are you aware that when David, as
a youth, stepped out to slay Goliath, that he picked up 5 stones and placed
them in his shepherd’s bag? He did not know it at the time, but David was
protecting his future flock of Israel and willingly putting his life in harm’s
way. It affirms in Psalm 78 that the Lord chose David, His servant, and took
him from the sheepfolds “to shepherd Jacob His people…so he shepherded them
according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful
hands.”(v. 70-72) As a man after God’s own heart, David is a living example of
the love and protection we find in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who said
of Himself, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for
the sheep." (John 10:11)
Let’s linger over Psalm 23 and explore
the riches of each verse:
The Lord is my Shepherd: If God is Lord of my life, then I am allowing
Him to govern and guide my life, wherever and however He deems best.
I shall not want: If I am trusting in my Shepherd to guide me,
than I will not have any wants or needs other than what He provides. He knows what is best for my life and feeds
me out of His hand in His own timing and His own way.
He makes me lie down in green
pastures: If my Father is providing for my needs and wants, I will
find contentment and will not have to constantly graze or look for “greener
pastures”. I will be able to rest in His
blessings and His care, no matter how abundant or how scarce.
He leads me beside quiet
waters. If I have found
contentment and trust in His provision, then I will not drown in the rapid
waters when life attempts to pull me under.
He restores my soul: If I am finding peace and rest in Him,
then this will give Him time to heal my innermost being and renovate the broken
pieces of my life where harm has come to me from others or from myself.
Our soul is our entire being:
mental, physical, and emotional—our inner self.
It is the very core of who we are. The Lord not only wants to restore
our spiritual life by giving us new life in His Son, Jesus Christ, but He also
wants to restore the very center of our beings. To restore means “to turn back, return,
refresh, repair.” (H7725) During these times in my life I will learn to trust
Him more as He teaches me His ways and that He created me for His workmanship. He
wants all of our being healthy and whole, complete and satisfied in Him. “You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, and with ALL your soul, and with ALL your strength, and with ALL your mind” (Luke 10:27, emphasis mine)
He guides me in the paths of
righteousness: If I allow
Him to come in and restore my soul, then I will become more like Him and will
choose His righteousness over my own.
For His names’ sake. If I choose His paths of righteousness,
this will bring glory and honor to His name.
Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death: If my life’s goal is to bring Him glory, than
nothing is outside of His purposes for me.
Not the death of a loved one, the death of a dream, the death of my
health, the death of a relationship. He
will never leave me nor forsake me, and He will work all things together for
good “to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
(Romans 8:28) I must walk by faith and
not by sight during these dark times of life.
I fear no evil, for You are
with me: If I trust that the
Lord is with me and for me, and that He will ultimately right every wrong--maybe
not in this lifetime on this side of eternity--but forevermore as we each stand
before the judgment seat of Christ.
Your rod and your staff, they
comfort me. If I trust the Lord with all the circumstances of my
life, I will trust Him in His discipline and correction of the path I have
chosen to bring me back to Him.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies: If I trust the Lord to right every
wrong, then ultimately Jesus will settle the score for me. I do not have to take retribution or
vengeance out on even the worst of grievances.
You have anointed my head with
oil: If I trust the Lord to
be a God of Holiness and Justice, He will sooth my wounds done to me by others.
My cup overflows: If I allow Him to sooth my wounds,
the cup of my life will overflow. Gratitude and thankfulness will be the result
that pour forth over my lips.
Surely goodness and
lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life: If my life is overflowing with His
grace and mercy and healing, then His goodness and lovingkindness will be
evident in my life.
And I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever. If I trust in Him and abide in His love, I
will delight in eternity by daily entering His gates with thanksgiving while
here on this earth and knowing that I will dwell with Him forevermore in
Eternity.
One thousand years after the
reign of King David, an angel of the Lord stood before the shepherds tending
their flock outside the city of Bethlehem and announced that “today in the city
of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke
2:11) How beautiful that from David, past
Shepherd King, to Jesus, future Shepherd King, the most famous birth announcement
from heaven on high would be delivered with great joy to the shepherds
protecting their flock by night.
“For a child will be born to us,
a son will be given to us; and the government will be on His shoulders; and His
name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of
Peace. There will be no end to the
increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over His
kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from
then on and forever more.” (Isaiah 9: 6-7)
How about you? Have you allowed
the Lord to draw you into a very personal relationship with Him through His
Son, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd? If
not stop and ask Him into your heart today. If, however, you have a personal
relationship with Christ, , are you allowing His Holy Spirit to lead and guide
you daily through the good times of green pastures and the dark times of
valleys and trials? Allow Jesus to be
both Savior and Lord of your life. If
you have known Him for a long time in your journeys, how can you personalize
this psalm for your own life? What does
this psalm mean to you? Take some time to either memorize David’s words or
rewrite this psalm with your own pen.
Below is my personal paraphrase of David’s most beautiful of all psalms:
Eternal guidance
Leads me to salvation
And rest for my weary
soul.
Earthly trials
Teach me to trust Him
more
And seek protection
In His discipline and
love.
Eternal victory
results,
Bringing with it
Abundant grace,
goodness,
And lovingkindness
While I walk this
earth
And forevermore in
eternity,
Experiencing
everlasting joy forever and ever
Through His Son,
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
