The Good Shepherd | Psalm 23

August 3rd, 2025

In our sermon series, Behold Your King, we are examining the life and person of David as an archetype of the promised messiah, the Christ. Today we end with David, the shepherd-king. For our study we turn to Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is a beloved piece of scripture. It is simple, it is beautiful, and it is theologically deep. This Psalm is well known by believers and unbelievers alike. And since it's so well known, it is abused in its understanding and even in its context. Many people think that, because the Shepherd is with us, the Psalm promises a life that is free of pain, free of hardship, free of turmoil, opposition, and difficulty. Such is not reality, and this is the reason David wrote this Psalm. The Psalm has a very specific structure and a very specific placement in the Salter. The Psalter is arranged in five books corresponding to the five books of the Pentateuch. The first book, Psalms 1-41, corresponds to Genesis, and the next book corresponds to Exodus, etc. 

We understand that the Psalms were meant for worship and are the doxological overlays of the books of Moses. Doxology is theology experienced. So, while the Torah gives voice to his people, the Psalms are the people's voices lifted back to God in worship. And that's why they're so cherished. Book 1 begins to make a little bit more sense because there are a lot of personal laments in this Book. As you look at Genesis, you see that God was dealing with individual people and individual families. As we look through Book 1 of Psalms, the primary word for God that is used is Yahweh, the I Am, the self-existent One, the One who created all things, the One who was before all things, the One who wants to have a personal relationship with His creation. Book 1 sets the foundation for the rest of the Psalms, and Psalms 1 and 2 serve as the introduction.

Psalm 23 sits within a triad of Psalms: Psalms 22, 23, and 24 that form a Christological arc. In Psalm 22, we have the suffering and vindication of Christ. In Psalm 23 we have the Lord is my shepherd where we find trust and the presence of Christ. He is the shepherding-Lord. And in Psalm 24, we have the king of glory. And so, we have the enthronement of the sovereign King. From early times in the Christian Church, theologians have said this Christological arc represent the cross, the crook, and the crown, the cross representing the sacrifice of the Savior, the crook representing the Shepherd’s staff, and the crown representing the kingship of Christ.

In Psalm 22 there are no green pastures, no still waters. It is only after we read My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, that we come to the Lord as Shepherd. This is David's point in Psalm 23. We must know the value of shed blood and see the sword awakened against the Shepherd before we are able to truly know the sweetness of the Good Shepherd's care. Even though we don't live in an agrarian society, the imagery is very clear and relatable because we are exposed to it from Genesis through Revelation. In Genesis, we read about Cain and Abel. Abel was the keeper of the flocks and Cain was a worker of the ground. Cain slayed the shepherd who offered the perfect sacrifice.  Genesis 13 describes Abraham where he's identified as having flocks and herds. And then from Abraham on, the patriarchs are primarily shepherding nomads. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David all spent time as shepherds. 

David is the great shepherd figure of the Old Testament. In First Samuel 16 we read that God had told Samuel to anoint one of the seven sons of Jesse to replace Saul as king over Israel. Samuel started with the oldest son, Eliab, but God rejected him. God said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” Samuel went down the line until he came to David, the youngest. And what was David? He was pastoring or shepherding the flock. David was able to defeat Goliath because he trusted that God was with him, as He had been when he killed a lion and a bear. 

God does a lot with His people and we can hone-in on these people, but when we see these people in the greater context of Scripture, we learn more about who God is than who the people are. That's God's point. He's showing us who He is through these people. In 2 Samuel 5:2, Israel said to David that in times past, when Saul was king, but  it was you who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord said to you, you shall be a shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be Prince over Israel. So, we have this prophecy that points to the coming of Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd and He is identified as the Son of David. 

In Numbers 27:17 we read that Moses prayed for his successor so that the Hebrews wouldn’t be like sheep without a shepherd. And then we find that Christ had compassion on the crowds in Jerusalem because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). Then we come to the culmination of Christ's ministry in John 10. This is where He makes one of the Great I AM statements as he says I am the Good Shepherd. A foreshadowing of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is seen in the Christological arc found in Psalms 22, 23 and 24. In John 10, Jesus says I lay down my life for the sheep (Psalm 22). When He says I AM the Good Shepherd, He is relating to the shepherd’s crook in Psalm 23. John Tenney says that when Jesus says He lays down His life and takes it up again, there we have ultimate victory. In Psalm 24, we have this crown, the reigning sovereign Lord.

It's the image of a shepherd which makes Psalm 23 such a deeply personal revelation of who God is, so that we can better understand and know Him; that is God’s desires for us. We learn to trust God as we see how He cared for David. 

Psalm 23 can be broken down into two basic sections, verses one through three and verses four through six. Within these two sections, there are three movements, each identified by the letter I: “I shall not want”, “I fear no evil”, and “I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever”. God identifies Himself as our provider, our protestor, and our preserver. These three aspects relate to Jesus Christ being our Good Shepherd.

