The LORD is my Shepherd

Ps 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

 

After reading Ezekiel 34 and the responsibility of shepherds, I thought I would go to the most famous chapter in the Bible about shepherding and study it for a little while…Psalm 23. So here goes…

 

First, I have to remember who is writing this, David. David had a little experience in this area of shepherding. After all, that was his profession before he became King of Israel. Not much by way of a resume builder, but it was exactly what was needed in God's plan. It was exactly what was needed to write this Psalm.

 

The LORD. The LORD is the subject of this sentence. The LORD. It is all about this One who is Jehovah. The Existing One. The Eternal One. The only One who has no beginning. The only One who has no ending. I know that I have said it before, but this One who is called LORD is beyond all of us. He is beyond all of our understanding. He is so massive, so awesome, so amazing that we really cannot fathom all that encompasses who He is, yet look at this:

Is. Not much of a word. It is a verb. It's root word is "be". Yet it reveals something descriptive and definitive and active. This word implies something that is real. Something that is true. Something that I can hang on to.

 

My. Again, not much of a word other than it is an identifier. When coupled with the word "is" reveals possession. "This is my wife." "This is my car." "This is my job." To say that the Lord "is my" reveals something amazing. When Lord and my are combined, it reveals that this One who is eternal is involved with something that is mortal. This One who is everlasting is involved with someone who has a beginning and He is mine.

 

Shepherd. What does a shepherd do? Go back to Ezekiel 34: Feeds, strengthens and protects, binds and heals, goes after, and brings to rest. This One who eternally exists is the One who cares for me. Who watches over me. Who feeds me. Who protects me. Who guides me. Who pursues me. Who heals me. This One who is so far beyond me or any mortal that ever lived is my shepherd. He is my provider. He is my guide. He is everything. No wonder He is called: "I AM" because He is all that I will ever need. No wonder the next line is: "I shall not want." How could anyone want when we have all that we need in Him?

 

I am afraid that I don't always have that mindset. I want stuff. I want relationships. I want money. I want satisfaction. I want recognition. I want…But I need to realize that when I think that I want something, then my sufficiency is not the Lord. This Psalm is telling me that I have all that I will ever need in Him and He will supply my every need because the Lord, the Eternally existing One, is my Shepherd.

 

The astounding thing is that He cares and watches over this dumb sheep. Amazing.