Psalm 23

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God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

(Ps 46:1–3 ESV)

When life spirals out of control, our most common response is fear. Even for those of us who are followers of Jesus, it is easy to lose focus and be overcome with anxiety, even despair. But the psalmist boldly proclaims that even when it seems as if the created order is coming unglued, God is exceedingly near and accessible as our refuge and strength. As we are in a serious pandemic that has spread to more than 115 nations and radically altered the way we live, the pastoral staff felt that we should expound text that would ground us in our faith and deliver us from fear. So today I have chosen Psalm 23, David’s song of trust in the Lord’s comprehensive care for us as our Shepherd. Derek Kidner writes, “Death and strength underlie the simplicity of this psalm. Its peace is not escape; its contentment is not complacency: there is a readiness to face deep darkness and imminent attack, and the climax reveals a love, which homes towards no material goal but to the Lord Himself.”1

Psalm 23 ESV

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

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.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

I. A Shepherd who Provides (Ps 23:1–4)

Psalm 23 depicts a typical day in the life of a shepherd with his sheep and, by extension, the journey of our lives under the care of our Lord Jesus Christ. As the day progresses the geography moves from “outside” to “inside” and God’s care becomes more direct, personal and intimate. As Bruce Waltke explains,

The psalm consists of three vignettes (vv. 1-4, 5, 6). The first two are extended metaphors, envisioning I AM’s relationship with the individual believer. As in a drama, when the curtain lifts the stage is set for pastoral scenes and the LORD appears as a shepherd. After the curtain is dropped at the end of verse 4, it is lifted again in verse 5; this time and the LORD appears as host preparing a banqueting table. Once again the curtain drops and opens in verse 6; this time, as reality replaces imagination, the psalmist is seen returning to the LORD’s eternal house.2

The psalm opens with a bold confession, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want,” which establishes three essentials that form the bedrock of our faith. First, our relationship with God is supremely intimate—he is “my shepherd.” As Kidner notes, “Shepherd is the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor yet encountered in the Psalms, preferring usually the more distant ‘king’ or ‘deliverer’, or the impersonal ‘rock’, ‘shield’; whereas the shepherd lives with his flock.”3 David, a shepherd in his youth, would know this better than anyone. I suspect this metaphor was particularly close to his heart, recalling his own care for his sheep and fighting off the wolves that threatened them, then imagining how his Father in heaven was even more present, faithful and protective of him.

Second, we live in absolute dependence upon God’s goodness and kindness to care for us. Without a s