The Lord, My Shepard

Bible Passage: Psalm 23

Summary: Psalm 23 is a song of confident trust in the Lord’s personal, active care. Through every season—abundance, suffering, and even death—the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, leads, provides, protects, and pursues His people, ultimately bringing them home to dwell with Him forever.

Application: Psalm 23 is not just a comforting poem—it is a Christ-centered proclamation of the Gospel. David’s declaration, “The Lord is my shepherd,” finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11).

How this passage points to Christ: Psalm 23 points to Christ as the fulfillment of the Shepherd-King David describes. When Jesus declares in John 10:11, “I am the Good Shepherd,” He identifies Himself as the divine Shepherd who leads, restores, protects, and brings His sheep safely home—fulfilling every line of David’s psalm in Himself.

Introduction

I just want to thank everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement. This has been a good experience for me.

And in light of memorial day coming up tomorrow and our passage for today, let me tell you a true story from World War II.

It was the winter of 1944—during the infamous Battle of the Bulge. A young American infantryman named Private Lloyd Martin found himself separated from his unit in the dense forests of Belgium. The snow was falling hard, the visibility was low, and he was surrounded by enemy forces. For days, he wandered—cold, exhausted, and filled with fear. Every crack of a twig or rustle in the trees could be a German patrol. He couldn’t risk calling out. He was utterly alone.

Pause.

He later recalled that he’d never felt so abandoned in his life. He prayed. He wept. And he wondered if he would ever make it home.

Then one night, as he huddled beneath a frozen log, trying to sleep, he heard something faint in the distance. A voice. Singing. Softly, but clear. Not shouting commands. Not military chatter. But singing. And not just any song—it was a hymn:

“Jesus, Savior, pilot me

Over life’s tempestuous sea…”

That was a song his mother used to sing at the end of hard days. It was a hymn he hadn’t heard since childhood in a small country church. And in that moment, he knew—he wasn’t hearing an enemy. He was hearing a brother. Maybe even a chaplain. Maybe even salvation.

So, trembling and whispering, he followed the sound. Step by careful step through the trees. And there, in a dugout half-covered in snow, he found his unit. Huddled around a fire, was his chaplain—still softly singing the old hymn.

He collapsed into their arms, and later he said this:

“That voice reminded me of home—but more than that, it reminded me that I was never truly lost. My Shepherd was with me all along.”

Friends, we live in a world just as cold, confusing, and dangerous as that forest. But Psalm 23 reminds us:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

The Shepherd never left Private Martin. And He never leaves us either. If we learn to recognize His voice—in Scripture, in prayer, in the songs of the church—we’ll discover that even when we feel lost, we are being led home.

Today we will be in Psalm 23, this is probably the most iconic psalm in Christianity. Most Christians who don’t know any verses in Scripture know the very first verse of this psalm. Today, as we go through this psalm, we can understand that we have a shepherd and our shepherd is sufficient.

Let us stand, if your able, for the reading of God’s word:

English Standard Version Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4 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.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for this psalm that gives us assurance that you are with us. The Bible describes us, your covenant people, as sheep in need of a shepherd. Lord, you are our shepherd. We ask that you open our hearts as we hear your word. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

i. Hook:

Psalm 23 is a psalm that I grew up on. I remember as a child, every night my mother had be and my siblings pray. She would recite Psalms 23 first, then the Lord’s prayer, then she would pray her own words and we would repeat.

I would repeat this Psalm every night in Spanish. The interesting thing is that in Spanish the words are “Jeovah es mi Pastor” So, in Spanish the Lord is my pastor. It would not be Jose is my pastor, which he is for everyone here.

So, to understand this psalm we have to wrestle with the idea of the Shepherd. This is the key to understanding the psalm. The Shepherd. Who is the Shepherd?

ii. Contextual Setup:

Well, I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone to say that Christ is the fulfillment of the Shepherd.

How do we know this?

Well, Psalm 23 proceeds Psalm 22 in the Psalter. So, in other words Psalm 23 is a trust psalm that comes after Psalm 22. This is a psalm that deals with suffering and abandonment and moves toward confidence and peace. And after Psalm 23, obviously comes Psalm 24. This psalm is of a King reigning over us. There is a powerful theological progression through these psalms. Let’s talk about these progressions:

Psalm 22 begins with Messianic suffering, it begins with verse 1 Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” Psalm 23 begins with Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” So, the shepherd lays down his life for the sheep before He leads then beside still waters. In the New Testament Christ says in John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This leads to Psalm 24, which speaks of the King reigning over us.

This gives us a picture of Christ. Psalm 22, Christ is our savior that dies for us. Psalm 23, Christ is our shepherd that provides and protects us and Psalm 24, Christ is our King, reigning over us.

iii. Main Idea:

So, the main idea is Christ is my Shepherd and because he is my shepherd, I can live with confident trust in His personal care, guiding presence, and everlasting goodness—both now and forever.

