Psalm 23: The Lord, My Shepherd

							      Psalm 23

The Lord, My Shepherd



 “The Lord is my
     shepherd,
 I shall not want.”

      (Psalm 23: 1)
If Psalm 23 provides the Solutions,
     what were the Problems?
If Psalm 23 provides the Solutions,
     what were the Problems?
 Take a few moments and review Psalm 23
  looking for the problems/concerns that the
  psalmist might have been experiencing prior to
  the writing of the psalm.

 Listthem in your notebook and discuss briefly at
  your table.
Psalm 23 = Individual Psalm of
               Confidence
 The psalm has been called the
  “Shepherd’s Psalm” because of the
  dominant metaphor in the beginning.
 Closer inspection reveals 3 scenes:
 The Pasture (23:1-4): Shepherd-Sheep
 The Banquet Hall (23:5): Gracious Host
 The Sanctuary (23:6): Holy Lord
        Shepherds & Sheep 101
Main  job of shepherd = food & water
Sheep – not good at finding own food
Biblical Imagery:
God the Father – Isaiah 40:10-11
God the Son – John 10:1-16
Elders – 1 Peter 5:1-4
       A Day in the Life of a Shepherd…
 In the morning the shepherd leads forth his
  flock by calling them to himself.
 In the field, he would often watch with dogs.
 He would search for strays (responsible).
 At least once per day, he would supply the
  flock with water from streams or wells.
 In the evening, he counted each sheep by
  passing them “under the rod” (or his hand) as
  they entered the opening of the enclosure.
 Sheep and goats kept together during day but
  separated at night.
Psalm 23: Outline
David  meditates on how the Lord leads him,
 using the emblem of shepherd/sheep (1-4).
David reflects on the Lord as his sovereign
 deliverer under the emblem of a gracious
 host in a banquet hall (5).
David confidently concludes that since the
 goodness and loyal love of the Lord will
 follow him always he shall be drawn to
 communion with the Lord in the
 sanctuary(6).
                              Psalm 23
                            A Psalm of David.

1The   LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet
2 He

waters.
3 Herestores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for
His name's sake.
     though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear
4 Even

no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort
me.
     dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
5 Thou

Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
                              Psalm 23
                            A Psalm of David.

1The   LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet
2 He

waters.
3 Herestores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for
His name's sake.
     though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear
4 Even

no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort
me.
     dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
5 Thou

Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23: Message
Using the settings of a pasture, banquet
hall, and the sanctuary, David meditates
on the many provisions of the Lord and
confidently concludes that His persistent
loyal love will draw him to communion
with the Lord in the sanctuary.
Psalm 23
David   meditates on how the Lord leads
 him, using the emblem of
 shepherd/sheep (1-4).
David reflects on the Lord as his sovereign
 deliverer under the emblem of a gracious host
 in a banquet hall (5).
David confidently concludes that since the
 goodness and loyal love of the Lord will follow
 him always he shall be drawn to communion
 with the Lord in the sanctuary(6).
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2a He makes me lie down in green pastures;

 The Lord = my shepherd (“my feeder”)
 The food is spiritual = Word of God
 (Pss 19 & 119; John 16; 1 Cor 2; Heb 5:12-14)
Q:    How does he feed the sheep?
 A:   By putting them in the best place for the best food.
 Quantity: He  lacks nothing when God provides
 Quality: He has the best provisions (lush green meadows
  of spring time)
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2a He makes me lie down in green pastures;

The Lord leads him to the very best
 provisions in life so that he is satisfied.
Quantity: He lacks nothing when God
 provides.
Quality: He has the best provisions (lush
 green meadows of spring time).
Provision of the Lord: Feeding
Psalm 23
2bHe leads me beside quiet waters.
3a He restores my soul;

He leads = He “causes” the leading to…
Quiet waters = “waters of rest” (nacham)
Restores = “to return; to turn back” (sheep
 wander; good shepherds heal/restore)
My soul = the whole person (Hebrews
 thought of the person as a soul, not having a
 soul.)
Psalm 23
2bHe leads me beside quiet waters.
3a He restores my soul;

The  Lord leads him to complete
 restoration (2b-3a)

Emblem: He  leads him by placid waters
Truth: The Lord restores his soul


Provision   of the Lord: Leading & Healing
Psalm 23
3bHeguides me in the paths of righteousness for
 His name's sake.
 He guides = “lead by turning eyes to a goal”
 Paths = tracks from something that “rolled”
 Righteousness = “according to a standard”
 “The Right Paths” – a good shepherd
  knows the “right” way/path to travel.
Psalm 23
3bHe guides me in the paths of righteousness for
 His name's sake.
WHY????
For His name’s sake = “for the sake of His
 name (reputation)” = all that He stands for.
The reputation of the shepherd is built and
 maintained by his continued good guidance
 and care of the sheep.
Provision of the Lord: Guidance
Psalm 23
3bHeguides me in the paths of righteousness for
 His name's sake.
 TheLord leads him in the right paths because
 of His reputation (3b).

