Shepherding
Psalm 23
A Psalm of
David.
1The
Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He
makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3He
restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even
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.
5You
prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head
with oil; my cup overflows.
6Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell
in the house of the Lord forever.
Entire
books have been written about these six short verses of Scripture. The words
are filled with depth of understanding and significant meaning for our lives as
God’s people. And who better to pen these phrases than the king who spent the first
years of his life shepherding his father’s sheep. Before David became King he
knew one thing very well and that was how to care for sheep. We don’t know
exactly when David wrote these words. Perhaps it was even as young shepherd
that he saw the correlations between how he took are of his father’s sheep and
how God the Father cares for us. Or maybe he wrote them later in life as he
reflected back on what how the life of a shepherd mirrors that of his
relationship with God. We’ll have to ask him when we join him in heaven.
When I was
a child learning this psalm by memory (because we did that back then) I
remember being confused by the very first verse. I didn’t know about semicolons
then and so I would string that first verse all together. Why wouldn’t I want
the Lord? That was my question every time I heard the Psalm. Fortunately, my
father explained it to me one day and I was good to go from then on. The beauty
of this psalm lies in its simplicity. The phrases are simple enough for the
young child and deep enough for the spiritually mature. In all likelihood, you
too are able to recite some or all of it from memory. I would recommend you do
so often!
The themes
in this psalm are repeated throughout the Old Testament as the imagery plucked
at the heartstrings of God’s people who were intimately familiar with raising
and tending sheep. The prophet Isaiah follows this theme in several different
passages, with Isaiah 40:11 being
the most oft quoted.
He will tend his flock like a
shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his
bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Most of us
are fairly far removed from caring for something as needy as a sheep, but we
all know what the need feels like if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves.
The idea of leaving all of our concerns in the hands of God is comforting, just
as it is supposed to be.
When my
daughter, Bethany, was very small we began singing the old hymn that captures
the ideas found in this psalm to her every night before she went to bed. She
now sings it to her daughter (and her daughter sings it to her stuffed
animals!) Those enduring traditions are what life it about sometimes. I’ve
included the words for that hymn and a link to hear it sung in a modern
rendition below. No matter how old you are, this hymn says it all, just like Psalm
23.
I Am Jesus' Little Lamb
I
am Jesus' little lamb
Ever
glad at heart I am
For
my Shepherd gently guides me
Knows
my need and well provides me
Loves
me ev'ry day the same
Even
calls me by my name
Day
by day, at home, away
Jesus
is my staff and stay
When
I hunger, Jesus feeds me
Into
pleasant pastures leads me
When
I thirst, he bids me go
Where
the quiet waters flow
Who
so happy as I am
Even
now the Shepherd's lamb
And
when my short life is ended
By
his angel host attended
He
shall fold me to his breast
There
within his arms to rest
Comments
Post a Comment