The Lord is My Shepherd
Psalm 23
1-The Lord is my shepherd; I shall want.
2-He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3-He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4-Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
5-Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6-Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Going through the 23rd Psalm with me verse by verse:
Verse 1, The Lord is our shepherd, and we are His sheep. He protects and guides us through our daily life. Sheep depend on the shepherd to lead and protect them from themselves and from other dangers like wolves. God protects us in our lives.
Verse 2, He leads us to green pasture and still waters. This describes a place where a sheep would find food, water, and rest. There are many meanings to this verse, but I want to point out how it shows the Lord takes care of our physical needs.
Verse 3, He restores our soul. He restores our soul by leading us in the paths of righteousness, showing how He also takes care of our spiritual needs.
Verse 4, We will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but we will fear no evil. These are the attacks of the evil one, Satan. We will come under his attacks, but we will not be fearful because we know our God is with us.
Verse 5, He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies and anoints our head with oil. This shows that man can not harm us against the Lord’s will. It also speaks of the protection of the Holy Spirit which we are abundantly filled with.
Lastly, verse 6, stating goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. A declaration of a fulfilled promise of an everlasting life with the Lord. AMEN!