What's it Mean?
1The
Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my
soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a
table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with
oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever. (KJV)
This
chapter, made up of only six verses, is often quoted at funerals or to offer comfort during a time
of trouble or heartache. However, it is not always understood in those
terms. Due to several things going on in the life of two friends, I have
given much thought to these words in the past few weeks. I'd like to give
an expository breakdown to help with some of the abstract ideas. My hope
is that after this, true comfort can be found in this scripture passage. (Previously posted as only verse 4.)
There’s
no definitive information on when David wrote this psalm. It’s believed he wrote it later in life, as
it points to a man with maturity and life experience under him, rather than a
young man starting out in life. Knowing
David’s story, we can think of many times he was probably recalling when he
penned these words.
1.
“The Lord is my Shepherd…” The concept of us being sheep or needing a shepherd isn’t
new to us. But until David wrote this psalm, this concept only appeared in the
book of Genesis. Jacob called God “my Shepherd” in Genesis 48:15. Moses referred
to the Lord “the Shepherd” in Genesis 49:24. Even before Christ called Himself
the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, David, himself a shepherd boy, was clearly
familiar with the symbolism and everything that title would mean. And he made it personal – the Lord isn’t just
the
Shepherd, but my Shepherd. David
recognized that he was a sheep, prone to wander and get lost, unable to take
care of himself, in need of a Shepherd to protect and guide him.
“I shall not want…” This verbiage reminds me of the sentence “I
want for nothing.” But that’s not
usually an accurate sentence. I can’t
think of a single person who doesn’t want something – or several somethings –
at any given time. So what does David
mean? It actually translates better to
“I lack nothing” or “I lack no good thing.”
One pastor says it this way: What really matters that I do not have? In Christ we have all that we need, even if
He is all we have. And at death, there
is no thing that will change a moment
of our life behind us or a moment of the eternity in front of us – except
Jesus. What really matters that I do not
have? JESUS! Another author said “it is both a declaration
and a decision: ‘I shall not want
because all my needs are supplied for by the Lord, my Shepherd’ and ‘I shall
not want because I decide not to desire more than what the Lord, my Shepherd,
gives.’”
2. “He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures…” David’s
choice of the word “make” (another translation says “has me”) indicates that
God may sometimes create a situation that forces us to lie down. In reading, I learned that a lamb that
continued to wander off and have to be corralled back to the flock would have
its leg broken so that it couldn’t leave the safety of the shepherd. While I do not believe that God causes injury
or tribulation to come upon us, I do think that He allows us to walk through
consequences of our own making or life circumstances that will then force us to
stay close to Him as we heal and recuperate.
He makes us long to be close to Him and He provides a tender place to
rest. And He knows all the best places
that will bring us rest. A shepherd
would meet the needs of the sheep. Those
creatures would not lie down until “
four conditions are met. Because
they are timid they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are
social animals they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If
flies or parasites trouble them they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are
anxious about food or hungry they will not lie down. Rest comes because the
shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.”
Knowing these things, David knew that God
would meet the conditions in his life as well.
“He leadeth me beside the still waters…” Water is symbolic
of so many things. It can be powerful
and deadly, deep and drowning, calming and peaceful. In the Bible, it also represents the Holy
Spirit. While David did not know the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit as we know it, he did have the anointing of the
Holy Spirit and the experience of the Holy Spirit working in his life. David knew what it was to fully surrender and
be led by God beside the still waters of life – fully in God’s will and not in
his own. And so after resting in green
pastures, God leads us where we need to go next. Even if we walk into a situation that is not
calm, we can be sure that He will provide us with His peace to “be still and
know He is God” (Psalm 46:10).
3.
“He restoreth my soul…” When I think about restoring something, I think about
repairing it to its original state. We
restore cars. We restore houses. We restore factory presets. But God is transforming us, making us into
something new, something more than flesh.
Our soul, our inner being, is to be made more Christ-like. One
translation says “He refreshes my
soul.” I love that! After just
speaking about still waters, the word refresh seems so much more
appropriate. When we have been troubled,
we need refreshing. To be fresh again –
what comes to mind? Alert, well rested,
smelling clean, new start, clean slate…I can imagine David thinking of the
clean slate God gave him with each moment of repentance. David knew what it meant to have his soul
refreshed.
