Psalm 23
The LORD is my Shepherd
Introduction
Psalm 23 is a familiar Psalm to most, if not all of us. It is a testimonial Psalm written by David.
Summary
Unnecessary due to the length of the Psalm. It's only 6 verses long.
The LORD is my shepherd
David immediately goes into the image of being a sheep, and God as his shepherd
So how do I know if I am "anointed"?
Surely goodness and love (some versions goodness and mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
David expresses his confidence in the knowledge that goodness and love/mercy will be with him all his days, that he will be in God's household forever. It is a beautiful, encouraging promise that God leaves for us through David in the Book of Psalms.
Do we have the same confidence? Have we already seen God's goodness and love in our lives?
Conclusion and other thoughts
You'll notice that for the first time, I've written very skeptical, non-conforming stuff in italics at every point. That's me. That's the other half of me that I don't show all the time - the half that says God is a lie. The half that tells me I'm blindly believing in things that don't exist. I don't deny its' existence, but I don't normally display it because it doesn't help people around me. Today, I'll let it be - and I'll put it down, because I know for sure that the LORD is my shepherd, like my father before me.
Psalm 23 holds more meaning to me than what I've written above, and I really found it tough to write Psalm 22 because of this right in front of me.
Psalm 23 was written on my father's obituary. He died in April 1999, and only recently have I realised how much he's left behind for me.
He left a family going to church faithfully every Sunday - even when I wasn't interested in church as I grew up and started to have my own opinions.
He left a wife - my mother - to care for a son who didn't want a shepherd, didn't know green pastures and still waters existed, was cynical and unresponsive to the gospel.
And he left me this thought - that if Psalm 23 should sum up his life, then there must be something important in it that I've always neglected up to this point when I see it again - as a sheep following the shepherd.
Psalm 23 can sum up my life, like it did for my father before me.
Because the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. I know He has provided me every good thing.
He has led me to green pastures and still waters - in the knowledge of the love of Christ I rest and delight. God has restored my soul from its' sinful state - its' rebellion and rejection of God - He has brought me to righteous ways, washed clean by the blood of Jesus on the cross. God has led me through the shadow of the valley of death and out on the other side. He has so graciously provided me the family to guide me along, and a father figure in terms of my older church members to pull me back to Him.
Surely, goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life - and will continue to do so - and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Faith and salvation are not inherited. Let's be clear about that. By being a Christian, I cannot guarantee my son will go to heaven on my account.
But I hope that for the parents out there - know that your faith, your life - it influences us. It makes us who we are today, and guides us to who we are tomorrow. Use your lives to point your children to Christ.
When I was younger, I would sometimes argue - How can God be good if he takes away my father at the age of 7? It seems ridiculous to propose a good God would do such a cruel thing.
Now I know for sure - God may have taken him away, but He has never failed to provide grass, water, healing for my soul, and His goodness and mercy are displayed through the very things He has not taken, but intentionally left for me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The LORD is my Shepherd
Introduction
Psalm 23 is a familiar Psalm to most, if not all of us. It is a testimonial Psalm written by David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.I've also added this beautiful Psalm to the bottom of this webpage.
Summary
Unnecessary due to the length of the Psalm. It's only 6 verses long.
The LORD is my shepherd
David immediately goes into the image of being a sheep, and God as his shepherd
- Sheep
- Sheep are generally characterized by being blur and submissive (sorry sheep!). They follow wherever the shepherd pushes them, at the same time have tendencies to wander off and get eaten by wolves or, in the rare case, I'll eat them too.
- David describes himself as a sheep - often straying off, susceptible to the wickedness of sinful man and the devil, needing God to guide him along.
- Shepherd
- The job of a shepherd is to guide the sheep and to ensure all of them go out, eat their grass, and get back home safely.
- Similarly, God does this for us. He guides us out into life - and one they He'll bring us home to Him.
I shall not be in want
David says this, affirming that God is the Good Shepherd, who takes good care of His sheep. All that David asks for is fulfilled. Let's look at the next few lines.
