“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”
Psalm 23:1-3a
David uses the most complete metaphor for God that he can think of when he calls Him shepherd. He takes us with him into that metaphor, with us as the sheep of the Lord’s flock, describing the contentment and safety we know when we are in His fold.
This month’s Anchor will reacquaint you with perhaps the best-known psalm of the Bible, Psalm 23. Many of you have memorized it. You probably have sung old hymns or new songs about the Shepherd who leads us. You have seen paintings and graphics galore picturing someone’s version of Jesus as a shepherd with little lambs nearby. Whoever you are, the image and metaphor of the Shepherd Savior is familiar.
Since David was a shepherd of his father’s flocks, “The Shepherd’s Psalm” is a fitting title for this passage. But David also knew himself more and more as a sheep, one who wandered and at times stumbled. Surely each of us relates to that. We realize that Psalm 23 could be aptly called “The Psalm of the Sheep.”
Let the famous words of Psalm 23 surround you with comfort in today’s distressing world.
This month’s Anchor will reacquaint you with perhaps the best-known psalm of the Bible, Psalm 23. Many of you have memorized it. You probably have sung old hymns or new songs about the Shepherd who leads us. You have seen paintings and graphics galore picturing someone’s version of Jesus as a shepherd with little lambs nearby. Whoever you are, the image and metaphor of the Shepherd Savior is familiar.
Since David was a shepherd of his father’s flocks, “The Shepherd’s Psalm” is a fitting title for this passage. But David also knew himself more and more as a sheep, one who wandered and at times stumbled. Surely each of us relates to that. We realize that Psalm 23 could be aptly called “The Psalm of the Sheep.”
Let the famous words of Psalm 23 surround you with comfort in today’s distressing world.
Scripture Focus
Psalm 23
Insight
“God is my Shepherd. I am his little lamb. He feeds me. He guides me. He looks after me. I have everything I need.” (Sally Lloyd-Jones, 2007)
Bible In A Year
- Genesis 3-4
- Psalm 2
- Matthew 3-4
