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Biblical Hebrew Applied: Psalm 23 (part 1)

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Introduction

Many people today can quote Psalm 23 verbatim, having learned it as a child in Sunday School, or perhaps Vacation Bible School, or maybe even from their parents. But how many of us truly understand the deeper, spiritual truths contained in this Psalm? The following study is aimed at giving us a bit more of an in-depth look at this beautiful Psalm and its practical application in our lives. During our study, it is important to remember that the truth contained in this Psalm—which indeed is the very Person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6)—is the “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Psalm 23, verse 1

23:1: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

The first thing to point out is that the word for “LORD” in Hebrew is יְהוָה (YHWH), which for the Jews was so holy that they would not even pronounce the name according to its consonants and vowels, but rather pronounced the name “adonai” instead. The word “adonai” comes from the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (’adonai), which comes from the word אָדוֹן (’adôn). It means “lord or master,” referring to a human “lord or master.” Thus, whenever the Jews would come to the word יְהוָה (YHWH), they would pronounce it as אֲדֹנָי  (’adonai), which may be translated as either “my lord,” or “oh lord” (e.g., Genesis 18:3).

YHWH the Shepherd

David, a shepherd himself, then recognizes that יְהוָה (YHWH) is his own “shepherd,” meaning that He will supply all of David’s needs. We see this reiterated in Philippians 4:19 by Paul: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” The question before us, therefore, is not whether God will or will not provide for us, but rather will we as His children continue to believe He will?

For example, after we have previously experienced His provision and then encounter difficult financial times in which fear grips us, attempting to motivate us to take matters in our own hands because, according to the thoughts coming into our minds, “God helped in the past, but He cannot do it now,” will we continue to trust and obey Him?

The most repetitive commandment in the Bible is “Do not fear,” and its corollaries—don’t worry, don’t be dismayed, etc. —and the second most repetitive command is “Trust in the Lord,” and its corollaries as well. Thus, when David writes, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want,” he does not write this from a place of ease and plenty, but rather from a point where he cannot see the metaphorical “hand in front of his face” or how his personal needs of sustenance are being provided. Indeed, this is the test for all of us in our walk of faith. Do we succumb to fear and take matters into our own hands, or do we make a choice to be committed to the death in believing and trusting God, doing things the way He directs us? Are we motivated by fear and reacting out of disbelief? Or do we trust in God who keeps us safe? That is the question, and it is one we are all brought to repeatedly. GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF OUR FEARS AND PRESSURES!

The Shepherd’s Perfect Provision

In relation to this, the Hebrew word for “want” is אֶחְסָֽר (’eḥsar), which literally means, “I will want,” but with the Hebrew word for “no,” לא (lo’), in front of it, it is translated “not I shall want.” The root verb for “want” is חָסֵר (ḥaser), which means “to have need, be lacking, and to fail.” Thus for David, even in the midst of his greatest needs, as he looked to the Lord, the Lord provided for him exactly what he needed exactly when he needed it. This too is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33:

For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? 28 “And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? 31 “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ 32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:25-33)

Thus, the struggle for us, as was with David and all other believers at any time in history, is not the fact that God will provide all of our needs, but rather our coming to the point of believing and trusting Him to do so. What we often find ourselves confronted with is the fear that God won’t, and then, motivated by that fear of disbelief, we begin to strive in our own carnal strength out of the fear of disbelief to meet our own needs because we do not believe that He will as He said He would. That is the continuing struggle and battle that we face as believers in Jesus.

What must occur is the end of trusting in ourselves (motivated by the fear that God will not and cannot do as He says He will do) before we can truly rest in His promise of provision as we genuinely “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” When that occurs, then He will indeed meet our needs, which may include work and the income we need for our needs and that of our families.

Comments

  1. Love your work! Really will challenge JWs because they believe Jehovah GOD and Jesus two separate gods.

  2. don’t mean to picky but on my Mac computer you have for the name of the Lord – yod,tav,zion,tav. the remainder of the blog has the correct hebrew letters for – I will want -want and etc.

