" T h e   L o r d   i s   M y   S h e p h e r d "   -   Psalm 23   [ Amplified ]

                                                                                                                                 it's supper-time with Jesus

Some time ago I was looking for Bible promises which would sustain me during the last years of my life. My attention caught Psalm 23. Getting more into its message I started a study. This study was such a rich blessing that I have to share it with you! Included are: various melodies! of "The Lord is My Shepherd" and a bibliography of hymnals, which I have used references of this study are at the end of this site gem 37 [ = page 37 of Meyer, F. B. Gems from the Psalms ] What a comfort this Psalm has become to me.   If you have been blessed, please share your thoughts with me!       wtouchard@gmail.com

Introductory   Thoughts

It is [ Psalm 23 ] an oasis in the desert   fbm 12 A restfulness breathes through this Psalm   gems 37 This psalm does not focus on the animal-like qualities of sheep, but on the discipleship qualities of those who follow   niv verses 1-4 might be entitled The Journey verses 5-6 The Journeys End   int v4 124 describing the peace and calm delight which dwell with one who trust is wholly in God Can't fix the time in which this Psalm was written:     > we can state that he most likely didn't write it during his        boyhood, having already enemies (verse 5);     > nor has he known what is to be in danger of death (verse 4)        [ animals = yes]; but when he writes, he is experiencing     1. a time of rest and refreshment (verses 1-3)     2. a time of prosperity and abundance (verse 5);     3. his thoughts are happy thoughts         > he lacks nothing         > he has no fear         > God's goodness and mercy are with him         > he feels assured that they will continue with him always            (verse 6)     4. He has but one desire for the future to "dwell in the house         of God [ = His presence ] for ever   pul v8 163 this Psalm may belong to the time of the rebellion under Absalom [ 4:8; 3.7; 27:4; 63 ]   kei v5 329 The Lord is the Pastor of His people. Therefore: > it may be inferred that they shall not want (verse 1) > how He guides, feeds, and protects them (verses 2-3) > even in the greatest dangers they may be confident in support (verse 4) > His abundant provision for them (verse 5) > the confidence they may have of His continual mercy, and their    eternal happiness   cla v3 296

The Shepherd - Lord Pastures of Tender Grass and Waters of Rest "He Restores My Life"   |   The Shepherd's Leading The Valley of Shadow   |   Comfort Through the Rod and Staff The Banquet   |   "Thou Anointest my Head with Oil" The Overflowing Cup   |   The Celestial Escort "In the House of the Lord Forever!"

Text   and   Interpretation

The Shepherd - Lord

v1  The Lord in my Shepherd [ to feed, guide and shield ];             I shall not lack. [ Amplified ]               = That's Relationship! Jehovah is represented successively as the true Shepherd and Guide and Host of His people After all it is not so much a question of what we are to Jesus, as of what He is to us There is nothing you really need for which you may not count on Him gem 37 His duties were to: protect from wild animals 1 Sam. 17:34 protect the wells Ex 2:17 good Shepherd = Hes 34:11-16 = Isaiah 40:11 Messiah as Shepherd = Hes 34:23 lays down His life = John 10;12               I shall not want = That's Supply! ... shall not want Psalm 84:11 ... my God will supply all your need, .... Phil. 4:19 ... but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing ..     Psalm 34:10 there is no want to them that fear Him .. Psalm 34:9 The sufferer in the sick chamber; the martyr at the stake; the soldier on his sentry duty...the Huguenot,...have found in these words a lullaby for fear, and inspiration to new life and hope The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.. fbm 16 He has: a shepherd's heart a shepherd's eye a shepherd's faithfulness a shepherd's strength a shepherd's tenderness fbm 19 We should strive only if the Lord were not our shepherd. Roy Lessin sheep = completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection As the Lord is the good shepherd, so we are His sheep ... not frightened, passive animals, but obedient followers, wise enough to follow one who leads us in the right places and in right ways. niv knows every sheep by name = Isaiah 40:26 Jesus looks for lost sheep = John 10:12 = Hes. 34:5,11

