Psalms 23
Psalms 23 - Overview
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
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.
Shepherding - Rod and Staff
Shepherding has been going on for thousands of years. It's the responsibility of the shepherd to make sure the sheep have lands to graze in and also calm waters to drink in. The shepherd is also responsible for protecting the sheep from predators.
The rod is a weapon used to beat back predators who would try to eat the sheep. The staff is a guiding instrument used to direct the sheep.
In the picture of the right, there is a rod in the shepherd's left hand and a staff in the shepherd's right hand. There's also a rifle, but this is a modern invention and would not have been used by Biblical shepherds.
This psalm is called "A Psalm of David." Before becoming king, David's job was being a shepherd for his family's animals.
An interesting footnote, the word "pastor" in English means someone who shepherds a herd of sheep.
American Colony Photo Department, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Discussion Questions
What qualities do you think it takes to be a good shepherd? Why might God be compared to a shepherd? Does He have some similar qualities?
Instructions
Comparative Studies. Sometimes you can learn new ideas by comparing similar ideas and images in different places in the Bible. Look how shepherd imagery pops up in different places in the Bible.
Shepherd Imagery from the Prophets
Let's compare this Psalm to shepherd imagery found in other locations in the Bible. Let's start with the Prophets. Isaiah talks of God being like a shepherd.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
-- Psalms 40:10-12
Discussion Questions
Why does God carry the lambs, or young sheep, in his arms? What is Isaiah trying to say about God?
Tree Imagery from Wisdom Literature
Psalms 78 ends with a description of King David being a shepherd.
He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skillful hand.
Discussion Questions
Why is a king like a shepherd? What qualities do kings have that are like shepherds?
Psalms 23 is labeled as a Psalm of David. Why was David like a shepherd?
Jesus - The Good Shepherd
Read a passage from John 10 where Jesus speaks of himself as a shepherd.
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18884895
Discussion Questions
What qualities does Jesus say a shepherd needs? What qualities should a shepherd not have? How was Jesus like a shepherd?
Look back at Psalms 23. Do you see qualities in Psalms 23 that are similar to how Jesus shepherded?
Door of the Sheep
Shepherds might bring their sheep into a fold with a single opening. The shepherd would sit in the opening at night to sleep. The sheep would not try to walk over the shepherd to escape. Thus the shepherd is the gate or the door of the sheep.
Why do you think Jesus uses this analogy? What is he trying to say?
ThunderChild5 from uk, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Psalms 23 and Jesus
Think about similarities between Jesus' life and Psalms 23. Or think of things that Jesus said that are similar to Psalms 23. For instance:
Ps 23:2 - He makes me lie down in green pastures.
John 10:9 - I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Ps 23:2 - He leads me beside still waters.
John 4:13-14 - Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18886209
Discussion Questions
Look at each line of Psalms 23 and think about things that Jesus said or did that may be similar to the message of this Psalm. Write down any important ideas that come to you.
Conclusion
You can see how imagery and themes can weave themselves through the Scriptures.
What new inspiration or take-aways have you gained about Psalms 23? How can you apply the wisdom here to your own life?
“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”