Psalm 23 - The Good Shepherd

This psalm is often the first that we memorise. Yet it is not only a psalm for when we are young. It speaks to whatever age we are, including when we come towards the close of life. The psalm is a very personal one as we can see from the frequent use of personal pronouns by the author. We are not told at what stage in his life David wrote the psalm, except that it was composed after he had gone through many experiences with the Lord.

It has been observed that the overall theme of the psalm may not be that of the Lord as a shepherd. Some have suggested that in verses 3 and 4 the Lord is seen as a guide and in verses 5 and 6 as a host. Yet a shepherd was a guide and a host as far as his sheep were concerned, so it is likely that the shepherd theme covers the whole psalm.

The effect of the psalm is seen in the tenses that the author uses; most are in the present tense. The point of the psalm is expressed in the first verse when David says that the Lord is his shepherd who will provide for him and the credibility of the claim is proved throughout the psalm in a variety of situations.

In verses 2 and 3, David says that the Lord provides spiritual refreshment for him. In those places, he experienced restoration. The places of spiritual refreshment for a Christian are the means of grace, whether in public with other Christians or as an individual. In them, he discovers the encouragement of God as the Holy Spirit uses the promises of God to refresh his soul.

In verses 3 and 4, David describes what happens as he makes spiritual progress in his walk with God. The Lord enables him to live a righteous life in the various paths he walks along. This happens even in dark times when spiritual dangers are around. What gives him security is his sense of the presence of the Lord who is there as his protector, and even when the powers of evil are showing their animosity, the Lord reveals that he has the means, pictured by the rod and staff, to deal with those opponents of his servant, and this ongoing divine activity comforts the believer.

In verse 5, David describes the provision God provides. It was the custom for shepherds to have locations where they had food for their flocks, especially when pasture was not easily found. Those locations were also places where the shepherd poured oil on the head of a sheep to deal with problems caused by bruises or insect bites. In the spiritual life, those locations, here associated with places where hostile enemies were gathering, are where God provides a great amount of suitable food and treatment for spiritual wounds. It is not hard to see that again the means of grace are described, and the outcome is that once more the believer's joy abounds.

The outcome is that the believer knows that, whatever the situation, divine expressions of covenant faithfulness will continually be shown to him by his faithful God (v. 6). His faithfulness ensures that each of his people will reach their heavenly destination where they will dwell forever.