The first movement we have is “I shall not want”. We see the Shepherd who provides. We know that this is a personal provision because as we look at Psalm 23 says Yahweh is my shepherd, I shall not want. We have intimacy, but we also have limitations because David is saying the Lord is my shepherd. As we think about this Psalm, the first thing we have to come to understand is that not everyone who reads this Psalm can claim it as their own because it may not be true. Not all Israel can read this Psalm and claim God as their shepherd. Only those who confess Psalm 22 can then look at Psalm 23 and say the Lord is my Shepherd, because His blood was shed for me. You can't claim Him as Lord and not believe Him.

Do you truly believe that He is your shepherd? Jesus said in John 10 that His sheep hear His voice, and they follow him because they believe Him. Do you believe that you are a sinner in need of salvation? Do you believe that you deserve to die spiritually for your sin? Do you believe that Jesus died for you? Do you believe that He is your only hope of salvation? If these things are true of you, then that's hearing the Shepherd's voice. If you truly believe these things, then Psalm 23 applies to you. Often, we hear someone say, I received Jesus as my Savior when I was young, then I received Him as Lord later in life. Jesus has always been your Lord; you may have just been in rebellion. He is sovereign, He is reigning. He is the I AM. We must confess Him as Yahweh, confess Christ as Lord, then believe in your heart that God raised from the dead, then you will be saved.

I. The Shepherd Who Provides (vv. 1-3)

• Physical Provision

Jesus is the Shepherd-King. Those who hear the Shepherd's voice and believe, are under the Shepherd's care and He provides for them bountifully. He provides physically (green pastures and quiet waters for food and drink) and spiritually (a restored soul and a righteous life). David is saying that God provides tender shoots, nourishing young vegetation with many nutrients in the grass. The shepherd understands that if his sheep are hungry and malnourished, there is no rest, and they don't know where to lie down. The shepherd not only provides good food, but he rotates the sheep through various pastures that provide fresh nourishment and safety. 

The shepherd leads the sheep to quiet waters. Sheep are very much afraid of rushing water because if they fall into the water, their wool will become so waterlogged that they cannot get out, and they will drown. The shepherd leads to quiet waters, but they are not stagnant waters. The shepherd leads them to fresh, drinkable water. These are life-giving waters, which is why Christ talks about how He is the source of living water in John 4:14. Quiet waters are not always available, so sometimes the shepherd will go out early in the morning and dam-up a rushing stream to create a safe pool for the sheep to drink. 

• Spiritual Provision

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." When Psalm 23 says the shepherd makes him lie down in green pastures, it's not a forced rest. The sheep lie down and rest because the shepherd has developed a relationship with them. The sheep obey because they trust the shepherd and know he has their best interest at heart. The sheep trust the shepherd to provide what is needed because they're helpless to find food on their own. It must be given to them. This is true also of salvation; we cannot find it on our own, it must be given to us by a merciful, gracious God.

When David speaks of restoring our soul, he means that God replaces the turmoil within us with peace. In Psalm 42:5 David asks, “Why are you cast down? O, my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” The idea of being cast down means our will, our emotions, and our whole self need to be brought back into fellowship with God. This is the idea of turmoil within. Sometimes sheep fall (become cast down) and cannot stand again on their own; they experience great turmoil. Gases build up in their bodies and they can die within hours. The shepherd must flip it over and then begin to massage its legs slowly and calmly in order to work out the gases that have built up. This gentle restoration was David's experience after his many sins. And that's what the Psalms are about. It's this doxological praise, giving back to God for what he has done for us.

Once when David was fleeing Saul he went to the wilderness of Paran, where he protected the sheep and shepherds belonging to Nabal, a wealthy man who was “harsh and badly behaved” (1 Samuel 25:3). David sent ten of his young men to ask Nabal for provisions to celebrate a feast day. However, Nabal refused to provide anything for David and he also insulted David. David was very angry and planned to destroy Nabal and all in his house. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was told about how David had protected Nabal’s property and what he planned to do, so she took generous provisions and intercepted David and his 400 men bent on killing the house of Nabal. David then relented from following through on this sinful plan. God used a beautiful, wise woman to lead David in paths of righteousness. Also, David, knowing that he had been anointed to become king, twice was given the opportunity to kill King Saul. However, God led David in paths of righteousness when he refused to touch the Lord’s anointed (1 Samuel 24 and 26).

God used Nathan to lead David to repentance after his affair with Bathsheba. Also, God confronted David, leading him to repentance, when David ordered a census of the fighting men in his army. God used these events to lead David in paths of righteousness. The goal of our walking in righteousness is to keep us from wandering from God’s commandments and to not defame God’s name.

