Episode 034 – Psalm 23 Pt 1: My Savvy Shepherdi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-288{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-288:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-288.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Psalm 23:1Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known and beloved passages in the entire Bible. And over the next several weeks, we’re going to tackle this culturally-rich psalm, unpacking all the ways it’s as relevant today as it was when written three thousand years ago. In this particular teaching, we learn what it takes to be a great shepherd, and how astounding it is for David to proclaim, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

Discussion Questions

What’s your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

How have you traditionally understood the shepherding profession?

What surprised you most about the skills required to shepherd well?

Do you find your deepest security in the good shepherd or do you place it in other things (position, wealth, reputation, accomplishments, other people, etc.)?

In what ways have you been lured into the “wants of the world” and have lost sight of your need to rely on the good shepherd?

What “needs” do you have that you haven’t brought before God in a while or even at all? Take some time to do so.

How will you begin relying anew on the good shepherd this week?

For Further Study

The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament by Kenneth E. Bailey

Psalm 23: A Photo Commentary by Steven D. Anderson and Todd Bolen

Psalm 23: Photo Companion to the Bible (pictures) by Todd Bolen (BiblePlaces.com)

While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks by Timothy Laniak

Becoming a Judean Shepherd by Doug Greenwold