It is one of the most known passages in the entire Christian Bible, the 23rd Psalm; because of its familiarity it is easy to read the Psalm without thinking about it and understanding what it is saying.
Take for example the line, ‘The LORD is my Shepherd . . . ’ I’m not a shepherd; my father was not a shepherd; the only time I’ve dealt with sheep is either at a fair, petting zoo, or observation on someone’s farm . . . and the television show Lamb Chops.
Many visuals and ideas are present in the Bible that we, centuries later, do not fully grasp, or even slightly so. This is one of them. In our mind we usually have some sort of weirdo who hangs around and smells like sheep way too much; he probably has some sort of long wooden hook, maybe a walking stick, sleeps outside and would be unpleasant to us at our dinner table.
David calls God his shepherd. Hmm . . . either we are missing something or David thinks God is a wimp. Let’s remember some things about David, who authored this Psalm. He too was a shepherd. Remember, he was pretty bummed because he was watching his dad’s flock of sheep while his brothers were shaking in their boots on the battle-field? David also fought off some pretty beastly foes: he fought off lions, bears, wolves, and any other kind of loser who tried to nab his sheep. The Bible gives us, therefore, a much better context for understanding what being a shepherd meant; namely, if you were a sheep and you wanted to stay alive you had better have someone who was a warrior—that is a good shepherd. A friend of mine described the term shepherd more accurately as one who was like a US Marine—he is going to valiantly protect those who are his family or ‘flock.’ We see a couple verses later that God has some weaponry in a club and staff—the first being used for fighting off others. David did not fear in the face of his own death because God was with him!
But a shepherd is not all brass and guts. A shepherd only fights off enemies because he cares for his sheep. The quiet streams; the lush and comfy pastures; the refreshing and restoration of our souls. God is tender and loving; good.
Fierce towards His enemies; loving towards His own. This is a shepherd who I can follow.
Don’t take my word for it, look for yourself in the Bible. Is this your Shepherd?
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