II. The Shepherd Protects (v. 4)

We have seen the provision of the shepherd, and now we see that the shepherd also protects. Verse 4 says 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. The valley is not the destination, but instead it is the route to something better. The shepherd may have multiple pastures, some of which may be separated by dangerous paths. In the Judean wilderness, valleys may be dark and have deep shadows. The sheep will follow the shepherd because they trust him to lead them safely through the valleys. When the vegetation of a valley begins to be depleted, the shepherd leads them to another valley. The sheep don’t know why the shepherd is leading them away, but they follow. The shepherd will protect his sheep, for he understands that the valley is only a shadow of death, and shadows can’t hurt. 

Job was blameless and upright before God (Job 1:1), yet God led him through the darkest of valleys. He looked at his life and all the suffering and misery that he had endured. He complained to God that he should never have been born. Job descended into despair because he believed that God had abandoned him. God had allowed Satan to attack Job in every way except to take his life. Job passed through the valley of the shadow of death but came out safely on the other side. When David wrote Psalm 23, he recognized that God had brought him safely through many dark valleys. In the garden, Matthew 26 tells us that Jesus’ soul was deeply grieved, to the point of death. Yet He entrusts himself fully to the Father's care and follows Him into the valley of deep darkness.

Likewise, when we go through dark valleys, we need to remember that God is with us. David said, “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The rod fends off predators, and the staff draws the sheep close to him. He rescues them and steadies them whenever they're not able to go on their own. So as faithful followers of the Shepherd King, we understand that there are days of confusion and concern and trepidation and anxiousness, but we must remember that Jesus walked this valley before.  He laid down His life for us so that the deep darkness of these valleys is powerless against us. They can't kill those who are in Christ. We're going to make it to the next pasture. Spurgeon says walking in the valley is a slow but steady advance of the soul in the face of darkness.

III. The Shepherd Preserves (vv. 5-6)

• Preservation in the Face of Enemies

The Shepherd is our protector, and with protection comes preservation in the face of our enemies. Verse 5 says that we have a table prepared for us in the presence of our enemies, both external and internal. External enemies are those who hate God and His righteousness, and they hate us as well (See Psalm 27). Internal struggles include fear, anxiety, and sinful desires, etc.; all these things wage war against the soul. In Psalm 6, David says he is weary with his sin. He is falling into temptation; he is falling into sin. He desires righteousness, but he has a battle going on within. He says every night he makes his bed swim and floods his couch with tears.

Ephesians 6:12 says that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of darkness. 1 Corinthians 15 states that the last enemy to be defeated is death, but we have all the effects of death that come with the curse: health issues, broken relationships, murder etc. But even while we walk through this valley and we look at the world around us, it shadows death. It isn’t spiritual death. It is only the shadows of death. God is preparing a table, and that table is being prepared in resurrection and victory. David is pointing us forward to Revelation 19:19, where we read about the marriage supper of the Lamb.

• Preserves by Consecration

David says, “You anoint my head with oil”.  Consecration symbolizes honor and peace and sometimes a setting apart of someone for special service. Quoting Isaiah 61:1, Jesus said in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” However, the anointing to which David refers in this Psalm is not the same. This is an oil of celebration, an oil that symbolizes joy, abundance, and blessings. David is looking forward to the marriage supper of the lamb, a celebration that never ends. Our cup is going to overflow continually. It's never going to run out.

• Preserves Through Mercy

As we look forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb, we remember how God cared for David, and we know that He will care for us. Because of God’s mercy, David could say with confidence, “surely goodness and loving kindness will pursue me all the days of my life.” If we belong to Christ, God will pursue us and win us because of the covenant that He made with Himself before the foundation of the world. We have seen how it looked in David's life, but for Christ it looks like Him sitting at the Last Supper with Judas. It is the same for us today. 

•  Valley of Vision

Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers that focuses on God’s love and protection during dark times in our life. The first prayer begins, “Thou hast brought me into the valley of vision, where I live in the depths, but see in the heights”. And he says, hemmed in by mountains of sin, I behold thy glory. David experienced all this in his own life.

When we go out into the world we walk in enemy territory and will face temptation because we are not yet in our glorified state. We need to be aware of this, but we also need to remember that God is with us every step of the way. We can live with utter confidence in this because He is the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd King provides, protects, and preserves us until He returns or calls us home. Psalm 23 should have a special place in the heart of the redeemed. The Shepherd King who gave His life for us, provides, protects, and preserves. This King invites all to come to Him for fellowship where you will not want, where you will fear no evil, and you will dwell in His house forever. Will you come to Him today?

Selah:

1.  Describe a time when God has provided for you when you lost a job, or a good friend, or faced a serious illness.

2.  Describe a time when God protected you in a serious trial or temptation.

3.  How have you experienced God’s mercy when you brought difficulty on yourself?