Psalm 23

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

Is He your shepherd?

Here is a good way of knowing if he is your shepherd.

Are you in want?

With Jesus being your shepherd He supplies all your needs. He is all you need.

philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

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.

The meditation uses the settings of the shepherd in the field (vv. 1–4), the host in the banquet hall (v. 5), and finally the sanctuary itself (v. 6). 23:1 The metaphor of the shepherd was a common figure for religious and political leaders of antiquity (2:9). It therefore became a powerful image for the coming Messiah (74:1–4; 80:1; Is 40:11; Ezk 34; Mc 7:14). The NT confirms that passages like this point to the ministry of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd who lays down His life (Jn 10:14), the great Shepherd who equips the saints (Heb 13:20), and the chief Shepherd who comes in glory (1 Pt 5:4). The descriptions of the shepherd here portray how the Lord teaches, heals, guides, and protects. 23:4 The “darkest valley” (sometimes translated the “valley of the shadow of death”) does not mean that the psalmist died, only that he might find himself in a situation where death was a distinct possibility. The phrase “the darkest valley” alludes to the deep canyons in the wilderness into which one might fall and not escape unless God intervened. 23:6 The “house of the Lord” is the sanctuary where people worshiped. (The temple, in the Hebrew OT, is usually called beth Yahweh, “the Lord’s house.”) After his meditations, David desired to return to that holy place where he could avail himself of the blessing of God’s presence. In the Christian application of the psalm, the hope is for complete communion with the Lord in the abundance of His blessing. While popular thinking often relates this verse to heaven, the phrase “in the presence of my enemies” (v. 5) suggests an earthly setting, since the believer’s enemies are not present in heaven.

Ted Cabal et al., The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 810–811.