Do we really not want anything more than what we already have?
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters
Going back to David's sheep-imagery, this is the equivalent of heaven. He gets both grass and water from God, lying down in his natural home.
Is life really like this?
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake
David states these as solid, simple facts. Note that David adds "for His name's sake" to this line - not for any other reason, but to glorify Himself.
How does God restore our souls? How has He guided us in paths of righteousness?
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.
These are the tough times in our lives. These are the times when we feel that not just death, but also sin floods our lives and affects it. God's comfort for us here is in His rod and His staff. With His staff, He continues to guide us in paths of righteousness; He ushers us back to the green pastures and the quiet waters. At the same time, the rod symbolizes the weapon of God against all who terrorize His sheep. He will protect them against wolves and other creatures.
What horrors have we experienced in the valley of the shadow of death, and how has God taken care of us in these situations?
You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
To a human, this would be an act of arrogance - of confidence so great that we fear nothing - to feast in the presence of our enemies and totally disregard them. To God, it is a showcase of His all-powerful-ness.
Even with the feast there, will we dare eat of it in the presence of our enemies?
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
For us, the cup is a symbol of promise.
1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same way, after supper he (Jesus) took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."The cup symbolizes God's promise of salvation - the water of life. Whosoever is chosen by God (see pre-destination in the previous post!), will drink of the cup of salvation - by God's grace - and this cup will never run dry.
So how do I know if I am "anointed"?
Surely goodness and love (some versions goodness and mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
David expresses his confidence in the knowledge that goodness and love/mercy will be with him all his days, that he will be in God's household forever. It is a beautiful, encouraging promise that God leaves for us through David in the Book of Psalms.
Do we have the same confidence? Have we already seen God's goodness and love in our lives?
Conclusion and other thoughts
You'll notice that for the first time, I've written very skeptical, non-conforming stuff in italics at every point. That's me. That's the other half of me that I don't show all the time - the half that says God is a lie. The half that tells me I'm blindly believing in things that don't exist. I don't deny its' existence, but I don't normally display it because it doesn't help people around me. Today, I'll let it be - and I'll put it down, because I know for sure that the LORD is my shepherd, like my father before me.
Psalm 23 holds more meaning to me than what I've written above, and I really found it tough to write Psalm 22 because of this right in front of me.
Psalm 23 was written on my father's obituary. He died in April 1999, and only recently have I realised how much he's left behind for me.
He left a family going to church faithfully every Sunday - even when I wasn't interested in church as I grew up and started to have my own opinions.
He left a wife - my mother - to care for a son who didn't want a shepherd, didn't know green pastures and still waters existed, was cynical and unresponsive to the gospel.
And he left me this thought - that if Psalm 23 should sum up his life, then there must be something important in it that I've always neglected up to this point when I see it again - as a sheep following the shepherd.
Psalm 23 can sum up my life, like it did for my father before me.
Because the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. I know He has provided me every good thing.
He has led me to green pastures and still waters - in the knowledge of the love of Christ I rest and delight. God has restored my soul from its' sinful state - its' rebellion and rejection of God - He has brought me to righteous ways, washed clean by the blood of Jesus on the cross. God has led me through the shadow of the valley of death and out on the other side. He has so graciously provided me the family to guide me along, and a father figure in terms of my older church members to pull me back to Him.
Surely, goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life - and will continue to do so - and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Faith and salvation are not inherited. Let's be clear about that. By being a Christian, I cannot guarantee my son will go to heaven on my account.
But I hope that for the parents out there - know that your faith, your life - it influences us. It makes us who we are today, and guides us to who we are tomorrow. Use your lives to point your children to Christ.
When I was younger, I would sometimes argue - How can God be good if he takes away my father at the age of 7? It seems ridiculous to propose a good God would do such a cruel thing.
Now I know for sure - God may have taken him away, but He has never failed to provide grass, water, healing for my soul, and His goodness and mercy are displayed through the very things He has not taken, but intentionally left for me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
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