Psalm 23 Verse by Verse"
Title: Conclusion
Prayer:
Father God, this has been a very blessed study for my soul, and I pray it has blessed someone else as well. Thank You for Your Word, and the comfort it brings to our soul, spirit, and mind. I am so grateful for You, and Your Son Jesus Christ, my Shepherd. Bless us with the anointing to always remember that You are our Shepherd, and we shall not want for anything, because we have You. Our quiet resting place is in You, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Our joy is that we will be with You forever, as You are with us now. Thank You because Your goodness and mercy has been with us, and shall continue to follow us forever more. Bless us as we dwell in Your house (presence), and Your heart. We come away from this study with these words in our hearts. "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." Amen.
And finally we have the small matter of that which occurs after 'the days of my life'. So our great Shepherd protects and provides for His sheep during their life on this earth. But there is a greater provision and far greater blessing still to come. One where… 'the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' Rev 21:3-4 'Forever' is a long time, but this infinitely creative God will never fail to amaze us. So for now, let us follow our Lord where He would lead. Let us stick close to Him and thank Him for His wonderful grace. He is not just a 'good shepherd'. He is a great shepherd. He is utterly trustworthy. And when the days of this life are over, then we shall enter into that which we can only partly imagine, for "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
Nothing compares to the awesome promise believers have in Christ. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, wants an intimate personal relationship with you—He wants to provide for your needs, forgive your sins, and protect you from evil. In hardship, His followers can turn to Him for comfort and they can rest in His promise to bring good out of every situation. And then some day, all who belong to Jesus will join Him in heaven, where a place will have been prepared for each one.
If you have not yet asked the Father to forgive you of your sins, I pray that you will. Receive Jesus as your Savior—then you can proclaim with confidence, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
Verse 6. - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. The past is an earnest of the future, As God's "goodness and mercy" have always followed him hitherto, David has no doubt that they will continue to cling to him while his life continues. And I will dwell. in the house of the Lord forever (comp. Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple"). Such passages are, of course, not to be understood literally; they express the longing of the soul for a sense of the continual presence of God, and a realization of constant communion with him.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me - God will bestow them upon me. This is the "result" of what is stated in the previous verses. The effect of God's merciful dealings with him had been to lead his mind to the assurance that God would always be his shepherd and friend; that He would never leave him to want.
All the days of my life - Through all its changes; in every variety of situation; until I reach its close. Life indeed would end, and he does not venture to conjecture when that would be; but as long as life should continue, he felt confidently assured that everything needful for him would be bestowed upon him. The language is the utterance of a heart overflowing with joy and gratitude in the recollection of the past, and full of glad anticipation (as derived from the experience of the past) in regard to the future.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever - Margin, as in Hebrew: "to length of days." The expression, I think, does not refer to eternity or to heaven, but it is parallel with the former expression "All the days of my life;" that is, he would dwell in the house of the Lord as long as he lived - with the idea added here, which was not in the former member of the sentence, that his life would be long, or that he hoped and anticipated that he would live long on the earth. The phrase used here, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord," is one that is several times employed in the Psalms as indicative of the wish of the psalmist. Thus, in Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." Psalm 26:8, "lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth." Psalm 65:4, "blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts."
Psalm 84:4, "blessed are they that dwell in thy house." (Compare also Psalm 87:1, Psalm 87:3,10). The "language" here is obviously taken from the employment of those who had their habitation near the tabernacle, and afterward the temple, whose business it was to attend constantly on the service of God, and to minister in his courts. We are not to suppose of David that he anticipated such a residence in or near the tabernacle or the house of God; but the meaning is, that he anticipated and desired a life as if he dwelt there, and as if he was constantly engaged in holy occupations. His life would be spent as if in the constant service of God; his joy and peace in religion would be as if he were always within the immediate dwelling-place of the Most High. This expresses the desire of a true child of God. He wishes to live as if he were always engaged in solemn acts of worship, and occupied in holy things; he desires peace and joy in religion as if he were constantly in the place where God makes his abode, and allowed to partake of his smiles and friendship. In a very important sense it is his privilege so to live even on earth; it will certainly be his privilege so to live in heaven: and, full of grateful exultation and joy, every child of God may adopt this language as his own, and say confidently, "Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life here, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever," for heaven, where God dwells, will be his eternal home.
Let's recap our study:
In Psalm 23, David compares the Lord to a shepherd who lovingly tends his flock. Through this passage, we learn that Jehovah—the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God––tenderly cares for those who belong to Him. Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me" (John 10:14). Those who have trusted Christ as Savior have the assurance that He will watch over and nurture them.
David wrote: "The LORD is my shepherd" (Ps. 23:1, emphasis added). Every child of God can have an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe. But that fellowship is possible only through His Son Jesus.
A person who denies Jesus does not know the Good Shepherd. Many times, people say, "I don't believe in Jesus, but I do believe in God." However, Christ said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) and "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
Psalm 23:1 says, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want." A good shepherd desires that His sheep to have only what is best for them; God gives us what we truly need (Phil. 4:19). Sometimes that means we will ask for things but won't receive them. If the Father delays in granting your request, you can be certain He has a reason that is in your best interest.
