Psalm 23: The Shepherd Psalm

Probably the best known and best loved of all the psalms is Ps. 23, universally known as The Shepherd Psalm. It is at once the delight of childhood and the consolation of old age. . . . “But it is more than The Shepherd Psalm. It paints not only the picture of the tender Shepherd, leading His flock to rest and feed ‘in green pastures’ ‘beside the still waters’ and protecting them from the perils of the wilderness, but also the picture of the gracious Host, providing superabundance of food and solicitous care for His guest. The psalm closes with a profession of absolute confidence in Jehovah to lead His child lovingly through this life and to entertain him as His guest to the end of his days.” The words capture David’s tender care of his flock.

To appreciate this psalm, “one must know the hazardous nature of the Judean wilderness, and the intimate life of the shepherd and his sheep, especially the devotion that springs up between them during the many hours of solitude that they spend together.” Time spent together leads the sheep to trust the shepherd. God will never desert us or leave us in peril.

We fear no evil for He has promised to walk with us, even into the dark valley of death, and will call us forth into His glory at His second coming. “Jehovah is even more than a shepherd—He is a king, lavishing upon His guests the bounties of His table.” David could certainly praise God’s involvement in both the pastures of his youth and the palace halls of his kingdom. “Savior, like a Shepherd lead us, / Much we need Thy tenderest care; / In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, / For our use Thy folds prepare.”