The Lord is my Shepherd

Over the past few weeks, my church has been studying the 23^rd Psalm, one of the most recognisable of the psalms, and one of the most quoted and loved. The familiar verses often have a comforting and reassuring effect on the reader or listener. It’s the psalm that Robert Falcon Scott turned to in his Bible as he was perishing on his ill-fated Antarctic expedition. It’s the psalm that was quoted to a dying woman by one of her fellow captives after a desperate and brutal trek in the movie “Paradise Road”. It’s been read at countless funerals. Why? Because it brings words of reassurance and hope, that in spite of adversity and sorrow, love triumphs, hope triumphs and Jesus reigns.

Jesus here is our Shepherd and it’s interesting the way in which shepherds are depicted in the Bible. The job of a shepherd was regarded as one of the most lowly in ancient Israel. It was a tough and lonely life, tending what was usually not owned by the shepherd. The sheep were the property of rich men and were tended by poor ones, or, as in the case of David, the youngest son. It wasn’t a job that men aspired to. Sometimes one became a shepherd because they were on the run and hiding out – as Moses did when he fled from Egypt to Midian.

Anyone who has watched the sheep dog trials at a country fair will understand that sheep are not the smartest of animals, nor the most cooperative. Farmer and dog must work together to coerce the creatures through a series of obstacles and into a holding pen. Usually sheep will follow each other, but often there is a beast that breaks away on its own, or stubbornly will not move. Sheep require careful attention and monitoring. They cannot care for themselves, forage for their own food, shed their excess fleece or fend off predators.

No wonder the psalmist places us in the position of sheep- silly, wilful, crowd-following, helpless sinners that we are. We need a shepherd – the Good Shepherd, as Jesus described himself. He was ever one to identify with the humble. When this psalm was written shepherds walked in front of their flock, which followed wherever the shepherd led, listening to the sound of his voice. The shepherd used his rod and his staff to guide the flock, keeping them together. The rod and staff were also used as weapons to ward off predators.

“The Lord is my Shepherd” are words of a personal promise. He is my Shepherd. He cares for me. I will not lack nourishment, provision and guidance. He has restored my soul from a place of sin and death to life and hope. Even when I pass through difficult times I know that He is with me and I need not be afraid because He protects me. I am blessed throughout my life because I know Him, and at the end of this earthly life I will go to Heaven to be in His presence forever.