SUMMARY
Because God is a faithful shepherd and protector, the psalmist is confident that life will be filled with goodness and mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More.
ANALYSIS
PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More 23 has been called one of the psalms of trust in which pray-ers proclaim their confidence in the goodness of God despite the very real difficulties of present experience (see also Psalms 11; 27:1-6; 91; 121). Because of this reliance on God even in the midst of distress, these psalms mirror Paul’s understanding that the believer walks by faith rather than by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The image of GodAccording to the book of Genesis, humans were created in the likeness, or the image, of God. The phrase is generally taken to refer to the uprightness and dignity of human nature. Because of disobedience the image of God has been corrupted or, some say,... More in the first part of the psalm (vv. 1-4) is the shepherd–the one who faithfully leads and tends the flock (see also 28:9 and 80:1). Similarly, God’s people are God’s sheep, kept and protected by the Lord (also 95:7; 100:3). Sometimes in the Psalms it is not particularly a good thing to be a sheep–sheep are vulnerable (44:11) and go astray (119:176)–but here the image is positive, depicting one of God’s beloved creatures. The good or loving shepherd–a royal image as well as a pastoral one–will become one of the most enduring and comforting pictures of God and Jesus in the Bible (Isaiah 40:11; John 10:11, 14).
The mood of Psalm 23 is hardly idyllic. This is no fantasy world where all is sweetness and light. The psalmist fears no evil–though evil is real–even in the midst of the darkest valley (or the valley of the shadow of death), only because of God’s care.
The psalm moves in part two to a different picture (vv. 5-6). Now God is host at a meal, providing overflowing blessingBlessing is the asking for or the giving of God's favor. Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau. At the Last Supper Jesus offered a blessing over bread and wine. To be blessed is to be favored by God. More, goodness, and mercy, even though here, too, real enemies remain. The scene may be of the meal associated with the thank-offering in the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More. It is one of many biblical texts that portray life with God as a banquet of abundance, where cups overflow (v. 5) and twelve baskets of leftovers remain (Mark 6:43).
