...the good shepherd's care...

“1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

          He leads me beside still 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” Psalm 23:1-4.

This is certainly the most well-known, beloved, and often-quoted Psalm in the entire Psalter. The first word of the psalm, “The LORD” (Yahweh), gives us all a rich image of the blessings and protection of God who keeps His promises, His covenants. He promises to take care of His people and revealed himself to be full of love, compassion, patience, faithfulness, and forgiveness (See Exodus 34:6-7).

The Psalmist exclaims, “Yahweh is my shepherd!” Notice that Yahweh is “my” shepherd! The temptation in our life is to speak only about “our” God, as Jesus teaches us in The Lord’s Prayer!  But God is also the God of individuals. God is so very personal too! The blessing of this psalm lies, therefore, in the deeply personal expression of all of our experiences of God. They are deeply personal.  For this reason, Psalm 23 is such a beautiful and deeply personal psalm. It permits each of us believers to take its words on our lips and express our gratitude and confidence that all the expressions and experiences of God’s love can be claimed not only by all humanity but also personally by every human being.

“I shall not want!” This description of the shepherd shows us that the people of God knew well the life of shepherds. David himself was a shepherd, as the hills around Bethlehem were great for shepherding. The image of “shepherd” speaks of emotions of care, help, and protection. A good shepherd was personally concerned with the welfare of his sheep. The Psalmist wants us to know the result of God’s care —“I shall not be in want” (v.1); by the acts of God —“He makes me lie down…He leads…He restores…He guides” (vv.2-3); and by the resulting restful peace — “I will fear no evil” (v.4).

The shepherd’s care is symbolized by the “rod” and the “staff” (v.4).

A shepherd carried a “rod” to club down wild animals and a “staff” to keep the sheep in control. The rod and staff represent God’s constant vigilance over His own people and bring “comfort” because of His personal presence and involvement with his sheep.

How comforting it is that God is so personally involved in our lives!

The “green pastures” are the rich and verdant pastures, where the sheep need not move from place to place to be satisfied, and the “quiet waters” are the wells and springs where the sheep can drink without being rushed. As the good shepherd provides His sheep with rest, verdant pastures, and quiet waters, so the Lord takes care of all His people in a most beautiful and generous way. He us so that we feel that life in the presence of God is good and worth living. Notice, too, that the shepherd’s care also lies in guidance. The Lord “leads us” as “a guide” with His shepherdly care — protection. God alone leads His own in “paths of righteousness,” to lives defined by the “right” relationship with God. We cannot do this on our own — only with the rod and staff in the hands of God!

But what are we to make of the “shadow of death”? “This imagery is consistent with the shepherd metaphor because the shepherd leads all of us — the flock — through deep and dangerous ravines where the steep and narrow slopes of life keep out the light. The darkness of the ravines represents the uncertainty of all our lives, does it not! The “straight paths” at times need to go through the ravines, but God is still “with me”!

How comforting it is that God is so personally involved in our lives!

So take time today in quiet prayer, and give God your thanks for being so personally involved in your life.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.