The well known and ever popular 23rd Psalm begins, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” This is a Psalm of King David, “the man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).
In this short Psalm of only six verses, David is expressing what the Lord means to him in a personal way. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (verse 1). From then on, David uses the personal pronouns “He and you” referring to the Lord; and “I and me” referring to himself.
In conclusion, David expresses his complete confidence in the Lord by saying, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (verse 6). And at the end of his earthly life, David says, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
The 23rd Psalm reveals that the Lord our God is consistently good and trustworthy in meeting our temporal and spiritual needs.
The following hymn is a version of Psalm 23 written by Henry Williams Baker (1821-1977). And sung by christian congregations over many years.
Whose goodness faith never;
I nothing lack if I am his
And he is mine for ever.”
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise Within thy house for ever.” —H W Baker 1821-1877
“Psalm 22, 23, and 24 form a trilogy . In Psalm 22 the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11; in Ps. 23 the great Shepherd, “brought again from the dead . . . through the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Heb. 13:20), tenderly cares for His sheep; in Ps. 24 the chief Shepherd appears as King of glory to reward His sheep (1 Pet. 5:4). (C. I. Scofield, D.D.).
Unless the Lord Jesus Christ is truly a person’s Shepherd because he or she has actually received Him as their personal Savior, Psalm 23 will be meaningless. This Shepherd is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Psalm 23 sets forth the resources of our faithful God that exist in great abundance and are readily available to His children.
Observe that at the very beginning of the Psalm David declares: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Here we see the personal relationship between the sheep and his Shepherd. And added to that is I shall not want, which means my needs are fully met. The Bible says, “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” The green pastures and still waters speak of rest, refreshment, and renewal. The rest includes spiritual and natural for body and soul. Then comes the refreshment and renewal beside the tranquility of the still waters. Still waters inspires spiritual meditation that refreshes my soul.
“He restores my soul.” There are times I need to be restored to a right relationship with the Lord because sin has affected my fellowship with Him. The Bible says, “God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name sake.” Because it’s so easy to go astray in life, I need the Shepherd’s guiding hand to keep me on the “straight and narrow” trusted path so that I will remain morally upright. In Psalm 25:4 David prayed for guidance. He said, “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.”
“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.” In this situation I have absolutely no need to fear or doubt anything, because my great Shepherd is ever present with me. The resurrection of Christ from the dead is proof positive that He conquered death. The Bible says, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54,55).
“The Shepherd’s rod and staff are sources of comfort, protection, and guidance. Whenever necessary He may use the rod for correction also.” (William MacDonald).
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” “The Shepherd prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. On the table are spread all the spiritual blessings which He purchased with His precious blood. The table pictures everything that is ours in Christ. Though surrounded by enemies, we enjoy these blessings in peace and security” (William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, pg. 581 Thomas Nelson Publishers).
“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” The Lord anoints me with fresh oil daily “to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23,24). And my cup overflows, speaks of “the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” God’s goodness and mercy are guaranteed for the length of my earthly life, and until I get home to my eternal dwelling place where my great Shepherd is.
What hope is mine. Glory be! Hallelujah for that. Amen.