4/29 Through Psalm 23

My Shepherd
Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

Oh the richness of such a claim! All the faithful mercies and fulfilling benefits of the Lord that are unfolded and expounded in this psalm were enjoyed and experienced through the personal relationship that David had with the “Shepherd”! He it is for whom and about whom these precious words were penned. Yet, these words are not merely a profession of the psalmist’s faith in Christ; they are more a profession of the faithfulness of Christ to the psalmist!

While it is true that David’s personal relationship with Christ as the Savior is the opening verse of this hymn, it still remains that the psalmist’s relationship with Christ as the Shepherd is the title and theme of this song! The magnitude of the opening statement of this psalm was not hidden from its penman. From the time of his youth, David himself had been well acquainted with the relationship of the sheep to the shepherd, as well as that of the shepherd to the sheep. He had tended sheep in the house of his father, Jesse, and thus, he knew the full import of the words that the Holy Spirit inspired him to write.

The fact of this personal knowledge only serves to discover the heart from which such a proclamation must be made. How could one claim Christ to be his Shepherd, until he first realizes himself to be a sheep? How could one who cared for sheep equate himself with such a creature without a full understanding of what that comparison equaled? You see, the statement that opens the 23rd Psalm bears a dual impact. To say, “The Lord is my Shepherd” was both a statement of humiliation, as well as one of exaltation! Here the psalmist with one simple refrain expresses the loftiness of the Shepherd, and the lowliness of the sheep!

Sheep are very helpless creatures. They are both ignorant and impotent at the same time. They require an ever watchful eye, for they cannot guard themselves. They require an ever faithful guide, for they cannot lead themselves. They require an ever tender hand, for they cannot care for themselves. To know the absolute inadequacy of the sheep, to know the absolute dependency they have on their shepherd, and then in turn to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, this truly reveals the humility of heart and dependency of life from which the praises of God must flow.

Oh the humility mind; Oh the contrition of heart that must be present before such a confession of the tongue could be made! It was this humility that compelled the psalmist to cry; “I have gone astray like a lost sheep” (Psalm 119:176). Oh my friend, may God remind us of this truth! May we remember that “…it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3)!

But what of the Shepherd; is it not He who is the sum and substance, the foundation and focus of this great psalm? What are we to glean of Him in this statement? It is interesting to note that the title of Shepherd is attributed to Christ throughout the Scriptures. This glorious truth has been the comfort of patriarchs and prophets, of the saints and servants of God throughout history. Thanks be unto God, the privilege to claim Christ as “My Shepherd” can be my privilege, as it was theirs!

What a deep well of truth is contained in this saying! What richness and fullness is found in this blessed thought! When I consider the significance of the Shepherding ministry of Jesus, then I realize that He is not only “My Shepherd” for time, but also for eternity.

I am reminded that He is The GOOD Shepherd! In John 10:11, Jesus declared, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” What a title! He is not merely “the shepherd”; he is “the good shepherd”! The term “good” that is used here, comes from a Greek word meaning choice, eminent, excellent. He was the choice, perfect, and only acceptable sacrifice for our sins!

Oh the humility of Christ! That He who is the “the good shepherd” would give Himself as “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19)! Oh the gift of our Great High Priest, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself” (Hebrews 7:27)! What a blessed thought to know that “My Shepherd” is “The Good Shepherd” whose life was given for the sheep!

I am reminded that He is The GREAT Shepherd! In Hebrews 13:20, we are told, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant”. Think of it dear friend! He was crucified and laid down his life as “The Good Shepherd”, but He was resurrected from the dead as “The Great Shepherd”!

The term “great” comes from the Greek word which transliterates (megas). The term references some thing that is large in its dimensions, significant in its ranking, and splendid or stately in its position. Is this not our Christ? His ministry to our lives is large! Its expanse goes far beyond giving His life for sinners; it reaches even to the guiding the lives of the saints! This is “My Shepherd”! He is my guard and my guide! He is “The Great Shepherd of the sheep”!

I am reminded that He is The GLORIOUS Shepherd! 1 Peter 5:4 declares, “And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” The term “chief shepherd” is a compound word coming from two Greek roots. The first root (arche) means to begin or originate; it is the first person or the leader, ruler, or magistrate. The second root (poimen) is a herdsman or shepherd, and it can metaphorically refer to the overseer or presiding officer. Thus Christ is The Originator and The Overseer; He is The Beginning and The Bishop; He is The Source and The Sovereign! He is “the head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22), and He is “…the only Potentate, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15)!

Oh the glory of him with whom we have to do! He was crucified as The Good Shepherd; He was raised from the dead as The Great Shepherd; and praise His holy name, someday, He shall return and reign as The Glorious Shepherd! He is The Gift, The Guide, and The Governor of all of life! The glories of such truths compel me to say, “Many, O Lord God, are thy works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalm 40:5)! Yet, though I cannot fathom the depths of such truths, I can enjoy their delights! What a blessing is ours that we may declare, “The Lord is My Shepherd”!