Jehovah the psalmist’s shepherd
A Psalm of David
23Â Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2Â He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside [a]still waters.
3Â He restoreth my soul:
He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of [b]the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5Â Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
My cup runneth over.
6Â [c]Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah [d]for ever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 23:2 Hebrew waters of rest.
- Psalm 23:4 Or, deep darkness (and so elsewhere)
- Psalm 23:6 Or, Only
- Psalm 23:6 Hebrew for length of days.
American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain
The Lord Is Your Shepherd – Psalm 23
In this psalm David describes his relationship with God as that of a shepherd who cares for his sheep. He uses shepherd imagery to depict God as the provider of refreshment, guidance, protection and abundance.
The green pastures and still waters of this psalm are symbolic of a God who has a plan for your life. A God who will take you where you need to be, who will lead you through the valleys of doubt and uncertainty, who will meet your needs and provide for you at every turn in your journey.
Often when we think about the image of a shepherd we immediately picture an experienced shepherd who knows the way and has the ability to lead his sheep safely through dark, gloomy and dangerous places. But in reality this is a very limited picture of a Shepherd.
It wasn’t easy being a shepherd in Bible times either. A shepherd would sometimes have to lead his flock through narrow, rocky paths that led straight into the shadow of cliffs. This was a favourite place for predators to hide, and the sheep would be very vulnerable.
When a sheep gets lost however, the shepherd will leave the rest of the flock behind and go after the one that got lost.
The same is true for us when we get lost in our own lives. We need a Shepherd who is willing to leave the crowd behind and pursue the lost sheep until they find their way home.
