Every need is met for the sheep of the Lord’s pasture.
God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). We should be very thankful for the loving and merciful nature of God since we were all conceived in sin and born with the sin nature that separates us from Him. I’m also thankful that God doesn’t just say that He is unwilling that any should perish but has made a way for us to be delivered from our sin through Jesus Christ the Redeemer.
Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd Psalm 23 is often referred to as “the Shepherd Psalm” for obvious reasons, and, as one considers the message of the psalm, it becomes equally evident that the shepherd in question is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11, 14). A shepherd is one who cares deeply for his flock. He is a leader, but he is also a teacher, an overseer, a provider, a defender, and a protector who will put himself in harm’s way for the sake of the flock. David, the likely author of this psalm, was just such a shepherd. David knew not only what it meant to be a good shepherd, but he also had a good sense of what it was like for the sheep to have such a shepherd. So it’s not too surprising that David would use the picture of the shepherd and the sheep to describe his relationship with the Lord.
For centuries, Psalm 23 has been recited and quoted by great numbers of people in various contexts. Sadly, for most, the words are little more than a warm, fuzzy sentiment, something to be desired but not experienced, accessible but not entered into.
A shepherd is a leader, and so it is implied that the sheep are followers. The shepherd walks before the flock towards the place of green, lush pastures and still waters, and the sheep follow along.
While many would not accept it, it is no less true that every member of the human race is a follower. In many societies, the philosophy that is held to and taught is that we are the masters of our own destiny, but the pages of Scripture tells us this is not the case.
Each of us is a follower—some by intention and many by default. If we have not made the conscious decision to accept the salvation of the Lord and to take Him as Lord of our lives then, by default, we have accepted the lordship of the enemy of souls, the devil (Lk. 11:23; 1 Jn. 1:6).
To enter into the reality of the beautiful relationship referred to in this psalm, one first has to be born into the family of God through the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11; Gal. 2:20).
Christ Jesus, the personal shepherd David begins Psalm 23 with a wonderfully liberating acknowledgment, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Not only does David make it personal with the personal pronoun “my,” but with the other very small word “is,” he demonstrates his faith. He is not saying that the Lord might be his shepherd; he’s saying that He is.
The believer today can say the same and know that it is absolutely true: the Lord is my shepherd.
By all accounts, David knew what it was to be a good shepherd. He kept faithful watch over the sheep; he was diligent in caring for their needs; and he even put himself in harm’s way to protect them from the lion and the bear. David was a shepherd who sought to care for his sheep in the same way that the Lord cared for him. We say the same way, but not to the same degree. David was only human. He was not perfect, and there were, no doubt, times when he wasn’t there for the sheep even though he wanted to be. He was limited and imperfect. But the Lord is not limited in His ability to shepherd His sheep. David understood that the Lord was the perfect shepherd, never falling short of understanding the needs of the flock or of tending to those needs. This was the context when David penned those words and the context is no different for us today. The Lord is my shepherd, and, therefore, I can have the certainty that I will never want for any good thing.
Christ Jesus, the providing shepherd In John 10:14, the Lord Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep.” I am so glad that He knows me to the very core of my being. He knows me far better than I know myself, and He knows my needs better than I know them.
When I pray and make personal requests of the Lord, I do so based on what I feel is best for me. Many is the time that I have been able to look back and thank the Lord for not giving me something that I had asked for because it would have damaged me spiritually. He knew that it would, and so He withheld it. I can also look back on some difficult times and sincerely thank Him for allowing me to endure those times because necessary spiritual growth resulted from them. The Lord knew this too, and so He allowed it.
The reality for David and for the Lord’s people today is that since the Lord is our shepherd, we will want for nothing that we need to go through this life and enter into the next for the glory of God. We will have rest and sustenance for our souls. We will be led in the ways of righteousness and will have no cause for fear, even in the face of death, for we can see by faith that which is to come.
The tendency which we must resist is that, due to the old nature we still possess, we so easily go astray and turn to our own ways instead of taking heed to His leading. We need to diligently guard against this tendency, and we need to be conscientiously trusting in the Lord with all our hearts and leaning not unto our own understanding. This will be the case until that day when the Good Shepherd returns to pluck us out of the scenes of time and take us; to a place where sin has neither claim nor effect; to be with Him forever. Such is the good counsel that we read of in Jeremiah 6:16: “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Thanks be to the Lord God who is not willing that any should perish. Not only has He made a way of salvation open to whosoever believes in Him, but He is the Good Shepherd who gives life and gives it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10).