Today’s reading is Psalm 23.
There is a lot of argument regarding when Psalm 23 was written. Most people, knowing of David’s youth as a shepherd, are willing to accept the heading “Psalm of David” to mean he actually wrote it. But when? Some picture the youthful David writing as he lay among the sheep staring up at the stars. Some, recognizing its maturity, picture an aged David looking back on a life of ups and downs, but seeing the Shepherd or Host with him through it all. I guess I’ll wade into the discussion as well. I think it was written around the events of 2 Samuel 7. If it wasn’t written around that time, I’m convinced it was based on that experience. In 2 Samuel 7, David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but the Lord refused. Instead, He told David He would build a house for him (yes, that’s a play on words). Look at 2 Samuel 7:8. God had taken David from the pasture and made him a prince. Doesn’t that sound like our psalm as it moves from a sheep wandering in green pastures, to a guest in a king’s palace feasting in the presence of enemies? And David’s house, according to 2 Samuel 7:16, would be established forever. How long would David dwell in the Lord’s house? In 2 Samuel 7:14, David is reminded of the rod of the Lord’s discipline. And in 2 Samuel 7:15, he is told the steadfast love of the Lord will never depart from him. Sounds an awful lot like goodness and mercy following all his days. And when David concluded his prayer, he said, “For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever” (2 Samuel 7:29). I could be completely wrong about this, but when I read Psalm 23 next to 2 Samuel 7, I see Psalm 23 as a very poetic autobiography of David. Under the Lord’s watchful eye, he was carried through the wilderness and even through the valley of the shadow of death into the house the Lord had provided for him. Under the Lord’s provision, he moved from the pasture to the palace. And David knew how it had happened. It happened not because he was such an amazing sheep, but because he was cared for by such an amazing Shepherd. What a beautiful picture!
Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 23.
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A Word for Our Kids
Hey kids, when David says, “I shall not want” (ESV), he doesn’t mean his shepherd gives him everything he ever wanted. David is not a kid wandering through the toy story being gifted every thing he points to screaming, “I want one!” Rather, he is saying, “I don’t lack anything I need.” It also demonstrates his trust in the Lord. After all, sometimes we look around and see things we want, but God hasn’t given them to us, don’t we? I know I do. But David is able to say, “Whatever the Lord has provided is all I need. If the Lord hasn’t provided it, I don’t need it.” What a place of confident trust. I know it is so easy to treat God like a vending machine. We drop in our $1 of prayer and hope for our wishes to come true. But that isn’t how God works. God loves us too much for that. Rather, He gives us what we need and keeps from us what will harm us even though we so often beg for it. Praise God, He is our Shepherd. A lesser shepherd wouldn’t care for us nearly as deeply or provide for us nearly so well. But our Shepherd is the Lord. Praise the Lord!
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