PSALM 23 (part 2): The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-5)

Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my Shepherd” - a confession of personal faith & submission. He’s my Shepherd, Owner, Lord, Leader (sheep belong to their shepherd; they submit, follow & trust him). Only believers humble themselves to be His sheep and admit they need, belong to & follow their Shepherd, trusting Him to provide. Since the Lord is my Shepherd: “I shall not want” (v1b), a summary of His provision of every blessing, unfolded in detail in the rest of Ps 23: "I’ll not want for peace, protection, guidance, blessing etc. Also, a statement of contentment: “He’s all I want.” “He makes me to lie down (settles me down) in green pastures” (v2a) - satisfied peace & rest. Shepherds rested their flocks at noon (Song 1:7). Sheep only lie down having had plenty to eat & drink, not threatened by wild animals or troubled by parasites or flies and if there’s no friction among the sheep. Rest comes, for the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies & famine. Christ brings us into soul-rest: “He leads (not drives) me beside the still (gentle) waters” (v2b). He plans my life, knows the best way & leads me in it – oriental shepherds go ahead & lead their sheep. They know his voice & follow him. Jesus the Prince of Peace can’t give us peace apart from Himself, as He is Peace. So, if you go away from Him, you lose peace. Sheep can’t drink from swift waters. He supplies us with grass to chew (His WORD) and gentle waters to drink (His SPIRIT). “He restores (lit: 'brings back') my soul” (v3a). Translations emphasise the reviving of the soul. The literal meaning includes something more important, the restoration of a soul by repentance (Gal 6:1). He brings my soul back to God, resulting in the restoring of life & peace. Thus, it speaks of the rescue of a lost sheep, who has gone astray, a vital part of a shepherd's work (Ezek 34:4-6,11-12), a picture of salvation (Isa 53:6). Lost souls are sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus came in compassion to gather His flock (Matt 9:36). This aspect of the Good Shepherd’s ministry is emphasised in the NT (1Pet 2:25). The Parable of the Good Shepherd (Matt 18:11-13) reveals Christ, the Son of Man, is the Good Shepherd, with sacrificial love for each of His sheep. He claimed to be the Good Shepherd of Ps 23, who came from Heaven to seek & save His lost sheep, by bringing us back to Himself. Luke 15:4-7 adds detail: “When he has found it (the lost sheep), he lays it on his shoulders (salvation by grace) rejoicing" (v5). "Likewise, there will be more joy in Heaven over one SINNER who REPENTS” (v7). This proves it’s a picture of salvation by Christ thru repentant faith. When a sheep knows it is lost, it’s paralysed by fear & lies down, or gets caught in a bush or ditch. It’s helpless to save itself. But the Shepherd loves him & seeks Him, calling out to him. When he hears His voice, he bleats (we call on His Name to save us), He lifts him up & carries him home. We repent from going our own way, call on the Shepherd and trust Him to save us, rather than running away. His rejoicing over 1 saved sheep reveals God’s personal love for us. To save the sheep He had to go to where he was. So, to save us, God had to come to earth as a man. So, Ps 23 can only be fulfilled by God becoming a man in the person of Jesus to save us. Having restored me to Himself: “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake (for His glory & reputation, displaying the glory of His grace)” (v3b). The Good Shepherd is our Leader & Guide. He plans the best route for the day. The sheep didn’t need to know where to go; just to know where the Shepherd was and follow Him. The Lord leads us into abundance of life & provision. He leads us on the right path for our life. Trust Him, for He’ll lead you well, in accordance with His good Name. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for YOU are with me" (v4a). At times it was necessary to go thru deep gorges in the shadows, vulnerable to robbers & predators, representing times of danger, when death casts a shadow over us, but if we’re with Jesus, our Shepherd, we need not even fear death, for He defeated death for us. He’ll be with us even thru death. v4 speaks of His Protection through His Presence with us both now & forever, for He’ll never leave us. Note the change from HE to YOU. The sheep draws closer to Him in danger. He’s now alongside us, rather than ahead. His Presence protects us from evil, removing our fear. Sheep don’t last long on their own, our safety is in staying close to the Shepherd. “Your ROD and Your STAFF, they comfort me” (v4b). The Shepherd manifests His Presence and so comforts the sheep (1) by His ROD (a club with iron nails in its head, like a mace, used to strike His enemies, 1Sam 17:34-35), corresponding to His WORD. The STAFF was used on the sheep if it started to go the wrong way, to pull it to safety if it needed rescuing, and to count the sheep (Mic 7:14) – a symbol of His SPIRIT.