This post is the introduction to a series about “Psalm 23”.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today (the form is at the bottom of the page).

Psalm 23 – Day 1

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. This is probably the most well known of all the psalms, and many songs have been written with the words from these verses, but how many of us have ever really studied the words and some of the hidden meanings?

Introduction

This is probably the most well known of all the psalms. Many songs have been written with the words from these verses. But how many of us ever really study the words and some of the hidden meanings?

Let’s go through it slowly together this month, and see where it leads us.

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my shepherd.

The Thought

This psalm is attributed to David, the shepherd boy who became king. We first hear of David in 1 Samuel 16:11-13. The Lord told Samuel the prophet to anoint him as king in place of Saul. That must have been an amazing experience for David and his family. But if we read the full chapter, we find that it was a surprising experience for Samuel too. The previous chapter tells us that King Saul who was the first Israelite king was chosen by the Lord because the people wanted to be like other nations. They were rejecting God.

There is something deep within each of us that makes us want to conform to something. Even the rebels amongst us are often conforming to standards of other rebels.

In the case of the Israelite nation, they didn’t want to be different, they wanted a king they could see in the flesh. So God gave them king Saul (1 Samuel 8 & 9).

But Saul was disobedient to the Lord and consequently rejected as king (1 Samuel 15). Although it was several years before he actually left the throne. And several years after Samuel anointed David that he became the second king of Israel.

After many years of fighting Saul finally took his own life in the last chapter (chapter 31) of 1 Samuel giving way to David as king.

Action

Ask yourself as we begin this new study if you are conforming to “the nations”, to the expectations of the people around you.

Do you prefer to be “one of the crowd” even if they are not going entirely the way you know God would choose?

What is your attitude to the leaders of your nation?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-3 Paul encourages us to pray for those in authority over us.

Pray today for your local and national leaders.