TRILOGY PSALMS (22.23.24) PSALM 23 – THE SUPERB SHEPHERD – HIS CARE AND WORK AS THE SHEPHERD – JESUS CHRIST IN PERFECTION
A Bible Study in Three Psalms – the Trilogy Psalms 22, 23, 24. Today we do the second one of those – Psalm 23
If you wanted a book with a detailed procedure on heart surgery, you would not go to one writ-ten by a pig farmer who tried to do some patching up of a pig’s heart. If you wished to seek the best advice on marriage counselling, you would not go to an outline written on celibacy by a Carmelite nun. If you wanted to know about raising sheep and caring for them 3000 years ago, you would seek out the expert. Who better to write about it than a youth who spent his time with sheep, studying the methods of shepherding? To make that even better, you’d seek a shepherd who also knew God’s care for the individual. That brings us to David, the shepherd of the sheep and the sweet psalmist of Israel.
There are too many professors around, self-proclaimed experts who are really full of hot air. They profess to know this and know that but in fact they know nothing useful. The Parliaments of the world are full of them. Sad to say, the churches also have their fair share of these pre-tenders who try to instruct others but themselves are in the kindergarten of instruction.
This Psalm has been the delight of all devout people for 3000 years and it might be stated, has been a comfort for bereaving people who have not been Christians. It is another of the Psalms that has come out of the daily experiences of David as he knew the faithfulness and care of God, and could testify of it in complete confidence.
It is one of those rarer sections of Scripture from the Old Testament that has equal relevance to the Jews of David’s time and beyond, and to all Christians of the Church era. We must always be careful with Old Testament writings to mark the exact relevance in context to the time it was written, especially in the prophetic books. There has been too much confusion and muddling of Israel and the Church. Both are totally, distinctively different! We will deal with that another time so we don’t get distracted from this beautiful psalm.
What makes this Psalm superb is the lovely flow and content contained in the 6 verses especially in the KJV. So much of relevance is packed into that short psalm. Many, many poems have been composed from its material. Some beautiful hymns have their inspiration in Psalm 23, and countless numbers of sermons and talks have been based on this joy of David’s experience. In my early Christian years I recall vividly the transcending beauty of singing this Psalm to the tune Crimond. “The Lord’s my Shepherd I’ll not want; He makes me down to lie . . .” etc.
At first look, the Psalm could be taken on face value as applying to the followers of God, Chris-tians for example, where we consider the Lord as our Shepherd. That makes it all about the rela-tionship between God and us. All that is very true and must be understood that way. However there is a higher application and it is that which makes it a Messianic Psalm. It demonstrates the dependent relationship that was the surrender of the Lord Jesus to the will and guidance of the Father in His life on earth. We need to see that double application as we work through it. Addi-tionally it will be the theme of the saved Jews during the Millennium. Let us now consider the content, the lovely teaching of this psalm.
VERSE 1
{{Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd. I shall not want.”}}
The verse could well be at the end of the Psalm to summarise the points given in the other vers-es, but the bold affirmation at the beginning is such a positive knowledge, and continual experi-ence of David, that he wanted to shout it out and then develop the reasons for it. The shepherd in Israel had plenty of time to think and reflect on his own care of the sheep and from there, he would understand the care of the Master Shepherd.
There are many things in life that carry both joy and responsibility. Too many want the joy but not the responsibility. It is a joyful thing to see the work of your God-directed hands bearing fruit. David could look out over the flock on the hillside, or on the path, or eating or drinking at the waters, and he would be filled with satisfaction.
However that came because of being faithful to his responsibilities. There were many responsi-bilities. The day needed planning; the seasonal changes required decisions at appropriate times; the paths needed to be free from obstacles; he had to know the best places in the stream for drinking; and at all times he had to know where each sheep was. Alertness was required, for the wild animals were cunning and if the shepherd dropped off to sleep, he might wake to find a sheep missing. He had to ensure the day ended with all the sheep accounted for and properly housed such as being in a sheepfold.
The verse ends with, “I shall not want.” That is the wording, not “Every thing I want I will get,” as a wrong false doctrine these days teaches. This touches on needs and wants. God looks after our needs, not our wants. Wants are usually allied to materialism. Let us look at these verses:-
{{Psalm 34:9 “O fear the LORD, you His saints, for to those who fear Him, there is no want. Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger but they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.”}}
At first reading verse 9 might seem that there is no want of anything to those who fear the Lord, but it must be emphasised that those who fear the Lord are not running after materialism. I de-sire “no want” in my spiritual life, in my relationship with God – the fulfilled Christian life. This is not about accumulating physical wants. We are reminded of Paul who said this in his letter to Timothy – {{1Timothy 6:8 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”}} Those are necessary wants, and God wants those for us.
When verse 10 speaks about “who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing,” it cer-tainly does not refer to the greed and lust of materialism, which has so destroyed Christians in western countries. I truly admire Christians in poor nations of the world. Some Christians in China, India, and especially in many of the African nations, have very little in material posses-sions, but they have a brilliant testimony for the Lord. They are not weighed down by material-ism and God gives them bountiful supplies from the well of joy and faith and rejoicing. I love my brothers and sisters from these poor places who are far richer spiritually than most of us.
