By: Lauren Thomas
The best-known Psalm is undoubtedly the 23rd. The first phrase tells us that the Lord is our shepherd. We know that this shepherd is Jesus, the Good Shepherd.tells us so himself in John 10. But have you considered all the ways we see Jesus fulfilling the phrases within this Psalm in both the New Testament and in the life of the believer?
Let’s break it down:
The Lord is my shepherd;
John 10:11-18 – Jesus is the Great Shepherd.
Matthew 9:36 – When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. It was in these contexts that He taught them, taking on the role of a compassionate and guiding shepherd.
I shall not want.
2 Peter 1:3 – Jesus has given us all we need for life and godliness.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
In John 4 and 7 Jesus referred to living water that only He can give.
Matthew 11:28-30 – Jesus gives rest to our bodies and souls.
Matthew 5-7, Sermon on the Mount – Jesus shows us the way to live and this righteousness glorifies God.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
John 16:33 – Jesus told us that we will face trouble, but He encourages us to take heart, for He has overcome!
Matthew 28:20 – Jesus said that He is with us always, to the very end
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Revelation refers to eating with Jesus and also describes a wedding feast. But this phrase of the Psalm is more abstract. In the context of a shepherd and sheep, the imagery of Psalm 23 is of the shepherd providing a safe place for the sheep to eat. Knowing well that they might be surrounded by predators, the shepherd watches, ready to protect the feeding sheep. I think the new covenant parallel deals with the way that Jesus defeated death and offers eternal life to the believer. The enemy of our soul looks on as we enjoy, or “feast” on, this reality. Satan is powerless to do anything about it because our Shepherd is watching over us. John 10:28-30 confirms this: after identifying himself as the Great Shepherd, Jesus says that no one can snatch us from his hand!
Anointing. We are anointed with the Holy Spirit and that Spirit-anointing is a seal of our salvation. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
God is goodness and mercy according to His self-disclosure in Exodus 34:6-7. Jesus echoes this with His own self-disclosure in Matthew 11:28-30. He is the shepherd who left the 99 to chase down the 1 lost sheep (Luke 15).
John 14:3 – Jesus promised that in his leaving, He would go and prepare a place for us so that we might live with Him forever.
Today, engage in some Biblical meditation, the kind that David, the author of this Psalm, did. Read the words of the Psalm. Imagine the scenes described. Contemplate the way that Jesus fulfills each and every phrase.
Reflection:
As you meditate on Psalm 23, do other verses come to mind about how Jesus fulfills them? What does the reality of Jesus being your Shepherd mean for your life?
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