Pastures of Tender Grass and Waters of Rest

v2  He makes me to lie down in (fresh, tender) green pastures;            He leads me beside the still and restful waters.               = That's Rest! Pastures of tender grass and waters of rest.. gems 37 Three things needed until the human spirit can rest: a consciousness of safety sufficiency of food obedience to the Shepherd's lead fbm 25-28 When we allow God, our Shepherd, to guide us, we have contentment green pastures [ = sheep do not eat lying down ] emphasizes location [ = not food ] au               He leads me beside the still waters = That's Refreshment! still waters [ = sheep are afraid of moving water ] waters of rest au our shepherd knows the "green pastures" and "quiet waters" that will restore us niv




"He Restores My Life"

v3  He refreshes and restores my life - myself;               = That's Healing! The most fruitful source of spiritual declension is the neglect of the Word of God and a private devotion fbm 31




The Shepherd's Leading

v3  He leads me in the path of righteousness - uprightness               = That's Guidance! paths "wagon tracks" implying smooth, well-marked paths - sheep can easily follow au and right standing with Him [ = not for my earning it ]




The Valley of Shadow

v4  Yes, though I walk through the [ deep, sunless ] valley of the            shadow of death,               = That's Testing! Reading: "No Rest in the Nest." by E. Lonnie Melashenko. Creation Fall 2009. Vol. 16, #3 40-43. The shadow of a dog cannot bite. [ = shadow of death = is not death!!! ] fbm 50-51 Besides, you cannot have a shadow unless there be a bright light shining somewhere The shadow is temporary, the light eternal; for "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." fbm 51 And God is testing us, to see whether we can trust Him in the dark as well as in the light. fbm 52 Talk no more about walled cities and giants; about the rugged paths and dark valleys; about lions and robbers. fbm 14 Only one person can walk with us through death's dark valley and bring us safely to the other side. niv "valley" of the shadow of death probably referred to the Wadi Quilt = a narrow valley with 1,500 feet high walls with many caves = waiting wolves and bears au     v4  I will fear no evil;           = That's Protection!     v4  For you are with me;           = That's Faithfulness!




Comfort Through the Rod and Staff

v4  Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me               = That's Discipline! rod: to protect and ward off wild animals au a symbol of His defending power fbm 56 suggests the protecting grace of Christ our Lord fbm 56 staff: to rescue straying sheep & to guide them au restrains from wandering fbm 58 we are also extricated from circulstances of peril and disaster into which we may have fallen fbm 59 comfort: Hebrew picture of "sighs of contentment," indicating total relaxation au We are accounted as the small dust in the balance, as smoking flax, or bruised reeds; but in the eyes of our Heavenly Father we are prized as very precious jewels, destined to shine in the regalia of His Son before the gaze of all worlds. fbm 58




The Banquet

v5  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my             enemies;               = That's Hope! We must be prepared to break through a ring of enemies to feed and to get the daily anointing of the Holy Sprit [ John 2:27 ] gems 38 I am Jehovah's guest fbm 63 God also prepares the table of spiritual refreshment fbm 67 We sit down at the prepared table of the marriage supper, and Christ will gird Himself and come forth to serve us fbm 71 enemies: shepherd removes poisonous plants and provides pasture for the sheep in the midst of wild animals au




Thou Anointest my Head with Oil

v5  You anoint my head with oil;               = That's Consecration! oil: at day's end the shepherd would rub oil into the cuts and scrapes au .... oil of gladness from above .... Heb. 1:8,9 It is our privilege to be anointed with fresh oil - Psalm 92:10 fbm 78 These anointings will make us glad - Psalm 45:7 fbm 79 These anointings will teach us as no human teacher could 1 John 2:27 fbm 80 We will receive benefits from the anointing of the Holy Spirit long after the immediate moment of receiving it; the fragrance still clings about our garments; .... The effect of these anointings will be abiding - 1 John 2:27 fbm 80 .... it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration When mixed with perfume the oil imparted a delightful refreshing and invigorating sensation Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running the race .... better fitted for action ... oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit, to fit them (His sheep) to engage more freely in His service and run in the way He directs, in heavenly fellowship with Him.   footnote amp