I remember many decades ago when visiting Ukarumpa, the base for Wycliffe Bible Translators as SIL was known then, in Papua New Guinea, where these missionaries and translators lived on the compound. Those from the USA had all sort of appliances and knick-knacks and physical things while the Australians and New Zealanders had next to nothing. I am not criticising that, but I did wonder about where our value system lay.
VERSE 2
{{Psalm 23:2 “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters.”}}
What would green pastures mean to you? How would that be applied to Christians thrown in prison and tortured and then thrown to wild beasts in a Roman arena . . . and to African Chris-tians in war-torn countries starving to death? These are realities and our understanding of the Psalm must fit proper interpretation.
I think to answer that we need to appreciate what “green pastures” actually are. I will say what they are not – they do not represent materialism. Neither do they represent an easy life, or a life free from trouble. To the shepherd in David’s time green pastures meant the best of the pasture land. It was the choicest selection of good grass, nutritious and healthy. Yes, there were pickings among the rocks on the hillsides and in the shade of a few stunted trees but the grass was tough and wiry and lacked the best nutrition.
The green pastures were the best that were available. As well as that it was a place of content-ment so the sheep could lie down and rest with full bellies. Now what was described was for the shepherd with his flock of sheep. Transpose that to see what it means for us. We are the sheep of the Lord’s green pasture. What can we draw from that?
1. God provides the best for us.
2. The pasture is for our feeding not for material things (though in some cases God adds those)
3. Our feeding is of a spiritual nature. We are sheep of the spiritual flock.
4. The spiritual blessings are totally satisfying and sustaining so that we can rest in the green pasture in contentment. {{1Timothy 6:6 “But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment, 1Tim 6:7 for we have brought nothing into the world, so we can-not take anything out of it either.”}}
What are the green pastures? Well, none other than the word of God as the Holy Spirit feeds it to us, and helps us digest the words of the living God.
Also how do we understand the word “makes me” – “makes me lie down” – is that coercion or forcing? He makes me lie down. Never must we impugn wrong motive to God. There is no forc-ing – He does with us what is best for us. The sheep did not always know that the pasture they were in was the best, but the shepherd knew. The great Shepherd of the sheep cares for his Flock better than any earthly shepherd would do for his own flock. We, the sheep, must entrust our care and our whole lives to the Good Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd.
VERSE 3
{{Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.}}
There are two actions the Shepherd takes here and David knew them so well. The Lord restores the soul and the Lord leads.
Why does the soul need restoring? To help us understand, here are two passages – {{Isaiah 33:2 “O LORD, be gracious to us. We have waited for You. May You be their strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of distress.”}} And Lamentations {{3:22-24 “The LORD’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease for His compassions never fail. Lam 3:23 They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. Lam 3:24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “there-fore I have hope in Him.”}}
After a tiring journey we fall to sleep for the night then wake having been refreshed (except when you are older like me it does not always work that way). The Lord restores our souls and spirits. David knew that on those occasions when the sheep had to do a long day’s travel, that they were tired and at night slept well but early next morning they were refreshed. That is what the Lord does for us. He refreshes and restores our souls and spirits.
Another point here is this. After those long days of travel the shepherd also would be feeling tired. However night is the time when the sheep were in danger from predators, so the shep-herd had to be vigilant while the sheep slept. We are like those sheep, but think about this love-ly passage and how it can apply to us – {{Psalm 121:2 “My help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth. Psa 121:3 He will not allow your foot to slip. He who keeps you will not slumber. Psa 121:4 Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psa 121:5 The LORD is your keeper. The LORD is your shade on your right hand.”}}
The Lord is ever at hand and He wants to guide me in the paths of righteousness. I said “wants to” rather than “He guides me” because we can resist that guiding and won’t allow the Lord to lead us in righteous ways. It would be for our detriment for us to refuse that, but the old sinful nature draws us away from the righteous path God wants for us. However when we are willing, the Lord will lead us in those righteous ways, and that is the way it ought to be. He leads us for His Name’s sake. That great Name means Saviour, Redeemer, Mediator, Restorer, Comforter, and Guide and Shepherd. The Name covers it all.
VERSE 4
{{Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”}}
The valley of the shadow of death is where the cliffs rise up on either side and pen us in. It is like our enemies have planned strategies to capture and kill us. Death is always present even if it is shadowy, not wholly real as we walk through the world’s gloominess. The expression probably means gloomy darkness and that is what we walk through. David certainly knew this as he had a constant run of enemies who threatened him all the time. He did walk through the valley of the shadow. He must have thought of himself as a sheep just waiting to be slaughtered.
Paul wrote this – {{Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribula-tion, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered,” Rom 8:37 but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”}}
Paul also walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Verse 36 lived Paul’s experience daily. For David and Paul, and therefore for us, we do not fear death. Death is an evil of sin but we do not fear it.
