Psalm 23 KJV Audio (above) with Large Print Text below
King James Version
1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 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.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
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.
Reflection/Devotional
Psalm 23 has such a profound parallel to the words of the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd in John 10:27. And for our reflection today on this particular Psalm, I want us to look at this Scripture. There the Scripture says that My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." — John 10:27
In Psalm 23, it says that the Lord leads us beside the still waters and that He restores our soul. And so between these two texts, we see that the relationship between the Shepherd and the sheep is so intimate, it is so close, that He knows what the sheep needs, in such a way that the sheep trust Him to provide all of their needs.
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.— Psalm 23:1–3
And for us as human beings, we need to realize that as His sheep, He the Shepherd is intimately aware of who we are and what our needs are. And He supplies all of those needs according to His riches in glory. How amazing is the grace of God!
Here I also want to look at the premise of hearing the voice of the Shepherd, because it is from this premise of hearing the voice that all of the blessings of the Shepherd are given to the sheep. It is because you hear His voice, you recognize Him, you know Him, and He knows you that you have provision.
And in Scripture, this is shown in the book of Deuteronomy when Moses tells the people, if you hearken to the voice of the Lord, all of these blessings shall come upon you. And so the blessing was intimately connected with the hearing of the voice.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God... that all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee... - Deuteronomy 28:1–2
Yes, healing and wholeness, breakthrough, prosperity and peace are part of the blessings you've received. You can go down the list in Deuteronomy.
Also in Ephesians 2, it says that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing. And the question can be asked, how do we access these spiritual blessings? And John 10:27 illustrates to us clearly how to receive those blessings, and that is by hearing the voice of the Shepherd, knowing Him, and following Him.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus... blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.. Ephesians 2:6 & 1:3
This parallels John 8:31 to 32 when the Lord Jesus says, if you hold fast My teachings, you are really My disciples, then you will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31–32
Holding fast to His teachings parallels hearing His voice, then you will know the truth parallels "I know them," because you only know God because God knows you and has revealed Himself to you. And then lastly, "and they follow Me" parallels John 8:32, "and the truth shall make you free."
We see the full cascade of the blessing that comes through daily hearing God's voice. That is not only fidelity to the Word of God, but also knowing God and being known by Him.
From knowing Him and being known by Him, then we are set free from the bondage of the flesh and the corruption of lust that is in the flesh. Liberated to the life of the sons of God.
For the creation indeed waits for the manifestation of the sons of God, and this happens as we are liberated from the flesh, liberated by the Son of God, Whom we know, into the life that is His, essentially partaking of the divine nature, which is in 2 Peter.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God... delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:14, 21
"...that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:4
This is profound. So the Lord is our Shepherd, and because He is our Shepherd, we shall not want, because the blessings that we receive come from hearing His voice, knowing Him, and Him knowing us rather, and following Him, the Good Shepherd.
