Psalm 23 Excerpt From Heart of a Psalmist

prophet Ezekiel speaks on God’s behalf: “ Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in lush mountain pastures. ”(Ezekiel 34:14) “ He leads me beside the still waters.”(2) Jesus is the one who gives us the water of eternal life and refreshing of the Holy Spirit: “ for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. “(Rev.7:17) Still waters can refer to the dew on the grass in the early morning. Peaceful streams only occur when the water runs deep, that is where the Holy Spirit reaches into the depths of our souls.

“ He restores my soul; ”(3)

Jesus is our shepherd and is concerned with every aspect of our lives: “ My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (Jn.10:10) Sometimes sheep will fall over on their back with their legs in the air be- cause of unfortunate circumstances such as having too much wool or being worried. They become ‘cast down’ or simply ‘cast’ sheep. They cannot get up from this state and would die unless the shepherd ‘re- stores’ and rescues them. Jesus wants to lift up the cast down soul to fullness of life.

“ He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. ”(3)

Jesus describes his shepherding role in our lives: “ After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice.”(Jn. 10:4) Sheep must constantly be led to new pastures or they will eat the old ones bare and erode the grass by creating deep rutted pathways. God leads us by his voice as he led David so long ago. “ …David asked the Lord, ‘Should I move back to Judah?’ And the lord replied, ‘Yes.” Then David asked, ‘Which town should I go to?’ And the Lord replied, ‘Hebron. ’”(2 Sam. 2:1) We must learn to be led by the voice of our shepherd as we pray and worship him.