Frankly, it's a difficult task to write about Psalm 23. Very often I go to Psalm 23 in personal devotion times. It is on the tip of my tongue and employed for any and every situation in my life. It is deeply personal, and I am glad for that. The Psalmist wrote this beautiful and simple poem from a very individual perspective. Peter C. Craigie writes: "The distinctiveness in the opening words of this psalm lies in the use of the pronoun, my shepherd; the shepherd theme, traditionally interpreted communally of the 'flock' (or nation), is here given its most personal interpretation in the entire biblical tradition."[i] But it is not just mine or just belonging to the Psalmist! This is a Psalm beloved and known throughout the world and in history. For generations people all over the world have applied it to their own lives and particular situations. Ah, there's the beauty in it! It is for all, and for all very personal.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The Psalmist is quick to identify himself as a sheep. Sheep are fascinating animals. They require a shepherd, someone who knows the way, to lead them to water and food and to help them from getting lost or killed. They are often considered stupid animals. But I rather like to think of them as dependent and trusting rather than stupid—quite like a small child.
The idea of a shepherd was a common image for a leader in the religious life of the Hebrew nation and, in fact, for many of the pagan kings in this region. Several commentaries cite ancient pagan documents that describe their kings as shepherds as well. If you begin reading in Genesis and all the way through the Old Testament you will see many references to the life of shepherding and how God sees not only himself but also the priests and leaders as overseeing a flock of sheep.
Jesus used the imagery of the local and ancient vocation of shepherding to describe the ways of God. His ingenious use of everyday imagery and occurrences reflect the power of his teaching. Everywhere the people traveled they would see shepherds. Metaphors of spiritual life with God were everywhere. In Matthew 18:12-14 Jesus taught about the mercy of God in the following way.
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
In a striking contrast we can read what the Lord spoke through the prophet Ezekiel to some of the erring religious shepherds in the Old Testament. The situation had been extreme, and the people were suffering greatly. Read what the prophet spoke to the shepherds of God’s people in that day.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 “The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.”
What an incredible and horrifying contrast to Psalm 23! And by that contrast we can easily see that God is the best shepherd. More than that, he is an extravagant shepherd. This extravagance is somewhat downplayed in the simplicity of this psalm. As we have already explored, Jesus taught us that in the great Kingdom of God the good Shepherd-King will do anything to seek and save his lost little ones. He will even leave ninety-nine other healthy and well-fed sheep on an open hillside to look for just one that wandered off! That's an extravagant love!
In the world economy what value does one little sheep have compared to the ninety-nine standing in the field? Ah, but that’s the world’s economy! We’re talking about the economy of the Kingdom of Heaven here! It seems that the value systems of the Kingdom of Heaven have far more to do with saving the lost than just keeping the un-lost comfortable. Sure, those field-sheep look around a bit when they can’t see the Shepherd. Maybe some of them get a bit nervous. But they still have plenty to eat and they are in safe field abundant with food.
The psalmist demonstrates an implicit trust in the Shepherd that is a model for us all. I will have everything I need. He has restored my soul and will restore it again. Here, though, we have to be cautious about what provision is. For those in war-torn or famine-bound areas, it may not be just about food and shelter. Perhaps what those sheep really need is the abiding presence of the Good Shepherd to help them through those very difficult places. In those difficult times and places of persecution or separation from loved ones due to COVID-19 or soul-sapping illness, they go to an internal place of soul-refreshing and peaceful meadows. Perhaps what they need, if food is not abundant or immediately available, is the profound assurance that God is with them and the hope of a better future in God's house. John Wesley wrote, "The best of all is that God is with us."
Several commentaries draw the comparison of delivery from evil in this psalm to the time of the Exodus. The desert plains of Egypt don't have many valleys of shadow. But what about the actual deliverance path? What comes to mind are the looming statues of the Egyptian gods and leaders as well as the churning walls of water they Hebrews had to walk through to get to the place of safety! Imagine the fears that made them quake as they left Egypt and then heard the thundering hooves of the Egyptian army chasing after them and the walls of water that could come crashing down on them at any moment. Didn't they need an Extravagant Shepherd then?! This is the powerful Shepherd who could command the elements as a cudgel and staff against their enemies and lead them through the desert with pillars of fire and smoke. Read the Song of Moses found in Exodus 15:1-18 for an exultation of God's deliverance and leadership.
And then we come to the banqueting table. I envision a great hall with shadowy figures hiding behind columns waiting for the opportunity to destroy. But they are unable to employ ultimate destruction because the Extravagant Shepherd is now the ultimate host—keeping those bent on destruction at bay. We are restored again even in the presence of our enemies! I hope you have recognized this kind of protection in your life as a believer. I imagine that there are many times that we are not even aware of the protections provided by our Good Shepherd.
Here again, though, we have to be mindful of all of the kinds of protection available to us by the Extravagant Shepherd. For many persecuted Christians, those bound and imprisoned, those who have suffered the cruelest of tortures and death, they too found protection of their souls. For the One who suffered the most on that cruel cross is profoundly empathetic to their physical and emotional suffering. He can speak to them as they suffer in ways that many of us cannot. And he can provide safe passage to his eternal rest.
Yes, even in the silent loneliness of a widow or the excruciating pain of someone suffering illness or death, their cups can overflow with thankfulness and grace and mercy and peace from the bountiful measures of the Extravagant Shepherd.
What kind of Shepherd is this that instills such confidence and hope for the future? This is a Shepherd beyond compare, whose thoughtfulness and presence, whose provision and preparation establish such a great hope that nothing can severe it from us. Of course goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life! It is the Extravagant Shepherd who goes before me, comes behind me, and walks beside me guiding me into his wonderful dwelling. This house of his has no enemies, no hunger, no thirst, no death, no tears, no sorrow. It is filled with his light and goodness and I have the privilege to settle in with him forever.
Amen.
M.R. Hyde Copyright 2021
His Yoke is Easy
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me down to lie
In pastures green, He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
Chorus:
His yoke is easy; His burden is light.
I’ve found it so; I’ve found it so.
He leadeth me by day and by night,
Where living waters flow.
My soul crieth out:" Restore me again,
And give me the strength to take
The narrow path of righteousness,
E’en for His own name’s sake." [Chorus]
Yea, tho’ I should walk the valley of death,
Yet why should I fear from ill?
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still. [Chorus]
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