1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads 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 You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs 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.
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads 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 You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs 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.
For King David to refer to the Lord as a shepherd in his day was very risky. Jewish custom taught that the name of the Lord was revered so Holy, that it was not even to be uttered on human lips, but the priests would write it down. David's use of the word Lord here was actually Jehovah-Rohi in the Hebrew language, meaning, “The LORD is my Shepherd”.
So the name used to describe the LORD actually acknowledges Him as our Shepherd.
“I shall not want” - if the LORD is our shepherd then He will provide for us better than anyone else ever could. The Lord is a better provider to my wife and family than I am. The Lord is a better provider to me than my boss at work is. In fact, the Lord is the source of ALL provision, but uses governments, employers, and others in the world to distribute these provisions to us.
“I shall not want” - if the LORD is our shepherd then He will provide for us better than anyone else ever could. The Lord is a better provider to my wife and family than I am. The Lord is a better provider to me than my boss at work is. In fact, the Lord is the source of ALL provision, but uses governments, employers, and others in the world to distribute these provisions to us.
Some would use the phrase “I shall not want” as a platform to exercise greed, as if God was a cosmic butler in the sky serving them with all of their wants. People following this Prosperity Gospel mentality are very quick to point out that the word is “want” and not “need”, and I've been in this very conversation with some. Some have even foolishly commanded God to bless them, but rest assured, this verse doesn't mean your new Lexus is in the driveway because you WANT it.
The fact is, like it or not, people, like sheep, ARE STUPID! Do sheep really have enough knowledge to know what they want? NO, ...and neither do we! The shepherd has to take care of them. Ask anyone who has been around sheep and they will tell you how stupid sheep are. They fall into ditches, run away for no reason, and are clueless of their surroundings. Look now at people... running from one thing to another... looking for drugs... alcohol... many failed relationships... etc.
As a good Shepherd, God is going to give His sheep the things they need, and what has He given us? He has given us a green pasture (the world) to lie down in. He has placed a fence (the bible) around us for our protection. As long as we live within the guidelines of God's word we are not going to fall into all these traps that the enemy has waiting for us.
Because sheep are so easily frightened, a babbling brook scares them and makes them run, so the shepherd has to find still waters for the flock to drink at. As we drink the Living Water (our Lord) we are restored. We become born again and keep drawing from Him daily, our river of life.
As our Shepherd He doesn't lead us into the rocky ground to fall, but leads us in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. There is another shepherd (Satan) out there in the world leading other flocks down paths of destruction. The sheep of the Good Shepherd are loved by their shepherd, and we bear His name on us! The sheep in the other flocks take notice of this sometimes and join our flock, for they see how loved we are!
Now we are entering into the trials of life. We are going into the Valley of the Shadow of Death. There is great evil here, but we will fear no evil, for our Shepherd is with us. We look to Him in times like these and see He is holding a Rod and a Staff. These instruments serve a number of purposes. The rod is for identifying His sheep by marking them and this way we are distinguished from all others, and recognized as His sheep.
This is found in Ezekiel 20 - "I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant." And again, "In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the valley, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of Him that tells them, says the Lord." And yet once more, "Concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord." Our Shepherd said, "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep." If a member of Christ's Flock, you have 'passed under the rod He holds in His hand!' You are under the protective covenant of His Shepherd's Rod!
The staff is also useful as when a sheep goes astray they are nudged back to the safety of the path. When we step off the path He corrects us. We feel His love as we are corrected. We also know that the wolves are near and our Shepherd will fend them off with this rod, staff, or maybe even with a sling and stones as David did. So as we see our Shepherd leading us, we are comforted while walking through life's darkest places.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Isn't it awesome to know that while the world is raging against us all around, we can sit down in quiet fellowship at His table? I think of when Jesus in John chapter 4:31-32 ”... his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of”. Our Shepherd feeds us not only with physical food, but with spiritual food that nourishes our soul.
Psalm 45:6-7 say's, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” This Messianic Psalm mentions the Oil of Gladness which comes to my mind when I read, “You anoint my head with oil”. Oil, also being symbolic of the Holy Spirit, was used to anoint and represent the chosen one of God. I think the author, King David remembered well the time when the prophet Samuel anointed his head with oil symbolizing him being chosen by God.
My cup runs over. In Jewish custom the dinner guest's cup was kept full by the host. Each time it reached the point of being half full it was filled back up. After a while when the cup got down low the guest knew it was near the time for them to thank the host for the hospitality and politely leave. Isn't it awesome that with God as our host we never have to leave for our cup is kept overflowing? My Grandpa Adam would sometimes become emotional while singing hymns and would say, “...my cup runneth over, Randy!” This memory will always make this verse a very personal one for me.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
This verse tells us our present tense as well as our future... that is... if you are one of His sheep. If you are not His sheep then rest assured you are somebody's sheep. Are you being led astray or are you on the path leading to the Lord's House where you can live forever? Maybe it is time to get off the wide path leading to destruction and get on the true path that leads to life. Not sure how to get there? Look for the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He will lead you.
