Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23 (KJV)
A long, long time ago (i.e., my youth) Sunday School and Confirmation included a lot of memorization—the books of the Bible, the Ten commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s and Nicene creeds, parts of Luther’s Small Catechism, the Twenty-third Psalm. Ours not to reason why.
Yet, this best known and most beloved of the psalms speaks to us in so many ways. The imagery is comforting, especially at the loss of a loved one: “green pastures,” “still waters,” “paths of righteousness,” and the promises that inspire hope: God’s presence in the face of evil, his abundant support in the in the face of enemies, the confidence to be found in God’s goodness and mercy, and, in the King James version, confidence we will have eternal life in the house of the Lord.
Small wonder then if Christians, reading the psalm in the aftermath of Jesus’s death and resurrection, found not only inspiration, consolation, and hope, but predictive prophecy as well—the imagery of the shepherd and the sheep in verses one and two, the effects of Jesus’s inspiration in verse three, the suggestive link to the crucifixion of verse four and the trust in God’s supportive presence in verses four and five, the connection to the Messiah [the Anointed One] in verse 5, and the promise of eternal life in the final verse.
One wonders if at the crucifixion and the following day the disciples turned to the twenty-third psalm, and if so were they seeking solace and hope to replace the fear and turmoil brought on by the cruelty of a vindictive government? We cannot know for sure if they turned to the psalm’s consoling words in those dark hours, but we can turn to them today.
Questions for Reflection:
- The rod and staff in verse four suggest the tools of the shepherd, tools that like the shepherd’s crook can be used to defend against a predator or used to rescue a fallen member of the flock. The reference to enemies in the next verse reminds us that our God, as Luther puts it, is a ‘mighty fortress/A bulwark never failing.” In these days of strife and turmoil what reminds you of God’s defense and protection and gives you hope?
Prayer:
Lord, we turn to you in this, our time of troubles. We ask you to give us the trust and hope of the psalmist who spoke plainly of the valley of the shadow of death but spoke even more confidently of your abundant generosity. We ask for the grace and courage to share your generosity with all your children so that your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen
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