Psalm 23

 A Psalm of David. 

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

David makes a declaration here, a statement of fact as well as a pledge of trust. It all depends on the tone of voice. It is a fact that YHWH shepherds each and every human being. Psalm 139 reminds us of how intimately he knows each and every person on the planet, and willing or not, the LORD is the shepherd of us all. But not everyone listens to the sound of his voice. For that reason, this is also a pledge of trust. It is a promise to submit to the shepherd’s leading. This is when we say, “I’ll trust in the LORD as my shepherd.” The second declaration follows from the first, “I shall not want.”  If I surrender to the shepherding of YHWH I will lack nothing. Or stated positively, I”ll have everything I need. I don’t think this is a promise of abundance as the prosperity peddlers might say, but rather a statement of sufficiency. “I will not be lacking anything I truly need.” Sheep certainly don’t live high on the hog. Their basic needs of food, water, and safety are met by the shepherd and they don’t even make those things a care -- they are just there. They only see what is in front of them while the shepherd knows the lay of the land and the sources of water, food, and shelter. All they must do is follow, stay with the shepherd, not getting out ahead nor falling behind. Stay with the shepherd and all will be well. “The LORD is my shepherd” is a theological statement of truth, but it is much more than that. For me it is a statement of trust. 

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters [beside waters of rest]

The psalmist lists four actions that the shepherd takes on my behalf. First, he makes me lie down in green pastures. This is in the causative form of the Hebrew verb, as if there is some implication that this is something that the sheep must be forced to do, something that it might not do naturally. This may not be true of everyone, but at times I have trouble lying down and resting. In addition to the many things that need to be done, my mind may be flooded with worry and doubt. In this sense, the shepherds causes us to relax, to lie down and enjoy his provision of a green pasture. Coming immediately after “I shall not want”, this statement speaks to God’s abundant provision of food and rest to his flock. The next statement describes how he provides for our other basic needs -- water and safety. These two are combined into one. Still waters provide a source of refreshment (although running water is better for drinking), but mostly they suggest safety for you wouldn’t camp by running water because this would mask the sound of an intruder. Sleeping at night when one is afraid makes for a long night. Worrying about something is one thing, but fearing for your physical safety is another. I’ve been there when camping, irrationally of course, but fear can take over the mind. Our shepherd sees that we are safe even when we are asleep and are completely at the mercy of our surroundings. What is true in the physical sense is also true in the spiritual sense. My shepherd causes me to slow down and rest in a place of abundance while safely protecting me there from predators, our enemy, who like a roaring lion is seeking to devour me. 

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness [in right paths] for his name's sake.

The third statement of God’s actions as shepherd is that he restores my soul. This suggests the idea of repairing or mending. The sheep have had some type of injury that requires healing. If it’s a wound, the shepherd will cleanse it (this is the most painful part). It may involve removing a foreign object, applying an antiseptic to the open wound, and then possibly stitching it up. It could be the type of wound that requires regular care, the application of an ointment, the slow recovery of a broken bone or damaged ligament that would require special treatment until full healing had taken place. It’s not too difficult to see how this aspect of the metaphor applies to the various wounds that people receive today. This is a restoration of the soul, the deepest part of us -- our identity, our past, the wounds that others have inflicted, and the unhealthy habits we’ve adapted to medicate them ourselves. Jesus restores our soul, heals the wounds by pulling off scabs and cleansing them. He tenderly brings us back to health, redeeming the pain. The fourth statement is of God’s actions as leader, perhaps following on the heels of the restoration. He takes us from our wounded state and leads us along the right paths. Sheep are notoriously stupid and need guidance whether from a shepherd. Dangerous paths might have included steep passages and water crossings. Leading suggests either going out ahead or driving from behind. We can’t make too much of this metaphor, but leadership certainly requires both of those. The pull and the push are the two actions available to leaders, and YHWH uses both of those approaches. Getting out ahead of us, we follow him into new terrain. Other times he pushes us from behind, strengthening us to step out and keep moving forward. He does all this for the sake of his name, his reputation, his honor. The path that we take is a reflection on the shepherd. We bring either honor or shame to him by our actions. We are his sheep, his flock, and we reflect his leadership. In fact, all four of these actions are for his namesake (look at the poetry). All of these actions bring him praise (resting, securing, healing, and leading), and confirm to the world that He is a shepherd worthy of following. 

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [the valley of deep darkness] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

David describes one of the extremes of life. There are times when we walk through dark valleys. Valleys were dangerous because you did not have the high ground. You were vulnerable to attack from above where the enemy had the advantage. Furthermore, you had nowhere to run or hide. Escape and retreat could be rendered impossible by one who wants to trap you. You do not want to travel in dark valleys. You want to travel on the ridges of the hills, getting the lay of the land with broad sight lines so no one can sneak up on you. Yet there are times when through no choice of your own you are plunged into a valley, thick foliage obscuring your surroundings, disoriented by the darkness as the sun moves behind a hill. It is here when you are particularly grateful for the shepherd’s presence. You should be afraid, but you know that he is with you with two instruments: a club and a staff. The club is at the ready to respond to any attack from an animal or a man. It is lethal and swift, a rod that can quickly deal a knock out blow to the head. Meanwhile the staff can be employed to guide in the darkness, nudging you back on the path when you find yourself getting lost in the weeds. You cannot see ahead, but the shepherd can, and his staff guides you rightly. This situation could be a trial or it could be death itself. All of us will take a walk through that valley. We are helpless to climb out of it and there we will exit this world. Our bodies will surrender their strength and we’ll return to the same amount of power that we had when we entered it. We’ll be reduced to laying in our beds and protesting. At that moment the believer can be sure that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is with us, clubbing the enemy Death to death and guiding us safely home to the Father. 

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

The shepherd metaphor gives way to another powerful visual of the LORD’s presence and provision -- that of host as David moves to the 2nd person voice. This gets personal as he addresses the LORD directly. YHWH prepares a meal and sets it before him even while he is being hunted by his enemies. The LORD does this knowing that David’s enemies will become his enemies by doing so. David experienced hospitality from Abigail (and he married her for it), and he experienced hospitality from the priests at Nob (and they were killed for it). Hosting involves a risk (as does shepherding), but it is one YHWH is willing to take for even a stranger. Not only does the LORD feed his guest but he cleans him up. He washes the dirt of the world off my hands and feet and replaces body odor with the extravagant fragrance of cologne. He honors the stranger who has stumbled toward his home. He makes sure that the cup of wine is never empty, wine being a symbol of joy and celebration. Moving into God’s house is a step up from the world. It is a place where the enemy Death cannot reach you, the stench of sin is replaced with sweet perfume, and happiness never ends. For David this is not just some future event, a move that he will make when he passes from this life (although this is true of course). No, David describes this as a present experience. He has already made the move to God’s house and he’s already experiencing the blessings of his presence - deliverance from his enemies, honor, and provision. Are you enjoying the blessings of God’s presence or are you trying to go it alone? Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. 

6 Surely [Only] goodness and mercy [steadfast love] shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell [shall return to dwell] in the house of the LORD forever. [for lengths of days]

Reflecting on the LORD as shepherd and host the psalmist is convinced that he is in the best possible place. He feels that he will experience nothing but goodness and the steadfast love of God every day of his life. Just as the sheep follow the shepherd, the psalmist will be followed by these two characteristics of God. He cannot escape them. The first line of this verse seems to connect back to the shepherd metaphor while the second line returns to the image of the host with whom the psalmist trusts that he will live forever. While perhaps at first just a guest who was passing through, the psalmist is determined to stay in the LORD’s presence forever (and the LORD is presumably delighted to have him stay). This verse can’t be a blanket promise that nothing bad will ever happen to you. Other scripture and the realities of life demonstrate that. So this is more of a statement of trust or perspective. Nothing bad can really happen to me as long as I’m with my shepherd and host. In other words, I’m never alone. The goodness and mercy of God are always with me quite literally because the LORD is always with me in these two powerful forms: shepherd and host. However, the final line doesn’t preclude me from leaving his presence. It is merely a statement of intent. I won’t ever leave his house, his presence. Yet, I still do. I’ll still push against his house rules and move out to huddle in my own lean-to. How silly it is when we resist our gracious shepherd and host. Like the good shepherd and the good host, don’t miss opportunities to lead others to the LORD and invite them into his house.