As we will see this does not mean that we live a life void of hardship. No, it means that we trust in our good shepherd. And because the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Let’s begin with the very first verse.

1. David’s Shepherd, My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

i. Explanation:

I love the way that this verse begins. And I mean the first independent clause. “The Lord is my shepherd.” This clause alone is filled with theological content. Many preachers in the past have made whole sermons on just this first independent clause.

Pause

The Lord is my shepherd.

Pause

If you allow me a moment to just stay on this clause.

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The Lord. David, King of Israel is writing a psalm of trust about *HIS* Lord. Now, his audience is Israel, so when we see the name Yahweh, that carries much weight for Israel. Remember this is the Lord that revealed himself to Moses.

Exodus 3:13–15 “Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”

The Lord is the one who revealed himself to Moses and Israel. The Lord is the one who led Israel through the Red Sea, and drown the Egyptians that pursue them.

The Lord leads Israel through the wilderness while providing manna and water to them.

The Lord leads Israel to the promised land of Canaan and leads Israel to victory under Joshua’s leadership.

The Lord is the one that went into covenant relationship with Israel.

That Lord, David says, is my shepherd.

David, who is King is writing of his shepherd.

Pause

The idea of a shepherd is not an unknown concept to Israel. Afterall, shepherding was a common occupation. Many of the Patriarchs were shepherds. Abraham was a shepherd, so was Rachel, Jacob and Moses. So, why does the King of Israel speak of his Lord being his shepherd. Its odd that a king has someone shepherding him. What does this look like?

Well, a shepherd is one who feeds his sheep. It’s one who leads his sheep to pasture and water. It’s also one who protects his sheep. And David is depending on one that is greater than him to be his shepherd.

Pause

Again, this concept of a shepherd is not an unknown concept to Israel. Kings where understood to be shepherds of their people, we see this in 2 Samuel 5:2 “In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ ””

Pause

So, who was David’s shepherd? Was is another king?

No, it was the Lord.

The Lord is my Shepherd. These are iconic words, that have such universal recognition. And David begins his psalm with this independent clause, The Lord is my Shepherd.

The next iconic independent clause is I shall not want.

Now, the interesting thing is different Bibles translate this clause as “I lack nothing,” (NIV) or “I have what I need,” (CSB) or “I shall not want,” (KJV and ESV).

I think the ESV and KJV grasp what David is trying to say. What the Lord provides, is sufficient for me, I don’t want anything else. What the Lord gives is enough.

ii. Illustration:

I remember when I was a boy and I went on a camping trip. This was a three day camping trip with a boys ministry. The trip was Friday, Saturday and we came home Sunday.

I remember on Saturday morning, me and a couple of friends decided to go on a hike without telling any adults. While on the hike we found a long vine hanging from a tree and we began swinging on it. It was great. So great that we hiked back to the campsite. It took longer to get back because their was mud everywhere, so much mud that one of the guys we were with lost his shoe in the mud and had to pull it out with his hands. So, when we got back we grabbed a couple more friends to check out this vine. And again, we told no adults.

We were swinging on the vine for like an hour, it was awesome.

So, we started heading back, but one of the boys did not want to go through that thick mud, so we tried to go around it. So, as we were looking for a way around it, nothing looked familiar. We kept walking and walking and every moment that went by our anxiety was going up.

Hours passed when we realized we were lost.

We were silent. Which is strange for a group of boys.

I remember that someone made a suggestion. I’m not sure who it was, but I remember he said, let’s pray. And we did. We prayed that God would lead us back to the campsite.

We kept walking and walking. Until we found the highway. And we were walking along the highway. Until a car pulled up. We stopped and we were terrified. Because it was one of the boys father, the pastor of the church. We quietly got into the car and gave the pastor a story with minimal detail.

I remember our commanders face when we pulled up to the campsite in the pastors car. I will never forget that face.

The point of this story is that we assumed that we had a shepherd, even as young boys. We prayed to that shepherd, for guidance. If we didn’t believe in our good shepherd, we would have just kept walking.

iii. Argumentation:

David, knew that he had a shepherd. As king, that shepherded a flock, Israel, he himself needed a shepherd. And he had a shepherd.

iv. Application:

And we need a shepherd and we have the good Shepherd, the John 10:11 “…good shepherd. The good shepherd [that] lays down his life for the sheep.”

And we have that in Christ.

But, it doesn’t stop there. What does the shepherd provide?

2. The Shepherd Provides

Psalm 23:2–3 “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.”

i. Explanation:

As we move to verses 2 and 3, I want you to notice something. These are what I call the “He” verses. These are “He” verses because David switches from making a statement about himself. The Lord is MY SHEPHERD, and I shall not want. To making a statement about the shepherd.