The Overflowing Cup

v5  my cup runs over.               = That's Abundance! Glad and festal moments come to the sadest and most weary heart fbm 83 It recounts the glorious deliverance there was wrought on his behalf. And now, as he reviews his lot, it seams like a cup full of salvation, ...deliverance wrought for Him by the Almighty. (Psalm 116:12,13) fbm 84 Cease looking ... on the outside the cup ... but look thankfully upon the contents. fbm 84 It becomes us to remember that "the cup of blessing" of which we drink was once filled with a bitter curse. (sin) fbm 85 Jesus in the garden = "shall I not drink it?" This was to Peter. Our cup is one of joy, because His cup was one of sorrow. Our cup is one of blessedness, because His was one of God-forsakeness. fbm 86 Ingredients of our life-cup: good health human friendships and affections, the absence of which makes greatest prosperity a dreary desert comforts of home life joys of the mind dash of extra sweetness poured into life's cup whatever blessing is in our cup, it is sure to run over with Him, the calf is always the fatted calf the robe is always the best robe the joy is unspeakable the peace passes all understanding the grace is so abundant fbm 88 it is specially in connection with spiritual blessing that the cup most often seems to overflow let us not hoard what we have got fbm 90 be sure to take the cup of salvation as you drink let us be sure to call upon the name of the Lord fbm 91 Climax = "This do in remembrance of Me.."




The Celestial Escort

v6  Surely only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall             follow me all the days of my life;               = That's Blessing Surely leaves no element of doubt, because: God has never failed in the past He has pledged Himself by exceeding great and precious promises of the united testimony of all His saints attested that He never fails of forsakes that never in a day come in our earthly pilgrimage, in which God shall not be at our side in goodness and mercy fbm 98 Heavenly escorts = goodness and mercy = twin angles of God fbm 94,95 "All the days" = He will be with us: Spring Days, when all the world shall be full of glad young life: frolicking in the fields; carolling in the skies; bursting into leaf and flower at our feet Summer Days, in which the year shall have reached its glorious prime, with the golden light, and long - drawn - out evenings, and balmy nights Autumn Days, when the fields shall be filled with sheaves of corn, whilst busy hands tear from orchard boughs, trailing vines, and towering hop plants, the rich produce of the year. Winter Days, in which the foot shall tread down the crackling leaves that carpet the forest glade; days of mist, and rain, and sobre light, when we gather around the bier of the departed glory of the year, and lay it to the dust. fbm 93 "impenetrable mist," which only parts as we advance fbm 94

"In the House of the Lord Forever!"

v6  the house of the Lord [ and His presence ] shall be my dwelling place.                 Forever.               = That's Security!               Forever = That's Eternity! dwell: return to the house "to sit" = Hebrew SS 31 house of the Lord: the sheep dwelt safely in the presence of the shepherd ultimately this points to the last day fulfillment when God's people (sheep) will dwell with Him in His heavenly house forever au The passing of the years awakens in our hearts the cry for permanence. Our nature is keyed not to the temporal but to the eternal, there rises up within us a passionate desire for a home which death cannot invade; friendships which time cannot repair; chaplets of never-withering flowers; and a condition of existence which is impervious to change. fbm 101 What is the house of the Lord?: But His presence His dwelling place in God, who has been the home, and refuge, and abiding place of His people in all generations fbm 107

B i b l i o g r a p h y

amp   * The Amplified Old Testament - Zondervan, 1962. au   Andrews University Study Bible. Light. Depth. Truth.         NKJV Andrews University Press, 2010. cla   Clark's Commentary. Methodist Book Concern, nd. gems   Meyer, F. B. Gems from the Psalms. Good News, 1976.               ISBN 0-89107-146-6 fbm   Meyer, F. B. The Shepherd Psalm. Christian Heritage, 2005.            ISBN 1-84550-054-7   www.christianfocus.com niv   Life Application Study Bible. NIV Tyndale, 1997. ost   Osterloh, Edo and Engelland, Hans. Biblisch-Theologisches          Handwoerterbuch zur Lutherbibel und zu Neueren          Uebersetzungen. Vanderhoeck, 1959. pul   The Pulpit Commentary. Eerdmans, nd. SS   Worship - Adult Sabbath School Guide. July, August,         September 2011, 31.