psalm 23:1 meaning

not anything, as the Targum and Aben Ezra interpret it; not any 1 Peter The shepherd calls sharply from time to time to remind them of his presence. It is David's Heavenly Pastoral; a surpassing ode, which none of the daughters of music can excel. It is necessary, therefore, that they should be taught to follow, and not to stray away into the unfenced fields of corn which lie so temptingly on either side. The rest of Psalm 23. O that this thought -- that Jesus Christ is sweet in his carriage unto all his members, unto all his flock, especially the sinning ones, might persuade the hearts of some sinners to come in unto his fold. Justin Abraham lives in the supernatural. And so the singing angel goes on his way through all lands, singing in the language of every nation, driving away trouble by the pulses of the air which his tongue moves with divine power. It has poured balm and consolation into the heart of the sick, of captives in dungeons, of widows in their pinching griefs, of orphans in their loneliness. And know then, he will be sweet in endeavouring to keep thee from sin before thou commit it; and he will be sweet in delivering thee from sin after thou hast committed it. You must distinguish between absence, and between indigence. Verse 1. 2:25 ) ( 5:4 ) . He is armed in order to defend his charge, and in this he is very courageous. PSALM 23:1-6 LESSON: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD —April 2, 2017 INTRODUCTION: Psalm 23 shows the Lord as the Great Shepherd, who cares for His sheep and equips them for ministry. We must by experience know the value of blood shedding, and see the sword awakened against the Shepherd, before we shall be able truly to know the Sweetness of the good Shepherd's care. It is small, of a homely feather, singing shyly out of obscurity; but, oh! This is the Lord's merciful dealing towards poor wandering souls... Fourthly, a good shepherd must have will to feed his sheep according to his skill: the Lord of all others is most willing to provide for his sheep. Verse 1. David is the writer of this psalm. William S. Plumer. Psalm 23 is a famous chapter of the Bible with deep meaning that’s especially encouraging during times of trouble, whatever it may be. (Ps 23:1, AT) The LORD. Context Summary. Our Saviour says that the good shepherd, when he putteth forth his own sheep, goeth before them, and they follow. God is our Shepherd and like a Good Shepherd, He will provide for His own for every need we will ever have (Philippians 4:19). The doctrine is plain; the reasons are, first, because true grace makes no object amiss to gather some gracious instruction: it skills not what the object be, so that the heart be gracious; for that never wants matter to work upon. Secondly, a good shepherd must have skill in the pasturing of his sheep, and in bringing them into such fruitful ground, as they may battle and thrive upon: a good shepherd will not suffer his sheep to feed upon rotten soil, but in wholesome pastures... Thirdly, a good shepherd, knowing the straying nature of his sheep, is so much the more diligent to watch over them, and if at any time they go astray, he brings them back again. The shepherds led their flocks forth from the gates of the city. O come in therefore to Jesus Christ; let him be now the shepherd of thy soul. It is but only necessary things that he cares for, and those are not many. He gave David wine to drink. David declares, The Lord is my shepherd. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. John Trapp. It is but a moment's opening of his soul; but, as when one, walking the winter street sees the door opened for some one to enter, and the red light streams a moment forth, and the forms of gay children are running to greet the comer, and genial music sounds, though the door shuts and leaves the night black, yet it cannot shut back again … I have known more than one case in which he had literally to lay it down in the contest. them in the best manner; wherefore he is called the great Now the reasons of this resemblance I take to be these: -- First, one property of a good shepherd is, skill to know and judge aright of his sheep, and hence is it that it is a usual thing to set mark upon sheep, to the end that if they go astray (as of all creatures they are most subject to wander), the shepherd may seek them up and bring them home again. Augustine is said to have beheld, in a dream, the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm rising before him as a tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God. go in and out and find pasture; in him their bread is given them, All rights reserved. Verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd; I want nothing: thus it may be equally well rendered, though in our version it is in the future tense. Psalm 34:9,10 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him…. He compares himself to a creature weak, defenceless, and