He makes me lie down.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness.

Do you hear it? This part of the psalm isn’t about what David is doing. It’s about what the Shepherd is doing. This is David putting the spotlight not on himself, but on the consistent, intentional, personal care of the Lord, his Shepherd.

Now look at that first line:

Psalm 23:2 “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

It seems to me that sheep aren’t the brightest animals in the world. It seems like they are very dependent on the shepherds. One thing they don’t do is lie down easily. They have to feel completely safe. If they’re afraid, if they’re hungry, if there’s friction in the flock, or if they’re pestered by flies—they won’t lie down. It takes a good shepherd to make the sheep rest. And sometimes, the Shepherd has to make us rest.

I know this to be true. I know that many of us in here have prayed that prayer for peace. Even if it just for a moment, we would like to lay down on green pastures.

Then there are many here that don’t know how to stop, not me, but many here. But God, in His kindness and mercy, will sometimes stop us—slow us down, block our plans, or even put us flat on our backs—because He knows we need rest more than we need results.

Then David says:

Psalm 23:2 “He leads me beside still waters.”

Not loud, rushing waters—still ones. Waters where the sheep can actually drink and be refreshed. The Shepherd knows exactly what we need. He brings us to a place where our souls can breathe again.

And what does He do there?

Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul.”

Let that sink in for a second. He restores my soul.

The word “restore” here is rich. It means to return, to bring back, to revive. When you’re tired. When you’ve strayed. When you’re numb. When you’re just empty inside—He brings your soul back. Thank God for that. We’re human, weak, and fallible. We need restoration sometimes.

Our shepherd is healing our hearts.

Then David continues:

Psalm 23:3 “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

So, not only does He restore us—He leads us. And not just anywhere. He leads us in the right path. Not the easiest. Not the most popular. But the path that is righteous, holy, good.

And here’s the best part—He does it “for His name’s sake.” That means His care for you doesn’t depend on your record. It depends on His reputation. And His name is faithful. His name is trustworthy. His name is enough.

ii. Illustration:

How many of you out here can give instances of when you need the shepherd to complete these “He” verses in our lives? In many old churches they had a portion of the service that let the laity… you… come up and testify something that the Lord, our shepherd did in our lives.

I’m not doing that today… but, I invite you to think of a time when the Lord had to make you lie down in green pastures, he led you beside still waters…

It’s wonderful that we can all testify, not of lacking in any difficulty, but in understanding that our shepherd, the good shepherd that laid his life down for us, is still actively today woking in our lives.

He makes us lie down.

He leads us beside still waters.

He restores our soul.

He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name sake.

iii. Argumentation:

David, once a shepherd himself, understood the helplessness of sheep. They rely entirely on their shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. Similarly, we are spiritually helpless without our Shepherd. It’s not about our ability to find rest or righteousness; it’s about His ability to provide them.

iv. Application:

Let’s apply this passage to our lives, ask yourself:

Are you weary? Anxious? Feeling lost? Remember, it’s not your job to fix everything. Your role is to follow the Shepherd. He will:

Make you lie down when you need rest.

Lead you to places of peace.

Restore your weary soul.

Guide you in righteousness—not because you deserve it, but because of who He is.

Let us trust in our Good Shepherd.

Pause

Let’s continue through David’s psalm…

3. The Shepherd Protects

Psalm 23:4 “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.”

i. Explanation:

Verse 4 is a great verse, it has the psalmist in a valley, not just any valley, but the valley of the shadow of death. We use the “valley” metaphor all the time to show some sort of difficulty in our lives, but this verse takes it a step further. Again, not just the valleys of life, but the shadow of the valley of death.

One theologian puts it this way…

Psalms–Song of Solomon I. (23:1–4) The Lord as Shepherd

Psalm 23:4

We are utterly blind in this place. But David says: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear not evil…” So, in spite of this deep darkness and the psalmist is in, they will fear not.

Pause

Lacking fear, in this case is not irrational. Did the psalmist lose his mind? No, he is calling the reader to fear not because the shepherd is with him.

Pause

The psalmist is comforted because of the shepherd’s rod and staff. Perhaps you are thinking to yourselves, why would a rod and staff comfort the sheep? Doesn’t the shepherd punish the sheep with these items.

Yes, but for the shepherd, they were also used for defense.

But their is a deeper meaning behind the rod and staff. The rod and staff in the Old testament represented the offices of a prophet, priest and king. These are the offices that Christ holds. Again, we can see how our shepherd is the good shepherd of John 10:11, Jesus Christ.

ii. Illustration:

And we depend on him for protection in the valley of the shadow of death, as Private Lloyd Martin did.

