Psalm 23 (Part 1)
By Pastor Boffey on Sunday, July 21, 2013.Psalm 23
v. 1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
A. David had been a shepherd of sheep made into a shepherd of men. PSA 78:70-72.
1. He was a shepherd who needed a shepherd and claimed none less than Almighty God as
his Shepherd who fed and guided him.
2. The LORD is Israel's shepherd (PSA 80:1) but he is personally David's shepherd. Our
relationship with our God is all the more special when it is personal. GAL 2:20.
3. David the shepherd and shepherd-king would feed, guide and reign again in the person of
his seed, Jesus Christ. ISA 40:10-11; EZE 34:23; JOH 10:11, 16.
4. Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd of His shepherd-pastors (1PE 5:4) and the great
shepherd of His sheep. HEB 13:20.
B. The Lord's children are His sheep by virtue of His will, and no other (PSA 100:3; JOH 1:12-13);
they are indeed a “made” crowd. 2CO 5:21; EPH 1:6; 2:6; COL 1:12.
C. The shepherd bears responsibility for the sheep. ISA 53:6.
D. The shepherd is sympathetic towards the sheep's plight. ISA 53:7 c/w HEB 2:17-18.
E. He gives the sheep the food of eternal life and supplies nourishment for their souls in this life.
JOH 6:51; MAT 4:4; JER 3:15.
F. He not only feeds them, but treats them with tender regard. MAT 12:20; HEB 5:1-2.
G. He strives to recover them when they have gone astray. MAT 18:10-14.
H. Even though the sheep may wander off and do their best to look like goats, He still knows them
intimately. JOH 10:2-3, 14; 2TI 2:17-19.
I. He has particular, discriminating, selfless favor towards them. JOH 10:11, 26; MAT 25:31-34.
J. He personally guarantees their safety and urges them to maturity. JOH 10:27-29; HEB 13:20-21.
K. The sheep can therefore say with David, “I shall not want.”
1. Their Shepherd has given His life for theirs and they shall need no more than that to
dismiss any charge against them in eternity. ROM 8:31-34.
2. They may rest assured that their Shepherd will supply all their needs according to His
riches in glory. PHIL 4:19.
3. They should resolve therefore to be content. PHIL 4:5-7, 11-13.
v. 2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
A. God knows our bodies have need of rest. PSA 127:2; MAR 6:31.
B. God knows our souls have need of rest. MAT 11:28-30; HEB 4:10-11.
C. God directs His sheep towards quietness and tranquility which comes through righteousness;
hence His leading as set forth in the next verse. PSA 119:165; ISA 32:17 c/w JOB 34:29.
D. Our Shepherd's leading means green pastures and still waters: fullness and peace. ROM 15:13.
E. Our refusal of His leading means emptiness and turmoil. RUTH 1:21; ISA 8:6-8; 48:22.