Psalm 23 -- Yes, We Are like Sheep

mww
Aug 6
18 min read

In green pastures or dark valleys, we can trust our Shepherd.

Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is David's beautiful realization that God is his Shepherd just as David was once a shepherd to some very dependent sheep. God is a trustworthy Shepherd who provides, restores, and protects His people through every season of life, and we should trust both His provision and His guidance. Our Shepherd is always with us and will always lead us home.

The Lord is my shepherd (23:1)

One of my very favorite posts was the one I did on Psalm 23 back in 2017.

Psalm 23 -- The Shepherd

Not because I said anything particularly insightful! But because I shared the content of a wonderful little book called A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller, a book that fundamentally changed my appreciation for this beautiful psalm.

We all love this psalm. I don't know that we truly appreciate how masterful it is.

Getting Started: Things to Think About

Why Does Everyone Love Psalm 23?

This might be a simple starting point. Why does everyone love Psalm 23? You might have to start with why you love the psalm and then work backwards from there.

Have You Lost Your Sense of Driving Direction?

In the 2017 post, I recommended ranking your preferred method of getting around in an unfamiliar place, from handwritten directions to a printed map to GPS to a passenger seat local.

Amazing how much has changed in 8 years. I plug in my GPS pretty much all the time, even when I don't need it.

But it makes me wonder -- how good would we be at getting around without our GPS? Have we become too reliant on it? My personal rule-of-thumb is if it's a place I know I'll return to, I try to pay close attention, make sure I could get around without GPS. But if it's somewhere I travel rarely, I'll just blindly follow the GPS. And in fact, I'm more comfortable driving when I do! The GPS instructions will get me where I need to go, even if there's roadwork or an accident or I take a wrong turn.

In real life, that's fine until the GPS goes out. And I do worry about losing my sense of direction. But in this week's psalm, it's a perfectly good illustration -- God Himself is our "GPS"! He will never "go out", and He is more reliable than the best map app. If we are comfortable blindly following our GPS, shouldn't we be just fine following God?

The Tour Guide

Y'all, this idea is admittedly a stretch -- a shepherd is not a tour guide! But, for the sake of a fun discussion, have you had a great tour guide experience? What separates a great tour guide from a so-so one? What's the difference between a great tourist experience and a so-so one?

I'm not a tour guide / tour bus kinda traveler. I prefer to do my own thing at my own pace. But the people I know who swear by tour guides would say that a good tour guide will show you the amazing things you would miss, take you to the great eating spots you would miss, and guide you around the dangerous spots you might have otherwise wandered into.

In other words, a good tour guide is like a shepherd. Interesting. What do you think?

Dumb Animals (Chicken Edition)

Here's my last idea for a topic, and it might not land with your group at all. My family loves animals, so this is one of the first ideas I had.

A lot of animals are incredibly smart. But they can sure do some incredibly dumb things. We raise chickens, and we love our chickens. We recently got some silkie chicks who are absolutely precious. But they are dumb as rocks. And then we got some actual Rocks, and they haven't been acquitting themselves much better.

They don't know to come in out of the rain. Seriously. Our other chickens, they go into the nice and dry coops. Not these guys. They'll just sit out in the open. It's rained a lot these past few days, and my daughter has felt sorry for them, even bringing them onto our porch. We have to forcibly put these chickens into the coop at night. Unbelievable.

Of course, we still love them dearly.

Do you have a favorite "dumb animal" story? That thing your dog does that bewilders you?

Just be warned -- we're talking about sheep today in this week's psalm. And guess who the sheep represent?

This Week's Big Idea: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

Phillip Keller was a missionary kid who grew up in very rural areas and spent time as a shepherd. He read Psalm 23 from the perspective of his shepherding experiences. And guess what? The psalm came alive for him. So, he wrote this wonderful little book (back in 1970!!).

[The copy I have was given to me by the woman who hosted the Bible study where I met my wife, so I'm particularly fond of the book.]

Rather than duplicate work I've already done, I'm going to copy the summary I wrote in 2017. If this is considered plagiarizing, I'm plagiarizing myself.

[block quote begins ---

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

Keller recalls a field next to his that was neglected; the sheep were gaunt and restless. His sheep, on the other hand, were calm and well-fed. Why? Because he (their shepherd) took good care both of his sheep and of their pasture. Sheep, he says, are some of the most destructive creatures when left to their own design. They overgraze out of habit, eating in the same place where they relieve themselves, attracting and spreading parasites. The shepherd has to continuously guide them to new locations to keep them healthy. It takes a lot of work! But when the Lord is your Shepherd, you don’t have to worry about that. He always cares.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

Keller says that sheep are unbelievably skittish. They won’t lie down if there is fear or tension in the flock (either from predators nearby or rivalries between dominant males). They won’t lie down if they are uncomfortable due to pests. And they won’t lie down if they are hungry (they keep looking for things to eat). They will instead push themselves to dangerous exhaustion. It is quite a feat for a shepherd to finally get his flock to lie down. But the Lord can do it. (I sure hope you see the countless applications in that idea!!) As far as the water goes, if a sheep gets thirsty, it will drink anything, including stagnant, polluted puddles. Conversely, a raging river is too dangerous for a sheep because of its thick coat.

