Psalm 23:1b

I shall not want.

This phrase follows "The LORD is my shepherd" and therefore communicates a consequential relationship.  BECAUSE The LORD is my shepherd, I don't want for anything.


First, I want to show you a few other places where this same Truth is conveyed:

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 84:11
 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?


Psalm 34:10
The young lions suffer want and hunger;

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

 

Scripture is crystal-clear -- if He is our shepherd, we will not want.  No exceptions.  No parantheses.  Complete confidence.

Next,how does that apply to you and me?  Or, as I love to put it - what difference does it make on Monday morning, when the pew hits the pavement?

Well, the word "want" can be misleading.  Most of us equate it with "desire".  That's not what it means here.  A more apt translation would be "lack" or "be in want".  The priority of a good shepherd is to not only protect but also provide for the needs of his sheep.  You may recall that one of the characteristics of sheep is their inability to discern good water and good food.  So the shepherd has to do that for his flock.  He may lead them on a long, hard climb, through rocks and briars , in order to reach good water and pasture. He knows that they need...and where to find it.

It's the same for us.  Our Good Shepherd has promised that we will not lack anything that we need, that He will give us all good things.  Graciously,not begrudgingly.  Sometimes we might have to go on a long, hard climb, through rocks and briars, to reach the good water and pasture that He has waiting for us.  In those times, it is comforting to know we can trust our Shepherd, knowing that He will indeed provide all the good things we need.  Actually, above and beyond what we can ask or imagine.

In closing, I want to address something you may be thinking.  You might have something in mind that you want, but do not have.  Something you feel you lack.  And you don't know how to square that with this truth.  Of course I don't know your situation and I don't know what's on your heart.  But I do know that God's Word is true-er than your circumstances.  Here's how I think it applies -- what you are longing for may look like a "good thing" to you.  It may even be a "good thing" for someone else.  If the Good Shepherd hasn't given it to you, then one of two things must be true.  One, you may be on the long hard climb right now and that "good thing" may be waiting for you just ahead.  Or, two, although it looks like a "good thing", seems like a "good thing", even is a "good thing" for someone else, it must not be.  He promises that He will not withhold good things from us.  He boldly states that He will graciously give us all good things. He has riches untold at His disposal - our inheritance.  All good things are promised to us.  If He is withholding something from you, trust Him.  He is protecting you from bad water and poisonous plants.

Psalm 23:1

If you missed the first post, go back and check it out.  Some great info on the characteristics of sheep. Now, on to verse 1...

The Lord is my shepherd.

Rolls off my tongue easily.  But what is David the shepherd boy...and our Lord...communicating to us in this phrase? Just a nice feeling?  A sweet metaphor? 
Here are some thoughts:
1.  The LORD - In the Bible, the word "Lord"is used a couple of different ways in reference to God.  When spelled "The Lord", it is a translation of the name "Adonai" and means "Lord". When it is written in all caps as "The LORD", it is a translation of the most sacred and holy name YHWH.  Although it is pronounced "Yahweh", it was regarded by the Jews with such reverence that they would not even speak it, thus it is written without any vowels.

(Note: The word Jehovah originated from an attempt to pronounce the consonants YHWH with the vowels from the word adonai. In the oldest Hebrew texts there are no vowels. So it is easy to see how this would happen since whenever YHWH occurred in the text, the word adonai was pronounced by the reverent Jew.) Note taken from writings of John Piper
  

What does YHWH or Yahweh or Jehovah or The LORD mean?  And why is it significant?  When God called Himself YHWH, He explained to Moses "I AM WHO I AM." (Ex. 3:13-15) This conveys to us that God exists solely of Himself -- He was not created.  HE JUST IS.  No, I cannot explain that.  Which is wonderful.  Who would want to worship a God that could be explained?  Jehovah exists, has always existed, and will always exist.  And He is always the same. He doesn't change based on circumstances or opinions or whims.  HE IS.
 This powerful, preeminent LORD is my shepherd and He requires not only my worship but also my submission.  The Great I AM is my shepherd and my will yields to Him.


2. The Lord is my shepherd. That means that HE is the one in charge. He is the one responsible for my care, for attending to my needs, for my protection, for my guidance.( Hopefully, that makes us take some pressure off pastors! They are not supposed to carry all our loads, make all our decisions, or see that we have all the spiritual food we need. This verse implies that our spiritual leaders are more like the "sheep-leaders" and the best thing they can do for us is to set the example of how to follow The Shepherd.  I Corinthians 11:1 - Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ) This powerful, preeminent, holy One -- He personally - is my shepherd. He never sleeps or slumbers - He is intensely aware of my needs and my fears.  And He is always at work on my behalf.  Whether I can see that or not, He is.  If I get lost or head towards dangerous pastures, He comes after me and brings me back. He loves me.
 Jesus links this idea in the Old Testament to Himself in  the Gospel of John when He  explains that HE is the GOOD SHEPHERD.  He not only cares for His sheep, but He also lays down His life for them.  Literally.

3. The Lord is my shepherd. I am not my own shepherd.  He is mine.  I belong to Him. If we are indeed His sheep, then we recognize His voice and follow where He says to go, do what He says to do.  Sometimes that is hard. Thanks be to God that He is so good that He protects me from my enemy -- who sometimes is my own stubborn, gullible, dumb self.

Next time we will unpack what it means to "not want". 