Psalm 34:9 says, "To those who fear Him there is no want." When we submit to the Lord, He promises to supply what we need. And when we delight in Him, we allow God to conform our desires to His holy will.
"He restores my soul" (Ps. 23:3). Every believer has strayed from God at some point, but thankfully, the Good Shepherd willingly restores fellowship with Him when we confess our sins (1 John 1:8-9).And that intimacy fills us with incomparable joy and peace (Ps. 23:5).
Why do God's people wander away from Him? Often a Christian drifts because he has believed Satan's lies or listened to the world's perspective. That's why it is important for believers to discern the Shepherd's voice. Spend time reading the Gospels and Paul's epistles. Jesus will never tell you to do something that contradicts the Word of God.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil" (Ps. 23:4). Everyone goes through valleys, or low points, in life. We may face sorrow, heartache, doubt, or other kinds of adversity, but Christians need not be afraid.
The King James Version of Psalm 23:4 says, "I will fear no evil: for thou art with me." No matter what happens, we don't have to be afraid. The constant presence of our Shepherd provides the assurance we need to always feel safe (Heb. 13:5). If you walk obediently before Him, He will bring good out of the hardships you endure (Rom. 8:28).
David anticipated his heavenly home: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Ps. 23:5-6).
Jesus promised that He would prepare an eternal home for those who receive His gift of forgiveness and trust Him with their lives (John 3:3; 14:2-3). Those of us who know the Lord have the assurance that death is not the end but, rather, a beginning.
Nothing compares to the awesome promise believers have in Christ. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, wants an intimate personal relationship with you—He wants to provide for your needs, forgive your sins, and protect you from evil. In hardship, His followers can turn to Him for comfort and they can rest in His promise to bring good out of every situation. And then some day, all who belong to Jesus will join Him in heaven, where a place will have been prepared for each one.
If you have not yet asked the Father to forgive you of your sins, I pray that you will receive Jesus as your Savior—then you can proclaim with confidence, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
Week #1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Week # 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
While it is true that Jesus is all we need, this is not to say that Jesus is all we get. David reminds us that it is our Good Shepherd who "makes (us) lie down in green pastures" and "leads (us) beside quiet waters"(v.2). Phillip Keller, a pastor and author who for eight years was himself a shepherd, writes, "It is almost impossible for (sheep) to lie down unless (certain) requirements are met". Keller explains that before sheep will lie down they need to be free of 4 things. Because of their timidity, sheep "refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear . . . Sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with other (sheep within the flock). If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down . . . Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food"(Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, 35).
There must be freedom from fear, friction, flies, and famine before sheep will lie down. Translate this into our context, and I hear David saying that the Lord often removes obstacles in our life for the purpose of giving us rest--and rest of a certain kind.
Week # 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
You have heard me say that the Bible does not give us a prosperity gospel, but this is not to say that it gives us a prosper-less gospel. The green pastures and the quiet waters represent a type of prosperity that the Shepherd gives to His sheep. And the reason we are given this prosperity is stated in verse 3, it "restores (our) soul". What ultimately matters is not physical comfort, but spiritual restoration. When our Shepherd provides physical blessings, the goal is spiritual refreshment. And being spiritually refreshed means to walk "in the paths of righteousness"(v.3). Notice that this is not something we can accomplish on our own. Like sheep, we are prone to go astray if left on our own. David recognizes, and we must recognize, that we need to be "guided" by the Shepherd if we are to walk the righteous path. Now, before we unpack the transition verse--verse 4, I want to offer you an observation. Psalm 23 begins with rest and comfort. Psalm 23 does not begin with activity. This is a reminder of how the Christian life is to be lived. We begin by resting in Christ and out of the restoration of our soul comes activity. Many Christians, and many churches, have this backwards. Many Christians run around, busily doing ministry until they are too tired to continue. And only when they have no strength left do they stop and rest. This misses the point that Christianity is primarily a relationship, not a religion. To have activity without a relationship misses the entire point. Let me give you an illustration from my thanksgiving dinner. The family member who hosted our thanksgiving dinner is someone very dear to me. I love this person very much. When we arrived, the host properly greeted me, but we never exchanged words again until it was time to leave. This family member of mine was very busy. She made sure that every part of our meal was just perfect--and it was. But this family member missed the point of the dinner. The reason for the dinner was supposed to be our relationship. The meal was not supposed to be the point. A casserole would have sufficed.
This is the error many Christians make. We run around attending church meetings, executing programs, planning budgets, teaching the Bible and we forget the reason we are here in the first place. We are here to enjoy our relationship with Jesus Christ. A sure sign that we have missed the point is when our activity in the church becomes a replacement for prayerful devotion to the One who called us here in the first place. Jesus has called you first to worship, and secondly to work. We must never reverse this order. Psalm 23 is about the blessings of being in a relationship with the Shepherd. And what is the primary blessing of the Shepherd? The primary blessing of the Shepherd is Himself.
