The Song of the Shepherd and Host

Apart from John 3:16, Psalm 23 is perhaps the most well-known passage in the entire Bible, and for good reason. Charles Spurgeon called it “the pearl of Psalms.” It’s often used in funerals because it is a deeply comforting and calming psalm of confidence. Every familiar phrase has depth, beauty, and strength. David begins, “The LORD is my shepherd.” The metaphor of God as a shepherd for the people of Israel is a common one in the Psalms and more broadly in the Scriptures, but what is unique in this psalm is that David sees God not just as “our shepherd” communally but “my” shepherd personally. In fact, the personal pronoun “me” or “my” appears seventeen times in six verses. The transcendent, awe-inspiring, covenant-keeping LORD cares for the flock as a whole by caring for each individual sheep. And he knows exactly what we need. “I shall not want” is the traditional style of saying “I shall not lack what I need,” and it mirrors God’s promise to his people in Deuteronomy 2:7: “You have lacked nothing.” This shepherd is attentive to know not only the needs of his sheep but also how to meet those needs. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” All of those phrases convey the shepherd’s active role in providing: guiding to safe places, soothing the sheep to rest so that their inward stillness can match the still waters of peace, renewing their vitality so that they are refreshed. “Restores” can also have the sense of retrieving and reviving, as a shepherd will at times need to save a stray lamb or help them when they stumble and fall. This is what God does for us with our physical needs, our emotional  needs, and our spiritual needs. When we are hungry and thirsty in our bodies, when we need rest for our anxious minds, when our souls long for restoration, the Lord is my shepherd and your shepherd. We have everything we need in him.

The shepherd is active in leading the sheep, as verse 3 continues, “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” These right paths are both ethical and directional; God shows us how we ought to live, and he guides our steps in the direction we should walk. It’s all for his name, because God is glorified and honored when his people reflect his ways. What is in God’s best interest is in our best interest. You may have already noticed that there’s a lot of dual meanings throughout the psalm: God’s shepherding care is both tangible and physical as well as inward and spiritual. God shows us the right paths that are destined for us according to his sovereignty, and he shows us the right ethical paths, the ways of justice and love in obedience to his commands. But sometimes the right paths are not the green pastures but the dark ravines. “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.” It’s notoriously difficult to translate this section from the Hebrew, but this place has the sense of deepest shadow, where all is not still and calm but unclear and murky, where bandits or animals may be hiding and where death, as the darkest place we can ever go, is a constant threat. And yet the good shepherd has chosen to lead us through this shadow and bring us to the other side, and his presence gives us courage to overcome our fears. A typical ancient shepherd would have both a rod for defending the flock against predators and a staff to support and guide the sheep along the road. In the same way, God is our companion and guide through the deepest difficulties in our lives, and even when it feels like we are lost or attacked or fearing for our life, God is with us. He is not surprised when the path takes us into the valley, because no matter where he leads us, we are never alone. Even death is a path that we all must take, and God alone is the shepherd who can lead us through it.

The scene shifts suddenly in verse 5, where we are not sheep but guests at a banquet: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” God is a host, and what an abundantly hospitable host he is! He creates a safe place that is protected even when enemies surround. He anoints with oil not in the ceremonial sense like Psalm 2 but with sweet-smelling, fragrant perfume. He doesn’t just fill a cup with wine but fills it over the brim; one scholar translates, “My cup, overflowing!” The expression is one of delighted surprise at the pleasures of dining at God’s table. Right out of the valley of shadow we are warmly welcomed into a festive celebration that our enemies are powerless to stop. Psalm 23 is very well suited for funerals, but it is also a psalm that celebrates life — eating and drinking and finding peace in the midst of our suffering.  David ends where he began, in a place of peace and trust: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” A few things to note about this verse. First, “surely” has the sense of exclusivity, like “only.” Second, the word translated “mercy” is hesed, the covenantal word for God’s loyal love. Finally, “follow” actually means to pursue, to chase after. So putting it all together, we might say, “Only goodness and love pursue me.” That is a powerful statement of God’s benevolence, his active care for us. Yes, I have enemies, and yes, I have troubles, but God’s goodness runs after me. He won’t let me escape from his love. I heard a pastor once use the image of “goodness” and “love” being the names of God’s sheep-herding dogs. We are chased by grace. What’s more, to be God’s guest is to be invited into more than one meal but to live with him, to dwell in the refuge that he offers not just for a day but forevermore. This is the imagery of the promised land, a hope for a place in which our journey through the valley of the shadow of death will end in a home where we can be with God for eternity.