“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake…” David had once chosen a path of his
own that led to division and death. So
to write words of praise about God’s guidance was acknowledging the turning
point in his own redemption. God’s path
is always right – even if it’s hard, even if it doesn’t look right from our
point of view – because God’s path is always for His glory. David didn’t have to know the path to take,
he only had to know where the Shepherd was and let Him lead. Because it is always for the Shepherd's purpose! Sheep have no idea why they are in a particular pasture or kept in the corral. They do what the Shepherd guides them to do because the Shepherd knows what He's doing. We walk were God leads for His purpose - which is His glory!
4.
"Yea,
though I walk..." I’m thinking of the
illness and death of David and Bathsheba’s son when I read this verse. David’s fasting and prayer. His
mourning. Many times in our dark
moments, we feel that we will never get past it. The heartache, the pain,
the confusion is so close, we cannot imagine a time when it will not be so
heavy or so present. The word “walk” shows us that is not the case.
Walking means progress. It does not say "though I stand;" it
says "though I walk." Even baby steps are progress. And
David did get up and walk forward from his heartache.
"through the
valley..." Have you ever been
walking, but didn't seem to get anywhere? David is very clear that our
walk is not in circles. It is not in vain. Going through
isn't always the option we'd like, but it's better than staying where we are. And we don’t want to go through the valley. We wouldn't choose it. It
is deep, dark, intimidating, surrounding us on all sides. But it is a part of the journey at
times. We do not get the option of going
around or climbing out, but if we will walk through the path of the valley,
high ground is in our future.
"of the shadow of
death..." There is so much in
these five words. David suffered loss through the death of his son. Great pain and suffering can often feel like its own death. The loss of a loved one, a terminal illness, a heavy addiction
or mental condition all come with the burden of death (or maybe the wish to die
to make it end). These five words offer hope though, in that whatever we
are walking through is not death, but only a shadow of it. Death in the
flesh is only a temporary condition if we are in Jesus Christ. So
anything that we experience that makes us feel as though we are dying is merely
a shadow of death.
On the other hand, sometimes
the things we are grieving over and dealing with are things from our
past. Past decisions, past mistakes, past behaviors someone else has done
to us...they aren't always healed right away. When those things creep up
and are brought to our remembrance, the intention is to continue to hold us in
bondage to the hurt or guilt we have because of it. But the "shadow
of death" in these things means that they are no longer the real
thing. You survived the abuse, the relationship, the decision – and the
shadow is just the memory of the thing that now needs healed.
***It's interesting to me that one of the phrases sometimes
used among people is to "throw shade." This is defined as
"publicly criticizing or expressing contempt for someone." This
is exactly what the shadow of death is doing - throwing shade on a person
to injure them or draw attention to some mistake or some past hurt.
***The funny thing about shadows is that it must have a light
source to create it. So even in this particularly dark, lonely, valley,
there is a light that shines, allowing the "shadow of death" to even
be present. What could be the source of that light? It is the
Source of Light Himself, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World (John 8:12), Who
walks the valley with us.
"I will fear no
evil..." Evil can be anything from
spiritual attack to more adversity from enemies to a natural calamity. Basically
anything that would intend to do you harm physically, mentally, emotionally, or
spiritually. The key to living without fear is to live with peace. The
world around us can be anything but peaceful, but Jesus is the Prince of Peace,
the One Who gives us peace that passes all understanding. As David penned these words, he had faced so
many “evils” in his life that he could truly say he feared none of them because
God had been faithful to be with him through everything. The presence of Jesus does not rid us of the presence
of evil, but Jesus’ presence does rid us of the fear
of evil.
"for thou art with
me..." Here is the evidence of
Christ's presence. As He walks with us, His light shines, causing the
shadow to be cast on the very thing He wants to heal us from or get us
through. It is His light that makes it possible to
go through the valley. He does not always illuminate the entire path, but
He is faithful to show us where to direct our steps, because as verse three
said, it’s all for His glory!
"thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me." David was a
shepherd boy in his youth so he would be very familiar with the shepherd’s tools
– one to corral the sheep and one to ward off danger and sustain the shepherd. Why would the Good Shepherd need both a rod
and a staff? A rod is often used for correction. If the valley we are walking
through is that of our own making, we can trust that Jesus is using the time to
grow our hearts and teach us a better way. And if it is a valley due to
someone else's actions, Jesus can correct us on our attitudes and how we are
approaching this difficult time. A staff, however, is used for
support. Anyone walking through a valley is often weak in the flesh and
weak in the spirit. The staff of Christ sustains us. He holds us up
and gives us His strength to continue walking through the valley. This imagery truly comforted David as he
could see the hand of God move in both ways throughout his life.
