The Lord is my Shepherd - an exegesis on Psalm 23 (Part II)
- Pastor J
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Good morning Beloved
This is a continuation of the Exposition on Psalm 23 that was done for YouTube, in case you missed it here is the link for Part 1
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[c]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell[f] in the house of the Lord
forever.[g]
The Exegesis continues from verse 3b
He leads us along the paths of righteousness for his own name's sake
What a privilege to be led down that pathway for there is always fruitfulness from righteousness. The ways of sin is death.
He does this for his name will be glorified.
Verse 4 speaks of walking THROUGH the valley of the SHADOW of death. I highlighted the words through because many of us would like to run away from or "jump over" the valley. We must walk through, but let us gain reassurance for God will be with us, he will take us THROUGH. The valley has the appearance of death, but it is only a "shadow off" please bear in mind that the weapon will form, but it will not prosper. We need to shout these words aloud as we walk through the valleys
Psalm 118:17
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord
Repeat it as many times so as to build faith, God numbers our days. He always has the last say.
“Death in its substance has been removed, and only the shadow of it remains…. Nobody is afraid of a shadow, for a shadow cannot stop a man’s pathway even for a moment. The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death cannot destroy us.” (Spurgeon)
Because God is with us, we will not fear evil.
The rod and the staff comforts us - those two were the Shepherd's weapons and one was for discipline. There is comfort in knowing we are not orphans but children for God does chasten and discipline his children. The discipline is to correct and bring one in allignment.
Adaptation
The shepherd's rod and staff symbolize God's protective and guiding care. The rod is a sturdy, club-like weapon used for defending sheep against predators and disciplining wayward sheep. The staff is a long, often hooked, tool used to gently guide, direct, and rescue sheep, drawing them close for safety and comfort
(End of adaptation)
My dear friends this message will be completed on Thursday for these words on this Psalm cannot be hurried but must be "digested" slowly
I pray these words have blessed you
Walk good in Christ
Nuff love and blessings
Pastor J
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