He restores my soul. He leads me on right paths for His name’s sake.

Sheep are some of the most helpless creatures. If they lose their footing and fall over, or if they get too comfortable and their legs fall asleep, their extremely thick fleece prevents them from being able to right themselves (it’s called being “cast”). A shepherd is always looking for a “cast” sheep because they can die rather quickly if left exposed—not just from predators but from lack of blood circulation. Keller said he was constantly counting his sheep, knowing that any missing were likely helpless, upside-down somewhere. He would find it, set it on its feet again, and then massage its legs to get the blood flowing before it ran off. Is that not a great illustration of what we need as sinners? And the right paths—sheep are notoriously stubborn and habitual. They will wear a path out until it becomes dangerous or barren. A wise shepherd has to be looking out for the safest, most beneficial paths for the sheep to take.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil . . .

Keller says that David is imagining the spring move from the lowlands where the winter pastures are to the cooler, safer highlands for the summer. The trip would inevitably include some dangerous stretches and some dark valleys—flash floods, avalanches, predators, washouts. But it was also priceless time for the shepherd with his sheep because they were alone together, and the shepherd could build the trust necessary for the sheep to listen and obey him. After a time or two, the sheep would follow without hesitation. This is interesting: Keller doesn’t see the dark valley as a bad thing. He said that the valleys were still safer than the mountain passes, for at least there would be water, vegetation, and no chance of falling off a cliff. So even though it seemed dark and scary, it was actually a better path!

For you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.

Why would skittish creatures do dangerous things? Because they are not afraid. They trust the shepherd. And the shepherd carries a “rod” which is really a kind of club. When a sheep leaves the path, he can throw it to scare the sheep back. A well-thrown club is a good deterrent for a predator. Also, he will use it to inspect the sheep (“passing under the rod”), pushing the wool around to check for parasites and injuries. The staff is unique in that it only works for sheep—it is ineffective on any other animal. Sheep are stubborn. To reach that last piece of grass, they will one step too far from the path, or push one step too far into some brambles, and get stuck. A staff could gently drag a sheep back from danger. A shepherd could also use it to prod a sheep one direction or another.

You prepare a table for me in the midst of my enemies.

Here is where Keller drifts away from most scholarship on the psalm; he keeps the shepherd metaphor going. He sees this verse as a description of what the shepherd does for his sheep in the highlands. He has regularly checked on this pasture during the year, making sure the streams still flow, the pools are still dammed, and the dangerous plants removed. He looks for signs of wolves. He scatters salt to fertilize the area. To the sheep, it is like a bountiful table. But the shepherd knows the wolves are nearby, watching. The enemies are literally watching, waiting for a sheep to wander off or the shepherd to fall asleep. I don’t know if that’s what David had in mind, but it’s an interesting thought.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Keller continues the shepherd imagery here, too. He says that in the highlands in the summer, the biting flies get really bad. They will swarm a sheep, lay eggs in its mucous membranes, and the larvae will burrow into the sheep’s face causing an awful infection. Unchecked, it will kill the sheep. But a linseed oil mix would repel the flies and help calm the sheep. Keller says that this oil is used around the world today (but I haven’t found evidence of its use in David’s day). There is also a common sheep infection called “scab” that is spread through contact. Sheep regularly rub heads together (sometimes violently), transmitting the disease quickly through a flock. An olive oil and Sulphur mix can control it. Keller says herdsmen have been using it for a long time. In other words, Keller says that David is thinking of the times he literally rubbed oil into the sheep’s heads to keep them healthy.

Every other biblical scholar says this is a reference to the ancient practice of a host pouring oil on his guests’ heads to help the skin recover from long, hot travel—so take Keller’s idea with a grain of salt.

Surely goodness and mercy will pursue me . . .

Keller’s closing thoughts are basically the same as everyone else’s here.

--- block quote ends]

By all means, get this book. Christian Book has it for a couple of dollars. And it's available as an ebook. It doesn't take long to read, and it's worth the time.

a shepherd looks at psalm 23 - Google Search

Let me end with one additional quote; about "I will dwell in the house of the Lord . . ."

