Psalm 23, the short series

Psalm 23 - 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.He leads 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 mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

It’s interesting to see the genesis of this chapter. The Lord is my shepherd. It draws a parallel to David’s younger days when he himself was a shepherd. Then when looking at the background of when David was a young shepherd, not only was he making sure the sheep were fed, but also protected and defended. 

Reading back in 1 Samuel 17, we have when David actually came out where the Hebrews (led by king Saul) were at war with the Philistines. But there was an intimidating factor. They had their champion, Goliath. 

There are a few different references pointing to his height. Depending on Egyptian cubits, Hebrew his height could vary from 6’9” to 7’10”. And a warrior from his childhood. Definitely not a beast anyone would take on for leisure.

Then you have David, just a teenager at this stage. Probably closer to 6’, maybe. 

So, when he sees Golitah taunting the Hebrews, David isn’t pleased. So, king Saul hears about this young man and speaks with him. Probably with a bit of sarcasm. “This man is big and has been a warrior since is youth, and you’re a kid”. 

But then David answers back. “Yep, but when I was a shepherd back home, I not only fed sheep, but when a lion came, I attacked it, and killed it, and same thing with the bear”. David was not intimidated by the rather large man. A lion can weigh up to 400 lbs, and a Syrian bear can weigh north of 500 lbs. 

And both animals are known for taking bigger beasts than they are. 

So, when David starts his Psalm with God being his shepherd, it’s not a light statement. David wasn’t intimidated by wild beasts, neither is God by our trials and our enemies. God is never on break and he doesn’t sleep. And He protects us more than we know. 

Then the following statement, “I shall not want”, he’s saying I lack nothing. The Lord is my everything, in my every situation. Every time, when growing up, and in his time of kingship, he went to the Lord often. 

In the second verse, when he’s talking about “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

There’s something very interesting about this. When David refers to the Lord as his Shepherd, he’s taking the position of being a sheep, being led. Now, here’s something interesting about sheep. There are 4 factors that will stop a sheep from lying down. 

1. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear.

2. Because of their social behaviour within a flock sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.

3. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax.

4. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.

So when David says the Lord is his shepherd, he’s saying that the Lord has taken care of everything so he can finally relax.

There’s so much to be said in the “he leadeth me beside the still waters”. 

Have you ever walked a horse. Not riding on one racing to action. But walking next to it. Holding him by the reins, and carefully, slowly and tenderly leading him. If you know the horse, and the horse knows you, it will follow. It won’t race, pull or give you difficulty. It will simply patiently follow you wherever you lead it. 

Then the picture of still waters. Such a calming phrase. There’s not much out there that’s as calming as sitting next to a lake, when there’s no wind, possibly a slight breeze and just looking at the calmness of the water. Seems to bring a peace and calm to just relax. 

This is the picture given in this statement. When the Lord leads us, He does it tenderly and lovingly. Never forcing (there are other contexts for this). But here, He’s gentle, not cause any anxiety. Remember the previous statement with the sheep. He does everything for us to put our faith in him, and trust in him. 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in paths of the righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Here’s an interesting breakdown. He restoreth my soul. How often have we fallen. Done things we shouldn’t have. Think back of the life of David. Adulterer, liar, murderer, conspiring. And that’s just the surface. David wasn’t what you would call a model citizen at certain times in his life. 

So for him to write “he restoreth my soul”, he has truly experienced deep, deep lows and with the mercy and grace of God, he has experienced some restoration. But it doesn’t end there, the Lord also leads him in paths of righteousness. The Lord is rarely done when restoring someone, it’s usually restoration with a goal in mind. But not just any goal, a goal with purpose, for the testimony of the restored person, as well as the Lord’s glory.

I will break for now, but this Psalm is rich. There are a few more posts coming to complete this small series.