Psalm 23 Teaching Notes
Open;
Psalm 23 is the most widely recognized and known portion of Scriptures in both the Christian and the Secular world.
At the age of 6 my daughter Maria had it memorized word for word.
Just this year I bought a poster with the all the verses of Psalm 23 at K-Mart
My first question is;
So many people claim comfort from this portion of Scripture
is it really intended for everyone? Who is it for?
Answer is in verse 1
"The Lord Is My Shepherd" You can not claim that the Lord is your Shepherd if Jesus is not Lord of your Life.
The false hope people gain from this Scripture is that they don’t identify the Shepherd as Jesus. "I am the way the truth and the life..." VERSE
Only Sheep, believers in Christ , children of God are in the Shepherds care. Goats and unbelievers, live outside His fold, his intimate care and His promises.
When I consider those who claim comfort in this verse I think of Formalist and Hypocrisy who climbed over the wall in the book Pilgrims Progress. They did not go through the wicket gate which is Jesus and thus there hope in God was false.
This Psalm is for those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior
1. Verse 1 The WOW Verse.
This singular verse alone tells us so much.
A. Occupational name.
David Identifies the Lord with something he knows a great deal about.
1. David a Shepherd Himself.
What can we assume David knew about Shepherding
1. He Knew his Sheep
a. by name
b. by markings
c. by experiences (broken leg, sick, or mother of blackie)
2. Sheep need protection, watching over
a. two times he tells us how he cared for his sheep.
Lion
Bear
3. He knew he had to care and feed them
4. He knew they were dependent
on him, even if they were not aware of it.
5. Having spent so time with them, he knew he loved his sheep.

B. David was saying allot by calling the Lord his Shepherd based on what he knew.
By doing so David reveals his assurance in God stating;
1. God knows me, really knows me
2. God is my protector
3. God is my provider
4. God is my all and all, I need him more than I can even know
5. God Loves me
C. Can you with David say with assurance "The Lord Is My Shepherd?"
D. Take what you know occupational and apply it to God.
1. God is my "Gutter Guy"
a. He builds my house, his temple with gutters that protects
me from the showering darts of the enemy,
b. his word protects the foundation on which I stand
c. His works are from on High
2. I shall not want
Another rich statement of assurance as well as a Commandment to self.
David is stating two things;
1st. "God knows my needs, I don’t need anything beyond that"
2nd. "God provides all I shall ever need"
a. Matthew 6:25-34
Don’t Worry about Food clothes, Housing ...
when we seek 1st the kingdom of God
b. Philipians 4:19 Paul says
" and my God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Glory"
back to the 1st statement
"God knows my needs, I don’t need anything beyond that"
a. "I Shall not Want" has David not summed up for himself
the TEN COMMANDMENTS
I don’t need ...Another God
anything else to worship
to misuse the lord name
to work myself to death
find fault with my mother and father
to be angry "I’ll kill you"
Find Love apart from gods chosen mate
to steal anything
to lie or slander
what the world has to offer
Simply and appropriately stated "I shall not want"
Next time you stand in the balance between falling into sin or not. Try saying "I shall not Want"
3. Vs 3 "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadth me besides the still waters."
1. Green pastures is his Sovereignty
2. Still waters is a place of Peace.
The Lord Showed me something new here. "He maketh" me sounds like a little forcing had to be done here in David’s life. I know when it comes to truly believing God is Sovereign, and I mean truly Sovereign I need a little forcing to rest in that promise. Some how we get the idea we are in control of this life and not God.
Jesus asked Paul "why do you kick against the goads.?" what you fight against I will to do. Gods plans are Sovereign, what he wills he will do.
Job 42:2 "I know that you can do everything, and that no purpose can be withheld from you" No plan of Gods can be thwarted.
Psalm 33:10 read
Just how Sovereign is God? Do you wrestle with this in your life? I believe when we acknowledge Gods Sovereignty we can lie down and rest in that pasture and truly find peace beside the still waters.
4. He restoreth my soul; he leadth me in paths of righteousness for his name sake
It is debated as to weather this Psalm was written when David was young or when he was old. I do not know which to be true. But if David wrote this after his sin with Bathseba and killing her husband, he again is saying a great deal here.
To say we are being restored is to say we were once fallen. Both David and the Prodigal Son can share similar thoughts about there wanderings or fallen state. They might tell us that the path the had taken seemed smooth and desirable, but once taken the path back home was very very rough. 2 Samuel 12:1-14
David even admitted that the sins he had committed was worthy of death. But Nathan replied to him "The lord has taken away your sin and you shall not die"
Restoration of life and a relationship with God to a point David is once again placed on the path of righteousness, not because of what he had done. but what God has done and that all the Glory is Gods and his alone.
5. Yea though I walk thorough the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy staff and thy rod they comfort me.
David most assuredly saw the fear in the eyes of his sheep as he led them to new fields, sometimes taking them through steep and rough terrain, other times through narrow canyons. What ever the case David was with them and was not going to abandoned them. The promise David applies here is that God is with us every step of the way like a good Shepherd.
6. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cups runs over.
Why would God prepare a table in the presence of his enemies?
Think of goats on the other side of the fence grazing in a trash heap, two feelings go through there minds
Envy and jealousy "I wish I was a sheep"
Anger and hatred "they deserve to die"
Apply those feelings to the Jews toward Jesus as well as the Gentiles whom God was saving.
Romans 11:11 Paul says To provoke Israel to jealousy, salvation has come to the gentiles.
14 I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them
Think about Joseph and his brothers. Joseph had a table set before his brothers by his father David. He diffidently was favored by his father in that he gave IM more love, a coat, etc.... what did the brothers feel? What did the brothers do?
Remember Benjamin. This time Joseph set the table and gave Benjamin 5 times the amount of food. why? what went through the brothers heads? Do you think Joseph wanted to test the heart of his brothers again. Judah this time intercedes for Benjamin revealing a heart of repentance and change in regards to envy and jealousy.
By God setting such a table happens
1. Sin is exposed in those who view the Blessing that is taking place
through anger and hatred
2. And Hopefully Change of heart and Salvation will be the outcome

This simple Pslam is an inexhaustible portion of Scripture. It is applicable at any time and stage in our lives. for both the very young to the very old. the only requirement is that Jesus be your Lord and Savior.