”The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Psalm 23:1New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 23:1 Devotional
The Lord is my Shepherd
In Psalm 23:1, David declared that “The Lord was his Shepherd“. He, therefore, used an illustration from the pastoral lifestyle he was familiar with to describe God’s providential care.
Furthermore, David was actually once a shepherd. And he wrote this Psalm for you and me from his experience as a shepherd of sheep (1 Samuel 17:28).
Shepherding in the culture of the Israelites
Nevertheless, in the culture of the Israelites, shepherding was considered lowly work. Therefore, this responsibility was usually tasked to the youngest family member, like David (who was the youngest of his brothers).
Additionally, either because of David’s position in the family or some other factor, he was looked down upon by his father. A careful reading of 1 Samuel 16:1-11 brings out these two issues.
God is our provider, guide, and protector
Therefore, through David’s simple illustration of God being our Shepherd, you can see how God tenderly provides, guides, and protects you. This is because a shepherd cares deeply not only for all his sheep as a whole but also for each and every single one of his sheep. And it is no wonder that David testified to Saul of how he had protected his father’s sheep in the wilderness (1 Samuel 17:31-37).
Moreover, this is how God cares for each of us in providing refreshment, guidance, protection, and abundance, and therefore providing grounds of confidence in His perpetual favor. He knows every issue concerning you and your life.
God is our provider
But in Psalm 23:1, David focuses on God as a provider. And this is a no-brainer because the first responsibility of a shepherd was to provide for his sheep.
Therefore, it goes without saying that a shepherd had to make sure that he guides his sheep to where there is pasture so that they could be well-fed. And thereafter, the shepherd would guide his sheep to where there was water so that they could take the same.
Consequently, the shepherd had to make sure that his sheep were not lacking or in want of anything. And because God is our Shepherd, He has to make sure that we are not lacking anything.
Provided for in Jesus Christ
Therefore, God made every provision for you through His Son Jesus Christ. That’s why Christ’s relationship to you is represented by the figure of a shepherd (John 10:14, Hebrews 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25, and 5:4 ).
Consequently, when David says “I shall not want” he is acknowledging how completely reliant he is on God as his Shepherd. God, being a good Shepherd, had ensured that he had everything he needed.
Therefore, you can’t see God as your Shepherd if you don’t see yourself as sheep. Sheep rely on their shepherd fully. “You shall not want” because you will have everything you need in God.
Prayer/Blessing
Lord God, please open my eyes to see how much I really need and rely on You for everything. This will help me to not live the lie that I can do everything on my own. And I will not wander and drift away from You and Your providence, and look for satisfaction in all the wrong places.
Please help me, Lord. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Exodus 5-7 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
