Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Psalms Chapter 23 mean?

The 23rd psalm is among the most famous passages of Scripture. Among Christians, it might be the most often-quoted and frequently-memorized set of verses in the Old Testament. The themes of comfort, reassurance, and God’s provision for His people have resonated with even non-believers across the ages.

This psalm, written by King David, the former shepherd boy, may have been composed near the end of David’s life. He was well acquainted not only with sheep and shepherding but also with the Lord as his shepherd. The psalm has a pastoral setting that is vastly different from David’s previous psalm (Psalm 22), which evokes the image of a battlefield. Psalm 23 is meant to inspire calm.

The Lord is personal to David, and He provides everything David needs. As the Good Shepherd, He guides David to green pastures and calm waters. All is peaceful! He refreshes David’s soul and directs him in the way of righteousness, thereby protecting the Good Shepherd’s reputation. Even if David encounters life-threatening trouble, he does not fear because the Lord, the Good Shepherd walks with him.

Like a sheep who feels secure knowing his shepherd is standing guard, David is comforted by knowing the Good Shepherd’s rod and staff will protect him. It appears David feels like an honored guest at a banquet hosted by the Lord Himself. His enemies look on as the Lord provides richly for him. Or perhaps David compares himself to a sheep that receives the healing oil and a large cup of water from its shepherd at the end of day. Its predatory enemies can only look at the sheepfold, the entrance of which is blocked by the shepherd.

David is confident that the Lord will be good to him and will shower him with loving kindness for the rest of his earthly life. He expects to enjoy rich communion with the Lord in the sanctuary.

Chapter Context
This psalm lies between Psalm 22, which depicts Jesus as suffering, and Psalm 24 which depicts Him as sovereign. Psalm 23 depicts Christ as the all-sufficient shepherd. The psalms together focus on the shepherd’s cross, his crook, and his crown. In John 10, Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, echoing many of the themes explored in this passage.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

These words are some of the most-frequently quoted in the entire Old Testament. Even those unfamiliar with the Bible may recognize this verse, which has been used in countless ways over the ages.

In this verse David expresses his confidence in the Lord as his shepherd. The word for “LORD” in this verse is from a Hebrew term known as the tetragrammaton. This is four letters: yodh, he, waw, he; in English these are essentially YHWH. This is often transliterated as Yahweh or even Jehovah. This is the biblical name of the covenant-keeping God of Israel.

David knew by personal experience that Yahweh shepherds His people. He cares for all their needs. When he was a shepherd boy, David cared for his sheep, making sure all their needs were met. In similar fashion the Lord cared for David. David lacked nothing. Believers, too, can be sure the Lord, the Good Shepherd, meets all our needs. He listens to our prayers, and if we call on Him, we will receive His grace and help in a time of need (Hebrews 4:14–16).

An interesting name for the Lord is found in Genesis 22:14. Abraham had been commanded by God to take Isaac and sacrifice him. When Isaac inquired of his father Abraham where the lamb was for the burnt offering, Abraham told him the Lord would provide the sacrifice. As Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, the angel of the LORD stopped him. Abraham had demonstrated his faith in God. The Lord provided a ram that was caught in a thicket by its horns as a sacrifice instead. Abraham promptly sacrificed the ram and called the site of the sacrifice, Jehovah-Jireh, meaning “The Lord will provide.”

Context Summary
Psalm 23:1–3 extolls the blessings bestowed on David by the Lord, his personal shepherd. The scene is peaceful and personal. In John 10:11 Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd. He does for His sheep what David describes in Psalm 23:1–3. He leads his sheep (John 10:3–4); guides them to pasture (John 10:9); restores their souls (Joh 10:10); and protects them (John 10:11–15).

Verse 2. He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.

David writes that the Lord provides rest in green pastures and guides him to still waters. Shepherds in biblical times did not “drive” their sheep. Instead of pushing the herd from behind, they walked ahead of the flock, which followed. The land of Israel did not have plentiful, verdant pastureland except in the rainy season. Shepherds needed to guide their sheep to green pasture, otherwise the sheep would go hungry.

Further, sheep will not drink from a rushing stream. Nor will they instinctively seek out clean water—they are prone to drinking whatever is nearby. Therefore, a good shepherd leads his sheep to calm, clean water.

As a good shepherd, the Lord guided David to green pasture; that is, He provided well for David, giving him abundance, rest, and peace. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, provides all of this care for His followers. He gives us rest (Matthew 11:28), abundance (Matthew 6:33; John 10:10; Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 4:19), and peace (John 14:27).

