A Psalm of David
1 The LORD is my shepherd: I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
The Lord is our Shepherd and He takes tender care of His sheep.
There is hardly a more comforting psalm to be found in this divine book of songs. Even in the face of threats from enemies, severe trials, and death itself, I feel a strong sense of security and confidence in God. I am in good hands. As my enemies encamp about me, fully intending to destroy me, Yahweh is busy there in the middle of the battlefield setting the table with forks and spoons, preparing a feast for my enjoyment. What do I care about my enemies? And why should I worry about death? He will never leave me. I am comforted by His goodness and mercy in my daily struggles, and in the firm grip of hope that I am going home to live with Him forever. Here is a psalm that has attended millions of God’s people for millennia as they sought comfort during the trying days of their lives.
Verse 1. Employing the first person singular throughout, the Psalmist obviously intends for this song to be an intensely personal testimony of faith. David begins with a very simple and tender statement, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” It is a beautiful picture of God’s relationship to each of us as He treats us as a good shepherd would his sheep. A similar metaphor is used elsewhere throughout the Old and New Testaments, so it should be a familiar picture to anybody who has read the Word. Like sheep, says Isaiah 53:6, we wander astray. Sheep are ignorant, they can be stubborn, and they are almost entirely incapable of protecting themselves from predators. Jesus is our good Shepherd and He conscientiously watches out for each of His sheep, and that includes me. He will attend to my needs such that I will never lack anything that is needful to me.
Verses 2–3. The next two verses explain how God plays the part of the Shepherd with me. He takes me to the rich pastures of His Word and there He feeds me. He nourishes me with the water of His Spirit. He regenerates my heart and restores my soul when I wander into the fields of sin. Day by day, God leads me gently into the way of righteousness as He teaches me from His Word, as He points out my sin, and as He brings me to repentance in every area of my life.
Verse 4. Having covered how God shepherds me, now I find in this psalm the contexts where He shepherds me and the narrative becomes even more personal. It is a verse that contains one of the most comforting lines in the whole Bible, found on the lips of many a dying man or woman. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. . .” Many an evil thing can come upon me in my life but there will be none so evil as the day that the cold hand of death slips over me. Most people dread the prospect of dying, but even in the darkest days of my life as I traverse the valley of the shadow of death, I will walk in the comforting awareness that God is with me the whole way. Why should I fear evil? Yahweh is my Shepherd all the way through that valley.
He comforts me with both His rod and staff, which He uses to guard, guide, and correct. Even the Lord’s correction is a comfort to me, because I know that He cares about me and will keep me from wandering out of the path. I am resigned to His rule over me and confident in His control over all of my trials and enemies.
Verse 5. My life is a long battle and I am always surrounded by enemies, every one of which would love to see me in hell. But in the midst of the battle, my God sets a table before me that I might dine with Him. He provides my bread, both physical and spiritual. During Sunday worship, I enjoy a meal at His table, where I commune with the Savior of my life and the Captain of my salvation. He pours out His blessings upon me. Rich oil with powerful fragrance is poured lavishly over my head. He fills my cup with wine, and keeps pouring and pouring until it runs over the top—“blessings all mine and ten thousand beside!”
Verse 6. Both goodness and mercy chase me down, jump all over me, and impose themselves on me every day of my life. There is a small difference between goodness and mercy. A shepherd is good when he takes a wolf and rips its limbs from its body to protect the sheep, and a shepherd is merciful when he leaves his ninety nine to find a single lost lamb. In short, goodness retains an expectation of righteousness, while mercy saves and forgives the sinner.
The psalm ends with a confident expectation and an unwavering hope that I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever. It is the expectation of resurrection and heaven.
No other psalm has been memorized, recited, and sung more than Psalm 23. Does this psalm ever grow old and boring for you? As the years go by, the words of this psalm should grow even more precious and meaningful to you. Looking back over your life, you know that it was the Lord who shepherded you through the mountains and valleys, the trials and the triumphs. Maybe He helped you deal with a sin of bitterness against a sister or a friend, a sin that you struggled with for years. What about the years you were depressed, sometimes to the point of despair? He was there with you through the dark days that followed the death of a loved one. He worked on you through years of trial, rebellion, discouragement. Psalms like this one should help you to remember the faithfulness of a God who never leaves you or forsakes you.
We must hear the Shepherd’s voice in God’s Word (from the preaching and the reading of the Word), and follow Him. We should always trust in God’s perfect, sovereign care over us, even when we go through the darkest trials.
1. Our relationship with God is both personal and corporate, and our worship is both personal and corporate. In this psalm, the worship is purely personal as the first person singular “I” is used throughout it. While other psalms use the first person plural “we,” here in this psalm we express our personal relationship with the Lord.
2. Worship includes words of comfort and confidence. As we say these words, they become a confession of our faith. “We believe. We really believe! We really hang on to the fact that the Lord is our Shepherd.”
1. Give several examples of Faith psalms.
2. Who is the Good Shepherd?
3. In what sort of situation do you think you would find this psalm very comforting?
4. Which psalm begins with, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
5. Name two Deliverance psalms.
6. Which psalm is just like Psalm 53 and begins with, “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God”?
7. What is the difference between goodness and mercy?
1. In what sort of circumstances have you remembered the words of this psalm? When might be a good time to recite it to others?
2. In what ways has God been good and merciful to our family?
3. Do you fear evil? Why or why not?