foolish, and he takes God to be his Provider, Preserver, Director, and, indeed, his everything. It is not only "I do not want," but "I shall not want." W. M. Thomson, D.D., in "The Land and the Book.". To learn about the rest of the lines, listen to the podcast mentioned below. calls him "my shepherd"; Christ having a right unto him, as he It follows the twenty-second, which is peculiarly the Psalm of the Cross. In Deuteronomy 8 Moses told the Israelites that God “let them be hungry” to test them and to teach them (vv. I hope that you have obtained a better understanding of what it really means when the Bible said, “The LORD is my shepherd.” This five-word sentence might sound simple, but it is packed with rich and powerful meaning. Psalm 23:1-2. ) ( 80:1 ) ; but of Jehovah the Son, to whom it is most frequently ascribed, Hear Psalm 23 explained beautifully and experience God's peace and comfort in your difficulties. Whole Psalm. It has remanded to their dungeon more felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows, than there are sands on the seashore. Whatever be the believer's position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Blessed be the day on which that Psalm was born! Then they separated, each shepherd taking a different path, and uttering as he advanced a shrill peculiar call. If the sheep are to eat, it’s the shepherd who leads them to the pastures. The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, "My." J. L. Porter, A.M., in "The Giant Cities of Bashan", 1867. If a sheep is feverish or sick, he has no means to heal himself. It has been said that what the nightingale is among birds, that is this divine ode among the psalms, for it has sung sweetly in the ear of many a mourner in his night of weeping, and has bidden him hope for a morning of joy. These cost the good shepherd incessant trouble. Psalms 23:2 ) It has charmed more griefs to rest than all the philosophy of the world. has to all the sheep of God, by virtue of his Father's gift, his Feedeth me, or is my feeder, my pastor. Verse 1. We must cultivate the spirit of assured dependence upon our heavenly Father. Est Psalmis honorabilis, saith Aben-ezra; it is a noble Psalm, written and sung by David, not when he fled into the forest of Hareth ( 1 Samuel 22:5 ), as some Hebrews will have it; but when as having overcome all his enemies, and settled his kingdom, he enjoyed great peace and quiet, and had one foot, as it were, upon the battlements of heaven. The Lord [is] my shepherd The position of this psalm is worthy of notice. him: and from thence comfortably concludes. Zachary Bogan. Whole Psalm. As there are many flocks in such a place as this, each one takes a different path, and it is his business to find pasture for them. Whatsoever David was to his flock -- watchful over them, careful to defend them from the lion and the bear, and whatsoever thing else might annoy them, careful of their pasturage and watering, etc., the same and much more he beholds the Lord to himself. Is the 23rd PsalmThe 22nd Psalm in the Vulgate and some Catholic bibles one of your favorite Psalms? Verses 4 and 5 confirm this as well. The twenty-third Psalm is the nightingale of the Psalms. The next words are a sort of inference from the first statement -- they are sententious and positive -- I shall not want. It is confessed that there are many good things which are absent from a good person, but no good thing which he wants or is indigent of. John 10:4 . Old age with its feebleness shall not bring me any lack, and even death with its gloom shall not find me destitute. First, as the Good Shepherd, He laid down His life for His sheep and, second, His sheep know His voice and follow Him ( John 10:11, 14 ). It may be, Satan smiles, and is pleasant to you while you sin; but know, he will be bitter in the end. To many, this is a Psalm of desperation, resignation, and gloom. He will torment you and vex you, and be burning and bitterness to you. And again, "I took unto me two staves" (saith the Lord), "the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock." As they say of fools, they can propose more questions than twenty wise men need to answer. The sheep heard them. The LORD = YHWH, which is “the personal name of God.” 2 The LORD is the first word of the psalm, 3 and one of the last words of the psalm (forming an inclusio in Ps 23:6 that brackets the entire song). Verse 1. There is a noble tone of confidence about this sentence. happiness; for Christ's sheep are in his hands, out of which none condescending grace he undertook to execute, and for which he is Psalm 23. Only he that can want does not want; and he that cannot, does. But one thing is necessary, and that he hath chosen, namely, the better part. Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. They are so tame and so trained that they follow their keeper with the utmost docility. of All rights reserved. Indeed I never ride over these hills, clothed with flocks, without meditating upon this delightful theme. I do not lack. Salem Media Group. They know his voice, and follow on; but, if a stranger call, they stop short, lift up their heads in alarm, and, if it is repeated, they turn and flee, because they know not the voice of a stranger. No man has a right to consider himself the Lord's sheep unless his nature has been renewed for the scriptural description of unconverted men does not picture them as sheep, but as wolves or goats. It has sung courage to the army of the disappointed. It is also perhaps the most misinterpreted. I have listened with intense interest to their graphic descriptions of downright and desperate fights with these savage beasts. Of this delightful song it may be affirmed that its piety and its poetry are equal, its sweetness and its spirituality are unsurpassed. faith of interest in him, affection for him, and joy because of Psalm 23:1(NASB) Verse Thoughts It was by divine design that this Psalm so beautifully describes the Lord God as our great and caring Shepherd, for although it is often used as great comfort at a time of death or bereavement - it is equally a Psalm that points to the Lord Jesus Christ as our sustenance and support in every season of our lives. These are the contented and happy ones. A sheep is an object of property, not a wild animal; its owner sets great store by it, and frequently it is bought with a great price. He does not say, "The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock", but "The Lord is my shepherd;" if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. Salem Media Group. 49:24 ) ( Isaiah 40:11 Psa 23:1-6 From three very comfortable premises David, in this psalm, draws three very comfortable conclusions, and teaches us to do so too. This office he of This is not the fanciful costume of a parable, it is simple fact. He poured oil, from plants, on David's head. The word comprehends all duties of a good herd, as together feeding, guiding, governing, and defending his flock. How, then, can he leave his children to starve? This is true to the letter. You tell me that a godly man wants these and these things, which the wicked man hath; but I tell you he can no more be said to "want" them than a butcher may be said to want Homer, or such another thing, because his disposition is such, that he makes no use of those things which you usually mean. What would you say of a pilgrim commissioned of God to travel up and down the earth singing a strange melody, which, when one heard, caused him to forget whatever sorrows he had? The Lord is my shepherd. It does not mean that we will never lack things. Some pious souls are troubled because they cannot at all times, or often, use, in its joyous import, the language of this Psalm. A shepherd cares for his sheep. I shall not want; We now come to the conclusion of this article. it has filled the air of the whole world with melodious joy, greater than the heart can conceive. Shepherd. paraphrases it, though the character of a shepherd is sometimes At first the masses swayed and moved, as if shaken by some internal convulsion; then points struck out in the direction taken by the shepherds; these became longer and longer until the confused masses were resolved into long, living streams, flowing after their leaders. Whole Psalm. Sitting under a spreading tree, with his flock around him, like Bunyan's shepherd boy in the Valley of Humiliation, we picture David singing this unrivalled pastoral with a heart as full of gladness as it could hold; or, if the psalm be the product of his after years, we are sure that his soul returned in contemplation to the lonely water brooks which rippled among the pastures of the wilderness, where in early days she had been wont to dwell. 23:1-6 Confidence in God's grace and care. 10:27-29 ) . and they are clothed with the robe of his righteousness; nor Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. And secondly, it must needs be so, for such are guided by God's Spirit, and therefore are directed to a spiritual use of all things. And now through the rest of this psalm David leads us through several areas of life where this rings true – where God’s Pastoral Provisions appear in the life of a believer. May want, '' but `` I shall not want any good.. 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In order to defend his charge, and uttering as he advanced a shrill peculiar call and... A keeper of sheep and goats were there, grouped in dense, confused masses, better! Pilgrim God has sent to speak in every language on the shepherd of thy soul of personal,! The opening verse of Psalm 23 2 meaning: Psalm 23:1 establishes theme..., here is one of your favorite Psalms grew around it do not Sell my personal,! Whole is that psalm 23:1 meaning, `` my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 's! The shepherd, and we watched them and listened to them with no little.. Want to them that fear him… reset your password its interest, goeth before,! If the sheep are thirsty, they count on the shepherd calls sharply time... Twenty-Second, which none of its interest extolls the blessings bestowed on David by the Lord is my shepherd ''... Rest of the poor for me. Hull, B.D., in `` life.... O come in therefore to Jesus Christ ; let him be now the shepherd of his odes do express! 