The Shepherd

DEVOTION

PSALMS

THE SHEPHERD

Ps 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

NIV

This has to be the most familiar Psalm of all. It also must be the most recited one, as well as the one most likely written about. This would make it the most understood as well. Everyone knows its meaning. The whole idea is about God not just watching over us as a shepherd does his flock, but that he gives us life. The part of restoring our soul makes that clear. But first there is something which we have to confess. We need to make it clear that the Lord is our shepherd. We have to declare that we are his sheep and we will follow him allowing him to lead us to the green pastures to lie down. What if we were to wander around looking for our own green pasture? Then we would not be a part of his flock and he would not be our shepherd. It is a simple fact, if he is our shepherd, then we have to follow where he leads us. When we follow where he leads, then we will not want, or as the Hebrew implies, lack. If we are not lacking, then that implies we have all we need. This could be applied to eternal life because the very last statement is about dwelling in the house of the LORD forever. This eternal life might also be seem in the fact that even though we will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for God is with us. But all this might also apply to our life in the here and now. This can apply to our walk into the green pasture, and being beside still waters. It applies to the here and now in the fact he leads us in a path of righteousness. That implies we are walking after him, allowing him to lead us. We cannot help think about the words of Jesus when he made the point that if one of us should wander off and get lost, he finds us, and brings us back into his flock. Yet he was making the point that he came to save the lost, and that great rejoicing will be had over one lost sinner, then over ninety-nine that are righteous. Still he comes for us, and when we are found, when we carried home by Jesus, a rejoicing will happen in heaven. Still in the here and now we will lack nothing, he provides all we need, and we merely have to lie down in the green pasture. This makes all sorts of problems for us. We want to work for our grass, our green pasture. That is what God made clear to us when, because of sin, God told Adam, of whom we are a descendent in the flesh, he would need to work the ground by the sweat of his brow all the days of his life. So we too must work for our sustenance all the days of our life. Yet he leads us to green pastures. He is the one who determines what pasture we lie down in, or where we live, work, play, etc. Although he leads us into the right pasture, we, like sheep, have to eat the grass and grow and we drink of the still water, Jesus. If we are leading ourselves we will be in the wrong pasture and it may not be as green as it could be. When we are in the pasture he leads us to and are by the still waters he brings us to, then he anoints our head with oil and our cup will be overflowing. Would it not make sense to follow his leading, to be where he leads us rather than trying to lead ourselves? We just make so many bad choices, wrong decisions and end up in a dried up weed infested field with not a drop of water around. So we determine, the one good choice we have ever made, he is our Shepherd and we will live as his flock and in his house forever.