Author :Pastor Brian Linebarger
Psalms 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
One of the most famous chapters in the Bible….. A chapter that even non believers most likely know. When my wife was the manager of a large mortuary and I was called upon often to officiate at funerals (when the family of the deceased did not know a minister), this psalm was printed on the memorial folders a lot. For those who grew up in Church, chances are this was one of the first Bible verses you were taught to memorize. So, what can we take from these 118 words that apply to our daily lives? A lot!!
If we look at this Psalm line by line, we will find that this small poem/song (yes Psalms are poems/songs), can have a profound effect on our outlook on life, and if applied to our daily life, it will help us to live a more victorious life……
Verse 1: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want:
Sheep are totally dependent on the shepherd for their daily needs. The look to him for their food, water, grooming, whatever…. This is a relationship with God. He will look after our every need.
Verse 2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
This is the rest and refreshment that God has promised us. We will get weary doing the Lord work, but here he promises to give us rest, and refresh us so that we may continue on in our journey.
Verse 3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake:
Here we have healing, guidance, and purpose. Doing Gods work can be a tough thing. It can drain us so that we feel that our very soul is weary. But He promises to heal us, then guide us to where he wants us to be, and the place that He will guide us to will serve His purpose, it will serve to bring glory and honor to Him.
Verse 4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Here we see that we may have to walk through some scary places. Places where it seems that bad things are all around us. God may allow us to go through these places as a test of our faith, but we can take heart in the fact that our shepherd will use the weapons that he has to protect us and run off the evil things so that we have no need to fear, we can take comfort in the fact that our shepherd is “armed to the teeth” and ready, willing, and able to defend us when the time comes.
Verse 5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Here we see that even if there are enemies all around us, our shepherd will prepare a table for us to sit and eat right in the middle of them. Again, we do not have to have any fear, and we can have hope that we are safe and can enjoy our meal. in Biblical times, when you sat down for a meal, you generally laid aside your worries & fears to enjoy what God had provided. Your are also promised to be anointed with oil. It was the custom in Biblical times to give a guest sweet smelling oil to put on themselves (since there were no showers back them, the anointing oil made the guest more presentable. That is also consecration, making us Holy and acceptable. After the consecration, we are also promised that our cup would run over. This of course is Gods blessings on our lives, His promise of abundance for us.
Verse 6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
This of course, is the most profound and important verse in the Psalm. This is Gods promise that if we follow Him, that we will have good things and mercy throughout our lives, and the hope that we cling to; Gods promise of eternal life once our days on this earth are done.
Prayer
Lord help us today to receive your promises. Help us to trust in you, as our shepherd, knowing that you will never lead us astray, and that even through the dark valley’s of life, you will be there with your rod & staff to defend us against the enemy.
Further Reading
Really read the 23rd Psalms. Even if you can recite it by heart, read in again and let its meaning flow into you.
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