Read Psalm 23
Psalm 23 is the most famous Psalm in the Psalter, and for good reason. It has proven to be a source of great comfort to God’s people for generations, and it continues to be one of the most immediately accessible and beautiful Psalms for everyday life. It speaks directly to the deepest source of hope and fulfillment that the human soul has while also acknowledging the reality of pain and difficulty in the human experience.
One helpful way of gaining insight into why this Psalm is so comforting is to look at the Psalm from the perspective of pathway. The movement of Psalm 23 is what creates the drama that speaks so insightfully to our experiences. It is a Psalm that moves from rest through danger to fulfillment. From being a sheep to becoming a king. It presents us with three major movements that summarize the trajectory of human existence, and it summarizes the great drama of the life of Christ. It is truly a Psalm of majestic depth.
The first movement of the Psalm is the beginning. There is a sense of peace and innocence that is communicated through the images of green pastures and still waters. Psalm 23:1-3 ground the Psalm in the security of identity. There is something about being a sheep of the LORD that is unshakable. But this first portion of the Psalm is not overly idealistic. In verse 3, there is an allusion to a looming darkness that is in the background. This is communicated through the action of the shepherd. The LORD is the shepherd who restores. This action assumes that the soul is something that is in need of restoration. It implies the fallenness of the world.
What verse 3 alludes to is made explicit in the next verse. With 12 English words, the Psalmist transforms the pleasant and idyllic setting of the first portion of the Psalm into an overwhelming sense of dread. The picture of a sheep walking through the valley of the shadow of death is ominous and foreboding. The audience instantly has a clearer picture of why the soul needs restoration! It is because the pathway of the sheep passes through the valley of the shadow of death. There are three words that carry the weight of the setting of the second movement “valley” “shadow” and “death”.
At first, it may be difficult to locate any hope for such a situation if you are just looking at the first part of verse 3, but it is still there. The sheep is WALKING THROUGH this valley, implying that there is a source of sustaining strength and that the valley is finite, it will come to an end. The hope continues to grow as verse 3 progresses as there is a confession of fearing no evil and the sustaining presence of the Shepherd there with the sheep in that valley. The comfort that this brings the sheep is the very power that the sheep uses to continue to WALK THROUGH the valley.
The conclusion of the Psalm sees a transformation. No longer are we looking at the image of a sheep, but of a king. Having walked with the shepherd through the valley, the sheep is transformed into a king receiving a royal feast as he is anointed and comes to the throne. This is a victory feast, but it is not an ordinary victory feast. It is an eternal victory feast. Rather than valleys and shadows, only goodness and mercy will be in pursuit of this king. Instead of green pastures and still waters (good as those might be), we have eternal dwelling in the house of the LORD. This is the destination that the pathway leads to, the dwelling place of the LORD. And, as we remember verse 4, even when we are travelling as sojourners through the valleys of our journey, the LORD is with us. He doesn’t leave us to journey on our own, but he first restores us, then comforts us, then feeds and anoints us. The LORD is at work blessing us as we walk the pathway he has placed before us. And we know through experience and through the life of Christ, that the pathway before us will first pass through darkness before ascending to eternal light. But even in the darkness, the LORD is with us, making our way sure, and our destination of dwelling with him a certainty.
Questions
1. What part of the “pathway” metaphor stood out to you in this Psalm?
2. What are some of the ways that this Psalm provides or has provided comfort to you in the past or the present?
3. Have you noticed the pattern of [rest and restoration] [through darkness and shadow] [to reward and feast] in your life?
4. How does the life of Christ follow the pattern of this Psalm?
5. How have you felt “the rod and staff” of God’s presence as a comfort in difficult times?
6. Do you believe that verses 5 + 6 are better than verses 1-3? How does God’s blessing become better through suffering?