The Significance of a Good Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads 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 mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.” 

Psalm 23

Often times when we hear this passage it is at a funeral. While there is encouragement at hearing these verses when we are grieving, that is not the only time that this verse can offer encouragement. In fact, these six verses are very powerful when you place them in context of the craziness that we face in our day to day life.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” A shepherd is someone who cares for their flock, Jesus Himself was described as the Good Shepherd in the Book of John. “11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 and again in John 10:14 “14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me,” If you have spent much time around farm animals you would see that they know the sound of the master’s voice and will come when called, you can also see that the master knows each one of the animals even if they look alike. This is true for us, when we are spending time in the Word we are able to recognize the voice of the Lord, we begin to know more about Him and see more of His personality. Knowing that He is our Shepherd should encourage us to spend time with Him because it means that we can more readily follow where He leads. When we follow Him we will not want in anything. This does not mean that we will have an easy time on this earth, this is not a promise that God makes to us, but it means that we can find peace in Him. “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. Just as a shepherd would not led his flock into danger, God will not lead us to situations that are outside of His control. However, that does not mean that we do not put ourselves in situations that we shouldn’t, the fault of the outcome is on us not God. “13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” James 1:13. Now go back to John 10:11, we know from Scriptures that Jesus did in fact lay down His life for His sheep, and in doing so He provided for us in a way that only He could, and that was to give those who would accept Him eternal salvation. So because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we know that we will be protected, not from worldly hardships but from eternal separation from the Father.

“2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Just as sheep need their shepherd to lead them to where it is safe, so do we. When we follow God’s will He provides us rest. Again this is not to say that we will never face trouble in this world, but we will be provided for. There have been times in my life where if you were on the outside, you would think that everything was against me. But it was in those moments, when I leaned on the Lord to lead me that I felt peace. The world may be going crazy, but lean on Him and you can still find peace because God promises us peace. “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. It is why peace is a part of the Armor of God, when we wear His armor there is nothing this world can do to take it away.

“3He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”  To be restored is to be renewed or refreshed. In this verse we can see that if we follow God then we will be renewed from the stresses and hardships that we face in this world, while the second half of this verse shows that we still have a mission to complete. When the world is tearing us down, if we lean on Him we will have protection, provisions, and be renewed to complete the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus restores us so that we are able to get up from being knocked down to continue to make disciples, and just as a good shepherd would not leave their flock neither will Jesus leave us to face this world on our own.

“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.” This is often the section that is read at funerals but there is something that needs to be addressed about this verse. The valley of the shadow of death is an actual place. It is an area between Jerusalem and Jericho, along the Jordan River Valley, it was called the valley of death because thieves and bandits would often lie in wait along the caves of the cliffs. To pass through this area was to almost certainly face death. So while this does not necessarily mean that David was writing about the Valley of Death in a geographical sense verses a metaphorical one, it is important to understand that the place did exist. When we are facing situations that are beyond our capability to bear, we need not be afraid because our Good Shepherd is with us. While not directly mentioned, this verse makes me think of the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit. The Shield of Faith offers us protection while the Sword of the Spirit guides us and offers a way to fight back at the enemy. It is through the Spirit and faith that God will complete a good work in us, Philippians 1:6 that we have comfort.

“5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In this verse, we have moved passed being refreshed and are in a place of honor and victory. This passage implies that we are important guests to a feast and with the feast being in the presence of our enemies gives the impression that we have won over them. Here we see that by continuing to do the work that God has commanded us, we will receive honor that will be acknowledged by those who sought to destroy us. This verse not only shows that we will be rewarded, but again shows that we will be provided for because our cup will overflow.

“6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” We see that by following God’s will all our days, we will have goodness and mercy with us. This goes along with everything else that we have seen in this passage about how God will provide for us. In the second part of this verse offers a different view to death compared to verse four. In the previous verse, we are waiting to be ambushed by our enemies. Here however, we are living eternally with the Lord who protects, provides, and refreshes us. We will be living forever with the Lord who leads us to green pastures and still waters where we will fear nothing. This is a very encouraging idea as we face a world that is run by chaos, if we live in the world we will never find peace because this world cannot offer peace. However, by being one of God’s sheep we will receive eternal peace. “33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. We can take heart knowing the Good Shepherd can handle whatever this world can do.

 Seek the truth and encourage one another,

 Alex