David
didn’t know Jesus, but He knew the Messiah was promised – from his own
lineage! It is in this verse and the
next that David goes from speaking about God to speaking to
God. (That's prayer!) David only speaks directly to God
in the darkest valley and in the presence of his enemies – two of the loneliest,
dangerous, and most vulnerable times we can face. And it is only then that David speaks to the
Person of Christ as if He is standing
next to him – because He is!
5.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies…” Continuing to address
the Lord directly, David writes almost in awe of the blessing bestowed upon
him. To have a table prepared is to have
an invitation. Not only do we associate
a table with having a meal, but also with having conversation. There is an implied intimacy. To then realize that all this is going on while
your enemies watch is incredible! Calmly, unhurried, a table is
prepared despite the proximity to the enemies at hand. Those who want only
harm and ridicule to come to you have to watch you be included and provided for
by the One who controls everything. The prepared table does not eliminate the
enemies. In fact, it provides an
opportunity for the goodness of God to testify to them! Who can say that as
they watch us be protected and provided for by our God that our enemies will
not be moved to surrender themselves to Him as well? It can only be an
experience that would bring both humility from us and glory to the Father.
“Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over…” One translation reads this way “you anoint my head with
oil from an overflowing cup.” David was
anointed king as a young boy. I imagine
he remembered the odd sensation of the oil as it ran down his hair, onto his
face, into the back of his robe. As he
grew and served as king, the spiritual anointing continued to be evident. As David looked back and penned this psalm,
he had to have realized that the blessings of the Lord overflowed into his
life. The goodness of God was never-ending. This is especially true in light
of the first half of the verse that speaks of the table prepared before his enemies. David truly knew that the cup of the Lord ran
over in favor of David. God’s same cup runs over for us. Do we hinder it, saying it’s too much? Do we
fail to even recognize the blessings that flow from it, thinking we aren’t
blessed enough – or at all????
Was David
fully aware of what he’d done, speaking directly to the Lord in those verses?
It’s as if he was reminding himself that God was with him, a verbal reassurance
of the promise that he was not in the difficulty of these tribulations alone –
“God you are with me, present, real, close enough to address in the first
person.” And then he reverts back to the
third person, telling us of God, rather than speaking to God.
6.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life…” David writes this line as if the traits are
personified – two beings trailing behind him.
Two other versions replaced mercy with “grace” and “love.” I thought it interesting that mercy should be
replaced with grace. Mercy is not
receiving what we do deserve, while grace is receiving what we don’t
deserve. To receive either is truly
love. But the word that really stands
out to me is the translation that said “shall pursue me.” Pursue! I can follow someone casually. I can follow
someone accidentally. I can even follow someone I know better than to
follow. But to pursue someone – now that requires intent. I have to plan. I have to schedule. I have to be invested. David felt pursued by God’s goodness and love
and believed with his entire being that they would continue to pursue him for
every day of his life. Although he spoke
of the valley of the shadow of death and the enemies watching him, sharing the
dark and troubling moments of his life, he also shared his hope and trust in
his God to never stop chasing him with the sole purpose of more blessings! Do we even realize that God is pursuing us
for the same reason??? Even in our disobedience, goodness and mercy pursue us to bring us back in fellowship with Him.
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” David’s worship in
these short six verses only lead to this one sentence. Through it all, the goal of our journey with
the Lord is to spend our lives with Him – here on earth and in eternity. Another version says “I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.” There is a difference between
dwelling and living. A mouse may dwell
in the attic. A long-term house guest
may stay and dwell. But those who live
in a house thrive and have relationships with others who live in that
house. They are wanted, not merely
tolerated. I don’t simply want to have a residence and dwell in heaven. I want to live in the presence of the Lord and continue my relationship with Him
forever.
The Lord is my Good Shepherd; in Him I have all I need and
there is nothing I lack. He makes a way
for me to lie down to heal and rest in a peaceful place; and He shows me where
quiet, unturbulent waters flow. He
refreshes my inner being, guiding me onto all the right paths so that His name
will be glorified. Yes, I face
tribulation, but I make progress moving forward in the valley that is only a
shadow of the experience I am going though and not really a reality of
death. I do not fear any other distress or grief that could come my way
because I am not alone - the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, walks with
me; Your correction is for my benefit, Your strength is for my encouragement
because You comfort me as only You can. You extend an invitation to me to join
Your table where my enemies watch You bless me. You anoint me with oil for Your
purposes, continually blessing me with overflowing abundance, again for your
purposes. I know that I am pursued by
Your goodness and mercy and grace and love every day of my life; and I am
secure and confident in the promise that I will live in Your house Lord for all
of eternity. (ljc)
