“The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.”
(Psalm 23:1)
At first reading this may seem…
OBVIOUS
Having established that…
“The Lord” – God Almighty
“The Lord” – Jesus Christ”
Is My” – personal choice
“Shepherd” – Leader, carer
“Shepherd” – Loving heavenly Father
Of course someone like that
WILL provide for us…
However, is that WHAT we want?
Many people may look
At this statement:
“I shall not want”
(Psalm 23:1)
And say:
“But I still WANT!”
I want MORE…
I want this and that
And don’t have them…
There are so many “WANTS”
In our lives that we DON’T have…
And so perhaps the issue
Has more to do with our perceptions
And expectations of what it means
When the Psalmist says:
“I shall not want”
(Psalm 23:1)
In the context of a “Shepherd”
There usually are “Sheep”
Sheep are usually found outside
In the wild fresh air…
Not closed away in buildings
Protected from the winds, storms
Rain, snow – harsh realities…
Sheep need food, usually grass
And water to drink…
Now remember this is a “picture”
An analogy for us to imagine
How God desires to look after us
King David is using this analogy
To show how God looks after
And protects him…
God has a plan for each
Of our lives…
But will we readily accept
His “plan” for us…?
“He makes me to lie down
in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.”
(Psalm 23:2)
“He MAKES me”
Sounds forceful…
Not very nice…
Inconsiderate…
“I have my rights…”
“Nobody asked me what I wanted…”
This may seem strange to some…
But aren’t these the arguments
We hear so often today…?
People in 2022
(And for quite a few years)
Have an OPINION of what
Is GOOD for them…
But if you find yourself
Going here…
Thinking this way…
Then “the shepherd”
Is NOT “Lord!”
“He makes me to lie down
in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.”
(Psalm 23:2)
Sheep need grass to eat
“He makes me to lie down
in green pastures;”
And please note…
“Green pastures”
Not a simple, single
Patch of grass
But multiple areas of grass
And pastures conjure up
The idea of plentiful
And luscious grass
So…being MADE to lie down
In such a wonderful area
Is simple figurative language
On viewing the “green pastures”
It might be difficult to hold back
The sheep from jumping
Straight into the green grass…
Similarly, when God provides for us
We shall NOT be in any kind of want
For He is our Lord
And He is our shepherd