The Lord the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
These six short verses form the best-known and best-loved of all the psalms. Untold numbers of the dying beg for someone to read this psalm to them. Heart-broken people find their refuge and encouragement in this psalm. What is it about this psalm that makes it so appealing?
When considering this psalm, we must remember that David began life as a shepherd, herding sheep out in the wilderness. Sheep are stupid animals and stubborn in their stupidity. Given the opportunity, sheep will wander off after the next appealing piece of grass, no matter the danger. Wild animals, rushing water, storms-nothing matters to sheep but getting food and comfort; meanwhile, the poor shepherd is the one who must deliver the sheep from whatever predicaments they have gotten into.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When God is guiding us, we can trust Him to know our needs before we do and to take care of those needs.
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” Sheep need green pastures in which to graze and rest. To a sheep, green pastures represent safety and comfort. Sheep also need still waters from which to drink. No sheep wants to try to drink from rapidly flowing water; they might get washed away and drown. Again, the image is one of peace and safety.
“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Face it, many of us wind up feeling repeatedly bruised and abused. Only God can fully heal our spirits. God is righteous and He wants us to be righteous as well. If we will allow God to guide us, He will lead us in the right direction, for He can do nothing less.
“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.” Live long enough and you will encounter dangers-health problems, job loss, financial down turns, and other problems that can be life-threatening. No matter what we encounter, we can trust God. A shepherd’s rod is used for protection and defense while the staff is used to help extricate sheep from dangerous locations. We can trust God’s protection and defense. Does this verse mean that we won’t die from cancer or heart attacks? No. One of my friends has just lost her husband, a strong believer, to a vicious form of cancer. But in the midst of all the health crises and hospital admissions, God has been faithful to this couple and is continuing to uphold the remaining family members.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” The image here is one of God preparing a feast for us right in front of those who have starved, hated, and persecuted us. God can give us victory even in front of those who have hoped to destroy us.
“You anoint my head with oil…” Anointing oil was used for many reasons. If a sheep had a wound, pouring oil on the wound would keep flies off as it helped the wound to heal. Anointing oil was also used when dedicating priests and kings. For God to anoint our heads with oil means that God is pouring out healing and favor on us.
“My cup runs over.” God is not stingy; when God pours out blessings, He gives exuberantly and abundantly, above all that we can possibly ask or think. The image here is of God pouring so much wine into our cups that they overflow.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This last verse is the most encouraging promise of the entire psalm. Many Christian congregations in Ghana repeat this verse at the end of their services to remind their members of God’s promises.
APPLICATION: If you don’t memorize any other psalm, memorize this one! These six short verses contain spiritual dynamite. There is really no life challenge you might face that cannot be addressed by this psalm. There are many different translations of this psalm. Find the one that is most meaningful to you and memorize that one.
During my senior year of medical school, I suffered a severe depression. There were several times when I considered suicide; however, I realized that would devastate my family. Out of love for my family, I refused to kill myself. At times when I felt panic rising inside me, suddenly I would feel as if I was an abused dog and someone was petting me gently, comforting me. The panic would leave and I would be able to function again. During this time, this psalm was one of my lifelines, and I repeated it several times a day.
This psalm is still one of my go-to scriptures for encouragement. Copy it on note cards or on your cell phone so that you can read it several times a day. You will find it helps to calm and encourage you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please let this psalm speak to all those who read it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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