A Shepherd Indeed
No matter how difficult, no matter how many are against, no matter how unfavorable our circumstances be, no matter how unlikely our victory be, the divine Shepherd is in control, and he won’t forsake his sheep.
Psalms 23 is one of the most quoted psalms by believers as well as unbelievers; the whole message of the passage is of confidence, restoration, and full dependence because of its explicit metaphor of comparing God to a shepherd who tends to his sheep. It is still unclear the exact time period when the passage was written but most scholars believe it was written around 1000 B.C by king David during his kingship while some believe it was written in his later years since the writing has a tone of nostalgia too.
“The Lord is my shepherd” -the passage starts off with a note that brings such a robust confidence for a reader. It is not written with any form of doubt by the psalmist; it is not an “if”, “may be” or even “I hope”. This figurative speech of comparing God to a shepherd is prevalent in many books of the bible, often times the same form of speech and comparison is repeated in several books of the bible for instance in the book of Genesis 49:24 when Jacob calls God as a shepherd and a rock. The psalmist here is realizing the complete sovereignty of the Lord in his life; it is important to understand that the Lord is not compared merely to a shepherd in the passage, but the psalmist is acknowledging his complete Lordship in his life.
It is interesting to note that the psalmist uses an intimate word “shepherd” - maybe he is doing that because of his earlier days of his life when he himself was a shepherd; the metaphor was royal and common in those times. Being himself a shepherd the psalmist conveys that just as a shepherd would live with their flocks and be their utmost hope so is the Lord who caters to his children. Sheep are a very dependent creature they are of value and often times they are bought with a price they need a shepherd throughout their life for guidance and protection. Thus, it is obvious that the psalmist is focused completely on the Lord’s role in his life.
The second part of the beginning of the passage translates to “I have no lack” which may sound like something to happen in the future because of some translation containing the word “shall” or “will” but it is certain that the psalmist is referring to the present. By nature, a human mind rarely goes into a state where it can accept that it has enough of everything for a longer period of time because of our fallen nature but here the psalmist is confirming that since the Lord is his shepherd, he doesn’t lack anything -not superficially but practically. It is imperative for us believers to take note on this and remind ourselves that we do not lack in anything when the shepherd has taken care of everything.
God’s Guidance:
Being a shepherd boy, the psalmist would know that it is difficult for sheep to lie down and be rested. They won’t lie down if they are afraid, hungry or when flies and parasites annoy them. It becomes a job for the shepherd to make things comfortable. Particularly a shepherd oils the head of a sheep to protect its ears from worms and parasites, if not taken care these worms may penetrate their ear canals and damage their brain; the sheep being helpless at this point may hit its head against a hard surface in an attempt to relieve itself from pain and may end up damaging its skull. Often times in the busyness of the world we do get anxious, depressed and feel discouraged but our God the shepherd offers peace and comfort which transcends all understanding, which is greater than anything that the world could ever offer thus creating the perfect condition to cast all our burdens on him. Jesus in the New Testament when talking to his disciples or to the general public often times quoted the Psalms and he converses to us in the same manner when he says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Mathew 11:28. This can be noted again in John chapter 10 verse 11 when Jesus says “I am the Good shepherd”- in fact the whole passage reflects the intimate relationship between Jesus the shepherd and us the sheep.
God’s protection and blessings:
In the latter portion of the passage, we sense a dark tone with the usage of words like “valley of the shadow of death”; the psalmist is remembering his days when he was in utmost dangers and there was no one else other than God for his protection. Like sheep we can be easily outnumbered by adversaries around us, but God offers his shepherding for his children. He won’t necessarily eliminate the adversary but he surely does eliminate the “fear”; he doesn’t act just as a support but stands in the forefront at the sight of the adversary and just as a shepherd would protect his sheep with a rod and a staff, he protects his children. This repeated realization of God’s Lordship in our life will be a constant reminder that God is in control of things and just as the light would shine the best in darkness, we experience God to a greater magnitude in our darkest times.
By the end of the passage David acknowledges the abundance of blessings in his life when he says, "You are making a table of food ready for me in front of those who hate me”. God not only provides for the need but provides more than what one requires and he loves to bless his children.
Conclusion:
The passage acts as an instrument of confidence; it reminds us of the sovereignty of the Lord whose promises are unshakeable. All our troubles and anxiety can be nullified by remembering that the “Lord is our shepherd”. No matter how difficult, no matter how many are against, no matter how unfavorable our circumstances be, no matter how unlikely our victory be, the divine Shepherd is in control, and he won’t forsake his sheep.