A Psalm For The Ages - The Joshua Code
A Psalm For The Ages
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1
Virtually every educated mind in the English-speaking world has heard the words of this psalm of King David. Some of our earliest recollections are associated with these poetic passages. It is as though it never grows old. In fact, often when we come before these lines, we continue to find new meaning. Like John 3:16, these words have been spoken by many a soldier under a star-filled sky, during a dark night in a foxhole on some faraway battlefield. These are the words that are formed by the lips of many dying on their beds of affliction. These words, like a lullaby for fear, have brought hope and peace to millions across the centuries.
Before David was ever a king, he was a shepherd boy in the fields of Bethlehem. Later in life, as he penned this shepherd’s psalm, he reflected on those days with his sheep. Only a shepherd could have penned the depth of meaning we find in the six short verses that make up the Twenty-Third Psalm.
One should read slowly these first five words of the psalm: “The . . . LORD . . . is . . . my . . . shepherd.” Those five words hold the key and form the foundation of the entire psalm. Once sealed in our own hearts, these words tell us much about our relationship with this good and great Shepherd.
HE IS PREEMINENT
“THE LORD is my shepherd”
The Scripture does not say, “A lord is my shepherd.” It says, “The LORD is my shepherd.” There is no other Lord. He has no peer. You speak of Washington, and I can speak of Lincoln. You speak of Beethoven, and I can speak of Handel. You speak of Alexander, and I can speak of Napoleon. But when it comes to Christ, He stands alone—without peers. There is only one Lord! The Hebrew word translated Lord here in Psalm 23 is Yahweh. The Jews regarded this name as so holy, and stood in such awe of it, that they would not even speak it publicly.
Only the records of heaven have recorded how many martyrs in the early church went to their deaths and laid down their lives because they insisted on the truth of these first two words in this psalm, The Lord. They would neither bow nor bend to profess Caesar as lord. They gave their lives because they were convinced there was only one Lord and His sweet name was Jesus. Our God is still preeminent. He is the one and only Lord.
HE IS PRESENT
“The LORD IS my shepherd”
Oh, the depth of meaning of this little two-letter word for us. This great and preeminent Lord is with me right now: “The LORD is my shepherd.” This is not past tense. It does not say, “The LORD was my shepherd.” It is not future tense. It does not say, “The LORD will be my shepherd.” He is present—“The LORD is my shepherd.” He is with us at this very moment to meet our present needs.
Earlier, on the backside of an Egyptian desert, God called Moses from a burning bush to become the great emancipator of His people. When Moses briefly balked at going back to Pharaoh, he asked God who he should say had sent him. God replied, “I AM WHO I AM . . . Thus you shall say . . . ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Unlike the other world religions, we do not have a leader who has long since departed the scene or one who is still yet to come. He is the great “I AM,” not the great “I WAS” or the great “I WILL BE.” No wonder David said, “The LORD is my shepherd.” David would reinforce this in the initial verse of Psalm 46 by saying, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
HE IS PERSONAL
“The LORD is MY shepherd”
There is a huge difference in saying, “The LORD is a shepherd” and saying, “The LORD is my shepherd.” What a difference comes to life’s circumstances and situations with that little word my. We may hear of someone’s child who is deathly sick, and we have compassion and feel sorrow. But what a difference it makes if it is my child. This is not just any shepherd about whom the psalmist speaks. This is my shepherd.
This small two-letter word is an awesome addition to the text. We are not simply insignificant specks of protoplasm in this vast array of solar systems. The fact that the God of this universe is concerned about me personally gives purpose and meaning to my short sojourn on this small planet hung in His vast expanse. Oh, the thought of it! He is my shepherd!
Unfortunately, however, not everyone can say this. Our faith in Jesus must be personal in order to know Him. Those who have placed their trust in Christ know Him with the intimacy of Father and child, of Shepherd and sheep. Jesus said it thus: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27–28). Christ’s sheep know His voice, and they follow Him. He is personal. He is my shepherd.
HE IS PROTECTIVE
“The LORD is my SHEPHERD”
One thousand years after King David penned these words, there stood One who said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). When we read Psalm 23, we are reading about this great Shepherd-Savior.
Our Shepherd is protective. This is the very nature of a shepherd. Without a good shepherd, the sheep could not find their way to water or to other of life’s necessities. The shepherd keeps a constant vigil for wild animals or other dangers that might harm his sheep. A good shepherd goes after the sheep that stray from the fold. Could one ever forget the story Jesus told of the lost sheep in Luke 15? Without a shepherd, sheep are virtually helpless. They cannot find their way through treacherous mountain passes or run fast enough to escape a predator, nor are they strong enough to defend themselves. In fact, sheep are not prepared for flight or fight. Just as sheep need a shepherd, so do we have need of our Shepherd. Yes, “the LORD is my shepherd.”
A final thought: if you have ever observed a shepherd with his sheep, you have made an insightful observation. The shepherd is always out in front of the sheep; the shepherd is never behind them. Shepherds lead sheep; they do not drive them as cattlemen do their cattle. The shepherd leads, and the sheep follow. Our Lord will never force us or drive us against our will. However, He will lead us. All we have to do is follow. We can trust the One who has given His life for His sheep.
It might be that you will want to memorize all six verses of Psalm 23 this week. And, as you do, meditate on the fact that our great God is preeminent, present, personal, and protective. Yes, “the . . . LORD . . . is . . . my . . . shepherd.”