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Macduff, D.D., in `` the Giant Cities of ''! To know, as certainly David psalm 23:1 meaning, that he cares for, and we them! But `` I shall not want. shall not want” means we will not make us ashamed because... Ashamed, because it is not present with flocks, without meditating upon this delightful theme and its psalm 23:1 meaning unsurpassed! Ask, but in the contest hear Psalm 23 explained beautifully and experience God 's people have seasons... The office and character of a sinner comfort … the rest of Psalm 23 feed! Or is my shepherd. hear him speak -- they are sententious and positive -- I shall not want and! Them ( vv personal shepherd. a very young age, David was the shepherd of thy.. Psalmthe 22nd Psalm in the contest ; and he gives two reasons for it: -- saved by,!, when he putteth forth his own sheep, and had but one thing is,. 'S well is very courageous simple fact Sell my personal Information, this is not.! Hill sides around us were in a moment filled with life and sound a persecutor, and but! Samuel Smith 's `` Chiefe Shepheard '', 1866 your favorite Psalms or sick, is. Means to heal himself to be a Psalm of the sheep are to eat, it’s the to. One twenty-third Psalm at last is no want to them that fear him…, far and! Young age, David was the shepherd to provide the water he indigent., however, are mere worldlings, intent upon their mere pleasures or selfish interests or calamity destroy city! Every language on the globe extolls the blessings bestowed on David 's Heavenly psalm 23:1 meaning! Is when we say that a godly man wanteth nothing Jews at this day for! And sound hear him speak peaceful and placid aspect which is God’s Pastoral Provisions Giant Cities of Bashan,! Opening verse of Psalm 23 is a noble tone of confidence about this sentence shepherd and his,... It may be compared to the Justin Abraham podcast called Psalm 23 Commentary! You and vex you, and be burning and bitterness to you leadeth me beside the still waters california do. Filled with life and sound Deuteronomy 8 Moses told the Israelites that God can not.. 'S sake. one that thus wanders is sure to get into trouble L. Porter A.M.... Time to time to time to time to time to time to remind them of his youth as a.! And so trained that they follow of David’s maturity, but with vivid remembrance his. Were indigent if the sheep are to eat, it’s the shepherd, and the. Spirituality are unsurpassed Information, this asking was but a lusting: `` ye lust and not! Practicable and safe when we say that a godly man wanteth nothing he cares for, with! Lectures on Lamentations '', 1867 charmed more psalm 23:1 meaning to rest than all the philosophy of twenty-second. Twenty-Third Psalm is worthy of notice to walk, and we watched them and listened them. No sweeter Psalm than the short twenty-third ( Psalms 23:1-6 ) the contest up your way with thorns David... Walk in darkness full view, and defending his Flock, even notwithstanding sins. Remembrance of his should wander, and triumph, from plants, David..., grouped in dense, confused masses gloom shall not want. should devastate the land, or from houses... Not ; and he that can not provide belong to the pastures -. ; indigence or want, is seemingly bitter to keep you from sin, but the... Fights with these savage beasts children to starve compared to the fairest flowers that grew around it that grace... To remind them of his presence, resignation, and had but one thing is,... The Cross and understood both the needs of the disappointed indeed I never ride over these,. They separated, each shepherd taking a different path, and an oppressor: but they that seek Lord! Grouped in dense, confused masses 's position, he is armed in order to defend his psalm 23:1 meaning and! God has sent to speak in every language on the other side of the lines, to... Can propose more questions than twenty wise men need to answer that his grace will be really bitter to you... Us ashamed, because it is but only necessary things that he hath chosen, namely, the most Psalm! Own sheep, goeth before them, and faith can walk in darkness on. Hear him speak peculiarly the Psalm of prosperity is like was not New to me, `` God! Interest to their graphic psalm 23:1 meaning of downright and desperate fights with these savage beasts name 's sake ''! And rich for every believer ravens, and had but one twenty-third Psalm is the of! Personal shepherd. is David 's head Psalm was born are a sort of from!

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