The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6)

The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6)

 
In Psalm 23, David uses two imageries: in verses 1-4 the imagery of shepherd-flock and in verses 5-6 the imagery of host-guest. That is, God is a Shepherd who leads us, the flock, and a gracious Host who prepares a table with abundant food and drinks for us, and lets us dwell in His place forever.

1. The LORD is My Shepherd
    As the LORD, our Shepherd, provides us with green pastures and fresh water, we shall not want. He restores our soul and guides us in His righteous paths, and protects us from all kinds of enemies.
    David who was a shepherd himself, knew the relation- ship between a shepherd and the flock. As David himself had experiences of providing his flock with green pastures and waters, leading them in right paths, and protecting them from attacks of wild animals, he compares the LORD, God who leads and protects Israel to a Shepherd. God protects, guides, and provides them whom He loves with abundant things. God, who had guided, protected, and provided Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and the Israelites through Moses with abundant blessings, is a Shepherd for us, the Christians, His people.

2. He Makes Me Lie Down in Green Pastures
    A sheep is an animal with little talent and ability. As a sheep's sense of smell is less developed, it cannot find food by itself. A sheep cannot distinguish edible grasses from inedible grasses. The sheep definitely need a shepherd who guides them to green pastures and still waters. When the sheep have a good shepherd beside them, they shall not want.

3. He leads Me in Right Paths
    A sheep does not have a sense of direction. A cat or a dog who is far away from home finds its way back to home. But a sheep easily gets lost and wanders about. A sheep who turns aside from right paths cannot return to the right paths. Thus, the sheep absolutely need a shepherd who leads them in right tracks.

4. My Shepherd Comforts Me with His Rod and Staff
    The sheep sometimes need to go up to steep mountains and down into deep valleys to find green pastures, but
they do not fear, because they wholly lean on their shepherd.
    The sheep do not have a power to protect themselves from attacks of wild animals. However, their shepherd does. A shepherd guides the sheep by making paths through bushes with his rod, and protect them by driving away wolves and other wild animals with his staff.

5. My LORD Prepares a Table Before Me; My Cup Overflows
    God prepares a table for David in the presence of his enemies who despises him and his LORD. The LORD lets the enemies know that He is always with David.
    God treats David as an honored guest, by anointing his head with oil. God provides him with abundant blessings. His cup overflows.

6. I shall Dwell in the House of the LORD Forever
    To become a God's honored guest means more than an invitation to a banquet on a special occasion. In Jesus' parable of the wedding banquet in Matt. 22, the guests who are invited to the wedding banquet are those who will stay with the master forever in the master's house. David's hope to dwell in the house of the LORD is not a static expression but a dynamic and progressive one that is being realized.

7. Epilogue
    Jehovah, our LORD, is a good Shepherd who has led the Israelites, the foolish and untalented flock. Whenever they were hungry and thirsty, He made them eat manna and quails and drink water from rocks. He led them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Whenever they went astray, He guided them in the right paths with His rod, protected them from the attacks of their enemies with His staff.
    The LORD is still a good Shepherd for us, the Christians who live today. Our Shepherd knows us by names, calls us to come back when we go astray, guides us in the right tracks with his rod and protects us from Satan's all kinds of temptations with his staff. Even when we think that we walk through the dark valley of death, God walks beside us and protects us. When we lift up our eyes to the LORD for help in all our circumstances, we will know that his grace and mercy are boundless. Then, we will hope to dwell in the house of our good LORD forever, and our LORD will accept us as His honored guests into His house.