Verse 4 of the Psalm mentions the two main tools of the shepherd, the rod and the staff. The rod was for correction (not punishment for a good shepherd would not punish his sheep). It was used to correct a sheep that was on a wrong track or that had gotten lost. Its path needed to be corrected but with care and in love. The staff or crook was a long stick with a hook at the end to assist in lifting sheep but always used to defend the flock from predators.
David knew the way these worked for the shepherd, but he absolutely knew how he was under the great Shepherd’s care Himself, thus “The Lord is my Shepherd”. So are we. The rod is used by our Lord to correct us and His staff is used to defend us from all our enemies. He tenderly and gently cares for us as a shepherd cares for each individual sheep. That is a great comfort.
VERSE 5.
{{Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil. My cup overflows.}}
Picture that. There is a table set but all around it are my enemies. I am sitting at the table and my enemies are watching but they are powerless. So what is this table? To answer that we ask, “What is the purpose of a set table?” It can be for a double reason only, and that is, communion and fellowship. The verse says God has prepared this for me so it is outside the realm of ene-mies.
You see this table has nothing to do with daily living and the events of life or activities. Again we say, communion and fellowship. Both those words are close in meaning but combined they mean the following. There is a two way street between God and me. I commune with God and He does with me. This incorporates both prayer and the witness of God’s word. The Holy Spirit takes up the words of the bible and gives me thoughts and ideas and comfort and guidance and teaching.
The table is set with all good things. The milk and meat of the word, the Bread of Life, and the wine of the True Vine. It is the abundance I need. Jesus is all things to me.
Do you remember the parable of the prodigal son? Well, when he returned home in full fellow-ship he would have sat with the father at the table that was prepared, around the fatted calf. They had fellowship together. For me, the table means being in the presence of God as He is with me every day. Fellowship is loving His presence with me. It is true, the enemies are around, but whatever evil they contrive or execute, they can not take away communion with God, and fellowship with my Saviour.
There are many enemies. There is sin, opposition, and even violence against us. These are com-ing even more now that Government restrictions and prohibitions are being set. Even from within the churches men are rising up who are our enemies. They want us to embrace homo-sexuality and the elements of the New Age and liberal doctrines. Enemies are all around but they can not stop the Saviour who indwells us, and keeps us as the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Nothing will separate us from the great Shepherd.
“My head God has anointed with oil” - what on earth does this mean? The table is set for God’s banquet of all good elements of communion and fellowship. In those Old Testament days when chosen guests came into a banquet, the host would do something for them. He would anoint their heads with aromatic ointments, and perfumes. These were used in great feasts. God has been so good.
There is one last thing in this verse. “My cup overflows.” I think this is the cup of joy and full-ness and peace and contentment. Paul used an expression about a cup – {{1Corinthians 10:16 “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”}} That cup of blessing for us who belong to the Lord Jesus, is overflowing. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. It is regardless of status. The destitute Christian in the Middle East or in Africa can share equally with me at the table the Lord has set before us.
VERSE 6
{{Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”}}
There are two main parts of this verse. The First: Goodness comes from God and it is very good. David states that goodness will follow him all the days of his life, which are the immediate earth years but it obviously continues in eternity, as will the other one, loving kindness (NASB) or Mer-cy (KJV). The ESV uses Mercy with a footnote suggesting “steadfast love”. The Lord is so good to all His own. He is the Shepherd who cares continually for all His sheep. Mercy is not really the proper translation from the original.
The second part: He will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I see this as meaning two things. The first is that God’s House which was the Tabernacle at that stage, spoke of the presence of God, and David’s desire was to be in God’s presence forever. The second thing is that it contin-ues to eternity. Forever and ever David will be in God’s House (looked on as a heavenly dwelling similar to what Jesus taught in John 14). That final verse of Psalm 23 is both for the earthly and for the heavenly because our dwelling with our Lord is permanent.
David’s thoughts about dwelling in God’s House were not isolated just to this psalm as he men-tioned it a lot of times such as in Psalm 27:4 and Psalm 26:8 and in Psalm 65:4. There is a com-ment I will add from the Benson Commentary – [[“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” — Whereas I have formerly been driven from God’s house, I rest assured that I shall now constantly enjoy that blessed privilege of worshipping and enjoying God in his sanctuary, which I prize more than all my dominions. David’s words here, however, look still further, even to a per-fection of bliss in a future state: as if he had said, The divine goodness and mercy having followed me all the days of my life, when that is ended, I shall remove to a better world, to dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, the house of my heavenly Father, in which there are many mansions, where the church of God will constitute one fold, under one shepherd, “the fold into which no en-emy enters, and from which no friend departs.”]]
This ends our thoughts on this glorious Psalm – THE SUPERB SHEPHERD. In this Psalm Trilogy we had Psalm 22 as THE SUFFERING SERVANT and the third one will be Psalm 24 – THE SUPREME SOVEREIGN. It follows next.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