Week # 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
You read about the green pastures and quiet waters and you might think they are the primary blessing of the Shepherd, but they're not. The green pastures and quiet waters eventually give way to "walk(ing) through the valley of the shadow of death"(v.4). The constant in this psalm is not the green pastures--they are temporary. The constant in this psalm is not the valley of the shadow of death--David says we eventually walk "through" it. The only constant in Psalm 23 is the presence of God, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." The blessing of the Shepherd is not an elimination of our problems. The blessing of the Shepherd is not an elimination of our enemies. The blessing of our Shepherd is a table for two prepared in the presence of our enemies(v.5). And the table, of course, is symbolic of our fellowship with Him.
In the midst of trials, our source of joy is our fellowship with the Shepherd--He prepares a table for us, He anoints our head with oil, our cup overflows (v.5).
Week #5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
You read about the green pastures and quiet waters and you might think they are the primary blessing of the Shepherd, but they're not. The green pastures and quiet waters eventually give way to "walk(ing) through the valley of the shadow of death"(v.4). The constant in this psalm is not the green pastures--they are temporary. The constant in this psalm is not the valley of the shadow of death--David says we eventually walk "through" it. The only constant in Psalm 23 is the presence of God, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."
The blessing of the Shepherd is not an elimination of our problems. The blessing of the Shepherd is not an elimination of our enemies. The blessing of our Shepherd is a table for two prepared in the presence of our enemies(v.5). And the table, of course, is symbolic of our fellowship with Him.
In the midst of trials, our source of joy is our fellowship with the Shepherd--He prepares a table for us, He anoints our head with oil, our cup overflows (v.5).
Week #6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Whether we are looking at the shepherding imagery, or the imagery of table fellowship, the main theme of Psalm 23 is plain to see: David is describing the joy of being in a personal relationship with God--a relationship that has no end, "Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"(v.6).
The 23rd Psalm portrays life as a pilgrimage--it is a pilgrimage with God, to God--and our final destination is "the house of the Lord". Our final destination is unhindered fellowship with Jesus Christ. And it is our final destination that should define everything we do in the meantime.
Whether we are talking about Bible studies, building projects, or children's programs--these things are not the point. And any church program or project that does not move us toward an improved relationship with Jesus Christ is a misguided project and misses the point.
It is time for us to examine the purposes that are behind the church projects we undertake. It is time for us to prioritize passion over programs. We want a quality ministry, yes, but not at the expense of a quality relationship.
When we reach our final destination, when we get to the house of the Lord, there will be no more programs, but what will remain is passion. When we get to heaven there will be no more religion, but what will remain is our relationship with our Shepherd.
Don't miss the point of Psalm 23. Our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, calls us, not to ritual, but to a relationship. It is in the relationship that He gets the glory due to Him and we get the joy we so desperately seek. Amen.
Different Version: Week # 7 (ESV) English Standard Version
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 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. 5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Word of the Week (# 7): Preservation
1. to keep alive or in existence; make lasting: to preserve our liberties as free citizens.
2. to keep safe from harm or injury; protect or spare.
3. to keep up; maintain: to preserve historical monuments.
4. to keep possession of; retain: to preserve one's composure.
5. to prepare (food or any perishable substance) so as to resist decomposition or fermentation.
6. to prepare (fruit, vegetables, etc.) by cooking with sugar, pickling, canning, or the like.
7. to maintain and reserve (game, fish, etc.) for continued survival or for private use, as in hunting or fishing.
Verb: (used without object), preserved, preserving.
8. to preserve fruit, vegetables, etc.; make preserves.
9. to maintain a preserve for game or fish, especially for sport.
Noun:
10. something that preserves.
11. that which is preserved.
12. Usually, preserves. fruit, vegetables, etc., prepared by cooking with sugar.
13. a place set apart for protection and propagation of game or fish, especially for sport.
God's Name: God is Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord our Banner. (Exodus 17:8-15)
(The above names fit this Psalm perfectly. Note how each name is in this Psalm.)
"Father God, You have so many wonderful Names. May I search out the Scripture and really get to know You by Your Names. Each one has a special meaning and gives me deeper understanding to Who You are. Reveal Your character to me today. Amen."
Weekly Question: What wonderful hope do we have for eternity?
Questions:
1). Name some things we can look forward to after this life.
2). Have you asked God to forgive you?
3). What is the comfort in Psalm 27:4?
4). How long do we have the promise of dwelling in His house?
5). What is the main figure used in this Psalm?
6). What is the main idea?
7). The Hebrew word often translated "follow" is actually closer in meaning to the word "pursue": "Goodness and kindness will pursue me." Why would God pursue us? Do you feel this happening in your life?
8). Do you see "dwelling in the house of the Lord" as a heavenly or an earthly state?
9). Name some of God's names.
10). In each weekly recap give one of God's name.
11). Read and examine week number (4-7) versions, and explain the different.
12). Explain God's preserving in your life.
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