The 23th chapter of the book of Psalm is packed with lots of hidden secret for God’s children. It should not be viewed only as a favourite chapter of the bible that is often read and sung during funerals. I’d remembered vividly reciting 23rd chapter of Psalm as we gathered beside my father’s death bed. Psalm 23 became apparently relevant to me at that time as we witnessed the painful moment of the imminent separation, though it may be temporary but still it is a painful experience, nonetheless.
Every verse within this marvelous chapter promises and guarantees God’s provision, protection and tender mercy as our Father God and most importantly, as our Shepherd. The most amazing hidden truth is that each verses in this chapter of Psalm, speaks of the names of our God and His nature as a loving father and shepherd. In verse one, the main theme of this chapter is reinforce solidly as the Lord is our shepherd. He is known to all Israelites as Jehovah Ra-ah. The imagery of a shepherd with His flock of sheep used here is quintessential to Israel, as Israel is deep in biblical history of shepherding, be it used figuratively or literally as a word or an expression. The idea of shepherding, and in specific, the idea of God acting as the Shepherd of His people, is a motif found throughout the Bible, from beginning to end. Fortunately for the sheep of the pasture, a good shepherd stays with his flock through all different situations and difficult circumstances in their sojourn towards green pasture and quiet water for rest. So for us in this life, Jesus the good shepherd, not only provide comfort of His undying commitment for us but also, revealed His nature and characters as our God, Jehovah Ra-ah to all our needs.
In verse two, clearly we can see that the good Lord is our provider as we are made to lie down in pasture green. Here, the colour green symbolizes lushness, growth, plenty or sustainable food supply. Thus, the name of our God, Jehovah Jireh, is irrevocably relevant to His children’s in His provision and care. The adjourning sentence; He leads me beside the still waters talks of God as Jehovah Shalom. To be able to enjoy the tranquility and peace in this tumultuous life, and the uncertainties of the world that we live in, is indeed a blessing. Jesus, Himself, said in the book of John, chapter 14:27, I quote, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid “, unquote. Our savior desires us to anchor ourselves onto the unchanging and reliable source of peace that only He can give. Verse 3 indisputably confirmed the person, our Lord and Saviour, is to us. Then, He restores my soul is not only referring to the spiritual healing of our soul, by the redemptive works of Calvary. It also point to our physical healing and wellbeing. Here, the appropriate name of our God is Jehovah Rapha or Rophe, depending on the language used. God being Jehovah Rapha or Rophe means that He is the Lord who heals. In every aspect of our lives, be it is physically, emotionally or spiritually, He is the mender, repairer or restorer of the brokenness and wounds that we encountered in this pilgrimage. The following sentence of “He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake”; perhaps it is the highlight of this chapter in the book of Psalm. In the next paragraph, I will elaborate more on this truth of “for His name’s sake”.
So let’s explore the hidden truth behind that statement of “for His name’s sake” and what it meant as spoken by the Holy Spirit through the beautiful verse. All of us are like sheep and with the nature of sheep, delinquency in us wants to follow our own sinful desire and ways. Such delinquency often leads us into perils, misery and eventual separation with God. When the Psalmist puts it in Psalm 53:6, we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; …… Then, in Psalm 51:3, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me….”, again in verse 5, the Psalmist acknowledged and related himself to this guilt. Not just King David, we too, are birthed into sin the moment we took our first breath of life. But God, Jehovah Tsidkenu, or God our Righteousness, for His honor and reputation, not neglecting the mercy, faithfulness and goodness, will redirect us towards His ways. In general, we can see that truth when God sent His begotten Son to die for us, His lost sheep in the pasture of eternal damnation. Personally, He led us in the path of righteousness by keeping us from self-destruction of sinful indulgence for the sake of His great name. It is about the stake of His great name, His abilities and above all, His character as our Great Shepherd in this sojourn. All that were done and he is still doing for His wayward sheep, even to this day, so that we will not blemish His reputation of being our Jehovah Tsidkenu. My personal testimony on this truth is that many times in my life, I chose the path of sin and self-destruction, but by His great name of being my Shepherd, He re-directed my ways and thus, was able to avert many possible pain, misery and ruin.
