YOUR SHEPHERD IS THE LORD!

PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

How many times have we said these famous verses or heard them without thinking about the implication of the words? In these verses, David is saying the Lord is his shepherd. The Lord being the King of kings, the one who holds all the authority, the creator of the universe. The reason why David can confidently declare that he shall not want is because he knows who his shepherd is. Do we?

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

When we consider the rest of these verses in light of this revelation, that the Lord who created the universe is our shepherd, we get a deeper understanding. He is able to lead us beside the still waters and make us lie down in green pastures because He made them and knows where they are. He is able to refresh our souls because as our maker, he knows what we need to feel refreshed when we submit to Him.

He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake

As we continue on in the verses, we find this phrase : "for his name's sake". For His name's sake as the King of kings, he will lead you in the path of righteousness. So when we find it difficult to determine which path in life to take we should trust and believe that God will guide us in the path because of his name's sake. In upholding the reputation of his righteousness He will lead us.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil,

for you are with me.

Your staff rod and your staff they comfort me.

Why can David say this? How does he know that he won't fear any evil? Once again it is based on his knowledge that the King of kings who has all the authority who is also our father, which means He loves us is our shepherd and is with us.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

This verse speaks to the authority that God has to call your enemies to come watch as we enjoy the table the Lord has prepared in our midst.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Anointing oil isn't water. In other words, it is very valuable. It is made from olive oil and a mix of specific spices (Exodus 30:22-33). For your cup to overflow, then you should know that nothing is too expensive for the Lord to do.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

These last verses put a seal on the certainty that David had on the character of God and his relationship with God. He declares with certainty that because the Lord, the King of kings, is his guide, goodness and mercy are bound to follow him. Also because the Lord is his father, he can dwell in the house of his father forever.

It's time to break the box that we put God in. He is your shepherd but remember who He is first. Your shepherd isn't just anyone, your shepherd is the Lord of Lords the Captain of the host of Israel; the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Go forth walking in this confidence!