The Book of Psalms has been one of the most sacred collection of poems and prayers throughout history. The Psalms have many different themes, the one most familiar is the longing to experience God more intimately, and speak to him in a very honest and genuine way. One the most authentic aspects of Psalms is that they address the whole spectrum of human emotions, from intense emotions of despair to jubilee. The words of Psalm 23 are perhaps some of the most familiar words in scripture. It addresses the fear of mortality and conveys a theme of death but is intended for those who are living . Psalm 23 is versatile and speaks to the masses in different ways such as times of deep regret, joy, or fear.
Psalm 23 begins the passage as, “A Psalm of David” which most would agree is an accurate title. The psalm begins with “The Lord is my shepherd” (v.1) the psalmist, who is believed to be King David, is immediately putting himself as a sheep in the interest of God. This is a very well known passage, so well, that the magnitude of the word’s meanings can easily be lost in translation. The passage has little to do with sheep, rather it focuses on being a shepherd. David states that the Lord God is his personal shepherd, signifying a personal relationship between them reminding the reader that Christianity is not as much a religion, as it is a relationship with God. The shepherd is the provider and protector of his flock, and the sheep are helpless without him. The opening continues with “I shall not want,” providing that as a sheep in the Lord’s care he would lack nothing. The meaning in this passage is not that we wont desire or want anything, rather it means that we wont be left wanting anything and have complete fulfillment with the Lord. At the end of the psalm, David describes the joy he feels of being in a close eternal relationship with God, “Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (v.6) Concluding, that the
virtue and mercy of the Lord will follow him all of the days of his life, and after his physical life is done, things would only get greater as he will exist in the house of the Lord. Psalm 23 uses the idea of parallelism that gives an idea in the beginning, and is repeated and elaborated on in later lines. In the beginning, there is joyous life living in a close relationship with God, and at the end, there is happy death and eternal life in the kingdom of the Lord.
Psalm 23 is a psalm of lament. Lament psalms expresses sorrow for how things are in one’s life and morning the status of how circumstances have brought sorrow. It is a psalm of lament because it speaks to a mournful situation in life such as death, but there is also theme of trust with the Lord. It is one of the shortest psalms, but the point comes across clearly and efficiently. It makes use of extended metaphors that extend in length and includes several points of comparison. Such as, the metaphor of comparing the Lord to a shepherd and a host, the idea is that the Lord looks after, guides, and nurtures his flock. The psalm follows the genre of a pastoral poem, meaning they it is calmer; “the green pastures” (v.2) and “still waters” (v.2). The classic pastoral poem is about the good life of being a shepherd on the hills, far away from central life. The poem’s setting is in both the outside world and within the inner soul. Everything that is described to be in the real world is a means of symbolically representing what the psalmist feels in his soul. Which is why it is rich in symbolism with images like, “paths of righteousness,” (v.3) and “the valley of the shadow of death” (v.4). This last image is the most famous and memorable portions from the psalm. Psalm 23 uses simple sentence structure that can be repeated to build up a sense of rhythm, and is made up of phrases that are paired up very well with each other. What makes Psalm 29 so unique is the lack of confusing words or images, even with thousands of years in age it can conjure a mood and an emotion that readers can connect with and relate it to their lives
Theories have been based on the belief that King David authored most of the Psalms, including Psalm 23. Scholars suggest that David wrote the Psalm later in his life sometime before the Exile. In verse four, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (v.4) indicating that he was old enough to have enemies, and facing the danger the of death. The psalm also illustrates an older David in verse three, “he restores my soul,” (v.3) where he experiences rest, and in verse 5 where has experienced prosperity, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” (v.5). All of these verses express experiences of an older person. It has been speculated that Psalm 23 was written while David was at Mahanaim reflecting on the battle between his forces and and his son Absalom’s army. The civil war was caused by Absalom’s rebellion in trying to overthrow his father from his Kingdom. The unfortunate circumstances of the civil war caused David to be incredibly grief stricken, and heartbroken to be at war with his son. It was one of the darkest times in his life, and he expressed his suffering and sorrow in a beautiful way in Psalm 23.
