David’s Insight

David’s Psalm 23 to God shows us how caring and dependable God is in meeting our needs. I also consider it prayer in and of itself.

It is said that the ancient road from Jerusalem to Jericho is a narrow, treacherous path along a deep gorge in the Judean wilderness. Its name is “Wadi Kelt,” but it’s best known as the “Valley of the Shadow,” and this is the location that inspired David’s Psalm 23 writings.

Psalm 23:4

It’s been stated that when David wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,” he was in a place where evil was an ever-present reality. Yet he refused to give in to fear. He wasn’t under any ideology that God would abolish evil, so he could pass through the valley safely, No, he was saying that the presence of God with him, gave him the confidence to pass through difficult places without fear of God deserting or leaving him.

Fear vs Belief

Many claim to have hope, but only those who trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior can claim it with certainty. Hope does not come from our own strength, our own intelligence, or our favorable circumstances. No, but hope comes from the Lord. As maker of heaven and earth, he alone has the right to promise hope and the power to keep this promise. When we walk through our own valley’s, we can feel swallowed up by the shadow and come face-to-face with fear. The gloom and despair of an emptiness of the loss of a loved one can threaten the comfort that we held to from our trust in God. This leads to us growing afraid. We become afraid of our future and afraid to enjoy life. Yet when we are in that valley of the shadow, we can say to the Lord…”I will fear no evil because you are with me!” – – his loving arms will never let us go…he is always with us! The Lord provides comfort and escape from the darkness of the valley. He gives us light. He leads us out of it. At the point of our greatest need, the Lord is beside us; comforting us, and protecting us.

Psalm 23:6

As God’s goodness and mercy reins for all of us that draw nearer to him, he will draw nearer to us (James 4:8) – just knowing – intimately – God like the Twenty-Third Psalm shows us, we can have assurance that as the last day of life closes in on us, we will go home to be with the Lord.

We are to know the shepherd because the shepherd knows each one of his sheep…one-by-one.

The Great Shepherd

God refreshes our souls spiritually and emotionally. His loving care puts our minds at ease, so we can rest peacefully. He restores and strengthens us.

Rest & Renewal

The Twenty-Third Psalm is still beloved today more so than it ever was before because it tells us that above all the troubles, conflicts, frictions, and dissentions in life, we know that the shepherd is there amongst all the weaknesses of mankind. We know that this passage is not to be taken literally about sheep, but rather we are the sheep, and it expresses the longing soul for the continual presence of God, and for us to have a constant relationship with him.