Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar passages in the entire Bible. To me, it is King David’s best writing. In it, he uses picturesque phrases to describe his relationship with the Lord such as, “he makes me to lie down in green pastures”; and “he leads me beside the still waters…”
Personally, I get so much inspiration reading this psalm that I could write an entire post from any one of the six verses.
The overarching statement in this entire psalm is found at the very beginning: “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). This I say because if a shepherd-sheep relationship is nonexistent, then nothing else in the psalm that follows can be true.
The people of David’s day understood the special relationship between sheep and their shepherd. That was a main occupation of the Israelites. The sheep knew the voice of their shepherd. It was he who led them flock from the fold to find pasture. He also provided them the necessary protection while outside the security of the sheepfold.
Jesus Is Our Good Shepherd
During His public ministry, Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). Through the Holy Spirit, He guides our life and leads us to find the good pastures of life. Through His Word and His Spirit, He also guides us to protect us from danger. These benefits, however, are not happenstance. They only belong to those who allow Him to be the Shepherd of their life.
The key word here is allow. The Lord is the Shepherd of all who place their faith in Christ. He is our all-sufficient Provider. But He does not force Himself upon us. Only those who know the voice of the Shepherd and who in turn obey His voice will experience the fullness of His provisions.
It is important to realize that the Lord always speaks to us as the Good Shepherd. This is true even when He speaks words of rebuke to us. He came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly.
His objective is always to lead us to the “good pastures” of life and to bring us back safely into the “sheepfold” daily. He wants to, and is able to, supply our every need in life. Happy is the one who hears and obeys the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.