The BLB Blog

The official blog of Blue Letter Bible

7 Things the Lord Does for the Believer in Psalm 23

Posted on Posted by

The following is from the works of F.E. Marsh, a study series coming soon to the BLB.

The LORD Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2       He makes me lie down in green pastures.
  He leads me beside still waters.fn
3      He restores my soul.
  He leads me in paths of righteousness
        for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
       I will fear no evil,
  for you are with me;
      your rod and your staff,
      they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
       in the presence of my enemies;
  you anoint my head with oil;
      my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
      all the days of my life,
  and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
     forever.

Listed below are 7 things the Lord does for the believer in Psalm 23:

  1. A sheep fed. “I shall not want” (verse 1).
  2. A child led. “He leads me beside the still waters” (verse 2).
  3. A backslider restored. “He restores my soul” (verse 3).
  4. A friend comforted. “your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (verse 4).
  5. A warrior feasted. “You prepare a table before me” (verse 5).
  6. A priest anointed. “you anoint my head” (verse 5).
  7. A pilgrim housed. “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (verse 6).

Comments

  2. The LORD gave me this chapter to really work out about six months ago and with each verse he has played it out in my life, in the physical. All I can say is WOW, not that I am walking out the last few verses.

    The path my Shepherd has led me through might not have been my choice path, it had many hills, very bumpy roads, fast running deep streams with wolves howling all the time, just outside the tree line.

    Like Job 42:5 I can now say ” I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees Thee”.

    Today I am learning to believe Thee and really Believe this chapter in my heart !

    In a world where many do not live up to thier word, I have found that being led completey by our True Shepherd a fleshly painful thing. You will die to self completey to be led by him completely.

    Think about it, to really be a sheep, not a wolf, is not our nature today. We are programmed in our fast crowded world to not be sheepish. However I decided to give into his request to learn to be what he created me to be. “A Sheep”

    He never lets me stray, even when I get scared and run with no direction in mind he stops me before I plumit to my death off a cliff.

    He never lets go even when I scream, squirm, kick, cry and act like 3 year old not wanting to go with daddy or who didn’t get a candy in the check out line.

    He picks me up reminds me I am not my own anymore I am his and of his flock.

    He carrys me until I calm down enough to hear him. While he walks with me firmly held, he whispers he loves me, and strokes my face with the back of his hand, and as he speaks I begin to feel comforted and at peace. Safely in his arms.

    He then sets me at a table to eat in a really noisy and bad resturant and says keep your eyes on me and eat with the King at his table. With a little effort at first, I can focus just on our table and then the back ground noise seems to go off into the distance as long as I focus on him only and first. Then we eat and converse like royalty.

    His House is wonderful, beautiful, and priviledged, full of loving kindness, and rest when we get to stay inside…..

    Living out this verse, Believing this verse, Understanding this verse, is much different than just reading it. Amen..

    I thank you Father, for showing me what being your sheep is really like, and loving me even when I have been “the sheep no one else would keep”. In Jesus Name. With Love your child.

  3. My thirst is fully quenched. My cup overflows. Filled to capacity and beyond, issuing forth rivers of living water. If my cup overflows the cup is hidden and only the contents are visible to those around me.

    • A quick note to all – if you would like to have your cup filled, you first have to empty it. Don’t just keep the faith, share it!

      • Rex, What a Good Word to us all, Light shines the Brightest in the darkest places. That is where we are needed in those dimly lit places out there in our daily walks.

  4. As I read through Marsh’s list, it didn’t seem to me that his explanation of verse 3, a “backslider restored” agrees with the overall message being put forth in this Psalm, so I looked up the word “restored” (shuwb, Strong’s H7725). It is true that, in general, this word means “to return, turn back,” which could be applied to backsliders, but its specific meaning is “to refresh” (Gesenius”s Lexicon), which is more in keeping with purpose of the rest of David’s declarations about our Shepherd.

    I pray that, throughout this day, all of you will be blessed by the power of love and truth that comes from our loving God.

      • Donna~

        I actually wanted to comment on your post, too. When people like you share your experiences, it is such a witness to the rest of us that our trials, tribulations, tests, and triumphs begin and end with a God who loves us and seeks only to perfect us for our good and His glory, so thank you for being faithful, not only in allowing the Lord to have His perfect way in you but for sharing it with the rest of us.

        God’s eternal purpose may be the same for each of us, but His method of achieving what He wants in each of us is very personalized. I am constantly amazed at how our Savior chooses and uses the exact situations and people and timing that we need to accomplish His purposes in us and through us although our reactions are the same (“act like a 3 year old”) 🙂 We can, as you said in so many ways, know that God is faithful, and it is because, as we are told in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

        Have a blessed day~
        Barbara

    • The emphasis is on the (RE) we once were fresh and so we have to be refreshed. All of us need this re-freshing daily in our lives.

  5. When will someone create BLB app for android? I use BLB all the time at my PC, but really need it when I travel

  6. BLB has really blessed me with Gods words, I just can’t get over that there is a way to share Gods wisdom.

  7. I am really glad I’ve join this lovely group and reading this verse has really touch my heart

  9. One of the assistants at our church preached on this yesterday and it provided new revelation of the sufficiency of our God, our Father the good shepherd. These 7 points take the instruction we receive to an even higher. As senior pastor and a shepherd who understands what it means to sacrifice for the flock. I stand in awe of the awesomeness of Our Shepherd and agree with David – I shall not want for my needs are already met in Him

  10. Psalms 23 has always been a mainstay in our faith. At times it is hard to understand it and at others it seems so smple. Keep pushing for His Will and not our own.

    • Has anyone noticed that the intimacy with the Shepherd changes partway through the Psalm. I am sure, had I done this in a school essay, I would have lost marks.
      The change of pronoun from “He” to “You” takes place when passing through the “valley of the shadow of death”.
      Those of us who have been in this valley can attest to the fact it is then that the Lord’s presence is closest.