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Psalms 23
1The LORD is ; I shall lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green . He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of for his name’s sake.
4Even 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.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the LORD’s house forever.
Slow reading
Read Psalms 23 three times
Guided passes through short verse groups: read it whole, watch the words, then pray it back. Phrases to stop on along the way, with deeper explanation held back until you have read the verses yourself.
Full chapter study
Psalm 23: The LORD Our Shepherd
The chapter walked slowly with stopping points along the way, then verse by verse, word by word, through to Christ. Your place is kept as you read.
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What this chapter is saying
What is Psalm 23 about?
Read the opening lines slowly and watch who is doing the verbs. Every action in the first three verses belongs to God.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
- Written by
- David, who had kept sheep himself, 1 Samuel 16:11
- Written to
- Israel at worship, since this is a song for the congregation
- Why
- unnamed. The psalm gives no setting, which is part of why it fits so many
The psalm is built on one claim: Yahweh is . Everything else follows from that, including the confidence of I shall lack nothing, which is a conclusion rather than a wish.
The middle turns dark at verse 4, and notice the change of address. Up to that point David speaks about God, he makes, he leads, he restores. In the valley he speaks to God: you are with me. Nearness, not the absence of the valley, is what steadies him.
Verse 5 changes the picture from to table, with enemies present rather than removed. The oil and the overflowing cup are the marks of a guest being honoured, in full view of those who oppose him.
The last verse looks forward rather than back. Goodness and loving kindness follow him, and the house of Yahweh is where he expects to live. The psalm ends in God's house, not in green .
What the chapter does not tell us
The psalm does not tell us when it was written or what the valley was, and it does not promise an easy life. It promises a through it.
Questions this passage answers
Who is God?
God is the one living Creator who made everything and depends on nothing, and Scripture answers this question mainly by telling us his character rather than by defining his substance. When God described himself to Moses he said he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. The New Testament adds that this God is finally known in Jesus Christ, who has made him known.
Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over a long period, and Scripture presents itself as God-breathed rather than as human opinion. Some books name their writer, some do not, and honest study says which is which. Paul calls every Scripture God-breathed, and Peter says no prophecy came by the will of man but that people spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which is the Bible's own account of how both authors are involved at once.
Can the Bible be trusted?
Scripture claims to be true and invites examination rather than avoiding it. It says God's word is truth and that it stands when everything else fades, and the New Testament writers appeal to eyewitnesses, named places and public events rather than to private experience. Trust in Scripture is finally trust in the God who speaks in it, and the clearest reason a Christian gives for that trust is that Jesus treated these writings as God's own word.
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.