A Few Thoughts on Psalm 23 (part 1)

Perhaps one of the most well-known passages in Scripture, Psalm 23 contains some of the most assuring and brilliant truths in all the Bible. As C.H. Spurgeon says, Psalm 23 is the 'pearl of all the Psalms'. In this passage, King David proclaims the confidence and comfort he has in the LORD. Having tasted the reality of the Gospel, and experienced God's wondrous grace as manifested in His shepherd like provision and care, it seems that David cannot help but exclaim the confidence and trust he has in his Savior.

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want,

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters,

He restores my soul,

He leads my in paths of righteousness

for His names 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 mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever"

In the first half of verse 1, David lays out the premise for the entire Psalm. The LORD is his shepherd. In this verse, David identifies both himself and God. God is his shepherd, he is the sheep; God is his master, he is the servant; God is his Lord, he is the subject; God is his Savior, he is a sinner. This statement seems to be quiet strange. At this time, David was the King of Israel. Often times, kings were referred to as the shepherds of the nation. It is strange that the King of the nation would choose to call himself a sheep. Generally speaking, sheep do not have a lot of desirable traits. For example, sheep are extremely dumb. They are vulnerable. They are helpless against attackers. They are completely dependent and are incompetent on their own. They are susceptible and they are weak. So here is King David, choosing to identify himself with these characteristics. However, therein lies the beauty of the passage. David is proclaiming that his entire identity is in the LORD. He is staking his life on this one premise, that he is God's. He belongs to his fold. His security, peace, comfort and joy is found in this one truth. He may be a dumb sheep, but David is His sheep. David (like us) may be weak and incompetent, but God is his shepherd. God is his guide. In stating that "the LORD is my shepherd", David is making the personal statement that his significance, purpose and identity are found only in the LORD. His trust is in the LORD. His only hope is that the LORD will provide and care for him.

The second half of verse one, "I shall not want" is a result of the first statement. In other words, since the LORD is David's shepherd, I shall not want. What wonderful contentment is there for Christians! What comfort there is in knowing God is our shepherd! Like David, we should be content with the work and provision of our shepherd. David does not want because David has everything he needs. He lacks nothing. Everything that is necessary for him, he has in God. Likewise, everything we need, in Christ we already have. We don't need to go out into the world looking for approval and acceptance, because in Christ, we already have all the approval and acceptance we need. In Christ, we possess everything (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Now, this statement of 'not wanting' only comes through a deep belief in the Gospel. It only comes with a deep sense of trust in our Shepherd. The more we believe the fullness of the Gospel, the more we believe that Christ has fully atoned for our sins, that he has accomplished everything necessary for our salvation, that he is 100% for us, and that he will also provide for our daily needs, that he is pleased to lead and guide us everyday, only then, can we begin to 'not want'. The picture I think of with this passage is Philippians 4, when the Apostle Paul speaks about being content in both times of need and abundance, and then ends by saying 'I can do all things through Him who gives me strength'. What trust the Apostle Paul had in the Gospel! Jesus is enough. End of story. He is enough. He is our comfort in all times. We should be content because the Gospel is everything we need. I pray we would increasingly be satisfied in Christ, and that we would continue to find our purpose, significance and identity in the Gospel. More to come on Psalm 23....