A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even 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.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
This Psalm is perhaps the most favorited Psalm of all time, and for good reason. It beckons us to envision our current state as a sheep being led through various settings, all the while following a Good Shepherd. It is both humbling and comforting. This Saturday, instead of exegetical study, let us meditate on this Psalm and what it means for us.
The LORD is my shepherd. The Great I AM, the unknowable triune self-existent one, has revealed himself to us in a way that we can know him. He has bent his knee and given us His personal name: Yahweh. That knowledge is lofty, yet so often overlooked as insignificant. We can speak to our Creator, the Maker of the universe, by name. Despite our unworthiness, despite our sinfulness, we can stand in his presence fully justified, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. God, you are our shepherd.
I shall not want. Any rapturous desire I feel that is not for God I lay down at the shepherds feet. I acknowledge that all my wants and desires for this world are imperfect, for I am not wise enough to know what I truly need. I am but a sheep in need of a shepherd and I trust that shepherd fully to provide all that I need and to fulfill my every desire.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. I am prone to wander, but in your grace O Lord, you force me to rest. You bind my wandering heart to yourself. You make me obedient, despite my stubborn and sinful proclivities. I am but a silly sheep in need of a shepherd.
He leads me beside still waters. You provide for me green pastures and nourishing waters. I have everything I need in you. When I think I know better, when I believe the grass is greener elsewhere, when I wander away from your presence, in your everlasting grace you retrieve me and place me in your restful fold once again.
He restores my soul. I am spent. When I seek to be fulfilled and nourished apart from you, I am left unsatisfied. You alone satisfy my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Lest I begin to believe that your love for me is due to some inherent quality of my own, I acknowledge that it is for your great name’s sake that you do all this. I am owed nothing, I have merited nothing. Nothing in me should cause you to love me except that you have set your affections on me. I was, by nature, a child of wrath - but You, in your everlasting kindness, full of mercy and grace, tenderly sought me out and brought me back to the fold.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. This life is fraught with perils. Everywhere I look I see despair. Hopelessness abounds in this world, yet I will abide in you. For I am in green pastures and beside still waters. Even amidst the tumultuous storms of life, I am resolved to be at peace. At rest in your secure fold.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Your discipline is your protection. I know I am loved when I am disciplined by you. Your training, your disciplining me, is comfort. As is the knowledge that I am protected from all dangers. Though some things may hurt me, nothing can truly harm me. No predator can carry me away from the fold. Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate me from you, my Good Shepherd.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. I am humbled at your honouring me. I do not deserve to be treated like a firstborn son, yet, in Christ, I have been awarded that prestige. It is from this abundance of love for me that I can love others. I love because you first loved me. I am beloved, so I can’t help but share that love with others.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I am secure with you. The gates of hell will not prevail against us because I dwell in your house. I am comforted by that. I rest in that. Thank you God.