The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
Psalm 23 is the most well know section of scripture in the Old Testament and probably in the whole Bible. It is sung, cited and quoted off by heart by both believers and unbelievers alike. These beautiful and inspired words roll off our tongues so eloquently that their tune, their pace and rhythm of their setting naturally calms the soul and creates a quiet spirit.
But sadly, the most important aspect of this psalm is too often missed. Before anyone can rightfully claim its calming and peace-giving benefits, they must be one of the ‘sheep’ owned by the Shepherd!
In other words this well-known psalm begins and ends with the all-important truth of belonging to the Lord - being a member of His family, His flock!
The first five words - “the Lord is my shepherd” speaks of the intimate and personal ownership the psalmist gladly acknowledges the Lord has in and over his life. This understanding and personal position of commitment and responsibility is paramount for any who would dare claim any of the benefits that are part and parcel of belonging to the true shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the true shepherd that the psalmist is illustrating here in this figurative psalm. Those who have personally trusted in the Savior’s work at Calvary, and come to Him in faith believing that it is only through His work on the cross that they can be redeemed, saved, delivered from God’s just wrath, are those who are adopted into God’s family. We are then “the sheep of His pasture. (Ps 79:13).
The question I put to you is this: Is the Lord truthfully and personally, your Shepherd? Can you honestly say before God, that by God’s grace through faith I am a sheep of His pasture and that “the Lord is my shepherd?”