The word 'house' used here in the poem has a wider meaning that most people could attach to it. Normally we speak of the house of the Lord as the sanctuary or church or meeting place of God's people. And, of course, it is pleasant to think that one would always delight to be found in the Lord's house. But it must be kept in mind always, that the Psalmist, writing from the standpoint of a sheep, is reflecting on and recounting the full round of the year's activities for the flock. He has taken us from the green pastures and still waters of the home ranch, up through the mountain passes onto the high tablelands of the summer range. Fall has come with its storms and rain and sleet that drives the sheep down the foothills and back to the home ranch for the long, quiet winter. In a sense this is coming home. It is a return to the fields and corrals and barns and shelters of the owner's home. During all seasons of the year, with their hazards, dangers and disturbances, it is the rancher's alertness, care and energetic management that has brought the sheep through satisfactorily. It is with a sublime feeling of both composure and contentment that this statement, 'I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever,' is made.

So there you go. Read the book.

I want to point out a very powerful analogy he makes between a careless shepherd and Satan. He worked around shepherds who didn't care too much about their sheep. They didn't properly care for them, and when a sheep became a burden, the shepherd would just kill them. That's exactly how Satan treats the people who have rejected God. Why would anybody not want to be in God's sheepfold?

This Week's Bonus Big Idea: Are Sheep Really That Dumb?

Let's be fair -- "dumb" is not the right word to use for sheep.

Sheep can recognize multiple human faces and voices.
Sheep have high emotional awareness.
Sheep can find weak spots in fences and ways around obstacles.

Instead, we should use the word "dependent".

Left to their own devices, sheep will overgraze a plot of land. And when their field is dead, they will just wander looking for more food, regardless of the danger around. It's not that they're "dumb", it's that they're dependent on a shepherd to help them make "good choices", as we might say in a parenting context.

A sheep is not dumb any more than your toddler (or teenager) is "dumb" -- they just need guidance. What do you think would happen if you left hygiene decisions up to children? Exactly.

I think this is one of Keller's most valuable observations in his book.

His sheep weren't capable of evaluating the health of a field.
His sheep weren't capable of spotting hidden predators.
(His sheep couldn't defend themselves from predators in the first place.)
His sheep weren't able to shear themselves to stay healthy.
His sheep weren't able to clean off parasites they wandered into.

The sheep needed a shepherd to keep them on the right, safe path, and to come find and help them when they wandered off or got into distress. And as a shepherd, he was prepared, equipped, and happy to care for his sheep.

Does that distinction between dumb and dependent make sense?

Finally, in terms of those five bullet points, what would be the metaphorical parallel between sheep and people?

The King James Version

I expect a good number of you (like me) to have the King James Version of the psalm memorized. There are a few translation choices in the KJV that might get in the way of the metaphor, so I will be making some KJV-specific comments along the way. If you don't know the KJV of Psalm 23, then don't worry about those comments.

Part 1: God Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-3)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

I recommend spending some time learning about sheep and shepherds. Use Philip Keller's book if you have access to it! My point is that we all love the psalm, so let's take our time together to learn something new and fresh about it. In verse 1, David immediately sets the stage: God is a shepherd, and David is one of God's sheep. That's not just a sentiment, that the key to appreciating this psalm.

I'm going to put a section about "shepherds" below. There's a profound reason why this image was so meaningful to David, who grew up as a shepherd.

What does a sheep need? Well, the same thing that any other creature needs. Healthy food, clean water, protection from predators and the elements, and companionship. And the rest of the psalm explains how God provides that for him (David, the "sheep").

Keller describes well how sheep tend to be destructive of their habitats and afraid of fast-moving water (they can't swim, and their coats become dead weight when wet). A good shepherd constantly thinks about the availability of "safe food and water" and does what's necessary to provide it.

In verse 2, "makes me lie down" is actually "allows me to lie down".

Many of us know verse 3 as "He restores my soul", which is fine, but the point of this phrase in this metaphor is that God the shepherd takes excellent care of His sheep. "Renews my life" is basically "restores my strength".

We also probably know the phrase "paths of righteousness". Well, that's not appropriate for the metaphor. That would suggest that a certain sheep path is somehow ethical. Rather, it just means "right". God leads His sheep on the right path. It might be the safest. It might be the shortest. It might be the fastest. But of all the choices, it's the "right" one. For humans, living "the right way" will make us "righteous" (by definition), but for this psalm, "right paths" is the appropriate translation.

"For His name's sake" does mean "reputation". People could very quickly make a judgment about the quality of a shepherd by looking at his flock. By taking care of His sheep, God builds a good reputation in the eyes of the surrounding people.

I think that would be your great discussion topic for this first section:

Putting yourself in the identity of a sheep in God's flock, how do you reflect God's reputation? Are you enhancing or diminishing His reputation?

