The Shepherd and the Sheep

A Reflection on Psalm 23 — Through the Eyes of the Sheep

As a child in Sunday school, we had to memorize Psalm 23. It was compulsory. It was almost like a rite of passage—and we had to learn it in my local language. I know some of you would remember this from your childhood, too.

My little church friends and I would recite the Psalm so quickly and breathlessly,

sometimes trying to see who could finish first. We did the same thing with some of the Anglican prayers we had to learn.

I don't think we quite appreciated then what we were being made to learn.

As an adult, I have come to appreciate the strictness and insistence that children learn the Word of God by heart. Every once in a while, some of those Scriptures I learned so long ago simply arise in my heart.

Sometimes, when I need them most, they float into my mind and flood my spirit.

And in those moments, I am especially grateful that someone made me hide them there.

The Psalmist wrote:

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart…”Psalm 119:11, KJV

Psalm 23 has become one of those Scriptures for me.

Now, unlike those childhood days when we rushed through it for fun, I sometimes deliberately recite it slowly—one verse at a time.

I stop. I think about the words. I stay with them until they begin to do what only the Word of God can do—quiet the doubts and fears of the moment, revive my spirit and remind me that I am not alone.

One thing to keep in mind as we begin this journey is that although Psalm 23 was written by David, he writes it from the perspective of the sheep.

So, as we go through the Psalm, keep the sheep in mind.

A. “The LORD is my shepherd.”

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”Psalm 23:1, KJV

David knew shepherding. Before he became king, he had cared for his father's sheep. He knew what it meant to lead them, feed them, protect them and go after them when danger came.

But in this Psalm, David changes positions.

He becomes the sheep.

And God becomes his Shepherd.

Jesus later described Himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11, KJV).

I find that word good interesting.

Does it mean there can be bad shepherding?

Scripture gives us that contrast. In Ezekiel 34, God condemns shepherds who cared for themselves rather than the sheep. They did not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured or search for those who were lost.

The sheep were scattered.

Then God gives us the contrast of what He would do as a good Shepherd. He would feed His flock, bring back those who wandered, bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.

He Himself would take care of His sheep.

This is the picture I carry into Psalm 23.

“The LORD is my shepherd.”

He is a good Shepherd.

I am in good hands.

Then David says:

“I shall not want.”

The sheep lacks nothing that the Shepherd knows it needs.

And David begins to show us why.

B. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…”Psalm 23:2, KJV

Shepherds moved their flocks around in search of pasture. So the picture that comes to my mind is of a shepherd moving past dry areas and brown grass until he finds green pasture for his sheep.

The sheep doesn't have to know where the green pasture is.

The Shepherd finds it.

He leads the sheep to green grass—a place where it can feed, be nourished and satisfied.

The image speaks of provision.

As sheep in God's pasture, we too can trust the Shepherd to provide what we need.

C. “He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.”

“He leadeth me beside the still waters.”Psalm 23:2, KJV

The Shepherd not only finds water; He leads the sheep beside still waters.

There is calm here—a place of little disturbance, a tranquil place.

And then:

“He restoreth my soul…”Psalm 23:3, KJV

The Shepherd is alert to the sheep's condition.

He knows how far it has walked. He knows what the journey has taken out of it. He knows when it is tired and needs to stop.

And so He leads it to a place where it can be restored.

On a personal note, I know something of what David means by the image of still waters.

For many years, and even now, one of my favourite places to sit is beside a lake. Something about the water restores my troubled mind.

Perhaps it is the expansiveness of it—the breadth and depth of the water, the open sky above it and the sense that there is nothing crowding you in. It often brings to mind something I once read: the God who made this wonder can surely be trusted to take care of my little matter.

After I sit there for a short time, I can feel something inside me begin to settle.

Perhaps that is why this verse has become, for me, almost a prescription for those moments when the heart aches.

