The Lord is MY Shepherd
[Anchor Text] Psalm 23 [Anchor Verse] Verse 1 [Translation Used] NASB 2020
"The Lord is my shepherd...." Following Psalm 22’s guttural lament of sorrow and grief, Psalm 23 ushers its readers into romantic imagery of his Lord as a shepherd who leads, restores, and guides his sheep into goodness and mercy. In today’s western 21st century context, many of us have high regard for shepherd-like occupations, as they often provide a refreshing escape from our hyper-consumer digitally enhanced world. However, in Ancient Near Eastern societies, shepherds were regarded as deeply inferior to the everyday workman, a nuisance at best. They were poor outcasts who offered nothing to society at large—so why did this psalmist choose to identify The Lord as a lowly, wool-skin wearing servant?
I believe the psalmist considers the Lord a shepherd because he desires to highlight just how deeply intimate, personable, caring, and relational The Lord is toward his children.
What is a shepherd?
The word we’re going to focus on in this Psalm is “shepherd” (v.1) The root word in the Biblical Hebrew is רָעָה (rah-ah), and it’s used in this verse to mean someone who “associates with” or “to be a friend of”; “to keep company.” 1
Alongside its biblical definition, it’s also important that we identify what an average shepherd actually does. The job of a shepherd is literally to “tend and guard sheep.” That’s the vibe. Shepherds wake up, get dressed, and go about their day just as many of us do. However, there’s one thing that we must know about a shepherd that will be monumental in our understanding of the psalmist’s declaration as the Lord as our shepherd. Shepherds have an incomprehensible depth of intimacy and knowledge that extends to EACH and every one of their sheep…even to the quality of their hair, teeth, and nails.
In fact, shepherds in the ancient world often slept inside of their wool-tunics, rarely catching any meaningful shuteye, so as to be aware of potential predators.
“The Lord is My Shepherd…”
Shepherds name their sheep individually, knowing each personality.
“The Lord is My Shepherd…”
Shepherds have guttural calls that they use to harken their sheep to them—the sheep only respond to the shepherds voice. Shepherds have to find places for their sheep to eat and drink because the sheep, on their own, would accidentally starve themselves to the point of death.
“The Lord is My Shepherd…”
The shepherd knows how many sheep they have, when they were born, the birth date of each, their patterns, their tendencies, and when one goes astray.
“The Lord is My Shepherd…”
The shepherd checks the coat of each sheep for parasites, strange growths, and abnormalities. The shepherd sees and knows each sheep by name, quality, and condition.
“The Lord is My Shepherd…”
The Lord is my Shepherd
What then does the psalmist mean when he says “The Lord is my shepherd?’
To be a shepherd, you have to know, see, guide, protect, and care for your sheep. As it stands, the Psalmist is attaching that same responsibility to The Lord as his shepherd. The Psalmist is declaring:
“The Lord sees me.”
“The Lord is my guide.”
“The Lord is familiar with me.”
“The Lord protects me.”
“The Lord knows me.”
“The Lord calls to me.”
“The Lord leads me.”
“The Lord guards me.”
Biblical history also reminds me that this particular psalmist (King David) had a former job as a shepherd that informs his ideas about this invisible God he’d come to befriend and adore.
Just as the shepherd sees his sheep grazing the pasture, so does our Lord see us near and far.
Just as the shepherd knows when one of his sheep has a strange growth on its coat, so does the Lord take notice of every inch of our physical bodies. ALL of our entire selves matter to him.
The Lord is YOUR Shepherd
With this, I charge you all to go about your day reminding yourself of this short, yet tangible, truth—”The Lord is MY shepherd.” Yes, you. Make it personal. Say it out loud. Say it through tears. Say it while you’re angry. Say it while you’re coming from that frustrating meeting. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.
This means that the Lord God who sits on high is concerned about EVERY single thing about you. He is your shepherd, your guard, your protector, and your keeper.
Having trouble imagining what the Lord as a shepherd could look like? Check out this video of a shepherd tending to his beloved flock. May you see God, may you see yourself.
In faith,
Asia
(Strong’s Definitions Legend)
Asked the Lord for this reminder just last night. His pursuit of his people and closeness never ceases to amaze me x
Thank you for this reminder and new insight! And thank God that we have a Good Shepherd!