PSALM 23
The psalm is the best known, and well loved of all the portions of the bible; but do we truly understand it's meaning?
It is part of a wonderful trilogy of psalms........22,23, and 24. These, together, form a unit of divine truth, the order of which is important to observe.
Psalm 22 The Lord is my Saviour
Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd
Psalm 24 The Lord is my Sovereign
He cannot be my Shepherd until He is first my Saviour. When He becomes my Shepherd, He will also become my Sovereign. As the psalmist David learned, to know the Lord is the greatest thing on earth, but first He must deal with my offending sin. This He did on the cross, the subject matter of psalm 22. I am now ready to experience the Lord as my Shepherd!
In the contents of these six wonderful verses, David formed three sacred conclusions; when the Lord is my shepherd, this is my portion.
- verse 1 "I shall not want....." Divine provision.
This includes "green pastures", "waters of rest", "restoration of soul", "leading in the ways of righteousness". Spiritually speaking I will want for nothing.
2. verse 4 "I will fear no evil..." Divine protection
No fear even in the shadow of death; no fear in the presence of enemies; no fear even when under His discipline. There is a precious truth in this part; in verses 1-3 he has been speaking in the third person....."The Lord is my shepherd"...."He maketh me to lie down"......"He leadeth me"....."He restoreth my soul" etc. In verses 4-5 he switches to the first person............"Thou art with me"......"Thy rod"...."Thy staff"......."Thou preparest a table for me"......"Thou anointest my head with oil".....why the change? The answer is that the trials of life do really bring us closer to the Lord. If when the Lord our shepherd will bring us through trials, we learn to trust Him, the result will be closeness to Him. I will start to say "Thou" instead of "He" or "Him".
3. verse 6 "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" Divine presence
This is the ultimate blessing; note the all- embracing care of our Saviour/Shepherd/Sovereign and the glory that awaits, which is even our experience now.
- Goodness and mercy all the days of my life! We measure our lives in years, God measures them in days. Every single day He provides for me, He protects me, and He prepares me for glory.
- Forever in His house; when this life is over, throughout the countless days of a never-ending eternity to live with the Lord!
Is there anything better than this? To have the Lord as my shepherd is to know His goodness every day, and after that.......................... forever in His house!!
