Psalm 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The 23rd Psalm is a remarkable chapter written by a monarch and former shepherd that simply proclaims praise of God as being the One that among other things is his Provider. V.1 exclaims “The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” That is the provision at its finest. Beloved, a shepherd is one who is there to provide for the flock, so they will not wander off in a state of want. The shepherd has the responsibility to provide all that is needed for his flock.
Once the sheep are released from the fold it is the shepherd’s responsibility to become their Protector. In the process of providing the sheep with pastures to meet their every need, he watches over them without distracted eyes and ears protecting their every move. The sheep are free to feed upon the verdant green grass, receiving needed nutrients as the shepherd has provided. He now stands in protective watch over them, allowing the sheep to thoroughly enjoy as well as partake in all that has been given.
As night falls and the sheep return to the fold, the shepherd will count them as they pass ‘under the rod’ through the ‘doorway’ to rest safely. Therefore the shepherd who had been the provider and protector, now becomes the Passageway. There is one doorway into the sheepfold and it comes by way of the shepherd. Not only is this the opening where the shepherd will count the sheep, knowing them by name and all characteristics, but it is where the shepherd rests as well. It is here the shepherd continues to provide protection and providence for the flock without fail.
Our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our Provider, Protector and Passageway!
This is why David is able to proclaim, “the Lord is my Shepherd.” He is our provision, He has and will always provide for us. He has given us great comfort in the thought of the promise that He will always provide which He has done in life and through death. There is a great picture seen in three of the Psalms (22,23 and 24). Psalm 22 is a picture of the suffering of Christ. Psalm 23 is a picture of Christ’s resurrection as we read David unapologetically claim that the LORD ‘is’, not was, my shepherd. Therefore, Psalm 24 becomes the picture of the return and reign of Christ. Brothers and sisters, therein lies our comfort of knowing that our Shepherd, the great Shepherd, will always provide for us – because He is always there.
David concludes in v.1 with “I shall not want”. The modern language or definition of need has strongly been misconstrued with that of want; we live in a world which holds more to a value system of hedonism, pleasure and leisure than with the theocratic system of depending upon the LORD for our daily life. The marketing world has tapped into this ideology with advertising slogans such as “you need”, “choose” and “X is fun”. In our everyday language, we associate things as needs more often than not with statements like: “the truck needs washed” and “the grass needs to be mowed”. Political groups today appear on television dictating to the public their ‘needs’, stating “you need this and you need that” rather than the truth which is “you want this”.
There is a difference and that difference is found in THE Shepherd becoming MY Shepherd. That is THE Lord becoming MY LORD. It is the Apostle Paul who providentially proclaimed, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Phil 4:11). This becomes reality when we fully accept the idea of the LORD as our Shepherd. He is the One that suffered and died for us providing the passageway for salvation. He also is the One that loves us forever, thus continuing to protect our every need so that in the life we have on this side of glory, we shall not want. This is accomplished by knowing and trusting that the LORD is providing all that is needed this very day...be it good or bad. Paul wrote Romans 8.28, then lived it six months afterward trusting that whatever would lie before will work for the good of others. I think we would agree that Paul’s travels to Rome worked out good for us all. With all roads leading to Rome, they also led from Rome, thus spreading the Gospel throughout the entire world.
I am sure Paul echoed the words of Israel’s greatest king, a man after God’s own heart:
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