Ps 23 I will dwell [with] the Lord for ever.

A Psalm of David [King James Version]

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.

Reading John 10:7,9, 10,11, 14-15 Jesus is speaking:

“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep... I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep …I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Reflection

Psalm 23 famously speaks of the Lord God being the shepherd of His people. But it is not the only OT verse to do so. The picture of God as the shepherd of His people is a recurring theme. Especially being set in contrast to the rulers of Israel whom God appointed as his shepherds but who fail to live up to their calling.

This image of God as the shepherd is seen as Him directly caring for his people, as in Ezekiel: I myself will search for My sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after His scattered flock when He is with them, so will I look after My sheep. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.

It is also seen as the Lord God indirectly caring for His people through David. The man who was a boy shepherd. The boy shepherd whom God anointed and appointed King over Israel because he was a man after God’s own heart. And David, God’s shepherd over God’s people humbly sees the Sovereign Lord as His own shepherd.

David becomes an image of the Lord’s shepherds and especially of One through whom the Lord will shepherd his people: As we read in Ezekiel David will be the Lord’s one shepherd. And Israel will know that God is with them and that they, the Israelites, are His people. He declares you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am Your God.

As we read every Christmas Micah prophecies the coming of this David who is also God’s chosen: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. [J B Phillips NT] He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

And then in John’s gospel Jesus declares Himself to be that promised Shepherd. He is the Son of Man in the heritage of David, and He is the Son of God, who calls God His Father. He is the door or the gate of the sheep, that is He is the one who opens the way into His Father’s care, into true life. As Peter tells the rulers of Israel in Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

And then Jesus says I am the good shepherd. This I believe is a God statement. Ego Eime. I am. The name God uses of Himself in Exodus when he speaks to Moses. Jesus is the Sovereign Lord who searches for the lost and brings back the strays, bindsup the injured and strengthens the weak.

You probably know this but sheep in those days were kept safe over night in a fold. Sometimes this might be a rough and ready construction out in the land. There would be walls or fencing of a sort but no gate. As night approached the shepherd would call his sheep by name into the fold. He would be the entrance gate. They would pass under his staff or crook, laid across gap. And as they went in he would examine them. Running his hands over their bodies, limbs and faces, looking for any hurts, anointing them with healing oil if need be. This close attention formed a strong bond between sheep and shepherd. He named his sheep. This evening care also alerted him to any who were missing and needed to be found. After all if you say had a flock of a 100 or more sheep scattered over a pasture how could you spot if one were missing? Over night he would sleep across the entrance. If it was a multi-flock fold each shepherd would call out their own sheep in the morning, leading them to fresh pastures and peaceful waters, for sheep cannot drink from fast flowing streams. Armed with his rod or thick cudgel he would be ready do defend them against predators. The sheep might be attacked. They might be stolen. They might wander off the safe way, fall, hurt themselves, become lost. They are not the wisest of the wise. They are a good picture of people.

David prophecies that when God’s people die they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It is not the valley of death but its mere shadow, for the Good Shepherd is with us, leading us to the table He has prepared for us. Tablesof feasting, of grand company and friendship. The shepherd has anointed us as His sheep. We belong to God. He is the God of the living not the dead. He defeats all that give us a less than full life. His cup of love and joy and peace will flow over us. His goodness and mercy will eternally bless us in our resurrection life in the new creation.

You may have heard of Corrie Ten Boom. In her book, called in My Father’s House she shares some words that her earthly father often said. They were a comfort to her and to others. They express the truth of Ps 23 in a simple homely way. May they be a comfort to each of us:

When Jesus takes your hand He keeps you tight.

When Jesus keeps you tight He leads you through life.

When Jesus leads you through life He brings you safely home.