Always Safe

Psalm 23 is very personal. David doesn’t say “we” or “us” or “they.” He only says “my” and “me'” and “I,” along with “he” and “you.” It flows from David's personal experience with God. That is why this psalm has such power.

The form of this psalm is very interesting. The use of those pronouns tells us a great deal about how we learn of God and how we approach Him. In verses 1-3 God is referred to in the third person as “He”: “He makes me lie down; He leads me; He restores my soul.” Then in verses 4-5 David refers to God in the second person as “You”: “You are with me; Your rod and staff comfort me; You prepare a table before me; You anoint my head with oil.” Then in verse 6 he switches back to the third person in reference to God: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

What David does in this psalm is turn from talking about God to talking to God. Like David, we need to interweave our theology (talking about God) with prayer (talking to God). Or you might say, we should interrupt our talking about God by talking to God. When we talk about God and His goodness, we should follow by taking time to thank Him for the good things He does. When we do this, we not only describe God in our heads, but we experience Him in our hearts.

“Yea, 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” (v. 4). Suddenly, danger looms and just as quickly David drops the third person “He” in favor of the second person singular “You!” He is no longer talking about the Good Shepherd; he is talking to the Good Shepherd.

Here we see how God protects us by His presence. It is a very vivid scene. The shepherd is leading the sheep back home at evening. As they go down through a narrow gorge, the long shadows lie across the trail. In the Hebrew, this is literally a "valley of deep shadows." The sheep, because they are timid and defenseless, are frightened. But they trust the shepherd, and therefore they are comforted. They “will fear no evil,” because the shepherd is with them.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). When we find ourselves in a “valley of deep shadows,” we often respond by thinking that the Lord has abandoned us. But Jesus said He never leaves us, He never forsakes us, He is always there. Therefore we have no reason to fear. His very presence is our protection. So the valleys draw us closer to God.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (v. 5). The metaphor changes from the Good Shepherd to the gracious host. God spreads a banquet for his guest, anoints his head with oil, and keeps his cup filled. But the banquet is set “in the presence of (his) enemies.”

This figure may come from the historical setting in which David wrote. He had been driven into the wilderness by his son's rebellion and he found himself out in the desert, hungry and weary, his army in disarray. At this point, three men who were not even Israelites, provided for him. God prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies. God provides for those who love Him.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (v. 6). This is the conclusion David comes to after he has passed, as it were, from the green pasture, through the dark valley, into the banquet hall of God. He realizes that there is every reason to believe that God's goodness and mercy will follow him all of his days.

“Follow” can mean to trail behind and never quite catch up. That is not very comforting: “Surely goodness and mercy will never catch up to me all the days of my life.” What the Hebrew word used here actually means is “to pursue,” often used in the sense of doing harm. Because he trusts in the Lord, David says God's “goodness and mercy” will pursue him, instead of those who are out to destroy him. When you stray from God, evil pursues you. Keep your eyes on Jesus the Good Shepherd who died and rose again, and God’s “goodness and mercy” will pursue you. Amen.