  3. A MINHA PERGUNTA É A SEGUINTE: O QUE SIGNIFICA “BUSCAR PRIMEIRAMENTE O REINO DE DEUS E A SUA JUSTIÇA?”…É IR À IGREJA?

    • Essa é uma excelente pergunta, eo que isso significa é que devemos estar a tentar render a vontade de Deus para nossas vidas em confiar e obedecer a Deus como Ele nos chama a fazer. Por exemplo, rezar e esperar nEle, ao procurar um emprego, versus fora de medo e pânico, correndo aqui e ali para encontrar alguma coisa, e quando estamos nesse estado, podemos escorregar em uma posição comprometida de aceitar um emprego que é totalmente incompatível com os padrões morais e éticos que Deus nos deu para seguir como Seus filhos. Que Deus nos dá para seguir vai trazer a vida para nós, mas nós fazemos às vezes tem que esperar Nele e confiar nele, contra o que Satanás será imediatamente apresentar-nos que tende a afastar os nossos medos, no momento, mas ele vem com um grande preço a longo prazo de nos levar a mergulhar mais profundamente na armadilha de compromisso moral e ético.
      Outro exemplo seria o dízimo ao Senhor o que Ele nos deu. Malaquias 3:8-10 diz: “Roubará o Homem um Deus? Todavia vos me roubais, e dizeis: Em Que te roubamos? N dízimos e Ofertas NAS. 9 Com maldiçäo sois amaldiçoados, porqué o MIM me roubais, sim, Toda ESTA Nação. 10 Trazei de Todos os dízimos à casa do Tesouro, parágrafo Que Haja mantimento nd Minha Casa, e depois fazei Prova de Mim nisto, Diz o Senhor dos Exércitos, si eu näo vos Abrir As Janelas do Céu, e näo vos derramar Sobre UMA benção tal comeu Que näo Haja Lugar Suficiente Pará a recolherdes.” Assim, se nós confio a Deus para fazer o que Ele diz que vai fazer no fornecimento para as nossas necessidades, ou estamos indo para” segurar “o nosso dinheiro para fora do medo que ele não pode e não fornecer para nós se dermos a ele seu décimo?
      O último exemplo vou dar tem a ver com o perdão. Minha filha foi morta por um homem com mais de cinco anos atrás. Todos os dias eu rezo pela misericórdia de Deus na vida deste homem, contra deixar a raiva e amargura regra e, finalmente, destruir a minha vida, assim como o resto dos meus familiares através da minha amargura e desejo de vingança. Este último é bastante natural, mas também absolutamente destrutiva em nossas vidas. Na verdade, viver fora da amargura e vingança é como beber um frasco de veneno todos os dias até que ele nos mata! Assim, neste caso para mim, “Buscar Primeiro o Reino de Deus, ea SUA justiça” é rezar pela misericórdia de Deus sobre este homem todos os dias, e para deixar qualquer julgamento, ele pode merecer nas mãos de Deus, contra a tentativa de executar que o julgamento mim mesmo. Este homem está atualmente na prisão, mas antes que ele foi condenado, eu tinha que caminhar nesta verdade e obediência a Deus, senão eu teria eliminado-o de terra e trouxe dor e devastação ainda maior para a minha família. Este é, portanto, “Buscar Primeiro o Reino de Deus ea Suá Justiça” nd Minha Vida los termos práticos Muito.
      Portanto, para “Buscar Primeiro o Reino de Deus, ea SUA justiça” significa colocar a Sua vontade como a grade para a nossa tomada de decisão e acreditar em Suas promessas como sendo o melhor para nós, contra pondo de lado a Sua Palavra e seguir o nosso próprio centrada no homem decisões, que são motivados por medo de que Deus não vai fazer o que Ele diz que vai fazer, ou fora de nossa própria impaciência em não querer esperar por ele:

      A QUEM, POIs, me fareis semelhante, parágrafo Que eu LHE SEJA Igual? Diz o Santo. 26 Levantai ao Alto OS Vossos Olhos, e QUEM CRIOU vede estás Coisas; FOI AQUELE Que FAZ Sair o Exercito DELAS Segundo o Seu NÚMERO; elementos como uma Chama TODAS pelos SEUS nomos; POR Causa da Grandeza das Forças SUAS, e porquanto e forte in Poder, nenhuma DELAS faltará. 27 Por Que dizes, ó Jacó, e tu falas, ó Israel: O meu Caminho estabele Encoberto AO Senhor, EO Meu Juízo despercebido Passa AO meu Deus? 28 sabes Nao, näo ouviste Que o eterno Deus, o senhor, o Criador dos aletas da Terra, NEM SE cansa NEM SE fatiga? E inescrutável o Seu entendimento. 29 Dá Força AO cansado, e multiplica como Forças Que näo AO TEM vigor softwares antigos. 30 Os Jovens si cansaräo e fatigaräo si, e OS Moços certamente cairäo; 31 Mas OS Que esperam não renovaräo senhor como Forças, subiräo com ASAS Como Águias; correräo, e näo si cansaräo; caminharäo, e näo si fatigaräo. (Isaías 40:25-31)

      Que o Senhor continue a abençoar-vos em todos os sentidos, e se eu puder ser de qualquer assistência adicional, não hesite em contactar-me.

      Deus te abençoe,

      Justin T. Alfred

      • obrigada Justin,
        foi de grande ajuda ja que levo tanto tempo buscando esta resposta e nunca encontrei um pastor sequer que me possa ajudar. é triste para mim não poder agradar a Deus e fazer sempre o contrario a sua palavra. não consigo saber qual é a direcção do Senhor. moro em portugal e não encontro uma igreja com uma doctrina sã, é um povo muito católico e de coração frio. considera-se dizimo ajudar ao proximo ou só é dizimo o dinheiro dado às igrejas?
        obrigada por falar do perdão. pensei que conseguia perdoar mas agora sinto que o meu coração ainda está preso na dor.
        fiquei sem emprego e as portas estão fechadas….como Job perdi tudo, as vez sinto medo e desespero e as vezes sinto uma fé mas é muito fraca e não sei ouvir a voz de Deus . Peço que por favor ore por mi para que a minha fé seja fortalecida e o meu coração seja sensível a vos de Deus.
        obrigada e que o Sr. o abenções ricamente.

  4. Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right and all his works are done in truth

    • Amen.Rom.2:2; Gal.2:14.
      Therefore Paul confides 2Cor.13:8!
      Truth Alone Shall Triumph. ” SATYAMEVA JAYATE.”
      Amen.
      poor and needy one,
      mathew

  5. Thank you for your blog post!I love the way the Hebrew language is so dynamic! Studying Hebrew has changed the way I read the Bible. I am so looking forward to reading more from Mr. Alfred.

  6. I think the point can be strongly made that we, as Christians, don’t always walk in faith when it comes to issues of God’s provision for food and shelter because we so often pray for God to supply them. However, as believers, we have the same familial relationship to God as our children have to us. Do we expect our own children to actually ask for food and shelter every day? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate example of faithlessness on the part of the children? How would you feel if your children actually asked you to feed and clothe them rather than their walking in faith that you would do so naturally by reason of your relationship to them? Notice, too, that Jesus never asked for God’s provision for food but always just thanked Him for it because He knew that His Father supplied all His need because He (Jesus) was fully submitted to Him.

    • Yes, you are right. But the devil knows that fact better! Hence he is making an all out blitz against the very concept of family, marriage, respect, submission, ORDER etc.. He delights in creating a murky, doubt (remember Eve!) ful law and order situation. These are the days of alimony and absentee father….
      I call to remembrance how I cherish and nourish my kids and find no problem to Trust God, the Lover of my soul.
      “The WILL OF THE GENTILES and the will of God our Father are contrary, mutually exclusive.(1Pet.4:3).
      Green grace be with you all.
      Poor and needy one,
      mathew

