A quick "reaction" to Psalm 23

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.      King James Version (translation)

My reactions

(1) The metaphor of "shepherd" implies courage and wisdom and self-sacrifice. The mirror image is that as "sheep", we are short-sighted, foolish and fearful.

(2) The metaphor of "green pastures" and "still waters" is much richer when you realize that King David was still close to the nomadic roots of the Jewish people. The shepherd wintered his flock in the lowlands but spent the late-spring, summer and fall in the highlands (mountains) and/or he chased the ephemeral greenery from chance cloud-bursts across the dry plains. In either case, he had to take his flock through the arid, dangerous, thorny scrub to get to the green pastures.

"...green pastures..." is a deep metaphor for arrival in a safe haven.

(3) The language "...the paths of righteousness for his name's sake..." sounds like God has a big ego but that is because the modern era has a very narrow understanding of the word "name".

In the era that the Psalm was composed, "...name..." would probably be heard as "chosen people" or "family". The meaning of the verse does a 180 flip because it becomes "...God leads me in paths of righteousness for my own darned good."

Sin scars the sinner. Conforming to God's will heals us, it restores our soul.

(4) The metaphor "...thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" has a double meaning. Shepherds defend the sheep from predators with those tools but they also use them to discipline and guide the sheep.

An undisciplined child is not only unruly, but he is fearful. The parent who disciplines his child comforts his child in the sense that the discipline is a barrier between the child and the most dangerous things...like busy streets and broken glass and 3rd degree burns. The undisciplined child has a deep terror as nothing stands between them and the abyss.

(5) "...preparest a table in front of me in the presence of my enemies..." is a statement that if we acknowledge God then He will publicly be our advocate which will intimidate our enemies.

"...thou anointest my head with oil..." A dressings of oil had many purposes. It was the only low-tech way to kill ticks, fleas and lice on one's scalp. It soothed sunburn. The dry of the desert could cause chapped lips. This is a promise that God isn't just concerned with The Big Picture but that He will help us through all of the minor injuries, insults and indignities of life.

(6)  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." The benefits of acknowledging our relationship to God pays off now and it pays off throughout eternity.

"Reactions" are a personal thing

Reactions are neither right or wrong. It is not a competition.

This post is a note documenting the space I am in and is left here for my future reference.

Take it for what it is and nothing more.