Aside: Shepherds

Shepherds have always been fundamental elements of human society. Adam's son Abel was a shepherd (Gen 4:2), as was Abraham (Gen 12:16), Jacob (Gen 30), and even Moses (Ex 3:1). It's a "messier" job than farming, and thus shepherds tended to be shunned in "polite" society (remember the Egyptians'' attitude towards shepherds in Gen 46:34, and everyone's attitude toward the shepherds in the Nativity story!).

Shepherds had to do pretty much everything for the sheep --

lead them to pasture and water,
protect them from predators,
guard them, whether in a pen or in the open,
keep count of them,
care for them when injured or sick.

As a result, kings (2 Sam 5:2) and even God (Isa 40:11) were called "shepherds".

All of this culminates in Jesus calling Himself the Good Shepherd. I'll quote John 10 at length --

7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Put these words in mind when reading Psalm 23.

And you might want to skim back through that study of John 10 we did in 2023:

Jesus Is Our Life -- a study of John 10 (focus on the Seven I Am statements)

A thousand years had passed between David's day and Jesus', so some of the mechanics of shepherding had changed (by necessity, as property ownership and population density had greatly changed). But the identity of a shepherd had not.

Part 2: God Is My Protector (Psalm 23:4)

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

"Valley of the shadow of death" is incredibly poetic, but the Hebrew really just means "darkness". It's a dark valley. And dark valleys are dangerous for sheep, because that's where predators hide!

The shepherd is not leading the sheep into danger (or death). The shepherd is just leading the sheep from point A to point B -- along the right path -- and sometimes between A and B is something dangerous. We encounter dangers all the time in life. But the sheep does not fear the danger (seen or unseen) because the sheep trusts the shepherd.

It kinda makes me think of the crazy mountain passes in India or South America. It's all sorts of dangerous, but it's the best path to get where they're going.

The shepherd in this photo isn't (necessarily) a bad shepherd. It's just difficult to get from A to B. And the shepherd is with them the whole way.

The shepherd's rod and staff were important tools. The shepherd could use the rod (a "club") to chase off predators or throw it at a sheep about to do something stupid. The staff (a "hook") could hook a sheep that had fallen off the path or gotten stuck somewhere.

"Comfort" is a human term. For sheep, the equivalent is probably "keep me calm". This translates well into human terms -- do you tend to make better choices when you are calm or when you are panicked?

And yes, this metaphor means that God's discipline helps keep us calm. Knowing that God is prepared to discipline you -- how does that make you feel?

It's like when we talked about Psalm 38 -- once God stops disciplining me, that's when I get worried. Knowing that God cares enough about me to keep me on the right path, that is an incredible comfort.

Part 3: God Is My Provider (Psalm 23:5-6)

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

Every biblical scholar believes that David has shifted metaphors here, from God as a shepherd to God as a host. But I really like how Keller maintains the shepherd metaphor all the way through the end of the psalm. It works. Keller basically says that a shepherd caring for his sheep is like how a host would treat a weary traveler. The ultimate meaning of the psalm does not change, just the metaphor.

David's point is that God has provided for him in every possible way, and then some. The table is covered with food. The traveling needs (cracked skin and stinky pores) have been covered with healthy oil. The cup is kept full.

The word "anoint" might make you think of a religious ritual, but this just referred to the practice of pouring oil on a guest's head when they entered your home, particularly if they had had a hard journey to get there.

"Cup" is totally separate from "oil". The cup was filled with wine.

Verse 6 demands plenty of attention. Another translation could be

Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will return to the house of the Lord for the rest of my life.

"Goodness and faithfulness" is the wonderful Hebrew pair hesed and emeth, which we have read many many times. Examples --

The words don't translate cleanly into English because the Hebrew concepts are so vast when applied to God. Here, David uses them as a metonymy for God Himself. God is the One who pursues David, even when David has tried to stray from God.

This is why Keller keeps the shepherd metaphor going -- the shepherd goes after the wayward sheep (remember the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Son in Luke 15?), and year after year for the sheep's life, the shepherd will safely bring the sheep home to his pen.

Importantly, "dwell in the house of the Lord forever" is a misleading translation because it makes us think of heaven. These words are not elsewhere used of eternity or a spiritual location. They refer to one's length of days, i.e. a lifetime. The word for "dwell" more properly means "return", which is confusing (unless Keller is correct). But the meaning is clear -- God will always pursue David and "bring him back", time and again, all the days of his life. This isn't something David is waiting to enjoy when he dies; he experiences this relationship with God his Shepherd now.

This is basically the most comforting thing David could put into words.

How does this psalm encourage you? How can it help you encourage someone you know who needs it?