  8. Beware of ‘Sarah Solutions’!
    Go, wait, for the GREEN Pastures, THE GREEN SOLUTION!
    Lodebar is not your lien.

    Sadly,tragically, we learn from History that we do NOT learn from history.
    Why should we succumb, when the surpassing SUCCOURER is standing by?Heb.2:18.
    Our COMMITMENT for the truth should be that of the Hebrew boys. Look at the suicide bombers, Rom.10:19! Light afflictions! Ten day tribulation! ” Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”Rev.2:10.
    ” Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Heb.12:4.
    The Green Deal (Heb.12:7) is the best deal! Green grace be with you all. Amen.
    Poor and needy one,
    mathew

  9. Thank you so very much for sharing this. I too have just completed a Daily Devotional series on the 23rd Psalm. Your insight is HUGE and very deeply appreciated. Keep up the amazing work.

    Gary B.

  11. Bro. Justin, Praise the Lord. Well begun is half done. Thanks for the right start at Psalm 23. I have half a dozen things in front of me touting their GREEN products. Of late I’ve been puzzled about this popular preference for, obsession with the quest for going green.
    I feel like small paul on Mars’ Hill. As if to ignite that thought, you set off with Psalm 23!!!! Aren’t they unknowingly (Acts.17:23) unwittingly, subconsciously searching for ‘your’ green pastures? Only his bed is GREEN (Song.1:16). Only his GREEN oil (Ps.92:10) can lube the squeaking, ‘crack’ing wheels of their lives. Look at the squandered lives of the celebrities. Bear with me, we learn from History, that we do not learn from His-tory. He is the True Green Tree, Green Revolution. Eso (ie.Jesus) friendly, Eco- friendly(Rev.11:18; 1Cor.3:17). How else can we explain this fad or phenomenon? Aren’t they groping Isa.59:10 for the walls at high noon?
    Green grace be with you all.
    Poor and needy one,
    mathew

    • “Burst of life. Spring’s Glorious, Gorgeous Green.”
      Internet, Globalization, they see the blessings of liberty we enjoy. ..whithersoever the rivers shall come, life, power and showers of resurrection, healing (Eze.47:9). Contrast India and Africa! Isn’t the Arab Spring too a “feeling after” Acts.17:27, groping for the True GREEN? God, send the river of thy light Pro.21:1, shine, Jesus, shine. No wonder The Sun of Righteousness Mal.4:2 is called ‘the Desire of all nations’, Amen.Poor and needy one,
      mathew

    • I, too, enjoyed Justin Alfred’s encouragements to fear not and to trust in our gracious Shepherd, Jehovah. Thank you!

      And, Mathew, thank you for pointing out the “green oil” in Psalm 92.10; that prompted me to look up the verse in our beloved Blue Letter Bible and trace out the other uses of “ra`anan”. Praise God for the treasure of His written Word. Looks like the modern Green Movement is just a recycling of our ancient sin of worshiping the creature rather than the Creator. Praise God that His true purpose for green, with all it gives and all it represents, will prevail: “…and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.” (Rev. 4.3)

      Earth does not want to be worshiped. Praise God that the creation loves and worships Him. How gracious and kind is our God for rescuing us from creature-worship, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

      • Sister, thank you. I had a hunch that there was something green in Rev. Thanks for spotting it.
        Grace be with you.
        Poor and needy one,
        mathew

    • I have been on the fringe of the “green movement” and find your comments interesting.I have learned it has become a marketimg ploy with organic as a mislabel as I will never forget that the root of the word is “containing carbons. We have defiately been playing God with our planet/heavens and perhaps the time is now to be involved on some level. I have turned my Facebook page(s) into doing a bit of awarewness and action. Hope to see some of you there.

      • We sing, ” My God shall supply all MY needs…..
        But it takes a small paul to declare “….all YOUR needs !
        Note the “certainty” (Luke.1:4; 1Cor.9:26), boldness, precision.
        Our God is a versatile Logistician nonpareil! Amen.
        Grace be with you all.
        Poor and needy one,
        mathew

  12. Hi,

    I wanted to add in that I’m on a PC and YHVH still has tav’s for the he’s.

