The Bible speaks to many groups of people in many different ways. To the casual reader, it

may serve as a manual for living -- a consolidation of moral truths. To the poet, it is a source of

soaring -- written beauty impossible to match in any other work in history. To the perfunctory

Christian, it can inspire feelings of comfort, and puzzlement, and awe, and even fear -- all at the

same time. But to the dedicated Christian who has determined to spend his life following

Christ to the best of his ability — who has consecrated his life to that end (Luke 9:23) -- it has

been described as a love letter. This is especially true of the New Testament, but there are

layers of meaning throughout the Bible. It has the amazing ability to elevate every person who

reads it with an open, honest heart, no matter where their relationship to God may be.

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The Psalms are an example of this. David wrote most of them, expressing his thoughts on what

was happening in his life -- his devotion to God, his despair when he had sinned, his hopes for

a glorious future. Even three thousand years later, we can all relate to David’s thoughts and

emotions. But if we know God’s plan and realize that Jesus was foreshadowed in so many

passages in the Old Testament, the Psalms become much more than the reflections on the

events in a single life.

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The twenty-third Psalm, while it applies in the strictest sense only to saints, has found its way

into the hearts of millions of people. This is good. When people of all standings before the

Lord find help or solace in a Scripture, it can only be a benefit to them in the long run. So,

rather than being exclusive and specific in our look at this Psalm, we will consider its general

beneficial lessons and effects on any who find it to be close to their hearts.

 

The twenty-third Psalm is a description of God’s care over His flock — His saints. He is the

Great Shepherd. In the opening passage, “The LORD is my shepherd,” the Hebrew word for

“LORD” is “Yahweh.” It is the word God chose to represent his character to all who might want

to know about Him. The word means "He is becoming" -- a name appropriate for Him Who

will take eternity for His creatures to fully know. But even now, in the short term, the name

means that God becomes clearer in our minds by what He is doing for us and around us -- by

what He is becoming in our hearts.

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David was describing his gratitude to God for all He had done for him and all the ways

in which God had protected and guarded and led him. But we know that David was also a

representation of Christ (Matthew 1:1, 9:27, and 21:9), and that "The Christ" is composed of

Jesus as the head and the true church as the body, as stated in Colossians 1:18: “He (Christ)

is also the head of the body, the church…” So this Psalm’s deeper meaning is directed to the

church class. It applies to God, to our Redeemer, and to his followers.

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The juxtaposition of Psalm 22 and Psalm 23 is probably not accidental. Psalm 22 is a

description of Jesus’ anguish while hanging on the cross. The Bible doesn’t say, but it could be

that to comfort himself in those terrible hours, our Lord mentally recited Psalm 23 to remind

himself of God’s encompassing, loving care.

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How does Psalm 23 describe God’s nurturing of those who are a part of the church?
 

“I shall not want.”

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This is such a comforting thought! His protection embraces much more than just temporal

necessities. The verse doesn’t say that God will provide everything we ever wanted, but it does

assure us that He will not withhold anything that is in the best interest of the new creature in

Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 84:11). This includes our experiences. Some of them may be

difficult and run counter to our earthly interests, but we need these experiences to develop our

characters in Christlikeness (Hebrews 12:5-7). Along with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:6,

we can say, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will

perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” James 1:4 also reminds us to “Let perseverance finish

its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Our God provides

everything we need to that end if we keep our eyes on Him.

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He also promises His consolation and constant support in times of difficulty (Hebrews 13:5-6).

As His sheep, our job is to trust in His guidance and live in His love.

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“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”

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These verses give us a sense of peace and reassurance. God is leading us; He feeds us with

His word, and we are able to take in the refreshing waters of truth and hope. We are lying

down in the lush comfort of green pastures when we study the Bible, set aside time for prayer

and devotion, and engage in fellowship with other Christians. These things are wonderful

sources of mental refreshment. And even if things aren’t going as we would wish, we can still

gain peace through our faith that God is shaping the experiences in our lives for our ultimate

good. We can rest, knowing that He is in charge.

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“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

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God, out of the immensity of His love, provided mankind with a way back to Him through the

gift of his dear, beloved son as John tells us in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He

gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal

life.” This justification before God is available now to true Christians through faith in Jesus as

the ransom price for Adam’s sin, and will be available to the world in the future Kingdom as

they are awakened and educated as to God’s plan (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). The exciting part for

Christians now is that through our experiences in this life, we are being guided and trained to

participate in that Kingdom as kings and priests and to help to bring God’s blessings to the

whole world (Matthew 6:10). That is a restoring thought!

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God’s ways are entirely righteous, and He knows the great blessings in store for us if we lead

a faithful life. He also knows we cannot lead an entirely righteous life every minute of every

day, so He has provided His son to be our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2) when we fall short of the

mark. We know Jesus is a true shepherd because of his message; no other voice has promised

2salvation to the whole world or sacrificed his life to make it happen. We know the Father sent

him because of his goodness.

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“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with

me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

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Even here, in this “valley of the shadow of death” that we are all in since Adam’s fall, the

Father is with us through our Lord Jesus. Our Shepherd is there to guide us through the dark

times; He is more powerful than any enemy we could encounter. His rod is there to defend us

and his staff is there to pull us out of danger. Even in our worst experiences, God and Jesus are

there to comfort and guide us: “…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and

lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) We can feel their

presence (2 Timothy 4:17-18), and it is enormously comforting.

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In the first part of Psalm 23, David portrays God as the Great Shepherd. In the second part,

God becomes the host of a table full of good things and we are His guests.

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“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head

with oil; My cup overflows.”

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The Lord has given mankind (and will yet do more so) such rich blessings and favor as to be

almost incomprehensible; and He has given the church even more. In spite of the turmoil in

the world, the Church is assured that even the hairs of their head are numbered (Matthew

10:30). Our knowledge of this intimate, personal care by our Father and His son buoys us

through every trial. Our cups really do overflow with every experience the Father sends to

us, and the oil of the holy Spirit helps us to grow in them. David recognized that God had

protected him through all the battles and dangerous circumstances in his life, and we should

also be looking back at our blackest times and remembering how the Lord comforted and

strengthened us and how He pulled us through.

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“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in

the house of the Lord forever.”

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We can’t escape God’s goodness and love unless we insist on it! He is the source of our

strength and purpose, and He guides us continually. He is always near, whether we realize it

or not. Some translations of this verse say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all

the days of my life.” This has a more active sense, that the Lord’s care is keeping after us and

actually chasing us to uphold us in our trials.

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If the saints remain faithful to the end of their lives on earth, they are promised a heavenly

home with the intent of bringing all mankind back into harmony with God. What could be a

better future than that?

- - -

 

In the meantime:

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

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The Everlasting God, the LORD, the creator of the ends of the earth,

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Does not become weary or tired.

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His understanding is inscrutable.

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He gives strength to the weary,

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And to him who lacks might, He increases power.

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Though youths grow weary and tired,

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And vigorous young men stumble badly,

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Yet those who wait for the LORD

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Will gain new strength;

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They will mount up with wings like eagles;

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They will run and not get tired;

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They will walk and not become weary.

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(Isaiah 40:28-31)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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