Just as a shepherd in Bible times knew his sheep by name, so our Good Shepherd knows us personally and calls us by name (John 10:3). We should be quick to heed His call and follow Him!

Verse 3. He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousnessfor his name ‘s sake.

David credits the Lord, his shepherd, with restoring or refreshing his soul. In Bible times, if a sheep became injured, its shepherd would treat its wounds until its good health returned. How often the Lord restores us to good spiritual health after the evil world system has hurt us, or, even more often, when we have hurt ourselves by failing to follow Him closely! When Peter relied on self-confidence to keep him faithful to the Lord, he failed miserably, but the Good Shepherd graciously restored him to spiritual health (John 21:15–19).

Sheep were accustomed to following their shepherd in well-worn paths, but occasionally a sheep would stray from a safe path and become lost. Then the shepherd would leave the rest of the sheep in the custody of helpers and go searching for the lost sheep. Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), leads us in paths of righteousness, but we may wander from the chosen path. Then Jesus searches until He finds us and restores us. In Luke 15:3–7 Jesus told a parable about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep, but when one went astray, he searched for it until he found it. Then he laid it on his shoulders, brought it home, and summoned his friends and neighbors to celebrate its recovery with him.

Verse 4. David could walk through a dark ravine, perhaps even death, fearlessly, because the Lord walked with him. David explains his lack of fear because “you are with me.” It is interesting to observe that the “shadow of death” drew David closer to the Lord. He addresses the Lord as “you,” whereas in the peaceful places he called the Lord “he.”

A shepherd in Bible times carried a rod and a staff to protect his sheep. The rod was a cudgel: a short, thick, heavy stick similar to what modern people might call a baton or mace. This was worn at the shepherd’s belt. The staff was a long, lightweight pole with a curved end—a crook—that the shepherd used to move, count, and examine the sheep at evening when they returned to the fold.

Both the rod and staff were used as weapons to protect the sheep. David trusted the Lord to protect him, just as a shepherd protected his sheep from any attacking animals. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is with believers at all times (John 10:11, 14). He promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). He is with us when we walk over rough ground as surely as He is with us “beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2). Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

Context Summary
Psalm 23:4–6 shifts in mood from the tranquility portrayed in verses 1–3. It is a somber passage, but carries the assurance that the Lord protects His sheep and fills their days with His blessings. This passage differs from the first three verses by addressing the Lord, David’s shepherd, directly. In verses 1–3 David talks about the Lord, but in verses 4–6 he talks to the Lord.

Verse 5. You prepare a table before mein the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows.

This verse may describe a gracious host as he provides a banquet for an honored guest, or it may continue the metaphor of the shepherd-sheep relationship. If it refers to a host preparing a banquet, David views himself as the Lord’s honored guest with David’s enemies present as captive onlookers.

If it refers to a shepherd-sheep relationship, David compares the Lord’s generosity to that of a shepherd who generously prepares a feast for his sheep, spreading the food on a table or trough. As the sheep slept, they were protected by a circular stone wall and the shepherd who slept across the opening. Jesus identified Himself as the door to the sheepfold (John 10:7–9).

A gracious host would anoint his guest by applying a soothing oil to the guest’s head. A shepherd would use oil to treat his sheep’s wounds. David may have been thinking about the Lord as his host or shepherd when he wrote, “you anoint my head with oil” (Psalm 23:5). The cup David depicts as overflowing may refer to the brimming cup the host provided or to the large cup a shepherd used to give water to thirsty sheep. Either interpretation leads to the conclusion that the Lord provides for us more generously than the heart can desire.

Verse 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow meall the days of my life,and I shall dwell in the house of the Lordforever.

David expresses his conviction in this verse that the Lord’s goodness will be with him throughout his life. Whether green pastures and still waters lay ahead, or David was required to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord’s goodness would accompany him.

Over the years of his long life David had found that God is good all the time. Further, the Lord’s unfailing love would be present with him every step of life’s journey. Paul encourages us in Romans 8:38–39 to count on God’s love in all of life’s circumstances. Nothing can separate us from His unfailing love. We can use trials to make us more aware of God’s love so that we grow, rather than become bitter. David anticipated that at the end of his life he would enter heaven—the house of the LORD—and live there forever.

Having the Lord as our shepherd makes life worthwhile and blessed, and when our journey on earth ends we will enter heaven to live with our Shepherd forever (John 14:3). Revelation 7:16–17 promises that in heaven believers will never hunger or thirst or suffer again, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

End of Psalm 23

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