  13. Thank you Dr. Alfred for opening up the word to us. I am really excited to follow your teaching with all your insight in to hebrew and the jewish culture. i love those two gems about the most repeated commands in the bible is do not fear and trust in the Lord!
    God bless you, tommy

  14. O, my, my!
    But this “MY” is special. I cannot but read Ps.23:1 without thumping my chest. This “MY” is a prehensile my. See, it has 3 loose ends signifying the body (the bottom one), the soul and the spirit ( the soaring one on the right). I write them like the tendrils of grape vine! Observe how they cling to the vine (John.15:5). Paul challenges, ” Who can separate us…
    Thus God in His wisdom has supplied us with the tools, instruments of prehension! So we can Comprehend & Apprehend Him & glorify Him with our spirit, soul & body. Amen
    Green grace be with you all,
    Poor and needy one,
    mathew

  15. Thanks, Justin, to point out that the name “LORD” used by David is YHWH, Yahweh, יְהוָה, in symbols of Hebrew letters = “Open Hand” + “Grace (Window)” + “Nail” + “Grace (Window)” = Jesus our LORD. Praise the LORD, our good Shepherd!

  16. Thanks for the help in better understanding YHWH’s eternal words of light for us. Indeed, we “not I shall want”! The letter in ehsar looks to be a chet rather than a hay which has a slight break in the upper left corner, perhaps its a typo.

  17. Justin I will be looking forward to each installment. I hope you and BLB can make this a regular feature of the site. God Bless

  18. YES, He DIRECTS us and we can truly REST in him. He is the Lord of the laaaaaast sparrow and the least grain. He answers, appears before we call him Isa.65:24.
    S -avior
    H -elper
    E -ntertainer
    P -rovider
    H -usband
    E -l gibbor
    R -apha
    D -irector
    So SHEPHERD, to me, is an acronym! Amen. It is an OCTET. Ye are complete in him Col.2:10. When the outer shell is complete the

    molecule
    is inert. This is why we can fill our tires with Nitrogen. It is inert at normal temperature and pressure. You can truly rest when the Lord is the DIRECTOR of the drama of your life.Note the APPEAREDs in Mark.16!
    Yes, Bro.Justin, Jesus Christ is the same…I change not. He speaks to us dissuasively and persuasively. He knoweth our frame (Ps.103:14). Amen
    Grace be with you all.
    Poor and needy one,
    mathew

  19. Sadly, to some ‘this Jesus thing’ is bitter, disgusting, a stumbling stone. ( See, Jehovah and Jesus speak the same thing Deu.6:4; Mark.12:29). But to us who BELIEVE he is precious, meditation sweet, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (Ps.104:34). In fact, this MEDITATION is MEDICATION!!! Ye are BOUGHT with the precious blood, with a price. Therefore glorify him with your fingers, tongue 1Cor.6:20. ABUNDANT GRACE AND MERCY BE WITH YOU ALL.
    Poor and needy one,
    mathew

  20. What I love about Jesus’ admonition to us here is the “why” we should ‘take no thought ‘……..’BECAUSE after all these things the Gentiles seek’.
    Our reason for not fearing is because, as Children of God through the new birth, we naturally seek first the rulers hip of God and to stand before Him each moment rightly. Our fear is erased when we live in His light. It’s only when our eye is unhealthy that we are full of darkness…..and therefore fear. In Him IS no darkness, so if we live in the light, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness and we have fellowship. Peace that passes understanding. Provision is the fruit of love. God is love.

  21. MUCHAS GRACIAS , POR ESTA CLASE DE INTRODUCCION AL HEBREO ,ES UN TESORO PRECIOSO EL HEBREO BIBLICO Y YO LO ESTOY ESTUDIANDO , GRACIAS A ESTE PROGRAMA http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/

    Y TAMBIEN SUS APORTES SON IMPORTASNTES
    ME PUEDE DAR OTROS ALCANCES , PARA APRENDERLO MEJOR ?

  22. I was reading Bible Prophercy Today and came across your Blue Letter Bible site. I love Psalm 23 and it’s been good learning more. Thank you so very much!!