The Lord is my Shepherd (Part 1)
Paul Stow
Psalms 22 – 24 are a trio of Psalms that collectively are known by Theologians as The Cross, the Crook, and the Crown, so called because within each Psalm we discover Jesus, or to be more precise, we discover who Jesus is.
Psalm 22 is a clear reference to the Cross of Jesus and how He is the redeemer of all mankind; Psalm 23 is a clear reference to Jesus’ love, care, and compassion for His people and how He is their Great Shepherd; and Psalm 24 is a clear reference to Jesus’ Royalty, and how He is the Sovereign King who will one day rule and reign upon the Earth in majesty, power, truth, justice, and righteousness.
Although all 3 were written approximately 1000 years before Jesus’ incarnation, they each paint a vivid prophetic picture of who Jesus is and what Jesus will do, and of the 3, Psalm 23 – the Crook – is arguably the most popular and the most comforting passages of scripture among believers for the simple reason it reminds us of just how much we are loved and cared for by Jesus.
When we are experiencing difficult and challenging times – like the ongoing threat of Covid19 and the continuing effect it is having upon each of our lives – we all need to be reminded of just how precious we are to him, and that despite this current time of adversity and uncertainty, He is with us, He is close to us, and He will never leave us or forsake us.
In the first of a two-part reflection on Psalm 23, I want to consider afresh what David the author of the Psalm has to say about Jesus our Great Shepherd, and I want to begin with the Great Shepherd himself.
David opens His Psalm with the words ‘The Lord’, and the Hebrew word he used was the word ‘Jehovah’ which means ‘eternal one’. This was the word God used for himself in Exodus Chapter 6 verses 2 & 3 when he renewed His Covenant with Moses, so by using ‘The Lord’ at the very beginning of His Psalm, David’s readers will immediately know he is referring to ‘Jehovah the eternal One’.
His readers will know at the outset that he is referring to the God of all creation; the God of eternity; the God above all god’s’, and ultimately the God of the Nation Israel to whom David belonged.
The Lord of David’s Psalm is none other than the One, True, and Living God – Yahweh as he later became known by the Jews – and ultimately it was this same God, this same Lord, this same Yahweh, who wonderfully and gloriously revealed himself to the world in the person of the ‘Godman’ Jesus Christ the ‘Lord of Redemption’ and the ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ (Revelation 19 v 16).
The Lord of verse 1 is the Lord – the God – over all. And having focused his reader’s attention upon the Lord, David then says something quite remarkable about Him. He said ‘The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want’.
By referring to God as ‘MY SHEPHERD’, David wants his readers to know that although Yahweh is all majestic, all powerful, all holy, he personally has a close, intimate, personal relationship with God that can be likened to the relationship between a Shepherd and his sheep.
As we know from 1 Samuel, David was himself a Shepherd before he became the King of Israel. So, by referring to God as His Shepherd, He was drawing upon personal experience. As a Shepherd, David would have ensured the needs of his sheep were always met. That they would never want for anything. He would have ensured his sheep were provided for, cared for, and protected. And for David, what he did for His sheep, God His Shepherd is also doing for him.
In the same way David, the Shepherd fully met the needs of the sheep under his care, God as His Shepherd is fully meeting David’s needs as one of his sheep under His care. As David said, ‘I shall not be in want’, or as some translations have it, ‘I shall lack nothing’. As a sheep of God the Great Shepherd, David knew His great Shepherd will meet all his needs. He knew His Great Shepherd will never ever let him down.
The word’s ‘shall not’ are emphatic. David will NOT lack for anything. The Great Shepherd WILL provide. And in verse 2, David lists 3 things the Great Shepherd will do for him – ‘He will make him lie down in green pastures’, ‘He will lead him beside still waters’, and ‘He will restore his soul’.
With regard to the image of David ‘lying down in green pastures’, he is again drawing upon his experience as a shepherd, and how shepherds always ensured their sheep fed on the most sweetest, the most luscious, the most tenderest, the most nutritious grass.
Unlike goats who happily feed on all kinds of ‘junk’ food like weeds and decaying vegetation, sheep need to feed on the best, and the Shepherd would lead them to places where the best was located. He would search for the pasture that contained the best grass, and when he found it, he would lead his sheep to that pasture.
