Psalm 23

Sheep cannot look after themselves. They need someone to lead them to grass and water. They need someone to guard them at night.

David knew this well. As a young man, he kept his father's sheep. He fought off lions and bears to save them (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

Years later, David wrote a song. It begins, "The LORD is my shepherd" (23:1).

This is a comparison. God is compared to a shepherd. David is compared to a sheep. David had been the shepherd. In this song, he calls himself the sheep.

Next David says, "I shall not want" (23:1). In older English, "want" means "lack" or "go without." David means this: with God as my shepherd, I will have what I need.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures" (23:2). A pasture is a field of grass where animals eat. In a dry land, green grass was a gift. A sheep lying in the grass is fed and at rest.

"He leads me beside quiet waters" (23:2). Quiet water is calm and safe to drink. The shepherd goes first. The sheep follow.

This is a comparison too. God gives rest, food, and peace. God leads, and David follows.

"He restores my soul" (23:3). To restore means to make new again. David is saying that God brings him back to life inside.

"He guides me in the paths of righteousness" (23:3). These are right paths. They stand for the good ways God wants people to live. God does it "for the sake of His name" (23:3). That means God guides because of who God is. The sheep did not earn it.

Now the picture in the song becomes a dark one.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" (23:4). A valley is a low place between hills. A deep valley can be full of shadows. It is hard to see what is coming.

Some other Bibles say "the darkest valley." Both are careful ways to translate the same Hebrew words. Either way, it is a very dark place, and it is real.

This is a comparison. The dark valley stands for the most frightening times in life. That can mean danger, deep sadness, or death itself.

The shepherd does not lead the sheep around the valley. The sheep walks through it.

Then David says, "I will fear no evil, for You are with me" (23:4). Something changes here. Until now, David talked about God. Now, in the dark valley, David talks to God.

"Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (23:4). A shepherd carried a rod, a short club, to drive off wild animals. He carried a staff, a long stick, to guide the sheep. Both meant the shepherd was close by.

The picture changes again. Now God is a host, and David is a guest. This is a comparison. God is compared to someone who welcomes a guest to a meal.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (23:5). The enemies are still nearby. They have not gone away. God sets out the food anyway, and David is safe at the table.

"You anoint my head with oil" (23:5). To anoint means to pour oil on someone. Back then, a host sometimes put sweet-smelling oil on a guest's head. It was a way to honor the guest (Luke 7:46).

"My cup overflows" (23:5). The cup is so full that it spills over. This is a picture of more than enough.

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life" (23:6). Mercy is kindness to someone who needs it. This is a comparison. God's goodness and mercy are pictured as following right behind David, every day, wherever he goes.

"And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (23:6). To dwell means to live. The house of the LORD was the place where Israel gathered to worship God.

The song began in a field, with a shepherd and his sheep. It ends at home, with God. The shepherd was with the sheep the whole way, even in the dark valley.