 Truth: He leads him in the right paths
 Reason: His reputation (“name”) depends      on
 it

 Provision   of the Lord: Leading & Healing
Psalm 23
4Eventhough I walk through the valley of the
 shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with
 me;Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Fear – David fears the Lord, not adversity
You are with me = reason for confidence
Note shift from 3rd to 2nd person here
Cardinal doctrine of Bible: I am with you
(see Genesis 28:15; Exodus 3 & 6; Matt. 28)
Psalm 23
4Eventhough I walk through the valley of the
 shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with
 me;Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Even though = a real possibility
“Valley of the shadow of death” = difficult
Valley is modified by the phrase “death shadow”.
 Possibilities:
Extremely dangerous place
Death is haunting his course of life
Life-threatening situation
Psalm 23
4Eventhough I walk through the valley of the
 shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with
 me;Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Rod & staff = bring care and protection
Poetry balance: 1) in dangerous times he  is not
 afraid because the Lord is with him and 2) the
 Lord’s rod and staff bring him comfort.

Provision   of the Lord: Protection
Psalm 23
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
 death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;Thy rod and
 Thy staff, they comfort me.

The  Lord leads him through life-threatening
 circumstances (4).
Danger: He may go through life-threatening
 circumstances
Confidence: The presence of the Lord dispels
 fears
Emblem: The Lord’s rod & staff comfort him.
Psalm 23
David meditates on how the Lord leads him, using
 the emblem of a shepherd/sheep (1-4).
David reflects on the Lord as his sovereign
 deliverer under the emblem of a gracious
 host in a banquet hall (5).
David confidently concludes that since the
 goodness and loyal love of the Lord will follow
 him always he shall be drawn to communion with
 the Lord in the sanctuary(6).
Psalm 23
5Thoudost prepare a table before me in the presence
 of my enemies;Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
 My cup overflows.

 Prepare  a table = “set in order” (as with dishes
  and food on the table) {Provision}
 Before me = “towards my face”
 In the presence of my enemies = “in front of
  those that hem me in” {Security, even in the midst
  of trouble}
Psalm 23
5Thou dost prepare a table before me in the
 presence of my enemies;Thou hast anointed my
 head with oil; My cup overflows.
Anointed  = “to make fat” = symbol of
 abundance and prosperity
Oil = symbol or hospitality and joy
My cup = your lot in life; what you are given to
 “drink”. Imagery here is saturation/full.

Provision   of Lord: Protection
Psalm 23
5Thou dost prepare a table before me in the
 presence of my enemies;Thou hast anointed
 my head with oil; My cup overflows.
 The Lord prepares a banquet table for him in the
  presence of his enemies = sustenance in time of
  need.
 The Lord anoints his head with oil = rejoicing in
  time of need.
 The Lord makes his cup run over = abundant
  provision in his portion.
Psalm 23
David  meditates on how the Lord leads him, using
 the emblem of a shepherd/sheep (1-4).
David reflects on the Lord as his sovereign
 deliverer under the emblem of a gracious host in a
 banquet hall (5).
David confidently concludes that since the
 goodness and loyal love of the Lord will
 follow him always he shall be drawn to
 communion with the Lord in the
 sanctuary(6).
Psalm 23
6Surelygoodness and lovingkindness will follow
 me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the
 house of the LORD.
Surely = introduces an expression of truth
Goodness & lovingkindness = to be taken
 together as Yahweh’s “good loyal love”
Lovingkindness = “hesed” = determined
 faithfulness/love in a relationship or covenant
Will follow me = “ongoing pursuit”
6a = His observation about the Lord
Psalm 23
6Surelygoodness and lovingkindness will follow
 me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the
 house of the LORD.
6b = His decision
I will dwell = same word as “restore” in 23:3
I will dwell = Many hold for “return” here
This would convey that David has been away from
 the sanctuary meditating on the provisions of the
 Lord thus prompting his desire to “return”.
Forever   = “for the length of days”
Psalm 23
6Surelygoodness and lovingkindness will follow
 me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the
 house of the LORD.
Conclusion:  The goodness and loyal love of
 the Lord will persistently follow him
 everywhere.
Result: He shall be drawn to the house of
 the Lord for the length of his days.
Psalm 23: The Lord, My Shepherd

Feeding
Leading
Healing
Guiding
Protecting
                              Psalm 23
                            A Psalm of David.

1The   LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet
2 He

waters.
3 Herestores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for
His name's sake.
     though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear
4 Even

no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort
me.
     dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
5 Thou

Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
      Psalm 23

The Lord, My Shepherd



 “The Lord is my
     shepherd,
 I shall not want.”

      (Psalm 23: 1)
Psalms Bible Study: 7:00-8:45pm
      June 10   Intro & Psalm1
      June 17   Psalm 2
      June 24   NO CLASS
      July 1    Psalm 63
      July 8    Psalm 23
      July 15   Psalms of Ascent
                    Hallel Psalms
                    Psalm 150