Once his sheep had eaten their fill, the shepherd would then make them ‘lie down in the green pasture’ which was to aid the digestion of the grass and also the health of the sheep. By enabling his sheep to feed on the best, and by enabling his sheep to rest, the Shepherd knew his sheep would become healthy and strong, which in turn would see them producing good quality wool, and also good quality meat.
And for David, spiritually, that is what God has also done for him. God has led him to a sweet, luscious, tender, nutritious place where he can feed, rest, grow, and produce. God has led him to a place of deep spiritual sustenance and rest, and back in David’s day, that place was the Law – His Holy Word – which is not only ‘a light to our feet and a light to our path’ (Psalm 119 v 105), but it was also ‘life to all who found it and health to all their flesh’. (Proverbs 4 v 22)
And what God did for David, He is also doing for us through his Son Jesus. Jesus our Great Shepherd is also leading us to the place of green pastures – His Holy Word – where we too can feast, rest, grow, and produce.
The ‘green pastures’ of His Holy Word contains the most sweetest, the most luscious, the most tenderest, the most nutritious of spiritual fayre. In God’s Word, we discover the eternal nature and power of the One, True, and Living God; we discover God’s eternal Kingdom; we discover God’s eternal promises and assurances; we discover God’s eternal redemptive plan’s and purposes; and ultimately, we discover God’s eternal and living Son Jesus.
God’s word contains everything we need to know about the Triune God that is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit God, and everything we need to know to live a life that is true and abundant.
And if we feed on it, digest it, and rest in it, then like the sheep of the green pastures, not only will we become spiritually healthy and strong, but we also will produce lives and works of service that will honor and glorify our Great Shepherd.
With regard to the Great Shepherd leading David beside still waters and restoring his soul, David is drawing even further upon his experience with sheep, and how they have a deep-rooted fear of fast running water. Because sheep are unable to swim, they will not drink from rivers and streams that are fast moving for fear of falling in. They would sooner remain thirsty than risk their lives drinking from rivers or streams that are constantly flowing.
So, in order to alleviate their fear, the Shepherd will seek out still, calm pools of water and when found, he will lead his sheep to those pools. The shepherd knew that if his sheep were to remain peaceful and calm, they needed to drink from a place that is also peaceful and calm.
And through the image of David’s Great Shepherd leading David beside still waters, he is reminding God’s people that even though there will be times when life becomes turbulent, chaotic, traumatic which may cause us to become anxious and fearful, God will lead His people to a place of rest, peace, safety, and restoration.
He will lead his sheep to a place where the waters are calm and still, where they will be able to drink peacefully from those still, calm waters, and where they will be spiritually, emotionally, and mentally restored. And that place of calmness and stillness is himself, the Living Water.
Jesus said in John Chapter 7 verse 37 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow within him”. And in Matthew Chapter 11 verse 28 Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.
Dear brother and sister in Christ. If today you are feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, anxious, or fearful, then take the outstretched loving hand of Jesus the Great and Good Shepherd (John 10 verses 11 – 18), and let him lead you to the still, calm waters of His love, grace, compassion, mercy, comfort, and assurance.
Let him lead you to a place where you will be still; where you will be restored; where you will experience a deep inner peace that is beyond all understanding; and where you will know for certain just ‘how wide, and long, and high, and deep’ is His all-encompassing, incomprehensible, love for you. AMEN.
Prayer
Loving Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are our great and good Shepherd who laid down his life for us, who knows us by name, and who loves us with an everlasting love. As we continue to live amid the Covid virus, we ask that like you did with David, you will make us lie down in the green pastures of your eternal Word, you will lead us beside the still calm waters of your eternal Presence, and you will restore our souls with your peace that is beyond all understanding. AMEN.
Lyrics
The Lord’s my shepherd
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.
And I will trust in You alone,
And I will trust in You alone,
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.
He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.
And though I walk the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
Ageless one, you?re my rock of peace
Lord of all I depend on you
I call out to you, again and again
I call out to you, again and again
You lift me up when I fall down
All through the storm
Your love is, the anchor
My hope is in You alone
1 thought on “The Lord is my Shepherd (Part 1)”
Thank you Paul