More thoughts on Psalm 23

A little while back, I talked about Psalm 23:1.  This verse says that God is my shepherd, and therefore, I will not want.  Or as I described, this means that God will provide for my daily needs.  There’s more I want to say about this classic Psalm today.  I’m not going to go through every verse in this Psalm, but I do want to underscore a few sections.

First of all, I don’t want to gloss over the phrase “The Lord is my shepherd”.  Remember who it is that’s writing this Psalm (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit).  David was a shepherd.  He knew what it was like to provide for, protect, lead, and guide his sheep.  When he thought about his relationship with God, he stated that it was God Himself who was his shepherd.  That’s the key phrase of the whole Psalm.

I like the word picture in verse 2: “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”  This reminds me of God’s protection.  My assumption is that if a sheep is going to lie down in the grass, he will only do so if he feels safe.  If he feels threatened or afraid, he will not be in such a state of tranquility.  The sheep instinctively know that the shepherd is providing protection from oncoming danger.  In the same way, God supplies protection in countless ways.  We aren’t even aware of all the ways that God protects us on a daily basis.

I think this same notion is reiterated when we get to verse 4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  Why?  Because “you are with me”; furthermore, “your rod and staff they comfort me.”  Why would a rod and staff provide comfort?  If a predator tried to attack the sheep, the shepherd has offensive weapons to protect the flock from danger.  I have felt God’s protection in my own life on many different occasions.

Let me conclude with a wonderful phrase in verse 3: “He restores my soul”.  This is such a precious verse to me.  Candidly, there have been times in my life when I have chosen sin.  I’m not proud of it, but it’s true.

 

However, the fact of the matter is, God’s Spirit never lets me truly enjoy it.  He gently prompts me to return to Him.  So I repent.  I cry out for His forgiveness and cleansing.  I subsequently feel like I’ve taken a spiritual shower; I feel clean.  I feel a peace that passes all human understanding.  Or, to use David’s words, I feel restored.  The Lord, in those moments, restores my heart and soul to where it was: desiring to live for God and to please Him in my everyday choices.

Kevin