Psalm 23 More than a Shepherd

The other day I was talking about how I was reading Psalm 23 and it was blowing me away.  As I read it, I felt a strange feeling of shame yet I felt secure.  Kind of like how when I screw up in front of my parents and instead of yelling, they just hug me and say that they love me.  It is very disarming and humbling to say the least.  So that is what I was feeling as I read this scripture.  Just knowing how God takes care of me and loves me, even when I feel unlovable or inadequate, is greatly humbling.

This stems from the idea that sheep are rather difficult, stubborn, and defenseless, and we as people can be equally difficult and stubborn.  But for all of the maintenance that God performs on me even when I don't deserve it, it is truly humbling to know that he cares about me.  But after mulling over this verse, I have come to remember that he is more than a shepherd...

I read an ancient commentary (circa 1920’s) in seminary on this verse, and it really opened my eyes to this verse.  Most of the time, we stick with the shepherd motif when reading this scriptures, which is good and totally possible, but there are other attributes that this commentary illuminates (that can live inside the shepherd analogy as well).

Shepherd-  This is probably one of the most common illustrations for God in scriptures.  Shepherds have a pretty rough job of taking care of their stubborn sheep, and sometimes their jobs are very dirty.  But he cares for us because he loves his sheep and he wants to take care of them.  I just have to get to know his voice and know when the impostors try to imitate him so that I will not be led astray by their voices.

Guide-  I have had the pleasure of going to Israel, and let me say that their “wilderness”, is a barren wasteland.  So knowing that the Lord is our guide that will lead me through the tumultuous wilderness to green pastures and still water is comforting.  It also lets me know that if I follow him and listen to him, that he will guide me properly.

Protector-  The most famous line in this verse, “yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”, reminds me that God will protect me.  When I read it, I feel overwhelmed by his love for me knowing that I mean that much to him that he will protect me.  The pathways were tight and treacherous (and still are), and during that time, it was common for roads to have thieves frequenting them.  Knowing that God has his rod to rescue me from the treacherous path and a staff to defend me from any aggressor is comforting.

Host-  When I read that God prepares a table before me in front of my enemy tells me a few things.  First of all, if he is allowing my enemies to be in my company, that he has confidence in me that I will be able to endure or rise above what ever they bring against me.  Second, God is going to provide for me as a host. He won’t let my cup run dry, instead, it will overflow.  I need to remember that he cares for the birds and dresses the lilies, and that I am greater than that!  Third, it is the host’s job to protect his guests… thus he won’t let me be destroyed by anyone that enters his house (invited or uninvited).  Fourth and finally, he invites his guests for a reason, therefore I have to have faith in his ability to choose who is a guest at his table.  I might not like it, but maybe the host wants me to learn something by sitting across the table from someone I don’t particularly care for. 

Royalty-  Prophets and kings were anointed by oil.  The fact that God would anoint my head with oil reminds me that he sees me as royalty as well, and that he will bless me with his kingdom as a member of his kingdom.  This also serves as a reminder that as royalty, we have dominion over the evils in our life because we have the authority of the King.

Father-  In ancient Israelite culture, it was common for the father to build an addition onto his house for his son when he gets married.  This concept of keeping the family in the same house is reminiscent of dwelling in the house of the Lord forever (verse 6).  We are family, and he plans on keeping me in the family and he won’t cast me out or reject me.  I know I belong to someone, I belong to him.

What I love about verses like this is that it shows that God takes on different roles in different parts of our lives.  Some days we need to know that God is our protector, others, we need to know that he is our host, so on and so forth.  This also reminds me of the fact that he is dynamic and can speak to us in multiple ways.  That being said, we must be conscious of how he is speaking to us and can speak to us so that we can respond appropriately. So that’s what God was showing me, and I felt that it would be really awesome to share and show you that he is a little more than a shepherd!!