There is great beauty in the simplicity of Psalm 23. It is a psalm of life, rest and peace.
The purpose of the psalm is to help convey the message of comfort and calm when part of the Lord’s flock. In the first verse, “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.” (v.1) God is referred to as a shepherd, not just in this verse but in others as well. A shepherd needs sheep, just as sheep need a shepherd to protect and guide them, which demonstrates the strong close relationship between the Lord and David as codependent. The second verse, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.” (v.2) breaks the metaphor of eternal rest. It is not eternal rest, it is a picture of happy and very much alive sheep. The shepherd guided the sheep to a plentiful pasture where the sheep may find nourishment and safe, still waters. The sheep still
wander in verse three, “He restores my soul; He leads me into the path of righteousness for His name’s sake (v.3). This verse states that although the sheep may wander away such as the Lord’s people, God will restore and lead his people to the paths of righteousness. God has vested himself in his sheep, and He is certain that they would return to Him.
Psalm 23 continues with verse three, where the psalmist writes of a troublesome path, “Yea, 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.” (v.4). Dark and treacherous terrain is ahead for the sheep that God guides. However ill prepared, the sheep need the guidance of the shepherd to navigate successfully, symbolizing the confidence in the relationship between the Lord and his people. The rod provided protection against enemies that would try to harm them, and the staff was used to direct the sheep in the right direction. The sheep are fully trusting within the Lord to navigate the tough terrain without fear and in comfort of the Lord. The psalm transitions to a more pleasant view after the dark path, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” (v.5). In the previous verse the presence of death was the focus, whereas verse five has a more pleasant scene. Although the feast is prepared in the presence of enemies; enemies is not something commonly associated with a pleasant scene - an earthly scene. Verse six nicely parallels verse five, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” (v.6) reiterating an eternal relationship and life with the Lord, when led by Him.
Psalm 23 is about 3000 years old, and is one of the most beloved psalms most commonly used today. It is most often read at funerals, yet it speaks truth to many different types of situations, where one can find comfort and peace while reading it. It can be related to someone who is dealing with a great hardship in their lives or other unfortunate circumstances. It speaks of rest, and confidence in God that the sheep experience with the good shepherd. David not only spoke of the shepherd as his provider and protector, but also as his king. Psalm 23 begins with the proposition that David ‘would not want’ with ‘God as his shepherd.’ It continues with four verses that chronicle growth, lapse, and anguish, possibly even death in the context of God shepherding to his people. One of the most essential aspects of the psalm, which can be applied to the modern world and is relevant today, is that every person that is apart of God’s flock is cared for as one of God’s sheep. His care for his sheep is an individual type of care, not just merely as a number lost in the crowd, which can be easily accomplished today or felt as if one does not have a personal relationship with God. David concludes the psalm with the message that goodness and mercy would follow him all the days of his life, and that after his physical life, his spiritual life would be better in the kingdom with the Lord. The conclusion of the psalm gives people hope that even in their times of great despair and struggle, there is still hope and that it will get better when guided by the Lord.
While a shepherd provides food, shelter and guidance, God provides his people with His Word. The Lord’s Word is the principle means of living in spiritual nourishment. In order for God’s sheep to be led to grassy pastures they must pass through dark and dangerous places. The paths that the Lord guides his sheep is not always easy or peaceful. Yet, Christianity is not the easiest road to take, but it can be nourishing with the Lord at one’s side. David poetically expressed his words in the psalm, and emphasized the beauty in a relationship with God in Psalm 23. David reiterates the importance of trust and a close relationship with the Lord, assuring the people that in order to enjoy the benefits of being in the care of the Good Shepherd, one must be one of his sheep in His flock.