Unpacking Psalm 23

The 23rd Psalm is one of the most well-known and most beloved passages in all of Scripture. It is one of the most read and most memorized sets of verses but perhaps it is so familiar to us that we have fallen short of a deep understanding of it.  At least that's what I found true for myself.  I uncovered alot of truths in it that I had not known so I thought that might be the case for you, too.  So, for the next few posts, we are going to unpack these six verses.  Let me know what you think.

 First, The Word: (please read it, every verse.  Don't skim over it, telling yourself you are already familiar with it.  Let each verse seep into your soul.  We are going to look carefully at each one ).

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

Next - the author.  Scripture tells us that this is a Psalm of David.  Before he was King David, he was David, the shepherd-boy.  Therefore, when he gives us the word-picture of God's people as sheep and the Lord as our shepherd, he was drawing from knowledge and experiences that ensure his creditability.  In other words, he know what he was talking about!

 

Since David asserts that The Lord is shepherd, we must deduce that we are sheep.  Some of you may have farm or veterinary backgrounds so that you know what sheep are like.  I don't.  So I did some research on the characteristics of sheep, just to help me understand why God, through the psalmist, would call us sheep.  (BTW, this is not the only time in Scripture that God's people are referred to as "sheep" so it's safe to assume God is consistently sending us a message by using this metaphor).  Here are some of the things I learned about sheep:

 

1.Feeding:
  -constantly need fresh water, fresh pasture
  -have very little disernment in choosing good food/water
  -early  morning dew is prime source of water
 
2. Traits:
 -not very intelligent; gullible
 -very vulnerable to fear, frustration, hunger
 -easily agitated, especially by pests
 -stubborn, even to the point of eating poisonous plants or drinking dirty water
 -habitual creatures, will follow same habit even if it is not helpful
 -timid, easily panicked
 -resistant to being sheared or cleaned
 -easily "cast" (flipped over on back, unable to right themselves, shepherd has to intervene)
 -too much wool can cause sheep to be easily "cast"
 -easily killed by enemies (running away is only means of self-defense)
 -completely dependent on shepherd
 -needs most care of all livestock in order to survive
 -poor depth perception/reluctant to go where they cannot see
 -frightened by sudden loud noises, such as yelling or barking
 -appetite is an indicator of health(a loss of appetite means the sheep is ill)

3. Social characteristics:
-one sheep in flock is usually the "leader"
-dominance seems to be based on physical characteristics such as size
-easily influenced by sheep-leader and by shepherd
- stampede easily, vulnerable to mob psychology
 -jealous, competitive for dominant position
 -shepherd is most effective at calming flock

 

In other words, real sheep bear little resemblance to the cute little lambs pictured in nursery rhyme books. The most amazing thing to remember, though, is that sheep are infinitely precious to the shepherd.

 

Next,  we will look at verse one.  Until then, blessings to you, my sister sheep!

 

 

 

New series

Next week, I will begin a new series of posts on Psalm 23.  I hope you'll join me in unpacking this very familiar and much beloved passage of Scripture.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life.

May musings

I am having the most sentimental Mommy-thoughts recently.  It's because it's almost May.  What does that have to do with anything, you ask?  Well, duh, the month of May is not about springtime.  It's about the end of school.  Graduation.  Moving to the next grade or stage of life.  I always am a little melancholy when May approaches. 

Now, let me set the record straight.  I love love LOVE me some summertime!  I count the days from Labor Day to the date Shamrock Pool reopens in May.  And I am always ready to be done with school for a bit.  (No comments from my students, please.  I am certain they feel the same!) But underneath that glee for summer lurks the truth of what May is about.  And I have to acknowledge that I am closer and closer to working myself out of a job.  Each May, my kids need me less and less. That's the way it should be.  I know.

In May, my oldest will walk across a stage so that some professor can hang a doctorate hood over her shoulders.  Frankly, I think they should let me do it.  That prof didn't birth her, teach her to read, inhale to the point of hyperventilation when PCAT scores came in the mail, nor pray through exams with her. Their loss.  My investment.  Her work and well-deserved reward.  For a whole bunch of years, she has been a student. Come May - no more.  She's delighted.  I am proud...and a little bit sad.

In May, my next-born will drive herself halfway across the country for an internship.  Colorado is a million miles away, I think.  And although she'll come back for one more year of college, she has pointed out to me that a bazillion people move to CO to work for the summer...and stay.  Come the next May, who knows. She'll then walk across a stage and get a piece of sheepskin that represents 4 years of great work, impressive accomplishments, and a whole lot of fun.  Even if she returns to her GA roots, I know that, even now, the only way I will see her anymore is with a suitcase in her hand.  (Or, in her case, several suitcases!)  She has flown from my nest - and in glorious flight.  I am proud...and a little bit sad.

In May, my now-sophomore-son will become a Junior.  With only a couple of credits left to complete high school graduation requirements.  Come next May, he could choose to be done and move to the next level of higher education.  (What was I thinking to let him proceed at this pace!!!!!) Even though he still gets his mail at this address, he's occupied at other places most of the time.   May means more time at work and fun...and away from home.  He's excited.  I am proud...and a little bit sad.

In May, even the baby moves to a new level.  She will complete elementary school and be an official middle-schooler.  Who made 6th grade part of middle school anyway??!! While they were at it, I wish someone had insisted on adding 13th grade.  Maybe it could still happen. She would probably skip it, if they did.  She is thrilled about middle school.  I am proud...and a little bit sad.

May.  A lovely time of year for sure.  The doorway to my beloved summer. A time for celebration and commemoration.  But I'm still a little bit sad.  I wish my job didn't have to change.