Psalm 23 has been very helpful when I need to get my thinking straight. (Which is regularly!) In this psalm we see God as supplier and protector and His willingness for us to be part of His family.
The psalm says,
1 The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
5 Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Early on in my Christian life I had someone tell me that Christianity was just a crutch. The implication was that only the weak needed help -the strong could navigate life on their own. Psalm 23 puts this incorrect assumption in perspective. We are weak without God, but He makes us strong. When we become strong by faith in Him, then we can navigate life righteously.
Supplier
God, our Creator, made us to have our lives intertwined with Him. Without Him, we are incomplete. Far from being a crutch, He is the leg that we stand on.
We see from the outset of the Psalm that God is our shepherd. We belong to Him because He created us. He cares for us and seeks what is best for us (v1).
As a shepherd, God provides what we need. He knows that we need daily sustenance and provides it for us. In Him, the quiet waters give us rest from the commotion and busyness of life (v2), and He restores us deep in our soul (v3).
God also provides for us by leading us into moral purity (v3). Guiding us in how to walk in His righteousness is needed because it is not part of our natural man. God’s reputation is maintained when we walk in holiness, for He is holy.
The phrase ‘for His name sake’ could be rephrased to say: ‘to maintain his reputation, or character.’1 The same idea is expressed in Psalm 25:11, “For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great.”
Psalm 106:8 also uses the phrase and gives the purpose. The psalmist is recounting how God delivered His people out of Egypt. The Psalm says,
“Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His power known.”
Protector
The wickedness within ourselves and in the world destroys us and everyone around it. In Christ, we have protection from evil and do not need to fear -even the fear of death (v4).
We can even be at ease in front of those whom we would consider our enemies. God protects us in the face of opposition. He gives us His blessing so much so that our cup overflows (v5).
The Future
We can trust that goodness is ours in this life because of His love for us (v6). Goodness is used here in the sense of “a good thing, benefit, welfare,”2 and lovingkindness speaks of God’s kindness toward us. Our remaining days on earth are bright because of our Creator.
Through faith we become part of God’s family and His house (v6). There is great honor attached to being part of God’s household. As the psalmist points out, it is not a temporary membership, but an eternal one that starts now by faith.
Conclusion
This is a great psalm to memorize. There is a lot to think about and meditate on, plus our perspective gets corrected.
Appendix
When I meditate on Psalm 23 it is easier to rest in God by faith. I have written more about this idea in, Abiding in The Light.
1 Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon entry for the phrase ‘for His name sake.’
2 Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon