He saw himself as a contented sheep in need of absolutely nothing. He was satiated, satisfied with all his Father in heaven had provided for him. David, when led by God, was utterly free. To this cultural value, David's description of life under the care of his Shepherd is fitting.

(Psalm 23:1)Įveryone today hypes the value of freedom to do whatever one wants. David wrote, 'I shall not want.' The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want. The overall effect of the Lord's shepherding hand in our lives is simple: a lack of want. With kindness, God would provide for David's need. Though he was the greatest man of his generation, the king of Israel who had the DNA of the Messiah coursing through his body, David knew he was not big enough to cease needing God. He needed the Lord's leadership and direction and guidance and provision in life. But, eventually, David began to realize that he was a sheep in the eyes of his Father God. People who, left to their own devices, would self-destruct. Once he became king, David may have seen all of Israel like a massive flock of God, people in need of leadership and direction. He had cared for flocks long enough to know that the Sauls and Absaloms and Joabs of his life often replicated his father's misbehaving sheep. We could understand how David would come to see people like sheep. The second character is David, the sheep. He had given his life for his father's sheep, they had become his own sheep, and now David realized God had done the same for him. When the lion and bear attacked, David sprung up and, with the Spirit's aid, struck them down. He had fed them when they were hungry, defended them from predators, and led them to green pastures. David had, after all, cared for his father's sheep as a young man. David had realized God's tender care towards him, comparing it to the way a shepherd cares for his sheep. The first is the Shepherd Lord, David's God, the one who cared for his soul. The lyrics provide us with two main characters.

We know, instinctively, we are on holy ground when reading this song. Jew and Gentile, Hebrew and Christian, have celebrated the warmth and tenderness of David's words. At some point, he sat down and wrote, under the inspiration of the Spirit, the Shepherd's Psalm, one of the most famous songs human history has produced. Give something genuine daily (money, compliment, Scripture, time, phone call)ĭavid, the man after the Lord's heart, learned of God's shepherding nature through the peaks and valleys of his life. Check the news a maximum of twice daily.10 pages from a spiritually edifying book daily.Start every day with the Bible and prayer.And while the animals are interesting to watch, we definitely learn the deeper meaning of the great responsibility of the shepherd to protect his sheep, as well as the trust it takes for them to depend on him for their very lives.Calvary Monterey Shelter-In-Place Challenge Then we'll meet, Khalid, a goat and sheep herder whose family has been herding for generations. And for those who treasure the popular Psalm 23 passage, you'll come to an even richer understanding of these meaningful verses. From the nomadic shepherds to Jesus, who identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, we see the role of the shepherd is to protect, sustain, and comfort his flock. Standing atop a mountain between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, they ponder the role of shepherds to their sheep. Con Campbell, to the Wadi Qelt in the Judean Wilderness to show the harshness of this tough environment. Yet, as Jack Beck says, 'It's not about what you don't have, but what you do.' We'll look at two 'characters' that appear regularly in the Bible-wilderness and shepherds-and answer these questions: How could David survive in this desperate land and even find comfort enough to write Psalm 23? Why is Jesus called the Good Shepherd? And how do we find what we need when we experience times of desperation? In the season 2 opener, Jack Beck invites a friend, Dr. At first glance at the barren landscape, it looks impossible for people and animals to survive in it. 'The wilderness is a place of hardship and danger.

David jeremiah psalm 23