As we heard earlier, he must have thought to himself, I’m dead. There’s no way I can come out of this alive.

That is a dramatic, although real example. But some of us have had situations of the death of family members, financial ruin, serious illnesses, where the only thing that got you out, like Private Lloyd Martin was the good shepherd.

iii. Argumentation:

The Shepherd doesn’t send you into the valley alone. He doesn’t watch from a distance. He walks beside you. And not as a weak companion, but with a rod and staff—tools of protection, discipline, and authority.

The valley doesn’t mean God is gone. The valley is proof that we need Him more closely than ever.

iv. Application:

So what do we do with this?

Well, heres one fact: you will walk through valleys. Some of you are walking through one right now. A season of fear. A season of uncertainty. A place where the shadows are long and the way forward is unclear.

But here’s the promise of Psalm 23: you’re not walking alone.

You don’t need to fear—not because there’s nothing scary out there, but because the Shepherd is with you.

And He doesn’t just walk with you—He protects you. He corrects you. He leads you. He holds the rod and staff. He holds the power and authority.

Your hope in the valley is not your strength. It’s not your ability to figure it out. Your hope is that He is near.

So, when the shadows come… Be the sheep. Stay close to the Shepherd. He’s already made it through the valley before—and He knows the way.

4. The Shepherd Prepares and Pursues

Psalm 23:5–6 “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.”

i. Explanation:

In these last two verses we have this dramatic shift from a shepherd metaphor to a host metaphor.

Think about what the shepherd is doing now. The host is now treating the psalmist as his guest. He prepares food for him, anoints his head with refreshing oil to wipe away the dust and grime and fills his cup to overflowing.

I like the way this theologian puts it this way,

Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary 23:5–6. The Lord Is My Host

Eating with someone implies entering into an intimate relationship with them. The overflowing cup connects with the theme of the cup of blessing or salvation (

So, the psalmist expresses confidence in the Lord in the moments of difficulty. Or in the presence of his enemies.

That’s not what we expect. If you’re surrounded by enemies, the last thing you’d think of is sitting down at a table. But that’s exactly what the Shepherd does. He prepares a feast—not after the battle, but in the middle of it.

Then David says,

Psalm 23:5 “you anoint my head with oil.”

In ancient Israel, this was a sign of blessing, joy, and being welcomed as an honored guest. It’s as if the Shepherd is throwing a banquet, and He’s saying, “You are not just cared for—you are celebrated.”

And the next phrase:

Psalm 23:5 “my cup overflows.”

This is abundance. Not barely enough. Not scraping by. But more than enough. This Shepherd doesn’t ration. He fills your life to overflowing—not necessarily with material things, but with mercy, strength, peace, and His presence.

And our last verse for today is verse 6:

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

That phrase “follow me” is actually stronger in the Hebrew. It means to pursue, to chase after. God’s goodness and mercy aren’t lagging behind you—they are actively chasing you down every day you wake up.

And the last phrase is David fully acknowledging the eternal salvation that the Lord has for him.

ii. Illustration:

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iii. Argumentation:

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iv. Application:

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5. Conclusion

i. Visualization

I like this psalm, not only because it is something that I grew up reciting. But, because it is a perfect picture of the work of Christ in our lives.

ii. Reiteration

This is what Psalm 23 is all about.

Verse 1: He is your Lord.

Verses 2–3: He restores and guides you.

Verse 4: He stays with you in the darkest places.

Verses 5–6: He blesses you, pursues you, and promises eternal salvation.

And every single verse whispers the name of Jesus Christ.

He is the Good Shepherd of John 10 who says, “I lay down my life for the sheep.”

He is the Shepherd who provides, who walks with us through suffering, who anoints us with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and who prepares a place for us in the Father’s house.

iii. Action

You don’t just admire the Shepherd—you follow Him.

You don’t just quote Psalm 23—you trust the One who fulfills it.

You don’t just read these words—you rest in them.

Let us pray.

Prayer 1

Lord, we thank you. You are the good shepherd. You are David’s shepherd. You are our shepherd. Lord, we ask that your Spirit engrain this psalm into our hearts. That we have faith that you will be our Lord, that you will guide us, restore us, protect us in the darkest places. And that in the midst of our difficulties, you prepare a table before us the in the presence of our enemies. And most of all you prepare a place for us and we dwell with you forever. Amen.

Prayer 2

Lord, thank you for blessing us with your word. Keep this word in our hearts as we leave this place. Church receive this benedictions.

Benediction

As you go, may you go with confidence that the Lord is your Shepherd. May He lead you to still waters, restore your soul, and guide you in paths of righteousness. When you walk through dark valleys, may His presence be your peace and His rod and staff your comfort. May His goodness and mercy pursue you all your days, until He brings you safely home to dwell in His house forever. Go in peace, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.