The Shepherds Psalm

Introduction:

The twenty-third psalm is the most beloved of the 150 psalms in the Psalter and possibly the best-loved (and best-known) chapter in the entire Bible.

The great Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon called it “the pearl of psalms.”

Nineteenth-century preacher and commentator J. J. Stewart Perowne observed that

“there is no psalm in which the absence of all doubt, misgiving, fear [and] anxiety is so remarkable.”

Alexander Maclaren said that “the world could spare many a large book better than this sunny little psalm. It has dried many tears and supplied the mould into which many hearts have poured their peaceful faith.”3

Millions of people have memorized this psalm, even those who have learned few other Scripture portions.

Ministers have used it to comfort people who are going through severe personal trials, suffering illness, or dying.

For some, the words of this psalm have been the last they have uttered in life.

Psalm 23:1 KJV 1900

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The psalm is a masterpiece throughout. But if ever a psalm could stand almost on a single line, it is this one, and the line it can stand on is the first.

The Lord is My Shepherd!

But if ever a psalm could stand almost on a single line, it is this one, and the line it can stand on is the first.

What an amazing juxtaposition of ideas!

The Lord

The word Lord is the English translation of the great Old Testament personal name for God, first disclosed to Moses at the burning bush.

The name literally means “I am who I am.” It is an inexhaustible name, like its bearer.

It is an inexhaustible name, like its bearer.

Chiefly, it refers to God’s timelessness, on the one hand, and to his self-sufficiency, on the other.

Self-sufficiency means that God needs nothing. He needs no wisdom from anyone else; he has all wisdom in himself. He needs no power; he is all-powerful. He does not need to be worshiped or helped or served. Nor is he accountable to anyone. He answers only to himself.

He needs no wisdom from anyone else; he has all wisdom in himself. He needs no power; he is all-powerful.

He does not need to be worshiped or helped or served.

Nor is he accountable to anyone.

He answers only to himself.

Timelessness means that God is always the same in these eternal traits or attributes.

He was like this yesterday; he will be like this tomorrow. He will be unchanged and unchangeable forever.

He will be unchanged and unchangeable forever.

He is the great “I am.”

Is my Shepherd

On the other side of this amazing combination of ideas is the word shepherd.

In Israel, as in other ancient societies, a shepherd’s work was considered the lowest of all works. If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment.

If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment.

Shepherds had to live with the sheep twenty-four hours a day, and the task of caring for them was unending. Day and night, summer and winter, in fair weather and foul, they labored to nourish, guide, and protect the sheep.

Day and night, summer and winter, in fair weather and foul, they labored to nourish, guide, and protect the sheep.

Who in his right mind would choose to be a shepherd?

Yet Jehovah has chosen to be our shepherd, David says. The great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me.

John 10:11–12 KJV 1900

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me.

John 10:2–4 KJV 1900

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Psalm 23:1 KJV 1900

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:2 KJV 1900

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

I shall lack nothing.

This statement goes with the first half.

Left to themselves, sheep lack everything. They are the most helpless animals.

They are the most helpless animals.

But if we belong to the one who is self-sufficient, inexhaustible, and utterly unchanged by time, we will lack nothing. He is sufficient for all things and will provide for us.

He is sufficient for all things and will provide for us.

What is it that those in the care of the good shepherd shall not lack? Verses 2–6 are an answer to that question.

I Shall Not Lack Rest

Psalm 23:2 KJV 1900

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

Phillip Keller is a pastor and author who for eight years was himself a shepherd.

Out of that experience he has written A Shepherd Looks at .

It throws light on this and other statements.

Sheep do not lie down easily, Keller says.

“It is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of the social behavior within a flock sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.

If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.”

If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger.”

Fear. Friction. Flies. Famine.

Sheep must be free from each of these to be contented.

And as Keller notes, only the shepherd can provide the trust, peace, deliverance, and pasture that is needed to free the sheep from them.

trust, peace, deliverance, and pasture that is needed to free the sheep from them.

I Shall Not Lack Life

Psalm 23:3 KJV 1900

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

He helps me when no one else can.

Phillip Keller explains this by the situation known to shepherds as a “cast (or cast down) sheep.”

What happens is this.

“A heavy, fat or long-fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some little hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out or relax. Suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically. Frequently this only makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for it to regain its feet.”

In this position gases build up in the body, cutting off circulation to the legs, and often it is only a matter of a few hours before the sheep dies. The only one who can restore the sheep to health is the shepherd.

Sometimes we are like cast sheep.

We are spiritually on our backs, quite helpless.

But Jesus comes to us when we are in this condition, as he did to Peter after Peter had denied him even with oaths and cursing, and he restores us.

Jesus restored Peter. He gets us up on our feet and going again.

He gets us up on our feet and going again.

I Shall Not Lack Guidance

Psalm 23:3 KJV 1900

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

This is because the Lord “guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (v. 3).

Sheep are foolish creatures. In fact, they are probably the most stupid animals on earth.

In fact, they are probably the most stupid animals on earth.

One aspect of their stupidity is seen in the fact that they so easily wander away.

They can have a good shepherd who can have brought them to the best grazing lands near an abundant supply of water, and they will still wander away to where the fields are barren and the water undrinkable.

No other class of livestock requires more careful handling than do sheep.

Therefore, a shepherd who will move them from field to field yet always keep them near an abundant supply of water is essential for their welfare.

We stray by sinning, but God leads us into upright moral paths. Isaiah said,

Isaiah 53:6 KJV 1900

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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each of us has turned to his own way;

I Shall Not Lack Safety

Psalm 23:4 KJV 1900

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.

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all ().

This verse primarily speaks of the shepherd’s ability to protect his sheep in moments of danger.

The picture, as Keller points out, is of the seasonal passage from the lowlands, where sheep spend the winter, through the valleys to the high pastures, where they go in summer.

The valleys are places of rich pasture and much water, but they are also places of danger.

Wild animals lurk in the broken canyon walls. Sudden storms may sweep along the valley floors. There may be floods.

Sudden storms may sweep along the valley floors.

There may be floods.

Since the sun does not shine into the valley very well, there really are shadows which at any moment may become shadows of death.

Yet the valley has its own unique problem.

The problem is fear. What is the answer to it?

What is the answer to it?

Clearly, the answer is the shepherd’s close presence, for he is the only one who can protect the sheep and calm their anxieties.

I Shall Not Lack Provision

Psalm 23:5 KJV 1900

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Keller sees this as the shepherd’s preparation of the high tablelands or mesas where the sheep graze in summer.

A good shepherd will prepare these before the sheep arrive, removing physical hazards, destroying poisonous plants, and driving predators away.

Keller also has a chapter in which he describes how ancient shepherds used a mixture of olive oil, sulfur, and spices to protect their sheep from insects and promote the healing of infectious skin diseases.

In biblical imagery oil and wine also speak of joy and prosperity, since olives and grapes take time to grow and oil and wine require time to prepare.

In periods of domestic turmoil or war these tasks were not performed.

If we will allow God to lead us where he will, we will find that a table has been prepared for us, our heads have been anointed with purest oil, and our cups have been filled to overflowing with the wine of true joy.

I Will Not Lack A Home

Psalm 23:6 KJV 1900

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.

ps 23

John 14:1–3 KJV 1900

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.