Psalm 23: The Lord, Our Shepherd (Part 3)

Psalm 23 - 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.

Message: My Shepherd, So I don't have a want

Time:  The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

I have been taking this lesson slow. Or rather, I have been having trouble getting through it. My study in the Word has just been slow lately. These lessons through the wisdom literature are a little different as they jump around. It is different from the Romans study I just finished that had a clear beginning and end of each book. But, I also have just sort of lost some consistency.

But, this is a good reading. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." I am still amazed by these words, that with the Lord, I really do not have wants. And yet I notice as I get my eyes off of time in the word, wants creep up. And then I looked at the fact that God is the one that supplies all of my needs, He is the active agent in my life.

So today I look at those verses that seem to be the most popular verses and the reason this chapter is a strong anchor in the lives of so many upon death, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." What is key to this phrase? God is with me. Isn't this interesting? This is a Psalm, a chapter, words that so many people hold onto. What are they holding onto? They are holding onto this idea that "God is with them." This is the ultimate desire of each person: that God is with them. There is nothing to fear because God is with them. Even though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with them. They can traverse anything in life, even the darkest of days, because they always know that God is with them.

This verse almost sounds like Paul because in verse 3 it states that "he leads me in the path of righteousness" or the right way or right path. As I was reading and studying through this chapter, I was reminded that this isn't just a verse that speaks of death, but it really is talking about any dark or gloomy part in our lives. Verse 4 is really a further clarification of verse 3 which ends with "he leads me in the paths of righteousness." Paths of righteousness are right path or right ways. So, in that dark and gloomy valley, though I could not guide myself, I will not be alarmed; I will not be afraid of wandering or being lost; I will not fear any enemy there, for My Shepherd is there to guide me still. Valley of the shadow refers to any path of gloom or sadness, solitude, or sorrow, dark or dangerous way. God is trying to remind us that He will accompany us and can lead us safely through, however dark it may appear. The true believer has nothing to fear in the most gloomy scenes of life; he has nothing to fear in the valley of death; he has nothing to fear in the world beyond. "For Thou art with me." Though invisible, thou will attend me. I shall not go alone; I shall not be alone. The psalmist felt assured that if God was with him he had nothing to dread there. God would be his companion, his comforter, his protector, his guide. O, how I hope we can both believe and hold onto this.

Promise: God is there, even when things seem low; even when I am walking through a dark point of life, experiencing pain or loss. Even in those moments, I have nothing to fear. God is with me.