Verse four painted a dire situation of hopelessness and despair, but fear not, He promised that He will be with us. The psalmist cried out loud but not in despair rather, by saying, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” King David affirmed that, despite being in a dire situation of predicament or possible death, He stated confidently that God, Jehovah-Shama, The Lord who is Present is close to us, never leaving us alone in our worse situation in life and in the valley of the shadow of death.
That is why God is our Jehovah-Ro’i, God our Great Shepherd, is good shepherd that Jesus claimed Himself to be in the chapter tenth of the gospel of John. Unlike other unscrupulous shepherd, His rod and staff comfort us, not intimidate us with harsh discipline. Gently, our Great Shepherd, for His great name sake, will keep us ever close and guide us on the path to our sheepfold in eternity with Him. Praise His mighty Name!
In the fifth verse of this chapter, King David mentioned, I quote, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, ..” unquote. This particular verse testified of God’s graciousness as our Father and our great shepherd in this life of uncertainty. Out in the wilderness of life, we are and will be met with many unforeseen dangers and “predators” that will cost us our life, rather, our spiritual quest towards heavenward. But a good shepherd will plans ahead, anticipates and eliminates all the possible dangers and threats that his flock will encounter in the journey to a greener pasture. That is our Great and loving Father, as our shepherd, He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Our sojourn is not without dangers; our sojourn is fraught with many obstacles and predators that will derail us in our quest towards our heavenly sheepfold. But Jesus, our great shepherd as He claimed He is, will never leave us nor will He forsakes us in our crisis, but will instead eliminates all possible threats as He survey our route of journey in advance. And as Paul stated in his epistle to the Corinthians, I quote, “There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
The biblical Israelites knew and experienced the truth behind the statement that “he prepared a table before me”. They had experienced God as a gracious and loving shepherd, whose loving-kindness is everlasting, in their sojourn towards the Promised Land, Canaan. The great pillar of fire and cloud watches them day and night without fail, in the wilderness. The journey in the wilderness towards Canaan was not an easy one. It was intense, hot and arid; every step was gruesome with the hot desert wind beating against them. In short, it was devoid of everything that could be described as comfort. The desert or wilderness of the ancient biblical Middle East are full of dangers, venomous snakes, scorpions and wild animals, not forgetting the threats of warring natives that viewed the Israelites as threat to their own survival. Yet, He prepares a table before the Israelites in the presence of their enemies. This verse speaks of the peace and tranquility of the surrounding where God provides our needs, despites, and the constant presence of dangers. We can both dine lavishly and confidently on God’s provision without fear and anxiety. Yet it’s not only in this life that God meets our needs. God is our gracious and bountiful benefactor for both our bodies and souls for all time and eternity.
So, need the Israelites be fearful and demoralized? In principle, God had assured them that He is with them all the way towards the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 31:6, He assured them by stating that “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” But, did the Israelites believe His words? No! If only they had stood on His promises, the people of Israel would not have to wander in the wilderness for forty years. That is a costly mistake that anyone can make for lack of trust in our God whose names, meant everything that we need in this sojourn towards our sheepfold in heaven.
He anoints my head with oil signifies consecration. Although the metaphor of oil commonly symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The author, who is the Holy Spirit Himself, wants us to be aware of our special calling and standing in our relationship with the Great Shepherd. In 1 Peter 2:9, Apostle Paul described us as “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”. Therefore, being consecrated through the anointing of oil over our heads, confirmed our status as God’s special people, royal priesthood, holy nation of sheep, chosen to proclaim the praises of our Great Shepherd who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light of truth. And the beautiful thing that ends this fabulous verse is that, “our cup runneth over” means that God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” in 2 Peter 1:3. Yet it’s not only in this life that God meets our needs. I would reiterate the fact that God is our gracious and bountiful benefactor for both our bodies and souls for all time and eternity. Amen!
Finally, the last verse of this powerful promises and assurances of our Great shepherd that surely, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days is awesome. He, the Great Shepherd assured and promised us these blessings as we trudge on in our sojourn on this physical world of wilderness. We can rest assure that He who promised is also faithful to keep us till we meet our loving Savior and Shepherd face to face. That, of course, is the momentous event called Rapture. Then only after, we will dwell in the House of the Lord forever and ever. Praise to our loving heavenly Father for His gift of Salvation, our Lord Jesus, The Great Shepherd for being our good tenderer and God the Holy Spirit for staying with us throughout our journey towards our heavenly sheepfold in the Promised Land called Heaven.