The Lord is my Shepherd. He is taking care of me as a shepherd takes care of His sheep. They need taking care of as they are rather dumb animals I’ve heard. Without a shepherd, they would be falling off cliffs, starving and eaten by larger animals. As it turns out we are the sheep. I am a sheep. I am one that would wander off and plunge myself to the bottom of the canyon were my shepherd not paying attention to my every move. Now if a sheep is determined to jump out of the shepherds arms or wander from his sight and care and plunge himself into tragedy and despair the shepherd will not always grab him by the hook of his staff and drag him back. Well if we are talking about literal sheep and a literal shepherd, then he probably would so I guess this is where the metaphor ends because people are a lot more intelligent than sheep and we have a free will and soul and the shepherd will not infringe on that freewill since it is a gift. Run on sentences are not a sin.
I shall not want -I’ll have everything I need. It doesn’t mean I’ll have every worldly self indulgent thing I think I want and think I need. But I will not be lacking anything to live this life and to thrive and to find purpose. If it’s a necessity of life I shall have it.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He will give me rest in blessed places. And if I don’t choose rest he will ‘make’ me lie down. The other mans grass is not always greener. Nobody’s grass is greener than the Lords. And this is where I will lay down.
He leads me beside still waters. He is leading me. By still waters and in green pastures. I have felt this peace at certain times in my life, when I’m not fighting against it.
He restoreth my soul. Only He can restore my soul. I go out and damage and destroy my soul with bad choices and sin and He puts me back together….every single time.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his names sake. There’s that word again. He is still leading me. This time in paths of righteousness. He will always lead me to what is right and pure and true. He will show me the way. I just need to follow.
Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. As I walk through the ‘shadow’ of death. Just the shadow (which can be scary and dark) but it’s only a shadow, He is there with me. Walking right beside me. I have nothing to fear. The creator of the universe is by my side.
Thy rod and thy staff comfort me. I’ve always considered the rod to be the royal sceptre of his majesty and the staff to be his tool as a shepherd… either way He is comforting me, as King and as Shepherd.
He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies. I love this. He is going to prepare a meal for me and I can sit in perfect safety and eat slowly and abundantly even though surrounded by enemies that want to devour me. It’s as if there is an invisible wall protecting me. I can only imagine this makes the enemy furious that he can’t touch me.
He annoints my head with oil. Oil is usually used to make things run smoother and work better so I interpret this as God making things work out for my good and giving me seasons of ease.
My cup runneth over. And as God pours out his blessing and oil on me He is not stingy. That blessed oil is running all over the place so I have lots of blessing to share. I always have more than enough.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Not only does He lead me and walk beside me. But He’s also got my back. He’s following me with His constant goodness and mercy. It doesn’t get any better than that. And He’s following me all the days of my life. That’s right here, right now, while I am living on this earth. I don’t have to wait for eternity. I can experience his goodness and mercy while I walk this earth. I’m totally surrounded by the Shepherd, the King, the creator.
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is the ultimate bonus. After He leads me and walks with me and follows me every minute of every hour of my life here on earth, I get to spend eternity with Him. I will live in His house. Right now He is living in my house and I will spend eternity living in His.
Surely you know I am no theologian and certainly this is no commentary but this is how this verse reads to me. It has always brought me great comfort and encouragement. This is his promise for all who will follow Him.
Shalom!
The Red Plaid Apron 