The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Psalm 23 is almost a religious cliché and people who know very little about the Bible know parts of this Psalm. It is a Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s provision and protection. But it is a great deal more than that.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
The pastures are green, not scrubby and brown. The psalmist is not starving or getting by. These are the times that we treasure and pray for… times of being well fed, well watered and gently led through open, well-lit pastures.
But then we get to verse four. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
This is the part of the psalm I prefer to avoid! Let’s skip it and move on. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
That’s better… feasting and drinking as if I was a prince and God my Father-King.
But an important change has occurred in those last two verses. In the first three verses, the psalmist talks about God: He makes me, He guides, He restores. The psalmist pictures God as a shepherd and himself as a sheep… this would be something along the line of my relationship with my dog, Fred. We like each other and I take good care of him, but our relationship is Master to Dog… not an inspiring spiritual metaphor since the part I play is the Dog’s.
But that metaphor changes in the Valley of the Dark Shadow. Here the psalmist stops talking about God and starts talking to God: “You are with me… Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.” Also, the psalmist stops playing a sheep. Something in the valley has deepened him and made him more a person and less a sheep. At the same time, God stops playing a Shepherd and starts playing a King who is feasting and lifting up his heir’s head with honor and blessing. In the valley… God became more of a Father and less of a trainer or keeper.
We prefer to focus on the idyllic pastoral scenes of the first three verses that sound like a very easy, very simple life as a sheep. But God wants more for us, even if we do not. And… sad to say… this can only happen in the valley of deep shadows where we must walk and trust the guidance and protection of our shepherd… where something happens in us that transforms us and our relationship with Him. Walking that valley with perseverance, trusting with hope in God’s goodness, coming to terms with death in the hope of resurrection all shapes our souls and hearts. It is there that God remakes us… we become princes and princesses, heroes and warriors, explorers and conquerors… and not just sheep! Psalm 23 isn’t about being happy sheep… it’s about transformation and rebirth!
Best of all, because we have been changed, God can change from being our keeper and trainer to being our King and Father… it all happens in the valley. The choice is yours and mine. Staying faithful in the valley means we grow out of being God’s pet… and we grow into being God’s Child. Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. For February, our contributor is Pastor Dave Harvey, who has served as pastor of Grand Marais Evangelical Free Church since February of 2008.
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