We can make it a prayer:

Lead me to the still waters, Lord.Restore my soul.Bring me comfort in this time of uncertainty.Quiet this anxious heart. Refresh my spirit within me. In Jesus Name.

D. “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.”

“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”Psalm 23:3, KJV

There are different paths the Shepherd could take, but He knows the right one.

The sheep doesn't.

The sheep knows and trusts the Shepherd and follows wherever He leads.

Then there are those last four words:

“For his name's sake.”

I particularly love them because they take the attention away from the sheep and put it back on the Shepherd.

He leads rightly because of who He is—His character, His faithfulness, His integrity, His compassion and His grace.

The same is true for us. We can trust Him to give us the best direction—leading us where we ought to go and showing us what we ought to do.

But the right path does not necessarily mean an easy path.

E. “Yea, though I walk through the valley…”

Along the journey, the sheep might face danger. The Shepherd's presence does not mean danger will never approach.

David knew this from his own experience. As a shepherd, he had seen a lion and a bear come after his father's sheep.

And so he says:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…”Psalm 23:4, KJV

There will be difficult paths.

But the sheep says:

“I will fear no evil.”

Why?

“For thou art with me.”

The confidence is in the presence of the Shepherd.

And Jesus tells us just how far the Good Shepherd will go: “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, KJV).

He gives His life for the sheep.

If this is the Shepherd walking with the sheep through the valley, then the sheep has every reason to be confident.

And so do we.

F. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

“…thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”Psalm 23:4, KJV

The rod and staff are the tools of the Shepherd's work. He uses them to guide and redirect the sheep and bring them back when they stray.

This almost sounds like what the Word of God does for us—redirecting, instructing and guiding us back to the right path.

There is comfort in knowing that we too have something to guide us.

G. “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…”Psalm 23:5, KJV

The image of a table speaks of provision.

But something else is difficult to miss.

The enemies are still there.

God does not wait for them to disappear before He sets the table. He prepares it “in the presence of mine enemies.”

Whether we continue to see the sheep in the picture or David himself, the enemies are watching.

Yet they cannot stop the provision.

Elsewhere the Psalmist says, “the wicked shall see it, and be grieved” (Psalm 112:10, KJV).

They see, but they cannot prevent what God is doing.

The sheep could never equal its enemy in strength. Its confidence comes from the One who prepared the table.

The enemies may be present, but they do not determine the portion.

God does.

The same can be true for us. The presence of opposition does not stop God's provision. Those who oppose us may see what God is doing and even be grieved by it, but they cannot prevent what God has determined to do for us.

H. “Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

“Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”Psalm 23:5, KJV

Anointing can represent kingship. And with the enemies still present, it brings to mind another Psalm: “rule thou in the midst of thine enemies” (Psalm 110:2, KJV).

What a picture:

Anointed while the enemies are still there.

They have not disappeared, but neither have they prevented what God is doing.

Then David says:

“My cup runneth over.”

The cup is not merely filled.

It runs over.

The enemies are still there, and the cup is running over.

This can be true for us too. With God as our Shepherd, we can thrive even in the midst of difficulty. The difficulties may still be there, but so are God's provision, His favour and His abundance.

I. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.”

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”Psalm 23:6, KJV

I love the confidence of that first word:

Surely.

The sheep is sure.

After everything it has experienced of the Shepherd—His provision, care, direction and protection—it has every reason to be.

Throughout the Psalm, the sheep has been following the Shepherd.

But now something is following the sheep:

Goodness and mercy.

The same assurance is ours. Having seen the care of the Shepherd throughout this Psalm, we too can trust in His goodness and mercy.

Then come the final words:

“…and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”Psalm 23:6, KJV

Psalm 23 is, for me, one of the most comforting Psalms. It reminds me of God's care, love, attention and protection.

As we recite it again from memory, as many of us learned to do as children, may these familiar words bring us comfort and a renewed knowledge of God's care in uncertain times.